Obama faces huge bill on Afghan security 06 Aug 2009 The US will have to provide billions more dollars in coming years to finance a huge increase in the size of Afghanistan's security forces, officials and analysts warn. General Stanley McChrystal, the new commander of US and Nato forces in the country, is in the final stages of a review of policy in which he is expected to conclude that the Afghan army and police force should be increased to a combined total of 400,000. "Afghan national security forces probably need to grow to somewhere in the neighbourhood of 400,000, which is currently being looked at by the McChrystal review," retired General Jack Keane, one of the architects of the surge in Iraq, told the FT, in comments backed up by serving military officials.
US sets up Pak-Afghan cell for war efforts in region --US has started work on a $1 billion project to build a 'diplomatic hub' for the region in Islamabad. 07 Aug 2009 The Pentagon has established a Pakistan-Afghanistan Coordination Cell, in its basement to streamline its war efforts in that region. Headed by Brig-Gen Scott Miller, the cell includes military and civilians personnel with expertise on regional politics, economy and insurgency. The intention is to raise experts who will eventually rotate back and forth between the US and the region. By the end of the year, the United States will have 68,000 troops in Afghanistan, including extra 20,000 that President Barack Obama has promised to send.
US will maintain 'unrelenting' pressure on terrorist havens on Af-Pak border 06 Aug 2009 The US Government must fundamentally redefine the struggle against terrorism, replacing the war on terror with a campaign combining all facets of national power to defeat the enemy, President Obama's senior counter-terrorism adviser, John O. Brennan, has said. Previewing what aides said will be the Obama Administration's most comprehensive statement to date on its long-term strategy to defeat 'al-Qaeda' and other violent extremists worldwide, Brennan said the US will maintain "unrelenting" pressure on terrorist havens, including those near the Afghan-Pakistani border, in Yemen and in Somalia.
Obama's counter-terrorism advisor denounces Bush-era policies [while implementing them] 06 Aug 2009 President Obama's counter-terrorism chief rebuked the Bush administration repeatedly today in a speech designed to make the case for an expanded approach to fighting Islamic extremism, just weeks before the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. In his first public appearance as White House counter-terrorism advisor, John Brennan said the Bush administration's policies had been an affront to American values, undermined the nation's security and fostered a "global war" mind-set that served only to "validate Al Qaeda's twisted worldview."
Adviser: US sees decade of involvement in Afghanistan 06 Aug 2009 An incoming adviser to the top U.S. general in Afghanistan predicted Thursday that the United States will see about two more years of heavy fighting and then either hand off to a much improved Afghan fighting force or "lose and go home." David Kilcullen, a counterinsurgency expert who will assume a role as a senior adviser to Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has been highly critical of the war's management to date. He outlined a "best-case scenario" for a decade of further U.S. and NATO involvement in Afghanistan during an appearance at the U.S. Institute of Peace.
5 U.S. troops killed as Afghan violence swells --26 Afghans, most of them members of a wedding party, are reported killed in roadside bombings. 07 Aug 2009 The pace of American combat deaths in Afghanistan has quickened anew as roadside bombs killed five U.S. troops in 24 hours in the same western province, the American military said Thursday. The deaths bring to 11 the number of American troops killed in Afghanistan so far in August, on the heels of what was the worst month for Western and U.S. troop fatalities since the conflict began in 2001.
Bomb strikes Afghan wedding party 06 Aug 2009 A roadside bomb in Afghanistan has killed a group of people travelling to a wedding in the south of the country, officials say. First reports said 21 people had been killed in the Garmsir district of Helmand province, but an official later confirmed the death toll as five. Nato troops are conducting offensives in Helmand ahead of presidential and provincial council elections on 20 August.
Five killed, 30 wounded in Kirkuk bombing 06 Aug 2009 An explosive-laden vehicle has been detonated at a crowded market in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, killing five people and leaving 30 others wounded. The bomb went off at around 8:20 p.m. (1720 GMT) on Thursday, said a local security chief Nozad al-Barzanji. The incident took place in a Kurdish neighborhood of the city, 255 kilometers (160 miles) north of Baghdad.
First-hand account details Israeli cruelty to children 06 Aug 2009 Amid shocking revelations that Israeli soldiers employed Palestinian children as human shields during the war on Gaza, a former Israeli military commander explains how Palestinian minors are treated on an ongoing basis. Palestinian youth are arrested on a regular basis, usually for hurling stones at Israeli soldiers -- something many of them consider the only means of venting their frustration over the military occupation of their homeland.
