49 victims in shootings at 2 New Zealand mosques

[goyacobol]

The Munchkins of the PTB (like above) will set a standard response to dissidence whom don't comply with the agenda. I think we will see a knew trend in capital punishment. I suppose there will need to be many more false flags, and along with Hyper-Dimensional Interference.

Will head's roll, wait and see I guess.

Maybe some Munchkins will be under the guillotine too...



Session 22 July 2010:

Q: (L) Well, it just seems like psychopaths have really screwed things up.

A: It is actually a bad time for them.

Q: (L) It's a bad time for them? What do you mean?

A: They will get all the blame!

Q: (Andromeda) That's an interesting... (L) Way to look at it. (Burma Jones) So then back to what Galaxia was wanting to know, is there going to be a revolution? Are people actually going to wake up and start... (Galaxia) And do something about it?

A: Oh indeed!

Q: (Galaxia) Now that's what I like to hear! (Andromeda) Is it going to be a very bloody revolution?

A: Yes.

Q: (Galaxia) On both sides?

A: Yes.

Q: (Galaxia) More for the evil side, or more for the good side?

A: Wait and see.

 

[angelburst29]

A non-binding resolution called the Christchurch Call, jointly unveiled this week by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron, seeks to bring tech companies and governments together in an effort to stem such content. So far, the governments of the UK, Canada, France and Australia have signed on, as have Facebook, Twitter, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon, as Recode reports.

I don't know if this is part of the crack down on free speech, along with the non-binding resolution above?

Who burned Notre Dame? Brussels goes after fake news as EU election nears
The European Union has launched a coordinated fight against fake news ahead of this month's European Parliament elections, but officials acknowledge there are limits to what can be achieved against a danger barely recognized a few years ago.

The risk is “very high”, said Lutz Guellner, one of the EU’s top officials in charge of the anti-disinformation campaign. “Just look at the past, the U.S. elections, what happened in France, Germany.”

By finding fact-checking organizations, building up an in-house unit to counter disinformation from Russia, and enlisting Facebook, Google, Twitter and others, Brussels hopes to shield the 427 million people eligible to vote for the 751-seat EU chamber on May 23-26.

Facebook opened a fake news war room in late April, later showing journalists around the Dublin facility, but security experts say that may be too late to uproot the seeds of doubt planted by malign campaigns to undermine one of the world’s biggest elections.

EU officials say they cannot quantify the impact of their efforts. They suffer from limited funding and institutional restraints, and are only just coming to terms with the scale of the problem. “The EU can’t have a Ministry of Truth,” said one senior EU official.

Despite the pan-European nature of the risks, the vote is held as separate elections in each of the 28 EU countries, some of which have been slow to put in place safeguards.

EU governments and NATO allies say Russia is targeting elections to undermine Western democracy. Moscow denies that.

In a case that forced EU officials to pay attention to the real-world impact of fake news, a story in 2016 about a Russian-German girl reportedly raped by Arab migrants sparked a media storm until Germany’s intelligence service established it as a Russian attempt to manipulate German public opinion.

WHO SET FIRE TO NOTRE DAME?
By alerting people to examples of disinformation, the EU, like other Western governments, hopes to “inoculate” citizens against fake news, according to Heidi Tworek, a expert on information warfare at the University of British Columbia.

“Potentially we will be able to win, but not yet, because we have neglected this for so long,” Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius told Reuters.

Because May’s elections are likely to produce a fragmented parliament, with anti-establishment parties doing well, EU officials are anxious about “bad actors” disrupting debate.

Turnout for European Parliament elections is traditionally low, making it easier for far-right and far-left groups to focus on voters favoring extremist parties via social media.

Russian media in Europe, while not successful in reaching the broader public, provides a platform for anti-EU populists.

Following a fire at Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral in April, Russian media outlets in Europe blamed Islamist militants and Ukraine's pro-Western government. (Comment: Say WHAT? That's a lie! List links and proof to that false statement.)

Fact-checkers in Germany called out a fake news article circulated on Facebook about Frans Timmermans, the Socialists’ top candidate in the European elections. The report falsely claimed he wanted “mass immigration of Muslim men to Europe”.

