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Cosmic 'angel wings' emerge from violent galactic collision in Leo constellation
An angel gets its wings as two distant galaxies collide in a stunning new image snapped by the Hubble Space Telescope. The galactic smashup took place in the VV689 system in the constellation Leo. The delicate wings formed as the two gravitationally bound objects collided and merged, deforming each other. "The galactic interaction has left the VV689 system almost completely symmetrical, giving the impression of a vast set of galactic wings," officials with the European Space Agency (ESA) said in a statement.
https://www.sott.net/article/467066-Cosmic-angel-wings-emerge-from-violent-galactic-collision-in-Leo-constellation

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Covidiots beg for mask mandates after several USA airlines drop restrictions
"People celebrating the mask mandate being struck are evil. It's something to deeply mourn" Some commentators are enraged that passengers are no longer forced to wear masks on public transit, calling for airlines to impose their own mandate and even launch segregating flights.
https://www.sott.net/article/467067-Covidiots-beg-for-mask-mandates-after-several-USA-airlines-drop-restrictions

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Lightning strike kills 2, injures 3 in Kenya
Two people have died after they were stuck by lightning in Machakos County. The two died on the spot in the incident that occurred during heavy downpour at Kanyonga village in Masinga subcounty on Saturday, April 23. Masinga assistant County Commissioner Veronica Musyoka said the incident occurred at 2.00 pm. Musyoka said three other victims had been admitted at Mwingi Level 4 Hospital after they sustained injuries during the incident. She said the deceased persons had reportedly sheltered at their neighbor's home before lightning struck.
https://www.sott.net/article/467068-Lightning-strike-kills-2-injures-3-in-Kenya

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Minor girl dies due to stray dog attack in Uttar Pradesh, India - 3rd death in a month
A pack of stray dogs attacked a 12-year-old girl Sahiba in Nalhera village of Saharanpur district on Thursday. The badly mauled child succumbed to her injuries during treatment in a hospital on Friday. The district has witnessed four incidents within a month when stray dogs attacked children, causing three of them to die. Villagers have approached district officials to get rid of the stray dogs but nothing has been done yet to catch the canines and ensure safety of children. In the latest incident, Sahiba was on her way back to her village from a local fair in Chilkana town, with other girls of her age. A pack of stray dogs attacked the girls who managed to escape but Sahiba suffered multiple dog bites. The passers-by somehow saved her and informed her family in the village. She was taken to a village doctor who allowed her to go after providing initial treatment. Her condition deteriorated the next day and she was taken to a hospital in Saharanpur where she succumbed to her...
https://www.sott.net/article/467069-Minor-girl-dies-due-to-stray-dog-attack-in-Uttar-Pradesh-India-3rd-death-in-a-month

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3 killed in 2 days by bear in Jharkhand, India
A 60-year-old woman was killed in a bear attack, a day after two men met with the same fate at Ambera village of Gumla district in Jharkhand on Thursday evening. The deceased, identified as Pati Devi, was returning home at Banghar village after attending the funeral of one of the other two deceased when the incident happened. "The bear pounced on her at the same place where the other two men - Lalit and Shubash - were attacked earlier on Thursday," Gumla divisional forest officer Shrikant told TOI. Pati's seven-year-old grandson Ashish who was with her ran back to the village to seek help. Three men, identified as Lura Kisan, Vijay Kisan and Durga Kisan, who rushed to Pati's help, were also injured in the attack.
https://www.sott.net/article/467070-3-killed-in-2-days-by-bear-in-Jharkhand-India

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Man killed, girl hurt in sloth bear attack in Rajasthan, India
An 80-year-old man was killed and a 19-year-old girl was hurt in an attack by a sloth bear at Biliya village here on Wednesday. Devaram was going towards a field with his daughter Savita when suddenly a bear hiding behind the bushes attacked him. Sources said the bear attacked Devaram's face with its paw and gorged out his eye. His jaw also broke in the attack. The bear caught Devaram from the head and started dragging him towards the jungle. When his daughter started shouting, the bear left Devaram and pounced on her. Hearing her shout, villagers rushed towards them which forced the bear to run away in the forest, sources said.
https://www.sott.net/article/467071-Man-killed-girl-hurt-in-sloth-bear-attack-in-Rajasthan-India

