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Sabtu, 27 April 2019

Police Raided Company Selling $30 Million Of Knock-Off Legos - NPR

The toy company Lepin was raided by Chinese authorities in Shenzhen, China last week for allegedly manufacturing fake Lego products. picture alliance/picture alliance via Getty Image hide caption

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picture alliance/picture alliance via Getty Image

A quick visit to the website LepinLand.com and it's pretty clear, the toys the Chinese company sells are eerily similar to another very popular toy on the market: Legos.

But it won't be selling them much longer.

The Chinese company posted a message on its website to say that at the request of the Chinese Government and Shanghai Police, it is temporarily stopping production of their block sets starting in May.

Chinese authorities raided Lepin's factory located in Shenzhen, China last week after discovering it was allegedly manufacturing fake Lego products. The raid turned up $30 million worth of counterfeit Legos and police arrested four people, the BBC reported.

Most Lepin sets, including its Star Wars series, are advertised on its website as "compatible with Lego."

And now we know why. Police said in a statement that the toys were copied from Lego blueprints and more than 630,000 finished products were sized from the factory, the BBC reported.

A police investigation is still underway. According to the BBC, images posted by Chinese authorities after the raid showed products that looked nearly identical to those produced by the Danish toy giant, Lego.

The Lepin brand is definitely a cheaper option, often selling for a fraction of the price of Legos. As of Saturday afternoon, Lepin's website had its Star Wars Millennium Falcon kit listed for $313.30 whereas an authentic Lego one goes for $799.99.

Zhong Shikai, one of the police officers responsible for investigating the case, told the state-run news agency Xinhua that there are big differences in the craftsmanship and quality when comparing the two.

Lego China and Asia Pacific's vice president Robin Smith said the products could pose a safety concern for consumers, Xinhua reported.

Foreign companies in China have long expressed dissatisfaction about intellectual property enforcement because of the prevalence of counterfeiting. The AFP reports the raid was a move by China to double down on intellectual property infringements, possibly in an attempt to ease trade tensions with Washington.

Xinhua reported that the number of intellectual property rights trials in Shanghai hit a record high last year.

Lepin's website says it will continue selling all remaining sets, but will not restock in the future.

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https://www.npr.org/2019/04/27/717840078/everything-is-not-awesome-for-chinese-company-busted-for-selling-fake-legos

2019-04-27 20:56:00Z
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Sri Lanka bombings: 'I invited the bomber into the church' - BBC News

Brother Stanley was the pastor in charge of the Zion church in the Mattakalappu area of Sri Lanka when the bombing happened.

Speaking to BBC Tamil, he recalls meeting the suspected bomber outside the church and inviting him inside after he had enquired at what time the Easter service would begin.

The bombings targeted churches that were packed full for the Easter holiday, as well as hotels popular with tourists.

Sri Lankan authorities blamed a local Islamist extremist group, National Tawheed Jamath, for the attacks, although the Islamic State group (IS) has also claimed it played a role.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-48076873/sri-lanka-bombings-i-invited-the-bomber-into-the-church

2019-04-27 14:11:36Z
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15 killed in Sri Lanka police raid at suspected terrorist hideout - The Washington Post

SAINTHAMARUTHU, Sri Lanka — At least 15 people were killed, including six children, in bomb blasts and gunfire as Sri Lankan security forces raided a rented home used by a group with suspected links to the deadly Easter bombings.

The dramatic confrontation late Friday came amid a nationwide security crackdown and intensive searches for suspects in numerous locations across Sri Lanka. Police warned of possible further attacks and used new emergency powers to stop and question individuals and raid homes and other sites.

On Saturday morning, crime scene personnel in fluorescent vests roamed the lane collecting ball bearings, torn pieces of clothing, and fragments of flesh in Sainthamaruthu on the island’s east coast.

The body of the man shot by security forces, identified by police only as “Niyaz,” still lay face down on the cobbled pavement.

Most of the dead — which also included six men and three women — were killed in three bomb blasts that ripped holes in the roof and wall of the house and left behind charred remains, police said.

One of the men was shot by security forces after he came into the lane and began firing a rifle, said Lucian Sooriyabandara, a local police official.