Fluor names ex-KBR exec to run government division 05 Aug 2009 Engineering company Fluor Corp has named Bruce Stanski as head of its government group, giving him a similar position to what he once held at KBR Inc as Fluor competes for more military contracts. Stanski replaces John Hopkins, who will become group executive for corporate development, Fluor said in a statement on Wednesday.
Malmstrom nuclear weapons squadron activated 05 Aug 2009 A new squadron designed to streamline and improve the handling of nuclear weapons systems was activated Tuesday at Malmstrom Air Force Base, bringing 62 new personnel with it, according to Air Force officials. The newly activated 16th Munitions Squadron will be responsible for weapons storage area logistics operations. The tenant unit at Malmstrom is part of the 798th Munitions Maintenance Group at Minot Air Force Base, N.D.
Jewish security network meets with DHS chief 05 Aug 2009 Leaders of the Secure Community Network met Wednesday in Washington with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. SCN, which coordinates security for North American Jewish institutions, has been working with DHS for a while on security training and assessments, but this was the first meeting with Napolitano since she took office earlier this year.
Metro Transit Police to Add Anti-Terrorism Teams 05 Aug 1009 The federal government will pay almost $10 million for the Metro Transit Police to put 20 officers on five anti-terrorism teams, Metro officials announced Wednesday. The department has a Special Response Team, said spokeswoman Cathy Asato, but the force has not had specific teams focused on counterterrorism. A Department of Homeland Security transit grant program will provide the money to create them.
Intel to SEC: No Ties to 'Sponsors of Terrorism' 06 Aug 2009 Intel Corp. has told the Securities and Exchange Commission that it does not do business with countries accused of being "sponsors of terrorism," in response to an unusual request from the agency. The SEC earlier this year had sent a letter to Intel asking the chip giant to describe the nature of its business contacts with such countries as Cuba, Iran and Syria, which have been identified as "state sponsors of terrorism," according to a company filing with the federal agency. In response, the company wrote the SEC saying, "Intel prohibits all transactions with countries identified under certain trade-related sanctions."
Heads up! Baxter to test swine flu vaccine 06 Aug 2009 Pharmaceutical firm Baxter International says it has produced its first commercial batches of a [deadly] human swine flu vaccine called Celvapan A/H1N1. The development comes as the World Health Organisation warned that the current outbreak is the fastest pandemic and could eventually affect two billion people. [See: Baxter working on vaccine to stop swine flu, though admitted sending live pandemic flu viruses to subcontractor 26 Apr 2009.]
FDA never inspected China maker of Baxter's heparin 13 Feb 2008 U.S. regulators have never inspected the Chinese plant that makes Baxter International's [deadly] heparin, regulators disclosed a day after Baxter halted sales of some versions after four patients died and hundreds became ill. On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration reported that it received about 350 reports of health problems associated with Baxter's injectable heparin, a blood thinner, since the end of 2007.
Swine flu vaccine on track for September, WHO says --Larger deliveries are expected in October, an official says. Human trials of the new vaccine against H1N1 have also begun. 07 Aug 2009 Manufacturers are on track to deliver the first doses of a vaccine for pandemic H1N1 influenza in September, World Health Organization officials said Thursday. The first batches will be limited, but larger deliveries are expected in October, Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, director of the organization's Initiative for Vaccine Research said at a news conference in Geneva.
Rapid tests often wrong about swine flu --CDC's first study finds cases missed at least half the time 06 Aug 2009 Current quick tests for flu miss many cases of the new pandemic H1N1 strain, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday. The accuracy of the tests ranged from just 40 percent to 69 percent in detecting swine flu, the CDC team reported. The findings confirm the CDC's warnings that instant tests performed on the spot in doctor's offices and clinics are not highly worthwhile for diagnosing H1N1 infections.
Barack Opharma strikes again: White House Affirms Deal on Drug Cost 06 Aug 2009 Pressed by industry lobbyists, White House officials on Wednesday assured drug makers that the administration stood by a behind-the-scenes deal to block any Congressional effort to extract cost savings from them beyond an agreed-upon $80 billion. Drug industry lobbyists reacted with alarm this week to a House health care overhaul measure that would allow the government to negotiate drug prices and demand additional rebates from drug manufacturers. In response, the industry successfully demanded that the White House explicitly acknowledge for the first time that it had committed to protect drug makers from bearing further costs in the overhaul.
