World

Leader of massive Kenyan death cult to be held without bond

Published

1 year ago

May 6, 2023

Leader of massive Kenyan death cult to be held without bond

A courtroom in Kenya gave police a five-day extension to carry pastor Paul Mackenzie, who faces attainable terrorism expenses within the deaths of not less than 110 of his congregants, with out bond.
Mackenzie allegedly began a cult, the place he satisfied followers residing at an 800-acre coastal property to starve themselves to dying to be able to “meet Jesus.”
A second pastor with ties to Mackenzie, Ezekiel Odero, who additionally had quite a few congregants die in an unrelated incident, has been launched on a 3 million shilling ($22,000) bond.

A courtroom in Kenya on Friday gave police 5 extra days to carry a pastor dealing with attainable terror-related expenses within the deaths of greater than 100 his congregants, a lot of whom are believed to have starved to dying.

Police rescued 15 emaciated parishioners from the 800-acre Kilifi County property of Paul Mackenzie final month. 4 of them died after the group was taken to a hospital, and survivors instructed investigators the pastor had instructed them to quick to dying earlier than the world ends so they may meet Jesus.

A search of Mackenzie’s property, situated in a distant forested space, discovered greater than 100 our bodies and dozens of mass graves dug out, authorities have mentioned. Autopsies on the our bodies had been ongoing, however accomplished ones confirmed a few of the buried individuals had died of hunger, strangulation or suffocation.

KENYAN PASTORS APPEAR IN COURT OVER FOLLOWERS’ DEATHS, STARVATION CULT

Mackenzie was arrested two weeks in the past for alleged hyperlinks to cultism. A decrease courtroom freed him this week however he was rearrested and offered to a better courtroom. Police have mentioned their investigations pointed to indicators of radicalization.

The courtroom that ordered Mackenzie held for 5 extra days is contemplating an utility for an extra 90-day detention.

The pastor was arrested twice earlier than — in 2019 and in March of this yr — in reference to the deaths of kids. He was launched on bond each occasions, and people instances are nonetheless continuing by way of the courtroom system.

Kenyan pastor Paul Mackenzie is being held with out bond for not less than 5 extra days. Mackenzie is suspected to have led a cult and satisfied not less than 110 of its followers to starve themselves to dying to “meet Jesus.” (AP Photograph)

Kenyan President William Ruto on Friday shaped a committee of inquiry into the deaths.

Ruto tasked the committee with establishing the circumstances beneath which individuals died and figuring out different people and organizations that will bear duty and making suggestions.

The nation’s broadcast regulator, the Kenya Movie and Classification Board, sounded the alarm in 2017 on content material televised by Mackenzie that may promote radicalization. The board’s former chairperson, Ezekiel Mutua, instructed native media that the content material was taken off the air and regulation enforcement companies had been notified.

1 OF 2 KENYAN PASTORS IN STARVATION CULT PROBE ELIGIBLE FOR RELEASE ON BOND

One other pastor in the identical county, Ezekiel Odero, was arrested final week in reference to the deaths of congregants at his coastal megachurch. On Thursday, a courtroom mentioned Odero might be launched from jail if he posted a bond within the quantity of three million Kenyan shillings (about $22,000) or money bail of 1.5 million shillings ($11,000).

Odero’s legal professionals acknowledged after his arrest that 15 individuals died at his church however mentioned the deaths had been reported at a police station as required by regulation. Police have mentioned there was no proof on the time to recommend a criminal offense was concerned.

The pastor stays beneath investigation for his ties to Mackenzie, from whom he purchased a tv channel in 2019.

Kenya’s nationwide communications authority final week suspended Odero’s TV channel for airing inappropriate content material on exorcism throughout hours when grownup programming isn’t allowed.

World

John Stamos Shares Full House Reunion Photo With Olsen Twins in Honor of Bob Saget’s Birthday

Published

2 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

John Stamos Shares Full House Reunion Photo With Olsen Twins in Honor of Bob Saget’s Birthday

Full House Cast Reunion With Mary-Kate, Ashley Olsen — Bob Saget Tribute

World

Climate activists glue themselves to Munich airport runway, pausing traffic

Published

3 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

Climate activists glue themselves to Munich airport runway, pausing traffic

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A group of climate protesters have been arrested in Germany after breaking into an airport and gluing themselves to the runway.

