McChrystal tries to calm Afghans after air strike 21 Sep 2009 The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan flew on Saturday to the scene of a deadly air strike by his forces, trying to cool anger... Afghan officials say scores of people were killed, many of them civilians, when a U.S. F-15 fighter jet called in by German troops struck two hijacked fuel trucks before dawn on Friday.
'The brutality was completely unacceptable. It has stained the reputation of the British army.' British army used 'widespread torture of Iraqi civilians' 21 Sep 2009 The British army used widespread torture methods in Iraq, a British government lawyer said on Monday in an acknowledgment on a public inquiry into the 2003 death of hotel receptionist Baha Mousa. The British soldiers responsible for the death of Baha Mousa were "not just a few bad apples," Singh told the inquiry. "There is something rotten in the whole barrel," he said. Baha Mousa, a 26-year old Iraqi, was beaten and killed in the custody of British troops following a raid on his hotel in the southern Iraq city of Basra in September 2003.
UK army 'rotten', Iraq probe told 21 Sep 2009 British soldiers who abused an Iraqi detainee prisoner who died in their custody were not just "a few bad apples", a public inquiry has been told. There was "something rotten in the whole barrel", Rabinder Singh QC said. Troops in Iraq routinely used banned interrogation methods they did not think were illegal, lawyers told the inquiry into the 2003 death. The inquiry, led by Sir William Gage, is focusing on Baha Mousa's death, detainees' treatment and army methods.
Army draws up plan to send 1,000 more troops to Afghanistan 21 Sep 2009 Britain is making plans to send up to 1,000 extra troops to Afghanistan to meet the call for reinforcements made by the US commander in Kabul. The troops would be Britain’s contribution to a military surge called for by General Stanley McChrystal, who commands Nato’s International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan, some details of which were leaked to an American newspaper yesterday.
McChrystal: More Forces or 'Mission Failure' 21 Sep 2009 The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan warns in an urgent, confidential assessment of the war that he needs more forces within the next year and bluntly states that without them, the eight-year conflict "will likely result in failure," according to a copy of the 66-page document obtained by The Washington Post. His assessment was sent to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on Aug. 30 and is now being reviewed by President Obama and his national security team.
"I was building a bridge," an Afghan contactor said, one evening over drinks. "The local Taliban commander called and said 'don't build a bridge there, we'll have to blow it up.' I asked him to let me finish the bridge, collect the money -- then they could blow it up whenever they wanted. We agreed, and I completed my project." Who is funding the Afghan Taliban? You don't want to know. 13 Aug 2009 In Afghanistan, one of the richest sources of Taliban funding is the foreign assistance coming into the country. Virtually every major project includes a healthy cut for the insurgents. Call it protection money, call it extortion, or, as the Taliban themselves prefer to term it, "spoils of war," the fact remains that international donors, primarily the United States, are to a large extent financing their own enemy.
Brit Soldier Killed In Afghan Blast 21 Sep 2009 A British soldier has been killed in an explosion while on patrol in southern Afghanistan. The blast hit a dismounted patrol in the Gereshk district of Helmand Province, the MoD said.
Everyone seems to be agreeing with Bin Laden these days --Only Obama, it seems, fails to get the message that we're losing Afghanistan By Robert Fisk 19 Sep 2009 Obama and Osama are at last participating in the same narrative. For the US president's critics -- indeed, for many critics of the West's military occupation of Afghanistan -- are beginning to speak in the same language as Obama's (and their) greatest enemy. There is a growing suspicion in America that Obama has been socked into the heart of the Afghan darkness by ex-Bushie Robert Gates – once more the Secretary of Defence - and by journalist-adored General David Petraeus whose military "surges" appear to be as successful as the Battle of the Bulge in stemming the insurgent tide in Afghanistan as well as in Iraq... Colin Kenny, chair of Canada's senate committee on national security and defence, said this week that "what we hoped to accomplish in Afghanistan has proved to be impossible. We are hurtling towards a Vietnam ending".
IAEA denies report it is sure Iran is seeking bomb 17 Sep 2009 The UN atomic watchdog said Thursday it has no concrete proof that there is or has been a nuclear weapons programme in Iran. The International Atomic Energy Agency rejected a US media report which claimed its experts believed Tehran had the ability to make a nuclear bomb and was on the way to developing a missile system able to carry an atomic warhead.
Israel says still has military option on Iran 21 Sep 2009 Israel has not given up the option of a military response to Tehran's nuclear programme, senior officials said on Monday, after Russia's president said his Israeli counterpart assured him it would not attack Iran. Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon was asked by Reuters if that comment by Israeli President Shimon Peres, as reported on Sunday by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, was a guarantee there would be no Israeli strike on Iran. Ayalon replied: "It is certainly not a guarantee. I don't think that, with all due respect, the Russian president is authorised to speak for Israel and certainly we have not taken any option off the table."