“NON-RAPID” EU ALERT SYSTEM

By threatening regulation, the EU has persuaded Google and Facebook to verify election advertising on its sites, while the companies, along with Twitter and Firefox web-browser Mozilla have agreed to submit monthly reports as part of an EU code of practice.

Google said that in February it detected almost 21,000 EU-based Google Ads accounts that violated its new rules and sought to mislead or scam users, including 4,200 in Italy alone,

Last week, Facebook took down numerous Italian accounts.

Facebook’s fact-checking operation is working with 21 partners in 14 European languages. When a story is flagged as false, it is downgraded on the social network’s news feed and pages that repeatedly share fake news can be blocked.

But the company says such efforts have their limits. “There’s so much shared on Facebook every day that it won’t be possible to fact check every single piece,” said Antonia Woodford, Facebook’s product manager.

In some EU nations, such as Hungary, there are no fact-checkers, and groups partnered with Facebook complain about the lack of data on the impact of their work, particularly as fake news spreads quickly across different platforms and countries.

“It does move pretty quickly,” said Phil Chetwynd, global editor in chief at Agence France-Presse, which is partnered with Facebook. “In most of the locations where we have put fact-checkers, we have been surprised by the scale of what we have been discovering.”

The older generation is particularly vulnerable, with people over 55 most likely to spread fake news because they grew up with the printed word and assume published information to be bona fide, EU officials say.

Many EU governments have yet to set up their own disinformation monitoring command posts. A much vaunted EU ‘Rapid Alert System’ meant to bring national specialists together to fight disinformation is barely used. “It’s a non-rapid, non-alert, non-system,” an EU official said.

However, the EU hopes that a collective effort will at least raise the costs for anyone trying to interfere. “If someone wants to do it, it will still be possible,” said Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar, Estonia’s ambassador at large for cyber security.

Not only is the EU chasing after phantoms - "the article is full of stupid excuses!"

 

[angelburst29]

New Zealand police have charged the man accused of murder in shootings at two Christchurch mosques in March with engaging in a terrorist act, the first time such a charge had been brought in the country's history, they said on Tuesday.

Police file New Zealand's first terrorism charge over mosque shootings

Tuesday’s charge under terrorism suppression legislation was filed against Brenton Tarrant, police said.

“The charge will allege that a terrorist act was carried out in Christchurch,” Commissioner of Police Mike Bush said in a statement.

The charge was the first under New Zealand’s terrorism suppression legislation, introduced in 2002, after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.

An additional charge of murder and two more charges of attempted murder have also been filed against Tarrant, so that the suspected white supremacist faces a total of 51 charges of murder and 40 of attempted murder.

Legal experts said any conviction for engaging in terrorism would not make much practical difference, given murder charges attract a higher maximum penalty, but were likely added to reflect the traumatic impact on those beyond the named victims.

“The terrorism act charge is about recognizing the harm to the community and the harmed individuals who were present but who weren’t physically injured or killed,” Graeme Edgeler, a barrister and legal commentator.

Tarrant is next due to appear in court on June 14, after being remanded in custody in April and ordered to undergo psychiatric assessment to determine if he was fit to stand trial.

Police notified roughly 200 family members of attack victims and survivors about the additional charges at a meeting on Tuesday, police said.

 

[Ca.]

Police file New Zealand's first terrorism charge over mosque shootings

Missed the gang signs!

 

[angelburst29]

Terrorism in Mosques continues ...

Bomb in Afghan mosque kills senior cleric during Friday prayers

A bomb exploded in a mosque in the Afghan capital, Kabul, during Friday prayers, officials said, killing three people including a senior preacher and wounding at least 20 men who had gathered for worship.

The preacher, Samiullah Raihan, was a supporter of the Western-backed Afghan government which Taliban militants are trying to bring down. He was also a member of the National Ulema Council, Afghanistan’s top Muslim clerical body.

Firdaws Faramarz, a police spokesman, said explosives were apparently placed near the altar of the Al-Taqwa mosque, a place used by the mosque leader to initiate the prayers.

The neighborhood where the bombing took place is dominated by Sunni Muslims. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but the Taliban and Islamic State fighters regularly stage attacks in the capital.

The explosion hit at a time when dozens of men had gathered for prayers. The death toll could rise, said a second official.

Bomb at Sunni Muslim mosque in Pakistan kills two, wounds 14

A bomb at a mosque in the Pakistani city of Quetta on Friday killed two worshippers and wounded 14, officials said.