'It would be unusual for a recent corporate lobbyist to be a U.S. attorney.' Ex-Lobbyist Called Top Candidate for Alexandria U.S. Attorney 06 Aug 2009 A Justice Department official who briefly worked as a corporate lobbyist has emerged as the leading candidate for U.S. attorney in Alexandria, one of the nation's most prominent law enforcement posts, sources familiar with the selection process said Wednesday. Neil MacBride, who has been an associate deputy attorney general since January, is undergoing FBI background checks for the Alexandria job, said the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because no appointment has been announced.
US Senate confirms Sonia Sotomayor for the supreme court --Sonia Sotomayor becomes the first Hispanic justice to sit on the US Supreme Court 06 Aug 2009 The US Senate confirmed Sonia Sotomayor today as the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court. The vote was 68-31 for Sotomayor, Barack Obama's first high court nominee. She becomes the 111th justice and just the third woman to serve.
Senate Confirms Sonia Sotomayor for Supreme Court --All 31 votes against Sotomayor came from Republicans. 06 Aug 2009 Sonia Sotomayor won confirmation Thursday afternoon as the nation's 111th Supreme Court justice and the first ever of Hispanic descent, a historic moment for the nation's fastest-growing minority group. On a 68 to 31 vote, the Senate confirmed Sotomayor after roughly 18 hours of official debate spread across three days this week, a show of support that included nine Republican 'aye' votes and 59 from the Democratic side of the aisle.
Sotomayor watches Senate vote at NYC courthouse 06 Aug 2009 Sonia Sotomayor bathed in applause from friends and colleagues at a federal courthouse in lower Manhattan Thursday as the Senate voted to confirm her appointment to the Supreme Court. The New Yorker watched the vote unfold on large-screen televisions in a conference room on the 8th floor overflowing with other judges and courthouse personnel.
GOP Congressman Jokes: Dems "Almost Got Lynched" By Eric Kleefeld 06 Aug 2009 Here's another way for Republicans to handle the disruptions at Democratic town hall events: Joke about lynching. Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) held a town hall of his own two days ago, and here's what he said: "This particular meeting, in a way is a little bit unique," said Akin. "Different people from Washington, DC, have come back to their districts and have town hall meetings, and they almost got lynched." The audience then broke out into laughter and applause. "I would assume you're not approving lynchings, because we don't want to do that," Akin said, putting his hand to his neck in imitation of choking, which got audience laughing some more.
Cornyn accuses White House of compiling 'enemies list' 06 Aug 2009 Texas Sen. John Cornyn [R-Hypocrite], accusing the White House of compiling an "enemies list," has asked President Barack Obama to stop an effort to collect "fishy" information Americans see about a health care overhaul. Cornyn, who leads the Republicans' Senate campaign effort, said Wednesday in a letter to Obama that he's concerned that citizen engagement on the issue could be "chilled." He also expressed alarm that the White House could end up collecting electronic information on its critics. [Oh, and Bush would never do that, right? Where was Cornyn's outrage *then?*]
Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance Pledge Not to Advertise on Glenn Beck on Fox News 06 Aug 2009 Three companies who run ads during Glenn Beck -- NexisLexis-owned Lawyers.com, Procter & Gamble and Progressive Insurance -- today distanced themselves from Beck. LexisNexis has pulled its advertising from Beck and says it has no plans to advertise on the program in the future. Both Procter & Gamble and Progressive Insurance called the Beck advertising placements an error that they would correct. The decision by the three companies comes as over 45,000 ColorOfChange.org members call on advertisers to pull their ads from Glenn Beck after the controversial news host called President Obama a "racist" who "has a deep-seated hatred for white people" on "Fox & Friends" last week.
AIG breakup nets Wall Street $1 billion bonanza: report 06 Aug 2009 Wall Street banks and lawyers could collect nearly $1 billion in fees from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and American International Group Inc to help manage and break apart the insurer, The Wall Street Journal said on Wednesday, citing its own analysis. Morgan Stanley could collect as much as $250 million, the newspaper said, citing banking experts and documents released by the New York Fed.
