US tax dollars potentially funding Afghan terrorism

Billions of US tax dollars potentially funding Afghan terrorism - report 12 Apr 2013 Grey areas in US legislation could mean that taxpayer money is financing Afghan terrorism, a report has revealed. It calls on Congress to change the $100,000 threshold on reconstruction contracts to include the 80 percent that evade scrutiny. The "alarming" findings were greeted with calls for urgent action to mend the weak links in US regulations. The report, titled 'Contracting with the Enemy' and published by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), draws attention to the mismanagement of the Department of Defense's (DOD) funds. According to the document, such oversights mean that "millions of contracting dollars could be diverted to forces seeking to harm US Military and civilian personnel and derail the multi-billion dollar reconstruction [after the US destruction] effort." [Yeah, let's cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid so the Afghan insurgency can remain well-funded -- which creates the 'need' for US occupation forces to stay.]

Guantanamo: Guards Fire Rounds to Quell Unrest 14 Apr 2013 Guantanamo Bay prison guards have fired several rubber shots to quell prisoner unrest as they moved inmates into individual cells, US military officials said. The violence erupted during an early morning raid carried out because, according to military officials, prisoners had covered up security cameras and windows as part of a protest and hunger strike over their indefinite confinement and conditions at the US base in Cuba. Prisoners fought guards with makeshift weapons that included broomsticks and mop handles when troops arrived to move them, said Robert Durand, a military spokesman. Guards responded by firing four "less-than-lethal rounds" in the section of the prison known as Camp VI, he said. The rounds included a modified shotgun shell that fires small rubber pellets as well as a type of bean-bag projectile, said Army Colonel Greg Julian.

Prisoners, Guards Clash Over Guantanamo Bay Raid 13 Apr 2013 Months of increased tension at the Guantanamo Bay prison boiled over into a clash between guards and detainees Saturday as the military closed a communal section of the facility and moved its inmates into single cells. The violence erupted during an early morning raid that military officials said was necessary because prisoners had covered up security cameras and windows as part of a weekslong protest and hunger strike over their indefinite confinement and conditions at the U.S. base in Cuba. Prisoners fought guards with makeshift weapons that included broomsticks when troops arrived to move them out of a communal wing of the section of the prison known as Camp 6, said Navy Capt. Robert Durand, a military spokesman. Guards responded by firing four "less-than-lethal rounds," he said. [Too bad the prisoners only had broomsticks with which to defend themselves.]

September 11 defendants 'had emails hacked' 11 Apr 2013 Lawyers for the five men accused of plotting the [Bush-Cheney] September 11 attacks asked a judge Thursday to delay an upcoming hearing after learning that emails with their clients had been monitored. The surveillance was only the latest instance of compromised confidentiality at Guantanamo Bay, following revelations earlier this year that secret censors could block a public feed of court proceedings and that listening devices masked as smoke detectors were hidden in meeting rooms. The next preliminary hearing for the September 11 defendants had been set to take place on April 22 at the US military base at Guantanamo. James Connell, a lawyer for Pakistan's Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, said he had filed an emergency motion to the military judge presiding over the case "to pause proceedings in the 9/11 trial after revelations that defense email communications and computer files have been compromised."

Taliban Attack Highly Regarded Afghan Army Unit 13 Apr 2013 Taliban insurgents dealt a serious blow to one of the Afghan Army's most highly regarded units on Friday, killing 13 soldiers and overrunning their remote outpost in eastern Afghanistan. According to Afghan security officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the nature of the Taliban victory, the 13 soldiers constituted the entire complement at the checkpost. One police official said that a force of 200 Taliban fighters had opened fire with heavy weapons and finally set the post on fire; most of the deaths were from the flames.