The blast went off at the Sunni Muslim mosque when people were offering Friday prayers.

“There were about 100 people there when a bomb exploded very close to the prayer leader,” said police officer Abdul Qayum. There was no claim of responsibility.

Quetta is the capital Baluchistan province which has been plagued for decades by a separatist insurgency. The separatists usually attack energy infrastructure and the security forces.

Sunni Muslim militants also operate in the province. They usually attack government targets and members of the Shi’ite Muslim minority.

Attacks on Sunni mosques are rare. Police said they were investigating.

 

[angelburst29]

Another attack on a Christian church in Africa - the 4th incident in the area in a month.

May 26, 2019 - Gunmen raid Burkina Faso church, kill four
Gunmen burst into a church in northern Burkina Faso on Sunday and shot dead four people, a security source said - at least the fourth attack on Christians in the past month. Other worshippers were wounded in the assault on the morning service at the church near the town of Titao, the source added.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks which threaten to upend traditionally peaceful relations between the Muslim majority and Christians who make up a quarter of Burkinabes. The government has blamed unnamed terrorist groups operating in the country and Africa’s surrounding Sahel region.

Islamist militants based in Mali have regrouped after a French intervention in 2013 and now use the country’s north and center as launchpads for attacks on neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Gunmen killed a Protestant pastor and five congregants in another church in northern Burkina in late April. A Catholic priest and five parishioners were killed in an attack in the central town of Dablo on May 12 and another four Catholics died in an attack two days later in the northern town of Ouahigouya.

 

[angelburst29]

NZ judge allows images of man charged in mosque shootings
NZ judge allows images of man charged in mosque shootings

Brenton Tarrant, the man charged in the Christchurch mosque shootings, appears in the Christchurch District Court, in Christchurch, New Zealand. (File/AP/Mark Mitchell)

June 6, 2019 - WELLINGTON, New Zealand: A New Zealand judge ruled Thursday that media outlets can now show the face of the man accused of killing 51 people at two Christchurch mosques.

Two New Zealand courts had previously ruled that television stations, websites, newspapers and other media could only publish images which pixelated the face of Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the 28-year-old Australian white supremacist accused of the March 15 mass shooting.

But High Court Judge Cameron Mander wrote in a court note that prosecutors had advised him there was no longer any need to suppress images of Tarrant's face and he was lifting the order.

The previous rulings hadn't stopped images of Tarrant from circulating on the internet, and questions remained about whether the court's rulings could be applied to media operating outside of New Zealand's borders.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers, who have not commented on the case publicly, did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press seeking comment on Thursday.

Retired law professor Bill Hodge said the initial argument for suppressing images of Tarrant was likely made to ensure witnesses weren't tainted — that they could identify the gunman from their own recollection and not from seeing a picture in a newspaper.

“I can only assume that neither side is concerned about poisoning the well of identification witnesses,” Hodge said.

Tarrant livestreamed much of his attack on Facebook. The chilling 17-minute video, in which he shows his face, was copied and widely viewed on the internet even as tech companies scrambled to remove it.

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has vowed never to say the gunman's name, and last month helped lead a global pledge named the “Christchurch Call,” aimed at boosting efforts to keep internet platforms from being used to spread hate, organize extremist groups and broadcast attacks.

The White House did not endorse the pledge, citing respect for “freedom of expression and freedom of the press.”

Hodge said Ardern and other politicians might be making a nice gesture by trying to avoid giving Tarrant the publicity he's likely seeking. But Hodge said that's been somewhat undermined after police decided last month to add a terrorism charge against Tarrant to the charges of murder and attempted murder he already faced.

Hodge said the terrorism charge had never been previously tested in New Zealand's court system and it could backfire by giving Tarrant a platform to broadcast his white supremacist views, since defending himself against that charge could give him more scope to express his alleged motives.

A spokesperson for Ardern said the prime minister had no comment to make on a matter for the court.

Tarrant is next scheduled to appear in court via videolink on June 14, when he is expected to enter pleas to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of terrorism.

 

[angelburst29]

June 16, 2019 - Accused Christchurch gunman pleads not guilty to all charges in New Zealand court
An Australian man pleaded not guilty on Friday to 92 charges stemming from a massacre in two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch three months ago and will stand trial in May next year.