Judge grants new delay in Sept. 11 trial at Guantanamo 21 Sep 2009 A military judge agreed Monday to another delay in the war crimes 'trial' of five Guantanamo prisoners charged in the Sept. 11 attacks, giving U.S. officials more time to decide how to try them. Army Col. Stephen Henley agreed to the U.S. government's request for a 60-day continuance, a delay intended to give President Barack Obama's administration enough time to decide whether it should move the case, along with those of other prisoners held at Guantanamo, to a civilian court or a revamped war crimes tribunal.
Report: CIA interrogations informed by bad science 21 Sep 2009 Prolonged stress from the CIA's harsh interrogations could have impaired the memories of terrorist suspects, diminishing their ability to recall and provide the detailed information the spy agency sought, according to a scientific paper published Monday. The methods could even have caused the suspects to create -- and believe -- false memories, contends the paper, which scrutinizes the techniques used by the CIA under the Bush administration through the lens of neurobiology. It suggests the methods are actually counterproductive, no matter how much suspects might eventually say.
Terror arrest sparks gov't warning on mass transit 21 Sep 2009 Counterterrorism officials are warning mass transit systems around the nation to step up patrols because of fears an Afghanistan-born immigrant under arrest in Colorado may have been plotting with others to detonate backpack bombs aboard New York City trains. Investigators say Najibullah Zazi, a shuttle van driver at the Denver airport, played a direct role in a terror plot that unraveled during a trip to New York City around the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Active Terror Cell Prepared NYC Attack, Officials Say --Authorities Believe After Three Arrests in Alleged Terror Plot, Others Still Out There 21 Sep 2009 After overnight arrests this weekend in the alleged New York terror plot, FBI agents believe an active terror cell directed by al Qaeda was preparing an attack on New York City, and authorities say they have yet to identify everyone involved. Officials tell ABC News they believe there were three distinct teams of four men each, and not all of them are accounted for. Law enforcement agents say they're watching a number of people on round-the-clock surveillance who they suspect might have been part of the alleged terror cell.
NYC imam held without bail in terrorism probe 21 Sep 2009 A New York City imam accused of lying to officials investigating a terrorism plot has been ordered held without bail. His attorney, Ron Kuby, says he’ll seek bail for Ahmad Afzali on Thursday. Afzali is an imam at a mosque in Queens. He was arrested Saturday in New York and charged with making false statements to the government. The former NYPD informant was accused of lying to authorities about tipping off Najibullah Zazi about a terrorism investigation.
Feds unsure if arrest of Najibullah Zazi and two others has foiled al-Qaeda terror plot 20 Sep 2009 Federal agents from Denver and New York to Pakistan are still racing to solve an Al Qaeda [al-CIAduh] bomb plot, unsure whether the arrest of three suspects has put the terror gang out of business. "They're still looking," a senior counterterror official told the Daily News. As to whether they have identified all the conspirators, "nobody knows the answer for sure," the official said. FBI arrest documents showed prime suspect Najibullah Zazi visited the city from Colorado on the 9/11 anniversary carrying a laptop with bomb-making notes he wrote. Specific attack plans or targets remain unknown, a Justice Department statement said.
Lawyer for imam charged in alleged terrorism plot says he is a scapegoat 21 Sep 2009 The government has targeted a Queens imam as a scapegoat for its failings to investigate an alleged cross-country terrorist plot, his lawyer said before his client's hearing in federal court was delayed today. Ahmad Wais Afzali, who is accused of lying to federal investigators, will continue to be held. The hearing is scheduled to resume on Thursday. Afzali, who was arrested Sunday, is one of three men scheduled to appear today in federal court in the probe. Najibullah Zaziand his father, Mohammed Wali Zazi, were arrested Saturday in Denver and will face charges of lying as well.
Suspect in Terror Probe Linked to Notes on Making Bomb 21 Sep 2009 Investigators said they found notes describing how to make bombs in the handwriting of an airport shuttle driver arrested as part of a terrorism investigation, and they also discovered his fingerprints on materials -- batteries and a scale -- that could be used to make explosives. The emerging details show that Najibullah Zazi, who has admitted receiving weapons training from al-Qaeda, played a direct role in an alleged terror plot, authorities said in court documents released Sunday.
F-15s escort plane that violated NJ airspace restriction due to Obama visit 21 Sep 2009 Fighter jets seen flying low over Middlesex County today were responding to an unidentified aircraft that violated a temporary flight restriction put in place while President Obama was landing in New York. The jets, both F-15s that were already in the area, were seen flying over Edison, Sayreville, East Brunswick, and other location. There were repeated calls to New Jersey 101.5 radio station by listeners who had seen or heard the jets, which shook the ground in some places. At least two people told the station they saw two fighter jets escorting a red aircraft.