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The Moskva Riddle
Neither NATO nor Russia is telling us what really happened with the Moskva, the legendary admiral ship of the Black Sea fleet. NATO because in theory, they know. Moscow, for its part, made it clear they are not saying anything until they can be sure what happened. One thing is certain. If the Russian Ministry of Defense finds out that NATO did it, they will let loose all the dogs from Hell on NATO, as in "asymmetrical, lethal and fast". On Moskva's location: it was positioned near one of 3 drilling rigs, used for monitoring a whole sector of the Black Sea with hydrophones and NEVA-BS radar, the most westward one, BK-2 Odessa, approximately 66 km northeast from Snake Island. The whole thing was integrated in the regional monitoring systems. As in everything, literally, was monitored: ships, low flying targets, smaller echoes, even the bobbing head of an unsuspecting swimmer. So there was a quite slim chance that anything - not to mention subsonic Neptune missiles and Bayraktar...
https://www.sott.net/article/467072-The-Moskva-Riddle

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Google accused of 'creepy' speech policing
Google's attempts to persuade people to use 'inclusive language' are flawed and intrusive, activists say Google's new 'inclusive language' assistant uses artificial intelligence to detect "discriminatory" words, and suggest that users swap them for more politically correct terminology. Free speech and privacy advocates say the feature undermines "freedom of thought." Google announced the tool at the beginning of April, as part of a host of "assistive writing features" for Google Docs users. Some of these AI-powered add-ons suggest more concise and snappy phrases for writers, while others polish up grammar. However, Google said that with its new 'inclusive language' assistant, "Potentially discriminatory or inappropriate language will be flagged, along with suggestions on how to make your writing more inclusive and appropriate for your audience."
https://www.sott.net/article/467073-Google-accused-of-creepy-speech-policing

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Holdouts: Philadelphia officially drops indoor mask mandate, but still maintains face coverings are 'strongly encouraged'
Philadelphia has lifted its indoor mask mandate, city health officials said Friday, abruptly reversing course just days after people in the city had to start wearing masks again amid a sharp increase in infections. In an announcement, the Department of Public Health said residents and visitors are strongly encouraged, but not required, to wear a mask in indoor public spaces. The Board of Health voted Thursday to rescind the mandate, according to the health department, which released a statement that cited "decreasing hospitalizations and a leveling of case counts."
https://www.sott.net/article/467074-Holdouts-Philadelphia-officially-drops-indoor-mask-mandate-but-still-maintains-face-coverings-are-strongly-encouraged

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Comparing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris approval ratings - steady downturns for both
The majority of Americans disapprove of both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a set of devastating analyses for the Democrats. The approval polling tracker at FiveThirtyEight — which takes a weighted average of the polls — is recording a steady downward approval trend for the pair. According to FiveThirtyEight, Harris has experienced a sharp decline in her approval ratings, with an updated average on April 21 that showed 58.1 percent disapprove of Harris compared to 32.1 percent who find her to be favorable, a -26 percent net rating. The sudden spike reflects an outlying April 18-20 poll carried out by the Trafalgar Group, a partisan pollster for the Republican party which FiveThirtyEight rates as A-, that found 63 percent of participants disapproved of Harris.
https://www.sott.net/article/467075-Comparing-Joe-Biden-and-Kamala-Harris-approval-ratings-steady-downturns-for-both

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Macedonia blind psychic says Russian president Vladimir Putin will become 'Lord of the World'
Psychic Baba Vanga, who died 25 years ago aged 84, predicted that Russia was to 'dominate the world' in an interview with writer Valentin Sidorov in 1979 A blind psychic who correctly predicted the Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as the 9/11 attacks once claimed that president Vladimir Putin is to become 'Lord of the World'. Known as the Nostradamus of the Balkans, Baba Vanga, who died 25 years ago in 1996 aged 84, predicted in a 1979 interview that Russia was to dominate the world. She also made a frightening prediction about World War Three and the potential use of nuclear weapons. During the interview with writer Valentin Sidorov, she said Putin's 'glory' will remain 'untouched'.
https://www.sott.net/article/467076-Macedonia-blind-psychic-says-Russian-president-Vladimir-Putin-will-become-Lord-of-the-World

