Ill. scientist dies, possible plague bacteria link 19 Sep 2009 The University of Chicago Medical Center says the infection that killed a scientist [Sept. 13] may be connected to bacteria he researched that causes the plague. The university said Saturday that its researcher studied the genetics of harmful bacteria including Yersinia pestis, which causes the illness. [The 'illness.' Uh, that would be Y. Pestis aka bubonic plague.]
CIA expanding presence in Afghanistan 20 Sep 2009 The CIA is deploying teams of spies, analysts and paramilitary operatives to Afghanistan, part of a broad intelligence "surge" that will make its station there among the largest in the agency's history, U.S. officials say. When complete, the CIA's presence in the country is expected to rival the size of its massive stations in Iraq and Vietnam at the height of those wars. Precise numbers are classified, but one U.S. official said the agency already has nearly 700 employees in Afghanistan. The intelligence expansion goes beyond the CIA to involve every major spy service, officials said, including the National Security Agency, which intercepts calls and e-mails, as well as the Defense Intelligence Agency, which tracks military threats.
Taliban leader boasts of eventual victory in Afghanistan 20 Sep 2009 The Taliban fight against American and NATO troops in Afghanistan "is forging ahead like a powerful flood," according to a purported online message posted Saturday by the Taliban's leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar. "Anyone who opts to resist it will himself be washed away. Atrocity, torture, brutality, conspiracies, coalitions, the foreign forces and mercenaries could not hurl stumbling blocks in the way of this robust Jihadic movement," Omar adds in the written message. The fight against foreign forces "is approaching the edge of victory," according to Omar.
Mullah Omar laughs at US efforts in Afghanistan --He said they should read stories like that of Alexander the Great, whose soldiers were defeated by Pashtun tribesmen in the fourth century. 20 Sep 2009 Taliban leader Mullah Omar has warned US and NATO forces that they will not be successful in Afghanistan. It is suspected Omar's message was sent from Pakistan, where he is believed to be hiding. Omar, who has not been seen in years, put out a statement on Saturday to say Westerners should study the history of other foreign invasions in Afghanistan to see their own defeat.
U.S. weapons end up in al-Qaeda hands, in Somalia [and Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan . That's the goal --to perpetuate terrorism so US mercenary firms are funded to 'stop' it.] 20 Sep 2009 As the Somalia conflict spirals into a new proxy war between 'al-Qaeda' and the United States, there is mounting evidence that U.S. weapons and Somali soldiers are ending up under the control of Islamic terrorists, Somali politicians say. The warning comes after a week of heavy violence in Somalia, including a U.S. commando raid that killed a suspected terrorist leader, followed swiftly by a double suicide bombing that killed 17 African peacekeepers in revenge for the U.S. raid.
Blackwater involved in Bhutto and Hariri hits: former Pakistani army chief 14 Sep 2009 Pakistan’s former chief of army staff, General Mirza Aslam Beg (ret.), has said the U.S. private security company Blackwater was directly involved in the assassinations of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto and former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. Blackwater later changed its name and is now known as Xe. General Beg recently told the Saudi Arabian daily Al Watan that former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf had given Blackwater the green light to carry out terrorist operations in the cities of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, and Quetta.
Swiss confirm officials visited Guantánamo camps 20 Sep 2009 Swiss officials visited the U.S. detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, last month to gather information on captives the Alpine country is considering for resettlement once they are released, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Sunday. The spokesman, Guido Balmer, however, declined to confirm the identities of the candidates. The Zurich weekly SonntagsZeitung said our men were under consideration -- two Chinese citizens, Muslims of the ethnic Uighur minority, an Uzbek and a Palestinian.
Obama says CIA inquiry must continue 20 Sep 2009 US President Barack Obama says he has no intentions of putting a stop to the investigations of harsh interrogations techniques torture used against suspected terrorists during the Bush regime. In a letter to President Obama on Friday, seven former CIA directors asked the president to stop the investigation, arguing that it can leave a long-term damage on the CIA. Reacting to the letter, Obama told CBS' "Face the Nation" that he appreciates that the former CIA chiefs want "to look after an institution that they helped to build."
Iraq helicopter down, 1 dead and 12 hurt 20 Sep 2009 A U.S. soldier was killed and twelve others wounded when their helicopter crashed in the U.S. military's main airbase in Iraq, the military said in a statement on Sunday. The helicopter went down over joint base Balad, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad, at 8 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Saturday, the statement said.
2 Colorado men, 1 NYC man arrested in terror probe 20 Sep 2009 The FBI arrested a 24-year-old Colorado man on charges of making false statements to federal agents in an ongoing terror investigation, and supporting documents contend the man admitted receiving weapons and explosives training from 'al-Qaida' in Pakistan... The FBI is investigating several individuals in the United States, Pakistan and elsewhere in an alleged plot to detonate explosive devices in the United States, the Justice Department said in a statement.