Police said the group is connected to the suicide bombers who carried out attacks on churches and luxury hotels in three cities on Easter Sunday, killing more than 250.

Earlier the same day, police raided a house about three miles from the rented home. There they found a cache of explosives, police said, plus the a black Islamic State-style flag and clothes worn by the attackers in a picture distributed by the Islamic State claiming responsibility for the bombings.

[The remote Sri Lankan enclave that produced the massacre mastermind]

Local residents in Sainthamaruthu said the group arrived at the rented house five days ago. Residents grew suspicious when they saw the group unloading boxes and learned they were from Kattankudy, a town an hour’s drive away where Zahran Hashim, the mastermind of the attacks, was based.

Mohammad Rizwan, 31, a local shopkeeper, said he alerted a nearby traffic cop to the group’s presence early Friday evening. When the officer approached the lane, Rizwan said, the first of several explosions rang out from the house. When police and soldiers arrived, a gun battle ensued.

President Maithripala Sirisena said Friday that strict new measures were being taken to identify and track people, similar to controversial methods used during the civil war between separatist ethnic Tamils and the government that ended in 2009.

He said that about 70 individuals suspected of ties to the Islamic State had been arrested, and that another 70 suspects were still at large.

“We had to declare an emergency situation to suppress terrorists and ensure a peaceful environment in the country,” the president said. “Every household in the country will be checked” and lists of all residents made to “ensure that no unknown person can live anywhere,” he vowed.

The identities of those killed in the house, a white bungalow with a black metal gate and surrounded by a high wall, were not immediately known or released, and there was no explanation for the presence of six children, who are now dead.

But the appearance of a family group hiding in the residence bore similarities to a deadly encounter between police and the occupants of a luxurious home in the Colombo suburbs last Sunday.

After two sons of a wealthy spice merchant, M. Y. Ibrahim, were identified as being among the suicide bombers, police raided the family home. A woman inside, later identified as the wife of one of the sons, detonated a bomb as the police approached, killing herself, her unborn child, three children and three policemen.

Officials in Sri Lanka warn of more attacks as death toll is lowered to around 250

Sri Lankan Easter bombings, claimed by ISIS, show the group maintains influence even though its caliphate is gone

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/sri-lanka-authorities-say-15-die-in-police-raid-at-home-of-suspected-terrorists/2019/04/27/de46eb64-686e-11e9-a698-2a8f808c9cfb_story.html

2019-04-27 12:54:09Z
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15 killed in Sri Lanka police raid at suspected terrorist hideout - The Washington Post

The body of the man shot by security forces, identified by police only as “Niyaz,” still lay face down on the cobbled pavement.

Most of the dead — which also included six men and three women — were killed in three bomb blasts that ripped holes in the roof and wall of the house and left behind charred remains, police said.

One of the men was shot by security forces after he came into the lane and began firing a rifle, said Lucian Sooriyabandara, a local police official.

Police said the group is connected to the suicide bombers who carried out attacks on churches and luxury hotels in three cities on Easter Sunday, killing more than 250.

[The remote Sri Lankan enclave that produced the massacre mastermind]

He said that about 70 individuals suspected of ties to the Islamic State had been arrested, and that another 70 suspects were still at large.

But the appearance of a family group hiding in the residence bore similarities to a deadly encounter between police and the occupants of a luxurious home in the Colombo suburbs last Sunday.

Officials in Sri Lanka warn of more attacks as death toll is lowered to around 250

Sri Lankan Easter bombings, claimed by ISIS, show the group maintains influence even though its caliphate is gone

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news

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Putin: Maria Butina's sentence is 'lawlessness' - NBC News

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April 27, 2019, 11:52 AM UTC

By Yuliya Talmazan

An 18-month sentence for Maria Butina, a Russian operative who used her NRA activism to illegally infiltrate conservative political circles, was an effort to "save face" for the U.S., Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday.

Speaking with reporters after an international forum in Beijing, Putin said there was nothing to charge Butina with.

"It's not clear what she was sentenced for," the Russian president said. "What crime did she commit?

Butina was sentenced to 18 months in prison by a federal judge Friday.