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Daniel Kovalik: Russia's intervention in Ukraine is legal under international law RT
The argument can be made that Russia exercised its right for self-defense For many years, I have studied and given much thought to the UN Charter's prohibition against aggressive war. No one can seriously doubt that the primary purpose of the document - drafted and agreed to on the heels of the horrors of WWII - was and is to prevent war and "to maintain international peace and security," a phrase repeated throughout. As the Justices at Nuremberg correctly concluded, "To initiate a war of aggression ... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." That is, war is the paramount crime because all of the evils we so abhor - genocide, crimes against humanity, etc. - are the terrible fruits of the tree of war. In light of the above, I have spent my entire adult life opposing war and foreign intervention. Of course, as an American, I have had ample...
https://www.sott.net/article/467077-Daniel-Kovalik-Russias-intervention-in-Ukraine-is-legal-under-international-law-RT

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Freedom fighters? Alleged Ukrainian soldier calls for heads of Donbass children to be 'cut off' in video
A video on social media allegedly shows a member of Ukraine's Azov Battalion calling for the mass murder of Donbass civilians. The young, Ukrainian-speaking man in a military-style green T-shirt talks about "the clearing of the whole of Donbass" and "cutting their heads off and the heads of their children." The man has the lower part of his face covered throughout the video, and plays with a switchblade while speaking. He also gives advice on where to go in order to enlist in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and in a volunteer medical battalion. The video was apparently taken from Instagram. However, it is not clear where or when it was recorded. An account under a similar name was deleted.
https://www.sott.net/article/467078-Freedom-fighters-Alleged-Ukrainian-soldier-calls-for-heads-of-Donbass-children-to-be-cut-off-in-video

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World Bank reports 'extreme poverty' in India has been cut by half
The number of poor in the populous country has dropped dramatically from 2011 to 2019, according to a new study Extreme poverty in India, the second-most populous country in the world, is estimated to have declined by 12.3 percentage points between 2011 to 2019, the Economic Times reported on Monday, citing a World Bank Policy Research Working Paper. According to the report, the count dropped from 22.5% in 2011 to 10.2% in 2019 and the decline in rural areas was much higher than in urban areas.
https://www.sott.net/article/467079-World-Bank-reports-extreme-poverty-in-India-has-been-cut-by-half

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Anatomy of a bogus 'disinformation' smear
I only just found out that on April 12, this highly prestigious journal ran an article that accuses me of participating in a "Russian disinformation operation." (Gee, never could have guessed that'd be the accusation. How unexpected.) It took awhile for me to learn of this article's existence, because I wasn't contacted ahead of time for any sort of comment or given any chance to reply — apparently a journalistic convention that's fallen out of favor. Oh well. The journalist who wrote the article is someone named Justin Ling. I had only ever vaguely heard of this person, but after some modest inquiry, now understand that he self-identifies as a "freelance investigative journalist." In this capacity, Ling claims to specialize in issues of "misinformation, conspiracy theories, and extremism." Those who pompously declare themselves to be big media experts in such topics all tend to fit a certain obnoxious mold. Glenn Greenwald has remarked that this newly-concocted journalistic "beat"...
https://www.sott.net/article/467080-Anatomy-of-a-bogus-disinformation-smear

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Rockefeller Foundation president starts countdown until all hell breaks loose
Rockefeller Foundation President Rajiv Shah told Bloomberg Television's David Westin a "massive, immediate food crisis" is on the horizon. Shah provides what could be a timeline for the next global food crisis that could begin "in the next six months." He said global fertilizer supply disruptions caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine would have an "even worse" impact on the crisis, slashing crop yields worldwide. Shah said debt relief and emergency aid for emerging market countries are needed to mitigate the effects of the food crisis. Shah's appearance on Bloomberg is interesting because of the foundation's repetitive talk about the need for the global food supply to be reset to a more sustainable one. The foundation has closely aligned views with the World Economic Forum (WEF), advocating for a 'global reset'.
https://www.sott.net/article/467081-Rockefeller-Foundation-president-starts-countdown-until-all-hell-breaks-loose