Brenton Tarrant, 29, a suspected white supremacist, appeared by video link from a maximum security facility in Auckland while his lawyer entered not guilty pleas on his behalf. The accusations against him include one terrorism charge.

Mander said Tarrant was fit to stand trial after the court ordered him to undergo a mental health assessment at a previous hearing on April 5.

“No issue arises regarding the defendant’s fitness to plead, to instruct counsel, and to stand his trial. A fitness hearing is not required,” Mander said in a minute released to the media after Friday’s hearing.

 

[angelburst29]

A New Zealand man was sentenced to 21 months in prison on Tuesday for distributing videos of a massacre at two mosques in the city of Christchurch, media reported.

June 17, 2019 - New Zealand man jailed for sharing video of mass shooting: media
Radio New Zealand said Phillip Arps, 44, pleaded guilty to two charges of distributing objectionable material after sharing copies of the livestreamed video with about 30 people.

Arps also shared a video that was modified to add cross-hairs and a body count to the images of the massacre, the broadcaster said.

Christchurch District Court Judge Stephen O’Driscoll said that when Arps was asked for his opinion of the video, he replied it was “awesome”, Radio New Zealand said.


“It is clear from all the material before me that you have strong and unrepentant views towards the Muslim community,” it quoted O’Driscoll as saying during the sentencing.

New Zealand’s government has outlawed the sharing of videos of the massacre, which is punishable by up to 14 years in jail.

 

[angelburst29]

They pulled this same scheme in New York and Chicago, some years back and crime in general, increased three-fold within five years. I have often wondered - considering the "buy back" is always targeting "semi-automatic" weapons - if these rifles eventually end up in the Middle East or somewhere else, to help support American "allies"? It's like the government is acting like a pawn shop - paying a minimum exchange (pennies on a dollar) in a cost cutting enterprise. I remember back 6-7 years ago, the Pentagon had large Contracts with the major ammo producers and local Deer and Bear hunters in my area were having trouble obtaining certain calibers of ammo during hunting season. They went through the trouble of obtaining County permits for Deer and Bear season and couldn't hunt because ammo was in short supply, due to rush orders by the government. Makes me wonder - if this "buy back" and the Military ammo stock piles - are related? Check out the numbers of how many rifles have been collected in New Zealand already and how many have been registered by their owners - awaiting collection by the Police.


New Zealand's government on Thursday launched a multimillion-dollar, six-month "buy-back" scheme to compensate owners of powerful but newly banned semi-automatic weapons prohibited in the wake of deadly attacks on two mosques in the Southern city of Christchurch.

NZ launches gun 'buy-back' scheme for weapons banned after Christchurch mosque attacks


Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Minister of Police Stuart Nash said in a joint emailed statement that NZ$208 million ($135.97 million) had been set aside to compensate owners of the banned semi-automatic firearms up to 95% of the original cost.

They would have until Dec. 20 to hand in their weapons.

“Police have detailed plans in place for the next step, which is the collection of firearms from the community. It will be a huge logistical exercise and is expected to get under way in mid-July,” Nash said.

Parliament passed the gun reform law - the first substantial changes to the country’s gun laws in decades - by a vote of 119 to 1 in April.

The vote came less than a month after its worst-ever peacetime mass shooting in which 51 people were killed and dozens injured in attacks on two mosques in Christchurch.

The new curbs bar the circulation and use of most semi-automatic firearms, parts that convert firearms into semi-automatic firearms, magazines over a certain capacity and some shotguns.

Existing gun laws had provided for a standard “A-category” gun license covering semi-automatics limited to seven shots.

Police estimated around 14,300 military style semi-automatics would be covered by the new legislation, though the government said it was difficult to predict the exact number.

Almost 700 weapons had already been handed in before the compensation scheme was launched and almost 5,000 had been registered by owners with police while they awaited collection.

“There is high uncertainty around any (costs), owing to the lack of information on the number of prohibited items, their type and condition,” Robertson said, adding that better estimates of the total cost would be available once the buy-back was under way and the government would top up the amount if needed.

The government has also begun work on a second arms amendment bill to tackle issues regarding a gun registry, among others. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters on Monday that she expected the government to announce its plans for the law in the next few weeks.

