Army Judges Weigh Military Trials for Civilians

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03 Jun 2011
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Army Judges Weigh Military Trials for Civilians, U.S. Citizens --'Almost anyone accompanying troops in the field, including embedded reporters, potentially could be affected.' 02 Jun 2011 Three Army judges are weighing a question: whether a civilian contractor working for the U.S. military can be tried in a military court. The case of Alaa "Alex" Mohammad Ali, a former Army translator in Iraq, challenges the notion that courts-martial only have authority over members of the armed forces. Ali's appeal is before the Army Court of Criminal Appeals. At a hearing Wednesday, the three Army colonels serving as judges wondered how far the military's authority could extend when civilians are involved. "Does citizenship matter?" Col. Theresa Gallagher asked. Maj. Adam Kazin, representing the Army, said the rules would apply equally to Americans and foreigners. [Gee, between Sarah Palin's pimpmobile and Weiner's alleged wiener, I seemed to have *missed* this one on MSNBC. --LRP]
NATO report threatens to 'persecute' Anonymous --Hacktivist grouped named as threat by military alliance 01 Jun 2011 NATO leaders have been warned that WikiLeaks-loving 'hacktivist' collective Anonymous could pose a threat to member states' security, following recent attacks on the US Chamber of Commerce and defence contractor HBGary - and promise to 'persecute' its members. In a toughly-worded draft report to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, General Rapporteur Lord Jopling claims that the loose-knit, leaderless group is "becoming more and more sophisticated", and "could potentially hack into sensitive government, military, and corporate files".
3 US-led soldiers killed in Afghanistan 03 Jun 2011 Three soldiers with the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have been killed in attacks on foreign troops across Afghanistan over the past 24 hours. ISAF announced in a Friday statement that two of the soldiers were killed in two explosions in the north and south of the country. A third soldier died in a separate incident, a Press TV correspondent reported.
UK welcomes Libya mission extension 02 Jun 2011 Britain has welcomed Nato's decision to extend its 'mission' in Libya for a further 90 days, which could see operations continue almost to the end of September. Operations to enforce the no-fly zone and use air power to protect civilians were authorised for an initial 90 days - up to the end of June - when the military alliance took over command on March 31.
Yemen president injured in attack 03 Jun 2011 Embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been injured during a heavy missile attack on the presidential palace in the capital, Sana'a. Witnesses say the presidential palace was hit by at least two shells on Friday and that heavy clashes are taking place inside the compound. Yemeni security officials have confirmed the report, saying several high-ranking officials were also wounded after several shells fired by dissident tribesmen hit a mosque in the presidential compound.
Noisy box at Okla. airport causes evacuations 03 Jun 2011 A suspicious and noisy package that caused evacuations Friday at Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City was eventually deemed harmless, but not before nearly two dozen flights were cancelled or delayed. Officials gave the "all-clear" signal just before 2 p.m., enabling passengers to leave the terminal and flights to resume, airport spokeswoman Karen Carney said. The package, a taped-up cardboard box, arrived on an incoming flight from Houston and was discovered at a baggage claim carousel around 9:15 a.m.
Will Rogers World Airport reopens after suspicious package turns out to be harmless --A suspicious package was found Friday morning at Will Rogers World Airport, prompting a partial evacuation and delaying flights. --No one was allowed to leave the terminal for more than 3½ hours beginning at 9:30 a.m. Friday. 03 Jun 2011 A suspicious package that delayed thousands of travelers trying to get into or out of Will Rogers World Airport turned out to be a bullhorn and some cellphone wires, officials said. Oklahoma City Police Master Sgt. Gary Knight said airport officials are working to get flights back on track after a police bomb squad determined a box containing the bullhorn was safe.
Fukushima fallout spurs bans on green tea 03 Jun 2011 Japan has slapped new restrictions on green tea and plums from areas around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant because of lingering radioactive contamination from the ongoing disaster there. The latest government bans were prompted by the discovery of radioactive cesium-137 and -134 at concentrations higher than Japanese standards allow, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters Thursday. The government has forbidden the shipment of both fresh and dried green tea from Ibaraki Prefecture, southwest of the plant; from six towns in Chiba Prefecture and six towns in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo; and two in Fukushima Prefecture, where the crippled plant is located.