Gunman Attacks Police Officer Guarding Polio Workers in Pakistan 11 Apr 2013 A gunman shot and killed one policeman and wounded another on Wednesday as they provided security for a team of polio 'eradication' health workers in northwestern Pakistan, according to government officials. The resistance to polio vaccination by Taliban militants stiffened after the raid in May 2011 on 'Osama bin Laden's' compound in northern Pakistan, as revelations surfaced that the C.I.A. had used a Pakistani doctor, Shakil Afridi, to run a vaccination campaign to help in efforts to locate Bin Laden. Since then, Taliban insurgents have increased their attacks on the vaccination work and issued edicts that accuse the United States of using it to gather intelligence. Hard-line religious extremists also claim that the vaccinations aim to sterilize Muslims. [Right, the US wants to ensure that Pakistanis don't get polio so they're healthy when the CIA kills them with drones. --LRP]

US Sea Radar Tracking N. Korean Threat 11 Apr 2013 With North Korea's launch of a mid-range Musudan missile believed to be imminent, a U.S. official confirms that the SBX radar has been deployed to the Pacific to assist with tracking the missile if it is launched. That tracking could help bring a missile down if needed. The Sea-Based X-Band Radar looks like a giant golf ball placed atop a platform that resembles a floating oil rig. It contains a precise long-range radar that is part of the integrated missile-defense system and helps track launched missiles so they can be brought down by missile interceptors.

North Korea states 'nuclear war is unavoidable' as it declares first target will be Japan 12 Apr 2013 North Korea has warned Japan that Tokyo would be the first target in the event of a war on the Korean Peninsula, as it increased threats of an attack. In a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the communist country lashed out at Tokyo's standing orders to destroy any missile heading toward Japan, threatening such actions will result in a nuclear attack against the island nation. If Japan executes its threat to shoot down any North Korean missile, such a "provocative" intervention would see Tokyo "consumed in nuclear flames", KCNA warned.

North Korea can launch nuclear missiles, U.S. spy agency says 11 Apr 2013 North Korea has the ability to launch nuclear-armed ballistic missiles, although they would likely be unreliable, a Pentagon spy agency has concluded, as the United States and South Korea kept watch on Thursday for a missile test-launch by Pyongyang. The Defense Intelligence Agency study, dated last month, appeared to be the first time the agency had reached such a conclusion. "DIA assesses with moderate confidence the North currently has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles, however the reliability will be low," said Republican U.S. Representative Doug Lamborn, who disclosed the conclusion during a congressional hearing on Thursday.

'Significant measures' will be taken against North Korea if it tests another nuclear weapon, G8 ministers say 11 Apr 2013 The G8 powers have urged tougher sanctions against North Korea if it launches a missile or tests another nuclear weapon, William Hague said Thursday. The British Foreign Secretary said there was united support for "further significant measures" in the event of another North Korean provocation and condemned the "aggressive rhetoric" from the government after chairing a meeting of G8 foreign ministers in London. Hinting at a missile launch, North Korea delivered a fresh round of war rhetoric Thursday with claims it has "powerful striking means" on standby.

NORAD exercise flights over RI and MA 11 Apr 2013 The North American Aerospace Defense Command is conducting exercise flights Thursday over Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts. The purpose of the exercise is to practice intercept and identification procedures. The flights are scheduled to take place in the area between Providence and Plymouth, Mass. People in this area may hear and/or see NORAD-controlled fighter jets in close proximity to a military or military contracted aircraft, which will be taking on the role of aircraft of interest.

Fort Bragg cancels 4th of July event 11 Apr 2013 Fort Bragg has canceled its annual Independence Day celebration. Officials said they had to cancel this year's Fourth of July event due to the huge federal budget cuts also known as sequestration. The military says it's also reducing services in many other areas. "Our reduced operating budget for the remainder of this year forces many very tough decisions; notably I must cancel our annual Fort Bragg 4th of July celebration," Lt. Gen. Daniel B. Allyn, Commanding General of XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg said in a press release Thursday.

Sequester this: Homeland Security's New $3.9 Billion Headquarters 12 Apr 2103 President Barack Obama seems determined to complete the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's new headquarters, the largest federal construction project since the Pentagon rose in the 1940s. The cost: $3.9 billion. The project would unite at a single location nearly all DHS's 22 divisions devoted to thwarting terrorists and safeguarding the populace from natural and manmade [aka US-engendered] disasters. On Wednesday, the president included $367 million in his budget to continue construction. [Start reading.]