With a population of just under 5 million, New Zealand is home to an estimated total of 1.5 million firearms, making it the country with the 17th highest rate of civilian firearm ownership in the world, according to the Small Arms Survey.

 

[angelburst29]

Maybe I'm just paranoid and he really is just a nutter blowing his top, but this didn't happen in Germany or France or Italy or England, hell it didn't even happen in Melbourne where the muslim migrants are actually causing problems. Yet this Australian man chose to shoot up a quiet place in Kiwi land. Maybe somebody there wants stricter gun laws and this is New Zealand's Port Arthur? It reminds me of the (fairly recent) school shooting in america that was later used for anti gun rhetoric.

You might be on to something, Hindsight Man!

Well, New Zealand did enforce new gun laws, as you suspected. You may have also zeroed in on another possible target - "New Zealand's Port Arthur". The Pentagon-US-NATO already have a (secret) Military base in Christchurch at Harewood Airport (link at end). Maybe, they are looking to expand their operations? Also, unknown to most Australian's, a new secret Military base is being constructed at Glyder Point. All this activity might have something to do with Antarctica and Russia's and China's increased influence in the area?

Map of Australia and New Zealand
The geography of New Zealand encompasses two main islands (the North and South Islands, or Te-Ika-a-Maui and Te Wai Pounamu in Māori) and a number of smaller islands, located near the centre of the water hemisphere.

It is situated about 2,000 kilometers (1,200 mi) southeast of Australia across the Tasman Sea, its closest neighbors to the north being Tonga and Fiji. The relative proximity of New Zealand "north of Antarctica" has made South Island a gateway for scientific expeditions to the continent. New Zealand is in Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean at 41°S 174°E.

The Presence of Foreign Troops in Australia: The US Marines in Darwin
The Presence of Foreign Troops in Australia: The US Marines in Darwin - Global Research

June 25, 2019 - [...] In 2015, Admiral Jonathan Greenert did his expedition to Darwin, hoping to find suitable environs to seed further. The US, in his words, was “doing a study together with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to see what might be feasible for naval co-operation in and around Australia which might include basing ships”.

A new port facility, planned to be situated at the Glyde Point area, has been one part of this potentially dubious harvest. The intention here is to broaden the scope of naval operations, with the port intended for amphibious ships, while providing comfort to the rotating Marine Force. The Australian Defence Department, as is its wont, refuses to confirm this, telling the country’s national broadcaster that it had, at present “no plans for the development of a new naval facility in the Northern Territory.”
The evidence suggests otherwise, given the completion of the recent $40 million road to Gunn Point, near Glyde Point.

A few mutterings are available from the Australian Defence Force. A spokesman explained, noting additions to the infrastructure, that,

“The [fuel storage] facility will support training and enable enhance cooperation between the Australian Defence Force and the US Marine Corps and US Air Force.”

It has been a touch under a decade since US marines began arriving in Darwin, all part of the Obama administration’s desire to pivot the imperium. In 2018, Washington sent a contingent of 1,500 soldiers as part of the US-Australian force posture agreement, an understanding said to continue till 2040. The national interest analysis of the agreement reads like an authorizing document for occupation, however described. Weasel assurances are present to give the reader the false impression of Australian independence; there would be, for instance, “respect for Australian sovereignty and the laws of Australia”, the need to agree to consultation “and affirms that the initiatives will occur at Australian facilities, consistent with our long-standing policy that there are no foreign military bases on Australian soil".

Such a position did not fool Nick Deane of the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network, an organisation that continues to promote the dangers of a continuing US military presence on the continent.

“Having foreign troops on home territory creates a potential breach in any sovereign nation’s defence. The first criterion of independence has to be the nation’s capacity to look after itself by conducting its own defence.”

The presence of foreign troops should only be countenanced in “the most extreme of situations”. Those had hardly presented themselves, despite the usual psychic pressings posed by a rejigged version of the Yellow Peril.

Groups such as IPAN, along with a few defence contrarians such as Mike Gilligan, argue that Australia simply does not need this added presence for peace of mind, being more than capable of dealing with its own security.

Australia’s problems have been amplified by another player in the crammed boudoir. The People’s Republic of China is also sniffing, perusing and seeking a foothold. Darwin’s port was leased to Landbridge Industry Australia, a subsidiary of Shandong Landbridge Group in 2015, which might have been regarded as more than just a tease. Such foreplay did not impress various critics at the time, including the then federal treasurer, Scott Morrison.