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Another exodus as Kamala Harris' top staffer resigns
The chief of staff for Vice President Kamala Harris is leaving her job. The announcement that Tina Flournoy was leaving for personal reasons was made on Thursday, The Washington Post reported. Harris commented: "Tina has been a valued advisor and confidant to me and a tremendous leader for the office. From day 1, she led our team during a historic first year as we made progress rebuilding our economy here at home and our alliances around the world. Tina is the consummate public servant and I will continue to rely on her advice, counsel, and friendship." President Joe Biden's Chief of Staff Ron Klain said: "Tina has been a critical member of the White House team since day one, working with the President and Vice President to make their partnership effective and help the administration deliver on critical priorities. Her experience, wisdom, and hard work have been instrumental to our success on many issues." Comment: Fabricated spin to mask non-accomplishments.
https://www.sott.net/article/467082-Another-exodus-as-Kamala-Harris-top-staffer-resigns

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EU can't survive a week without Russian gas - Moscow
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday warned that the European Union would not be able to survive next winter without Russian gas. Meanwhile, former Russian head of state Dmitry Medvedev is even more categorical: in his view, Europe would be unable to get through a week without Russian gas. Amid Russia's ongoing offensive in Ukraine, the EU is discussing a new, sixth, package of sanctions against Moscow, which reportedly might include some restrictions on oil and gas imports from Russia. Russian retaliatory measures could also touch on energy supplies to Europe. Commenting on a potential drop in gas supplies, Macron has issued a stark warning. He said, in an interview with Ouest France, published on Friday: "We are not going to see the consequences of this in the spring and summer of 2022 (we have replenished the stocks), but next winter everything will change if there is no more Russian gas. This may be a subject that will come up on the discussion table, it is not there...
https://www.sott.net/article/467083-EU-cant-survive-a-week-without-Russian-gas-Moscow

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Biden says US spending billions to make military vehicles 'climate friendly'
President Biden on Friday said his administration is working to make "every vehicle" in the United States military "climate-friendly." The president, delivering Earth Day remarks from Seward Park in Seattle, Washington, discussed his administration's efforts to address climate change, and called on Congress to take action. Biden quipped: "One of the things I found out as President of the United States, I get to spend a lot of that money. We're going to start the process where every vehicle in the United States military, every vehicle, is going to be climate-friendly — every vehicle — I mean it. We're spending billions of dollars to do it." The president said the transition is "going to matter." Biden, last month, announced his $5.8 trillion budget proposal for 2023, which he said called for one of the "largest investments in our national security in history," including funding to ensure the U.S. military "remains the best-prepared, best-trained, best-equipped military in the...
https://www.sott.net/article/467084-Biden-says-US-spending-billions-to-make-military-vehicles-climate-friendly

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Pentagon's biological warfare built on war crimes of fascist Japan and Nazi Germany
Russia and China have lobbied the UN Security Council for an independent investigation into dozens of laboratories that were being run by the Pentagon in Ukraine up until Moscow launched its military intervention in February. Russia has published classified documents showing that the Pentagon was engaged in developing biological weapons of mass destruction. Washington has disputed the Russian and Chinese concerns as "disinformation", claiming that the laboratories were conducting biomedical defense studies into diseases. Why then was U.S. State Department official Victoria Nuland worried that Russian forces could acquire samples from the labs if they were for innocent biomedical research? Why were the laboratories ordered by the Ukrainian government to immediately destroy samples when Russian troops invaded Ukraine? Even imminent U.S. experts on biowarfare have concurred with the Russian and Chinese positions that the involvement of the Pentagon in Ukraine implies a sinister...
https://www.sott.net/article/467085-Pentagons-biological-warfare-built-on-war-crimes-of-fascist-Japan-and-Nazi-Germany

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How much are we prepared to sacrifice to help the US win a propaganda war against Putin?
There's a very important question that we all need to be asking ourselves at this point in history, and that question is as follows: How much are we as a society willing to sacrifice so that the US government can win a propaganda war against Vladimir Putin? Let me explain. One severely under-discussed aspect of the latest round of escalations in Silicon Valley censorship which began at the start of the Ukraine war is the fact that it's an entirely unprecedented order of censorship protocol. While it might look similar to all the other waves of social media purges and new categories of banned content that we've been experiencing since it became mainstream doctrine after the 2016 US election that tech platforms need to strictly regulate online speech, the justifications for it have taken a drastic deviation from established patterns. What sets this new censorship escalation apart from its predecessors is that this time nobody's pretending that it's being done in the interests of the...
https://www.sott.net/article/467086-How-much-are-we-prepared-to-sacrifice-to-help-the-US-win-a-propaganda-war-against-Putin