FBI opens new field office on 10-acre Hawaii site 10 Apr 2013 The FBI has a new office in Hawaii. Honolulu Field Office Special Agent in Charge Vida Bottom officially opened the facility on Tuesday by untying a maile lei. The building in the Honolulu suburb of Kapolei has a fitness center, a weapons vault, solar power and an annex for automotive and electronic repairs. It will serve as the headquarters for all FBI operations in Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Privacy protections booted from CISPA data-sharing bill 10 Apr 2013 A controversial data-sharing bill won the approval of a key congressional committee today without privacy amendments, raising concerns that the National Security Agency and other spy agencies will gain broad access to Americans' personal information. The House Intelligence [sic] committee, by a vote of 18 to 2, adopted the so-called CISPA bill after an unusual session closed to the public where panel members debated and voted on the proposed law in secret. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), who proposed three unsuccessful privacy amendments, said afterward she was disappointed her colleagues did not limit the NSA and other intelligence agencies from collecting sensitive data on Americans.

Police use Taser on 'uncooperative' Conn. middle school student 10 Apr 2013 A middle school student was subdued with a Taser by police on Wednesday outside Woodrow Wilson Middle School. The incident happened around 9:30 a.m. and was over in less than an hour, School Superintendent Pat Charles told Middletown Patch. The Middletown Police Department’s school resource officers and patrol officers responded to a call for assistance from the staff at the school, Lt. Heather Desmond confirmed late Wednesday evening. "When officers arrived, the student was uncooperative and combative," Desmond said in a statement.

Officer accused of having Trayvon Martin targets 13 Apr 2013 A police officer accused of bringing targets resembling Trayvon Martin to a gun range has been fired, according to several reports. Port Canaveral, Fla. Interim Chief Executive Officer John Walsh told WFTV on Saturday that Sgt. Ron King was leading a target practice with two other officers and a civilian when he pulled out the targets April 4. Walsh says King asked the group if they wanted to use the targets, and they said no. "It is absolutely reprehensible that a high-ranking member of the Port Canaveral Police, sworn to protect and serve Floridians, would use the image of a dead child as target practice," said Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Trayvon Martin's parents.

Send 'sad' Argentinian polar bear to Canada, supporters urge --'This bear is doing what's called stereotyping or stereotypy movements. It's basically going insane.' --Winnipeg Humane Society CEO 12 Apr 2013 A Winnipeg woman is among a number of people fighting to get a polar bear out of a South American zoo and brought to Canada. Maria Fernanda Arentsen, who is originally from Argentina, believes the hot weather in her home country is taking its toll on Arturo, a 29-year-old polar bear living at the zoo in Mendoza. "He looks so sad. He really looks in pain," Arentsen told CBC News. "The weather, the conditions, you can imagine it -- a polar bear in a desert, with a swimming pool 50 centimetres deep." In Argentina, protesters have been rallying outside the Mendoza Zoo for the last two weeks to demand Arturo's release.

Sanofi says authorities to assess new flu vaccine --Marketing authorization application for quadrivalent version of Vaxigrip intended to be presented 11 Apr 2013 Sanofi said European authorities have agreed to review a marketing application for a new flu vaccine designed to 'combat' the four strains of virus expected [after they design that, too] in the coming season. The company's Sanofi Pasteur vaccine unit currently produces the three-strain Vaxigrip flu vaccine at a facility in Val de Rueil, in France.

H7N9 human infections in China hit 51 14 Apr 2013 The total number of confirmed human infections of the H7N9 bird flu in China has risen to 51, as two new cases were reported in Central China's Henan Province on Sunday. The latest cases were confirmed following tests by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention early on Sunday.

Avian Flu Virus Confirmed in Beijing for First Time 14 Apr 2013 The bird flu virus that has been centered in the city of Shanghai and surrounding provinces has now been reported elsewhere in China, as a 7-year-old girl was being treated Saturday in a Beijing hospital for avian influenza. The girl entered the hospital on Thursday and tests confirmed on Saturday that she had the H7N9 virus. The bureau said that she was in stable condition at the hospital, and that there were no indications that people she had come in contact with had the virus.