“They didn’t tell us about it!” he is noted to have said. “Which Australian city controversially leased their port to a Chinese company in 2015?”

Strategy wonks were baffled; this move on the part of the Northern Territory government did not tally.

It would be convenient to deem the Northern Territory government a convenient whipping boy in this whole business. Australia, thus far, is proving an erratic courtesan on all fronts, happy to provide coal to Beijing in abundance with a certain amoral confidence but abstinent and circumspect on technology. (Its directions to remain firm against Beijing from Washington regarding Huawei and 5G are clear enough.)

(Comment: I suspect, China's main objective was to deter the US from stationing military troops AND using Australia as another stepping stone towards it's expansion into the Antarctica? )

United States Military Bases in NZ
United States Military Bases | NZETC

There are two U.S. military bases in N.Z. The largest is at Harewood Airport, Christchurch, where under cover of the U.S. Antarctic Research Program, the military maintains a general purpose Naval depot, an Air Force Military Airlift Command Base, and a Naval Communications Unit (part of which is situated at RNZAF base, Weedons). At Mt John the U.S. Air Force's Satellite Tracking Station pinpoints the position of enemy satellites so that in the event of nuclear war the U.S. Aerospace Defence Command can shoot them down. The operations base for Mt John is at Washdyke, near Timaru.

 

[angelburst29]

NZ launches gun 'buy-back' scheme for weapons banned after Christchurch mosque attacks

New Zealand's first gun buyback event a success, police say

MELBOURNE July 13. 2019 - Police on Saturday labeled New Zealand’s first firearms buy-back event a success, after 169 individuals handed in 224 prohibited firearms in the city of Christchurch.

It comes four months after the country’s worst peacetime mass shooting, which killed 51 people and injured dozens in attacks on two mosques in the city.

The event was the first of 258 planned until the end of the year, to compensate owners of powerful, but newly banned, semi-automatic weapons following the attacks.

The attitude of firearm owners who participated was “outstanding,” police official Mike Johnson said in a statement. “They have really engaged in the process here today and we have had positive feedback,” he added.

One gun owner, who sought anonymity, told the New Zealand Herald newspaper he was happy with the NZ$13,000 ($8,697) he received for his semi-automatic hunting firearm, despite initial doubts.

“I didn’t think this would be a fair process at all - I wasn’t particularly happy about it. But the outcome was good and they handled it well,” the paper quoted him as saying.

Police said gun owners were compensated with a total of NZ$433,682 ($290,133) on Saturday. The government has set aside NZ$208 million ($139.15 million) for the scheme.

Parliament passed the gun reform law - the first substantial changes to New Zealand’s gun laws in decades - by a vote of 119 to 1 in April.

The new laws bar the circulation and use of most semi-automatic firearms, parts that convert firearms into semi-automatics, magazines over a certain capacity and some shotguns.

With a population of just under 5 million and an estimated total of 1.5 million firearms, New Zealand ranks 17th in the world in terms of civilian firearm ownership, the Small Arms Survey shows.

Gun megastore plan in New Zealand's Christchurch sparks backlash: media

New Zealand retailer Gun City, which sold weapons to the man accused of shootings at two Christchurch mosques that killed 51 people and injured dozens, has aroused concern with plans for a mega store in the South Island city, media said on Wednesday.

Radio New Zealand said some of those living near the proposed site were upset at the prospect of the store, sprawling over 300 sq m (3,229 sq ft), along with warehouse, office and carpark, set to open in August.

The location is just 1 km (0.62 miles) from the racetrack where New Zealand held its first firearms buyback on Saturday, four months after its worst peacetime mass shooting.

The accused gunman, Brenton Tarrant, bought four weapons and ammunition between December 2017 and March 2018, Gun City owner David Tipple said in March.

Tarrant, due to stand trial in May, has pleaded not guilty to 92 charges over the attacks, including New Zealand’s first terrorism charge.

Tipple told Radio New Zealand he was sorry some people were concerned about the new store, but the chain was “willing and happy to introduce those persons to the positives of firearms”.

A gun reform law passed in April bars the circulation and use of most semi-automatic firearms, parts to convert firearms into semi-automatics, magazines over a certain capacity and some shotguns.