US residents arrested over alleged plot similar to London bombings --FBI 'investigating other individuals' 20 Sep 2009 Three men of Afghan origin have been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to launch a terrorist attack in the United States similar to the bombings in London and Madrid. The US Justice Department said the FBI was also investigating other individuals "in the United States, Pakistan and elsewhere, relating to a plot to detonate improvised explosive devices in the United States," according to statements filed to support the arrests. Najibullah Zazi, 24, and his 53-year-old father, Mohammed, were arrested in Colorado late on Saturday after raids in New York and Denver. Ahmad Wais Afzali, 37, also from Afghanistan, was later arrested in New York. All three are legal permanent residents in the US.
Men in terror probe charged with making false statements 20 Sep 2009 Federal agents arrested a 24-year-old Colorado resident, his father and another man on charges of making false statements as part of an investigation into an alleged terror plot, the Justice Department said Sunday. Najibullah Zazi, an Afghan national, and his father, Mohammed Wali Zazi, were arrested Saturday night in the Denver suburb of Aurora. An acquaintance of the two men, Ahmad Wais Afzali of Flushing, New York, was also arrested.
'Foreign hands behind terrorist attacks in Iran' 20 Sep 2009 Iran's first vice president says the recent unrest in the western province of Kordestan is linked with 'malicious groups' based outside the country. Mohammadreza Rahimi described the recent spate of assassinations in the Kordestan Province as a 'regretful' event and hoped that those behind the attacks will be apprehended and brought to justice in the near future, Fars News reported on Saturday.
IAEA Conceals Evidence Iran Documents Were Forged By Gareth Porter 14 Sep 2009 The International Atomic Energy Agency says its present objective regarding Iran is to try to determine whether the intelligence documents purportedly showing a covert Iranian nuclear weapons programme from 2001 to 2003 are authentic or not. The problem, according to its reports, is that Iran refuses to help clarify the issue. But the IAEA has refused to acknowledge publicly significant evidence brought to its attention by Iran that the documents were fabricated, and has made little, if any, effort to test the authenticity of the intelligence documents or to question officials of the governments holding them, IPS has learned.
U.S. Rejects U.N. Proposal to Compel War Crimes Probes of Gaza Conflict 17 Sep 2009 Susan E. Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, rejected a U.N. proposal to compel Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip, to conduct credible investigations into war crimes during last winter's war in Gaza or face possible prosecution by an international prosecutor.
Military Develops Arsenal of Non-Lethal Weapons 08 Sep 2009 Over the past 20 years, the U.S. military, as well NATO and UN troops, have had to defend a variety of locations, stop approaching vehicles, or disperse crowds without using deadly force or endangering themselves. But the weapons at their disposal have historically been designed to maim or kill. To give military leaders more options, the U.S. Defense Dept. established the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program (JNLWP) in 1996. Based at the Marine Corps Base Quantico and under the direction of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the program develops, evaluates, and deploys nonlethal devices. Here are some of the weapons coming out of their laboratories and field testing...
Four Chicago Policemen Admit to Robbing Suspects 20 Sep 2009 Four former members of a disbanded Chicago police unit have admitted to taking part in a scheme in which they barged into homes and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars -- once after withholding insulin from a diabetic man until he told them where to find cash. Three of the former officers -- Bart Maka, Guadalupe Salinas and Brian Pratscher -- pleaded guilty to felony theft, and the fourth, Donovan Markiewicz, pleaded guilty to official misconduct.
Feds mum over legal protection for swine flu vaccine makers 20 Sep 2009 The federal government won't say if Canadians who suffer harmful side effects from the new swine flu shot can take the vaccine maker to court. The Public Health Agency of Canada will not reveal whether drug companies are shielded from H1N1 flu vaccine lawsuits in this country like they are in the United States. The United States has been open about its decision to protect vaccine makers, government officials and others from lawsuits over the vaccine. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has granted legal immunity to "individuals and entities involved in all stages of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine development, testing, manufacture, distribution, prescribing, administration, and use," says a U.S. Health Department website. [Thanks, Opharma, for that one, slid in at 8 o'clock on a Friday night in July, when *no one* was paying attention. Notice the paucity of media coverage on this one? --LRP]
Vaccine could be 'more dangerous than swine flu' 19 Sep 2009 The Australian Vaccination Network lobby group says more testing of the swine flu vaccine needs to be done before it is given to the public. The Federal Government has ordered 21 million doses of the vaccine developed by CSL. A national vaccination program - the largest the country has seen - will start at the end of the month. Australian Vaccination Network president Meryl Dorey says the H1N1 vaccine could prove more dangerous than the disease itself. "Why are we spending hundreds of millions of dollars on this vaccine?"
New York College Sets Aside Entire Dorm for H1N1 Flu Cases 19 Sep 2009 A college in New York's Adirondack Mountains is preparing for the H1N1 flu virus by setting aside an entire dormitory for students stricken with the illness. Paul Smith's College, about 120 miles north of Albany, hasn't had any reported cases of so-called swine flu. But officials say they want to be ready. The 40-bed dorm will offer computers, Internet and television in the communal areas.
Oops! NASA caught with its hands in the chemtrail cookie jar: As NASA launches rocket for cloud experiment, dozens report seeing strange lights in the sky --The rocket is designed to create an artificial cloud. 19 Sep 2009 NASA says it successfully launched a rocket in Virginia as part of an experiment, and the blast may have caused dozens of people to report seeing strange lights in the sky. The space agency said it launched the Black Brant XII on Saturday evening to gather data on the highest clouds in the Earth's atmosphere. About the time of the launch, dozens of people in the Northeast started calling local television stations to report seeing strange lights.