Chinese capital reports its first bird flu case 13 Apr 2013 China's capital has reported its first case of the new strain of bird flu, which has thus far infected at least 44 people and killed 11. A young girl is the first to have contracted the virus in Beijing. The new strain of bird flu has spread to the Chinese capital. The new H7N9 bird flu had previously only been found in humans in eastern China. Now, however, a seven-year-old girl is in stable condition in a Beijing hospital after developing flu symptoms.

H7N9 Bird Flu Cases Reach 38, Deaths at 10 In China; UN Concerned 11 Apr 2013 Five new cases of the deadly bird flu H7N9 were found in China yesterday, increasing the total in the country to 38, the state-run Shanghai Daily Newspaper reported today. A 74-year-old Shanghai man died yesterday, bringing the overall death total thus far to 10. In Thailand yesterday, an official from the Food and Agriculture Organization at the United Nations expressed concern about the possible spread of the disease beyond China's borders, the Shanghai Daily also reported.

Strong 6.0-magnitude quake hits western Japan --Kansai Electric Power checking for any damage to Oi nuclear plant, currently only one in Japan with reactors online 13 Apr 2013 A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit western Japan early on Saturday, injuring at least 15 people and destroying some houses, officials and reports said. The quake struck at 5:33 am (2033 GMT on Friday) near Awaji island in the Seto Inland Sea southwest of the city of Kobe at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), the agency said. It was the biggest earthquake to hit western Hyogo prefecture since 1995, when a 7.2-magnitude quake destroyed its port city of Kobe and killed more than 6,000 people.

North Carolina Supreme Court strikes down Duke Energy rate hike 12 Apr 2013 North Carolina's highest court has overturned a substantial rate hike sought by Duke Energy and approved by state utilities regulators. The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled Friday that the state Utilities Commission did not adequately consider the negative impact on consumers by allowing Duke to raise electricity rates for 1.8 million households and businesses by 7.2 percent. The commission voted in January 2012 to allow the rate increase, which would generate an extra $309 million in annual revenue for Duke, after energy company stated they wanted to raise electricity rates by a 17 percent.

Lloyd Blankfein's $21m haul makes him the world's best paid banker 12 Apr 2013 Goldman Sachs paid its chief executive, Lloyd Blankfein, $21m last year -- and granted him a further $5m in bonus shares in January...

Michelle Rhee's Reign of Error 11 Apr 2013 With the indictment of former Atlanta School Superintendent Beverly A. Hall and 34 other public school employees in a massive cheating scandal, the time is right to re-examine other situations of possible illegal behavior by educators. Washington, DC, belongs at the top of that list. Michelle A. Rhee, America's most [in]famous school reformer, was fully aware of the extent of the problem when she glossed over what appeared to be widespread cheating during her first year as Schools Chancellor in Washington, DC. A long-buried confidential memo from her outside data consultant suggests that the problem was far more serious than kids copying off other kids' answer sheets. ("191 teachers representing 70 schools"). Twice in just four pages the consultant suggests that Rhee's own principals, some of whom she had hired, may have been responsible. ("Could the erasures in some cases have been done by someone other than the students and the teachers?")

US Airways Tells Black Passengers to Change Out of Jeans and Hoodies Before Boarding First-Class 12 Apr 2013 When McCraig and Miles Warren tried to claim their first-class seats on a US Airways flight, an employee told them to first change into more appropriate [?] attire, according to a federal discrimination lawsuit filed Wednesday. A ticket counter employee repeatedly told the Warrens, who are both black, that their jeans, hooded sweatshirts and baseball caps violated an alleged first-class dress code. As the complaint states: Doe employee informed plaintiffs that it was US Airways policy that everyone in first class is required to wear slacks, button up shirts and no baseball caps. Doe employee demanded plaintiffs to change from jeans into slacks, a button-up shirt and told plaintiffs to remove their baseball caps.

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