AIG's Greenberg to pay $15 million to settle SEC charges 06 Aug 2009 American International Group's former Chief Executive Hank Greenberg agreed to pay $15 million to settle regulators' allegations of improper accounting transactions, a Securities and Exchange Commission official said on Thursday.
Oil price hits $76, highest since October 06 Aug 2009 Oil prices fell on Thursday after briefly reaching 76 dollars a barrel in London and the highest level this year, as some analysts predicted a sustained move downwards owing to weak demand for crude. Brent North Sea crude for delivery in September reached exactly 76 dollars in early London trade. It later stood at 75.16 dollars a barrel, down 35 cents on Thursday's close.
About half of U.S. mortgages seen underwater by 2011 05 Aug 2009 The percentage of U.S. homeowners who owe more than their house is worth will nearly double to 48 percent in 2011 from 26 percent at the end of March, portending another blow to the housing market, Deutsche Bank said on Wednesday.
Congress OKs $2B Refill of 'Cash For Clunkers' --Program Would Run Through Labor Day 06 Aug 2009 Congress has passed a $2 billion extension of the popular "cash for clunkers" program, clearing the legislation for President Barack Obama's signature. The Senate passed the extension Thursday evening. The House approved the measure last week. Lawmakers made sure to keep the popular program alive before heading home for a monthlong vacation.
Clinton-Era Rule Protecting Forests Upheld 05 Aug 2009 In a victory for environmentalists, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco, reaffirmed a lower court decision to strike down the Bush administration’s policy toward roads in national forests. The "roadless rule," approved in 2001 during the waning days of the Clinton administration, substantially limited road development in national forest lands.
Study finds 3 Northwest glaciers shrinking faster 06 Aug 2009 Climate change is shrinking three of the nation's most studied glaciers at an accelerated rate, and government scientists say that finding bolsters global concerns about rising sea levels and the availability of fresh drinking water. Known as "benchmark glaciers," the South Cascade Glacier in Washington state, the Wolverine Glacier on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula and the Gulkana Glacier in interior Alaska all have shown a "rapid and sustained" retreat, according to a report by the U.S. Geological Survey that was released Thursday.
'It moves around like a big animal without a leash.' The world's rubbish dump: a garbage tip that stretches from Hawaii to Japan 05 Aug 2009 A "plastic soup" of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said. The vast expanse of debris – in effect the world's largest rubbish dump – is held in place by swirling underwater currents. This drifting "soup" stretches from about 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan.
City Says Exxon Is Liable for Tainted Well Water in Queens 07 Aug 2009 Lawyers for New York City are trying to convince a jury in a federal trial that Exxon Mobil knew that an additive that it began using in gasoline in the 1980s would contaminate groundwater. The trial, which began on Tuesday before Judge Shira A. Scheindlin of United States District Court in Manhattan, is one of hundreds of cases that have been presented around the country against oil companies over the additive, MTBE, a chemical compound that replaced lead in gasoline as an octane enhancer.
Previous lead stories: Feds to oversee immigration detention facilities 05 Aug 2009 The Obama administration plans to place federal employees in the largest immigration detention facilities in the country to monitor detainee treatment. This oversight role is currently handled by private contractors. But under the new plan, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials would be placed at the largest jails to directly supervise how the detention centers are managed, according to people briefed on the government's plan. The government has been criticized for its treatment of immigration detainees, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has made detention policies a top priority for her department. [See: KBR awarded Homeland Security contract worth up to $385M --Contract may also provide detention support to 'other government organizations' as well as the development of a plan to react to a national emergency, such as a 'natural' disaster. [Flu?] 24 Jan 2006 KBR said Tuesday it has been awarded a contingency contract from the Department of Homeland Security to supports its Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in the event of an emergency. The maximum total value of the contract is $385 million and consists of a 1-year base period with four 1-year options.]
More charged with terrorism offences in Australia 05 Aug 2009 Australian police charged four more men on Wednesday with planning to attack an army base and shoot soldiers as the government considered whether to ban a Somalia militant group linked to the plot. During a brief court hearing in Melbourne on Wednesday, one of those charged refused to stand before the court and then shouted at the presiding magistrate. "You call me a terrorist? I have never killed a person in my life," said Wissam Mahmoud Fattal, 33, before he was led to a jail cell. "Your army kills innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan and Israel takes Palestinian land by force," he said.