Grizzly bear decline alarms conservationists in Canada --Demand for halt to hunting after decline in salmon stocks is blamed for bears starving to death 20 Sep 2009 A furious row has erupted in Canada with conservationists desperately lobbying the government to suspend the annual bear-hunting season following reports of a sudden drop in the numbers of wild bears spotted on salmon streams and key coastal areas where they would normally be feeding. The government has promised to order a count of bears, but not until after this year's autumn trophy hunts have taken place. It has enraged ecology groups which say that a dearth of salmon stocks may be responsible for many bears starving in their dens during hibernation.
Texas oilman leads effort to drill off Florida's coast --A little-known group headed by a Texas oilman is behind an effort to change an oil drilling ban off Florida's coast. 20 Sep 2009 The only way Floridians will ever learn who's behind Florida Energy Associates is if the Legislature approves letting the company drill near the state's gulf beaches. "We're not shadowy, or we don't want to be,'' said Doug Daniels, a Daytona Beach attorney touring the state for Florida Energy Associates to promote overturning the drilling ban. Once the law is changed, he said, the process for applying for the leases will require making their names public. For now, the only oilman identified as a principal is Texas oilman M. Lance Phillips.
GOP-installed Enron troll/privatization lackey is a disaster for state: California Joblessness Reaches 70-Year High 19 Sep 2009 California’s unemployment rate in August hit its highest point in nearly 70 years, starkly underscoring how the nation’s incipient economic recovery continues to elude millions of Americans looking for work. While job losses continue to fall, the state’s new unemployment rate -- 12.2 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics -- is far above the national average of 9.7 percent.
What exactly did the Fed do with $2tn? Despite Ben Bernanke's protestations, Congress must be given full access to audit the Federal Reserve's loans By Dean Baker 07 Sep 2009 ...[T]he Federal Reserve Board has lent out more than $2tn through various special lending facilities. While the Fed discloses aggregate information on the loans made through each of the facilities, it will not disclose how much money it lent to specific banks or under what terms. By contrast, the Treasury puts this information about its $700bn TARP bailout up on its website. Partly in response to this huge increase in the Fed's power... more than 270 representatives in Congress have co-sponsored a bill that would have the Government Accountability Office audit the Fed... However, the Fed and its chairman Ben Bernanke, do not see it this way.
New health proposal is industry's favorite 17 Sep 2009 The latest health overhaul plan circulating on Capitol Hill gives health insurers, drug makers and large employers reasons to heave sighs of relief, sparing them the higher costs and more burdensome rules included in other Democratic-written alternatives. Industry players that have already struck bargains with President Barack Obama's administration and leading DemocRATs to help pay for revamping the health system saw most of those deals left intact -- and in some cases sweetened -- in the $856 billion proposal unveiled Wednesday by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the Finance Committee chairman.
Previous lead stories: Al Q shops Nordstrom: Al-Qaida Threatens Terror Attacks in Germany after Election 18 Sep 2009 In a new video message, the terrorist network al-Qaida [al-CIAduh] has warned of attacks in Germany during the two weeks after the Sept. 27 election, if there are no signals of a withdrawal of German troops from Afghanistan. Authorities are taking the threat seriously and have raised the level of security precautions. If the sender of the video released on Friday afternoon was not in all likelihood al-Qaida, it would be difficult to take it seriously: The speaker has dressed for the occasion in an atypical style, in a black suit and blue tie. [LOL! Al Q loves Ermenegildo Zegna! --LRP]
Pakistan Police Raid US-Contracted Security Firm --Pakistan police say they raided US-contracted security firm for illegal weapons possession 19 Sep 2009 Pakistani police raided a local security firm that helps protect the U.S. Embassy on Saturday, seizing dozens of allegedly unlicensed weapons at a time when unusually intense media scrutiny of America's use of private contractors mercenaries has deepened anti-U.S. sentiment. Two employees of the Inter-Risk company were arrested during the raids in Islamabad, police official Rana Akram said. Reporters were shown the seized weapons -- 61 assault rifles and nine pistols. Akram said police were seeking the firm's owner.
Troops in Afghanistan said to use private armies for detention and interrogation --Nato forces rely on illegal Afghan militias, report says 16 Sep 2009 Nato forces in Afghanistan are increasingly reliant on illegal militias, often run by warlords responsible for human rights abuses and drug trafficking, according to an independent report published tomorrow. New York University's Centre on International Co-operation (CIC) reports that the use of private security companies and militias is growing exponentially and accounts for up to a fifth of the funds spent on Afghan reconstruction. The CIC report, called The Public Cost of Private Security in Afghanistan, says many of the troop contingents in Nato's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) use private militias not only to guard their camps and secure convoys, but also for "black ops", including detention and interrogation... Jake Sherman, one of the report's authors, said today: "The Kandahar incident shows these groups are being employed by US special forces, and we know they are engaged in black ops."