Maria ButinaAlexandria Sheriff's Office

The 30-year-old American University graduate student pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy to violate the law governing foreign agents operating in the U.S. She was arrested in July.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan gave Butina credit for nine months of time served. The judge ordered her deported as soon as her time is up.

On Saturday, Putin said he agreed with his Foreign Ministry's assessment that Butina's sentence is "lawlessness."

"I think it's a case of 'saving face'," the Russian president said, adding: "In order to not make it look completely ridiculous, they gave her 18 months to show that she's guilty of something."

On Friday, Butina addressed the court and, her voice at times quivering, insisted she wasn't working as a spy, and that she only wanted to mend Russia-U.S. relations.

"I came here to better my life to get a degree. I wished to mend relations while building my resume," she said. "It was for these actions and my own ignorance that I’m here."

However, she admitted to harming relations between the two superpowers.

"It has never been my intention to harm American people, but I did so by not notifying your government. It has harmed my attempts to improve relations," she said. “I have three degrees, but now I’m a convicted felon with no money, no job and no freedom.”

“Instead of building peace, I created discord,” she said.

But Chutkan didn't buy Butina's tearful claims of innocent ignorance of the law, saying the Russian operative knew exactly what she was doing.

"She was doing this under the direction of a Russian official ... at a time that Russia was looking to interfere with the U.S. political process," the judge said. “This was no simple misunderstanding by an overeager foreign student."

Russian state media news service TASS reported that the Russian Foreign Ministry called the verdict an "ugly stain" on the U.S. justice system, adding that the court decision was "politically motivated."

The ministry had for months called Butina "a political prisoner" and started a hashtag #FreeMariaButina campaign in her support.

Maria Butina's sentencing before judge Tanya ChutkanArt Lien

Her defense lawyers had asked Chutkan for no jail time, writing in a sentencing memo that Butina has "always been willing to cooperate with the government."

Prosecutors conceded that "Butina was not a spy in the traditional sense," but said she was still working to the detriment of the United States.

Yuliya Talmazan

Yuliya Talmazan is a London-based journalist.

David K. Li and Charlie Gile contributed.

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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-maria-butina-s-sentence-lawlessness-n999146

2019-04-27 11:52:00Z
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Sri Lankan forces discover over a dozen bodies, including children, at ISIS safe house - Fox News

Sri Lankan police and army soldiers secure the site after an explosion and a gunbattle in Kalmunai, eastern Sri Lanka Saturday, April 27, 2019. (Associated Press)

As Sri Lankan security forces raided an ISIS safe house late Friday into Saturday morning, militants open fired and detonated at least three suicide bombs, killing 15 people, including six children. The dead were found charred, others had their clothes burned off of their bodies.

Police tipped off soldiers about a suspected safe house in the town of Sammanthurai as part of a widespread search operation for militants with explosives believed to still be at large after the coordinated bombings of churches and luxury hotels that killed more than 250 nearly a week ago.

US RAISES TRAVEL WARNING AFTER SRI LANKA SUICIDE BOMBINGS

The military also issued curfews for civilians, and Roman Catholic churches have canceled Masses indefinitely. Authorities told Muslims to worship at home rather than attend communal Friday prayers that are the most important religious service of the week, but several mosques held services anyway.

Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said that some of the dead found at the safe house were militants who blew themselves up. Earlier, the military said at least one civilian had been killed in the attack. At least two people, a woman and a girl, survived the gunbattle and bombing episode and were being treated at a hospital for serious injuries.

During the sweeping raids, military officials said security forces discovered explosives, detonators, "suicide kits," military uniforms and Islamic State group flags. It was not clear whether these items were found at the same safe house or elsewhere.

Gunasekara said officers acting on information from intelligence officials also found 150 sticks of blasting gelatin and 100,000 small metal balls, as well as a van and clothing suspected of being used by those involved in the Easter attacks. Suicide bomb vests often are packed with such balls to increase the shrapnel in the explosion, making them even deadlier.

Fear of more attacks has led to increased security at shrines, churches, temples and mosques across the multiethnic country of 21 million off the southern coast of India.