Fukushima's nuclear meltdown puts forest industry near collapse --Adding to the woes are concerns of severe soil contamination caused by radioactive materials, a probability which would impact the forest industry for some time to come. 02 Jun 2011 High levels of radiation, planned evacuations and no-entry zones as a result of the meltdown at Fukushima's Daiichi nuclear facility have combined to place the prefecture's forest industry in danger of collapse. Approximately 341,000 acres (138,000 hectares) in Fukushima Prefecture are under the jurisdiction of five forestry cooperatives, based on information from the Fukushima Prefectural Government and an association of prefecture forestry cooperatives. Located in 11 municipalities, the woodlands are either part of a no-entry zone or required evacuation areas in coming weeks, based on government orders.
Fukushima Radiated Water May Overflow Trenches 01 Jun 2011 Radioactive water accumulating in Japan's crippled Fukushima plant may start overflowing from service trenches in five days, potentially increasing contamination. Tokyo Electric Power Co. has been manually pumping water into overheating reactors after cooling systems broke down and much of that has overflowed into basements and trenches. The water is rising at a rate that means it will overflow as early as June 6, Bloomberg calculations from the company’s data show.
NRC: Limerick nuclear reactor 'scrams' for second time in 36 hours 03 Jun 2011 (PA) The same nuclear reactor at Exelon's Limerick Generating Station that shut down unexpectedly early Sunday morning did so again Monday, according to an official at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the NRC office in King of Prussia, wrote in an e-mail that "Limerick Unit 2 experienced another scram Monday." "As the plant was being started up, two reactor re-circulation pumps tripped. The reactor was at zero-percent power when this occurred," Sheehan wrote. According to NRC documents, the second "scram" occurred at 11:50 a.m.
Oil refinery blaze kills four --Man critical after refinery blast 03 Jun 2011 An oil worker remained in hospital in a critical condition today after an explosion that killed four of his colleagues. The man is being treated for severe burns at Morriston Hospital in Swansea following yesterday's blast at the Chevron Refinery, Pembroke Dock, south Wales. Maintenance work had been carried out on a 730 cubic metre storage tank which exploded around 6.20pm yesterday, damaging an adjacent vessel.
U.S. Offers Hundreds of Millions of Foreign Aid to Countries from Which it Borrows 03 Jun 2011 The United States is providing hundreds of millions of dollars of foreign aid to countries that it borrows billions from, according to a report by Congress's research arm. The Congressional Research Service released a report last month, a copy of which Fox News exclusively obtained, showing that in fiscal year 2010, the latest year that data was available, the U.S. handed out a total of $1.4 billion to 16 foreign countries that held at least $10 billion in Treasury securities, including China ($27.2 million), Brazil ($25 million), Russia ($71.5 million), India ($126.6 million), Mexico ($316.7 million) and Egypt ($255.7 million).
Goldman Said to Get Subpoena Over Its Role in Crisis 02 Jun 2011 Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs has received a subpoena from the office of the Manhattan district attorney, which is investigating Goldman’s role in the financial crisis, said one person familiar with the subpoena. It comes amid increased enforcement scrutiny of the company, which has faced blistering criticism that it shorted -- or bet against -- the mortgage market before it collapsed and that it knowingly sold bundles of bad mortgages to its clients.
Hiring in U.S. Slowed in May With 54,000 Jobs Added 04 Jun 2011 After several months of strong job growth, hiring in the United States slowed sharply in May, suggesting the economy is running out of steam once again. The Labor Department reported on Friday that the nation added 54,000 nonfarm payroll jobs last month, after an increase of about 220,000 jobs in each of the three previous months. May’s job gain was about a third of what economists had been forecasting. The unemployment rate ticked up to 9.1 percent from 9.0 percent in April.
Three arrested, accused of illegally feeding homeless --Orlando police say they violated a city ordinance restricting the feedings. 02 Jun 2011 Members of Orlando Food Not Bombs were arrested Wednesday when police said they violated a city ordinance by feeding the homeless in Lake Eola Park. Jessica Cross, Benjamin Markeson, and Jonathan "Keith" McHenry were arrested at 6:10 p.m. on a charge of violating the ordinance restricting group feedings in public parks. [Oh-but-another reason to Seize DC! Citizens for Legitimate Government (CLG) calls for protest – SEIZE DC! SEIZE DC will begin on September 10, 2011, at noon, until finished. Why SEIZE DC? Endless, illegal, murderous and bankrupting war abroad; endless, brutal and bankrupting attacks on the vast majority at home--this is what we protest. How to SEIZE DC? We protest "peacefully," although not passively. We do not accept marching orders. This is how we protest.]