Gas explosion in New Zealand's Christchurch injures several people

New Zealand emergency services evacuated residents near what they said was a suspected gas explosion in the South Island city of Christchurch on Friday that left a house on fire and several people injured.

There was no indication that Friday’s blast had any wider security implications.

“Fire and Emergency New Zealand was called to a house on fire ... at about 10.15 a.m. after reports of a large gas explosion,” a spokeswoman for New Zealand’s fire service said.

Four fire engines, a specialist command unit and a fire investigator were at the scene, she said.

Police said in a statement initial reports suggested a number of people had been injured in the incident in the residential suburb of Northwood. Media reports said six people had been taken to hospital.

A house was on fire and police had closed roads and were carrying out evacuations following what they described as a “serious incident”.

A Christchurch hotel worker, who was not identified, told the New Zealand Herald newspaper that a sound like an explosion had shaken nearby buildings. “It was more than an earthquake, you’d think a bomb had gone off,” the newspaper quoted the worker as saying.

Police did not identify the cause of the incident. A Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman said a fire investigator was at the scene but did not yet have any official information about the cause.

 

[angelburst29]

New Zealand plans firearm register, tighter licensing amid gun law reforms

FILE PHOTO: People look at firearms and accessories on display at Gun City gunshop in Christchurch, New Zealand, March 19, 2019. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo

New Zealand on Monday said it aims to establish a national register for firearms, tighten licensing rules and ban visitors from buying guns, in a second set of reforms introduced in response to a mass shooting in March.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern banned military-style semi-automatic (MSSA) and assault rifles in the first phase of reforms introduced days after a lone gunman attacked worshippers at two mosques in the city of Christchurch on March 15, killing 51 people.

The second set of law changes would establish a register of firearms and license holders, tighten rules to get and keep a firearms license, and tighten the rules for gun dealers to get and keep a license, Ardern told a news conference on Monday.

The reform would also enshrine in law that owning a firearm is a privilege, she said.

“The terror attack on March 15 highlighted the flaws in our licensing system,” Ardern said.

“The changes announced today have been decades in the making. It is now up to this parliament to deliver in the interests of public and personal safety,” said Ardern.

Under the new law, licenses would have to be renewed every five years and visitors to New Zealand would not be allowed to buy guns.

The government has faced criticism from some quarters for rushing through the reforms.

The opposition National Party, which supported the government’s first phase of gun reform, said the new changes imposed more regulation and costs on law-abiding people.

Many farmers in New Zealand own guns, which they use for killing pests such as possums and rabbits, and for putting down injured stock.

New Zealanders hand over 10,000-plus guns and weapons parts in buy-back scheme
New Zealanders hand over 10,000-plus guns and weapons parts in buy-back scheme

Even with a population of just under 5 million, New Zealand has an estimated total of 1.5 million firearms. (File/AFP)

SYDNEY: New Zealanders have handed over more than 10,000 guns, weapons parts and accessories in the first week of a buy-back scheme prompted by the country’s worst peacetime mass shooting, police figures released on Sunday show.

A gun reform law passed in April banned most semi-automatic firearms, parts that convert firearms into semi-automatics, magazines over a certain capacity and some shotguns.

Owners have until Dec. 20 to hand in their weapons and the government has set aside NZ$208 million ($140.63 million) to compensate them for up to 95% of the original cost.

The buy-back comes four months after a lone gunman with semi-automatic weapons attacked Muslims attending Friday prayers in Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island, killing 51 people.

More than 2,000 people have surrendered 3,275 firearms, 7,827 parts and accessories and in return authorities have paid them slightly more than NZ$6 million ($4.06 million) since the buy-back began last Saturday, a police spokesperson told Reuters by telephone on Sunday.

Police said they were pleased with the turnout on Sunday, as 684 people handed in 1,061 guns and 3,397 parts and accessories at events across the country.

Police superintendent Karyn Malthus said hundreds of firearms had been surrendered in Auckland. “The feedback from firearms owners at the event has been very positive,” she said in an emailed statement.

Media reported on Wednesday that Christchurch residents were upset about the proposed opening of a Gun City mega store in the city.

Brenton Tarrant, accused of the March 15 killings, bought four weapons and ammunition from the Gun City chain online from December 2017 to March 2018, owner David Tipple said in March.