Sri Lanka's government, crippled from a long political crisis between the president and prime minister last year, promised swift action to capture militants still at large. President Maithripala Sirisena said about 140 people had been identified as having links to the Islamic State group.

A "major search operation has been undertaken," Sirisena said. "Every household in the country will be checked."

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith told reporters Friday that church officials had seen a leaked security document describing Roman Catholic churches and other denominations as a major target. Ranjith, who is the archbishop of Colombo, asked the faithful across Sri Lanka to stay home for their own safety.

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On Friday, police confirmed the militant group's leader, Mohamed Zahran, died in the suicide bombing at the Shangri-La Hotel, one of six hotels and churches attacked. Zahran appeared in an Islamic State video claiming responsibility for the coordinated assault, and authorities in both Sri Lanka and Australia confirmed links between IS and the attack.

On Thursday night, Sri Lanka's Health Ministry drastically reduced its estimated death toll from the bombings. A statement said "approximately" 253 people had been killed, nearly one-third lower than an earlier police estimate of 359 dead.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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https://www.foxnews.com/world/sri-lankan-forces-discover-dozen-bodies-ichildren-isis-safe-house

2019-04-27 09:50:09Z
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Sri Lanka Says 15 Died in Raid, Including 4 Suicide Bombers - The New York Times

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lankan security forces said they found the bodies of 15 people, including four suicide bombers who had detonated their explosives, in a house on Saturday morning, hours after a gun battle erupted as they raided it in search of suspects linked to the Easter Sunday bombings.

Brig. Sumith Atapattu, a spokesman for the Sri Lankan military, said six children were among the dead, the four bombers had blown themselves up as security forces closed in on the house around midnight, and one of the dead had been killed in the gun battle with security forces.

The house, in a town on Sri Lanka’s east coast, was cordoned off after the overnight raid, but security forces waited until dawn to search it because it is in a crowded neighborhood.

Brigadier Atapattu said it was “too early to tell” whether the house was directly linked to the group that carried out the coordinated bombings on Sunday at churches, luxury hotels and other sites in Sri Lanka, killing more than 250 people.

The house is in a village called Bolivarian, part of the densely populated, mostly Muslim town of Sainthamaruthu. It is about 25 miles from Batticaloa, where one of the church bombings took place.

A man who lives in the area said members of the local mosque federation, to which he belongs, had become suspicious about the tenants in the house, which he said was twice the size of many others in the area. He said two members of the federation asked the tenants to identify themselves on Friday afternoon. The tenants said they did not have identification with them, but promised to provide it the next day, he said.

Soldiers evacuated a child on Saturday in the aftermath of a raid on a house on Sri Lanka’s east coast.CreditAgence France-Presse — Getty Images

Members of the mosque federation returned in the evening with a local official, said the man, who asked not to be identified because he feared for his safety. As they approached the house from the back, the first explosion occurred, said the man, adding that the bombers might have suspected that someone was coming for them.

The man, who was at home when the first blast happened, said he then heard continuous gunfire and another explosion. He saw people running, including a police constable. About 30 minutes later, he said, security personnel arrived in force.

Another house a few miles away was also raided on Friday. The army said troops there found Islamic State flags, suicide kits, military uniforms and explosives with detonators.

The raids began just hours after President Maithripala Sirisena promised a house-to-house search of the entire country and a “total reorganization” of Sri Lanka’s security apparatus. His government is under enormous pressure for failing to act on repeated warnings that attacks on churches were being planned.

“Every household in the country will be checked,” Mr. Sirisena said in a meeting on Friday, according to a statement released by his office. “The lists of permanent residents of every house will be established to ensure no unknown persons could live anywhere.”

Frustration and fear have continued to grip Sri Lanka since the Easter bombings, particularly in the capital, Colombo, as officials have warned that other potential bombers could still be on the run and plotting attacks.

Sri Lankan security officials wrote a memo 10 days before the bombings warning that attacks were being planned, including names, addresses and phone numbers of people believed to be involved, but the president and prime minister have said the memo never reached them. Foreign intelligence agencies had repeatedly warned that attacks were being planned, with one such warning coming just hours before the bombings.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/27/world/asia/sri-lanka-bombings.html

2019-04-27 09:17:32Z
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