Alabama passes Arizona-style immigration bill 03 Jun 2011 The Alabama Legislature passed an Arizona-style law Thursday night to crack down on illegal immigration, including a requirement that all businesses verify new employees are legal residents. The House voted 67-29 and the Senate concurred 25-7 in a compromise bill worked out by two Republican legislators who led the charge for the legislation, Rep. Micky Hammon of Decatur and Sen. Scott Beason of Gardendale. The bill goes to Gov. Robert Bentley (R), who has advocated immigration legislation.
War on drugs has failed and caused 'devastating consequences for societies worldwide' claims global narcotics watchdog 03 Jun 2011 The worldwide war on drugs and organised narcotics gangs has been a 'failure' according to a leading international drugs commission. The Global Commission on Drug Policy today urged world leaders to replace the system of strictly criminalising drugs and imprisoning drug users. The group also argued that countries who use a 'law enforcement' approach to drug crime should focus their efforts on violent organised crime and drug traffickers. In a report issued by the commission, the 19-member panel said it wanted to encourage governments to legalise drugs like marijuana in an effort to 'undermine the power of organised gangs'.
GOP's Scott signs bill forcing drug tests on welfare recipients 31 May 2011 Floridians will have to submit urine, blood or hair samples for drug testing before receiving cash benefits from the state, under a bill Gov. Rick Scott (R-Nutjob) signed into law today. Taxpayers will reimburse welfare applicants for negative drug tests. Positive tests will carry an immediate ban on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families for six months. A second positive test will result in a three-year ban on state assistance.
Palin Bus Tour Collides With Romney Presidential Announcement 03 Jun 2011 Sarah Palin crashed her red, white and blue bus into Mitt Romney's party yesterday, sweeping into New Hampshire for the final leg of her multiday East Coast tour as he was in the state declaring his candidacy for president. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, formally opened his bid for the Republican nomination with an assault on President Barack Obama's economic policies. Romney's effort, though, to keep the focus on Obama -- and himself -- was undercut by Palin.
John Edwards pleads not guilty: 'I did not break the law' 03 Jun 2011 There is no question that I have done wrong," John Edwards said Friday in front of the North Carolina courtroom where he pleaded not guilty to six counts of violating federal campaign laws. "I take full responsibility for having done wrong." But, Edwards said, he did not violate federal law. "I will regret for the rest of my life the pain and the harm that I have done," the former Democratic presidential candidate said, "but I did not break the law and I never, ever thought I was breaking the law."
Edwards Indicted in Campaign Fund Case 04 Jun 2011 John Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina and presidential candidate, was indicted Friday morning by a grand jury in Raleigh on charges that he violated campaign finance law during his 2008 presidential campaign. Mr. Edwards is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court in Winston-Salem, N.C., at 2:30 p.m. before Magistrate Judge Patrick Auld. The grand jury, which has been investigating the case for two years, indicted Mr. Edwards on six counts -- four involving illegal payments, one involving conspiracy and one involving false statements.
Ten-tonne polar bear "dying" slow death in Sydney 03 Jun 2011 A ten tonne polar bear camping out at Sydney's majestic Circular Quay isn't likely to survive for more than a day or two. The bear, made of solid ice, will slowly melt into a great puddle of water under Sydney's 20 degree (68 F) winter sun, and sculptor Mark Coreth is just fine with that. In fact, he hopes this slow and painful "death" will remind people of the plight of the real thing.
New Habitat Protections Proposed for Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seals 01 Jun 2011 The federal government has proposed to designate more than 11,000 square miles of critical habitat for endangered Hawaiian monk seals. The proposed rule protects beaches and coastal waters on all the main Hawaiian Islands and expands protected habitat in the Northwestern Islands. The proposal responds to a 2008 petition filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, KAHEA: The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance, and Ocean Conservancy. Hawaiian monk seals are among the most endangered marine mammals in the world, with a population of approximately 1,000 animals.
WHO: E. coli outbreak caused by new strain 02 Jun 2011 A super-toxic bug is causing the frightening food poisoning outbreak that has sickened at least 1,600 people and killed 18, researchers and global health officials said Thursday. The new E. coli strain that is believed to have contaminated salad vegetables was analyzed by Chinese and German scientists. It contains several genes that cause antibiotic resistance and is similar to a strain that causes serious diarrhea and is found in the Central African Republic, according to a statement from the Shenzhen, China-based laboratory, BGI.
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