Six activists broke through security fencing at Munich airport in the German state of Bavaria on Saturday, according to the news outlet dpa.

Approximately sixty flights were canceled after the half-dozen protesters glued themselves to the tarmac, forcing officials to temporarily close the airport.

CLIMATE ACTIVISTS ARRESTED FOR BLOCKING AIRSTRIP IN MASSACHUSETTS

Climate activists lie on an access road for runways at the Munich airport. German officials and local media say authorities closed down Munich airport temporarily after six climate activists broke through a security fence and glued themselves to access routes leading to runways. ( (Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa via AP))

An additional fourteen flights into Munich were forced to divert to other nearby airports to avoid the disruption.

Climate protest coalition Last Generation took credit for the stunt, claiming it was intended to draw attention to the German government’s inaction on the airline industry’s environmental impact.

CLIMATE GROUP TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR US OPEN CHAOS, OFFERS WARNING: ‘NO TENNIS ON A DEAD PLANET’

Munich Germany Bavaria Airport Climate Activists Protest Glue Runway

Climate activists stuck to a runway access road at Franz-Josef-Strauß Airport early Saturday morning. Climate protection activists paralyzed Munich Airport after breaking into the inner area of the airport grounds. The activists from the group Last Generation were protesting flying, the most polluting form of transportation, said the German news agency dpa on Saturday. (Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/picture alliance via Getty Images)

All six protesters were arrested and charged by law enforcement.

“Trespassing in the aviation security area is no trivial offense. Over hundreds of thousands of passengers were prevented from a relaxed and punctual start to their Pentecost holiday,” German Airports Association General Manager Ralph Beisel told dpa.

Police and firefighters stand on a runway access road at Franz-Josef-Strauß Airport around climate activists who have stuck themselves there. According to their own statements, members of the so-called Last Generation had planned to enter the airport grounds in order to block at least one of the two runways. (Photo: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa (Photo by Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/picture alliance via Getty Images))

“Such criminal actions threaten air traffic and harm climate protection because they only cause lack of understanding and anger,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wrote about the protests on social media platform X.

The Munich incident was just one of many similar protests around the world against air transportation. Last Generation has performed at least two similar airport disruptions in Germany since last year.

World

Russian court seizes two European banks’ assets amid Western sanctions

Published

4 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

Russian court seizes two European banks’ assets amid Western sanctions

Freezing hundreds of billions of dollars in lenders’ assets was part of dispute over gas project halted by sanctions.

A Russian court has ordered the seizure of the assets, accounts, property and shares of Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank in the country as part of a lawsuit involving the German banks, court documents showed.

The banks are among the guarantor lenders under a contract for the construction of a gas processing plant in Russia with the German company Linde. The project was terminated due to Western sanctions.

European banks have largely exited Russia after Moscow launched its offensive on Ukraine in 2022.

A court in St Petersburg ruled in favour of seizing 239 million euros ($260m) from Deutsche Bank, documents dated May 16 showed.

Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt said it had already provisioned about 260 million euros ($283m) for the case.

“We will need to see how this claim is implemented by the Russian courts and assess the immediate operational impact in Russia,” the bank added in a statement.

The court also seized the assets of Commerzbank, another German financial institution, worth 93.7 million euros ($101.85m) as well as securities and the bank’s building in central Moscow.

The bank is yet to comment on the case.

In a parallel lawsuit on Friday, the Russian court also ordered UniCredit’s assets, accounts and property, as well as shares in two subsidiaries, to be seized. The ruling covered 462.7 million euros ($503m) in assets.

UniCredit said it “has been made aware” of the decision and was “reviewing” the situation in detail. The bank was one of the most exposed European banks when Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine, with a large local subsidiary operating in Russia.

It began preliminary discussions on a sale last year, but the talks have not advanced. Chief executive Andrea Orcel said UniCredit wants to leave Russia, but added that gifting an operation worth three billion euros ($3.3bn) was not a good way to respect the spirit of Western sanctions on Moscow over the conflict.

Russia has faced heavy Western sanctions, including on its banking sector, since the start of the war in Ukraine. Dozens of US and European companies have also stopped doing business in the country.