Tarrant, due to stand trial in May, has pleaded not guilty to 92 charges over the attacks, including New Zealand’s first terrorism charge.

With a population of just under 5 million and an estimated total of 1.5 million firearms, New Zealand ranks 17th in the world in terms of civilian firearm ownership, the Small Arms Survey shows.

 

[angelburst29]

New Zealand's indigenous Maori protest over 'stolen children'

Ministers address hundreds of Maori protesters gathered to demonstrate against what protesters say is the disproportionate number of Maori children taken by social service agencies from their families, outside parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, July 30, 2019. REUTERS/Praveen Menon

Children facing harm have been moved into state care for decades despite criticism from many Maori people, who believe the process is racially skewed and a legacy of colonization. Most of the children taken into state care are Maori.

Newsroom, an online news site, reported recently that officials from the children’s ministry, called Oranga Tamariki, tried to take a new-born baby away from her mother in hospital.

The report sparked public outrage and is potentially embarrassing for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who is known globally for her compassionate style of governing but is also accused by her critics of ignoring domestic issues.

Tuesday’s protest coincided with another stand-off with thousands of Maori protesters in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, over plans to build a housing project on land they believe is sacred.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of parliament on Tuesday shouting slogans and carrying placards that said: “Hands off our tamariki” - the Maori word for children. Protests were also held in other major cities.

Protesters call the children New Zealand’s “stolen generation” - a reference to indigenous Australians forcibly taken from their families as children under an official policy of assimilation.

Oranga Tamariki said in a report last week more than a hundred children had been harmed while in state care in the first three months of the year.

The twin disputes present a challenge for Ardern’s Labour-led coalition, which needs to keep its Maori voters ahead of an election next year.

Maori seats are part of Labour’s support base and played a big part in Ardern’s 2017 election win, said Bryce Edwards, a political commentator at Wellington’s Victoria University.

“These types of issues are proxies for some of the wider discontent. The government is on shaky ground now because there is no indication that they have made any progress on some issues of inequality,” he said.

“There are very difficult problems ... I’m not sure the government has any answers at the moment,” Edwards said.

Ardern is on an official visit to the dependent South Pacific territory of Tokelau but a spokesman said her administration had inherited “a chronically underfunded system” from the previous centre-right National Party government.

“New Zealand has two long-term problems we are trying to fix, too many children are removed from their families and end up in state care and, so too, many children are killed or hurt by their families,” he said in an emailed statement.

 

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OSLO, Norway Aug. 10, 2019 - The man suspected of a shooting at a mosque in Norway may also have killed a relative before launching the attack, police said late on Saturday.

Norway mosque shooter may have killed family member first: police

A man is seen near the site after a shooting in al-Noor Islamic center mosque, near Oslo, Norway August 10, 2019. NTB Scanpix/Terje Pedersen via REUTERS

“A young woman was found dead at the suspect’s address,” assistant chief of police Rune Skjold told a news conference, adding that the man was suspected of murder.

Police earlier said a “young white man” had been apprehended following an armed attack at the al-Noor Islamic Centre near the country’s capital, adding that members of the congregation had overpowered the gunman and stopped the shooting.

An older man sustained light injuries in the attack but it was too early to say if the wounds were caused by the gunshots or sustained during the attempt to restrain the gunman, according to police. An initial statement had said one person was shot in the attack.

The suspected attacker appeared to have acted alone, the police added. He is around 20 years old, a Norwegian citizen from the area", Skjold stated. “The man carried two shotgun-like weapons and a pistol. He broke through a glass door and fired shots,” mosque director Irfan Mushtaq told TV2.

The shooter, who wore body armor and a helmet, was overpowered by members of the mosque before police arrived, Mushtaq added.

Only three people were present in the mosque at the time of the attack, preparing for Sunday’s celebration of the Eid-al-Adha festival, which up to 1,000 people had been expected to attend, mosque spokesman Waheed Ahmed told Reuters.

The mosque earlier this year implemented extra security measures following the massacre of more than 50 people at two New Zealand mosques by a suspected right-wing extremist.

In 2011, anti-Muslim neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik massacred 77 people in Norway’s worst peacetime atrocity, the majority of them teenagers at a youth camp.