New victim of the Black Death: Professor killed by plague bug he studied --Mr Casadaban, a renowned molecular geneticist, developed intense flu-like symptoms on September 13. He was admitted to hospital but within 12 hours was dead. 22 Sep 2009 An American scientist studying the origins of Black Death has died from an infection linked to the disease. Professor Malcolm Casadaban was killed by a strain of the bacteria responsible for millions of deaths over the centuries, officials at the University of Chicago revealed. An autopsy on the 60-year-old professor showed no obvious cause of death, except for the presence in his blood of the bacteria Yersinia pestis. The weakened strain being studied by Mr Casadaban at the University of Chicago was not known to cause illness. The scientist had been studying the genetics of harmful bacteria, including a strain of Yersinia pestis, for several months in an effort to find a stronger vaccine. [See: List of Dead Scientists By Steve Quayle Updated 20 Sep 2009 [Wow, they're up to 89! #86: Caroline Coffey, 28. Died June 3, from massive cuts to her throat. Hikers found the body of the Cornell Univ. post-doctoral bio-medicine researcher along a wooded trail in the park, just outside Ithaca, N.Y., where the Ivy League school is located. Her husband was hospitalized under guard after a police chase and their apartment set on fire.]
VeriChip shares jump after H1N1 patent license win 21 Sep 2009 Shares of VeriChip Corp tripled after the company said it had been granted an exclusive license to two patents, which will help it to develop implantable virus detection systems in humans. The patents, held by VeriChip partner Receptors LLC, relate to biosensors that can detect the H1N1 and other viruses, and biological threats such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, VeriChip said in a statement. The technology will combine with VeriChip's implantable radio frequency identification devices to develop virus triage detection systems. Shares of VeriChip were up 186 percent at $3.28 Monday late afternoon trade on Nasdaq.
Gulf War Toxins In Swine Flu Vaccine 23 Aug 2009 The new swine flu vaccine contains a deadly brain toxin linked to autism, Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis. The Sunday Express has discovered the pandemic vaccine, to be rolled out across the country within weeks, contains the mercury. It also contains a chemical called squalene, used to stimulate the immune system to respond to the vaccine. Some scientists believe squalene is linked to autoimmune illnesses including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Squalene was included in the anthrax jab given to British and US soldiers during the 1991 Gulf War.
Obamas to get swine flu vaccine 20 Sep 2009 America's first family will get vaccinated 'against' swine flu when they are advised to, President Barack Obama said in a television interview broadcast Sunday. "We want to get vaccinated. We think it's the right thing to do. We will stand in line like everybody else and when folks say it's our turn, that's when we'll get it," Obama told CNN's "State of the Union."
AIG's Payback to Taxpayers in Doubt --Government Watchdog Says Disgraced Insurance Giant AIG May Not Repay All of Its $182B 21 Sep 2009 One year after the biggest corporate bailout in the country's history, a government watchdog office Monday warned that American taxpayers may not recoup the full $182 billion given to embattled insurance giant American International Group. "AIG's ability to restructure its business and repay the government is unclear at this time," the Government Accountability Office said in a new report released Monday. As of the start of September, the company's outstanding balance of taxpayer aid was $120 billion.
U.S. monetary policy to benefit Asian assets most: CLSA 21 Sep 2009 The biggest beneficiary of the loose monetary policies in the U.S. and other western nations may be Asian asset prices as capital flows eastward in search of growth, the top equities analyst at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets said Monday. "The very easy money in the West will benefit most not western consumers but Asian asset prices," Christopher Wood, managing director and equity strategist at CLSA, told reporters at CLSA's annual investors' conference in Hong Kong.
Bozeman blackmailer gets 5 years probation 21 Sep 2009 A woman who blackmailed a prominent Bozeman builder will serve five years of probation, a U.S. District Court judge ruled Thursday. Shannon Michelle Clark pleaded guilty on May 22 to charges that she demanded $60,000 from William Martel, founder of Martel Construction in Bozeman, to stay quiet about their four-year affair. In a dramatic plea for leniency, defense attorney Morgan Modine charged that the FBI investigation that netted Clark began as a politically motivated drive by the Bush administration Justice [sic] Department to implicate prominent Democrats in a suspected Bozeman prostitution ring. It was only when that investigation floundered, Modine said, that the FBI went after Clark.
Fox News Producer Caught Rallying 9/12 Protest Crowd In Behind-The-Scenes Video By Danny Shea 20 Sep 2009 A Fox News Channel producer has been caught in a behind-the-scenes video rallying the crowd during last weekend's 9/12 protest in Washington. The Huffington Post has confirmed that the woman in the below video -- seen raising her arms to rally the crowd behind Griff Jenkins, who was reporting from the scene for Fox News -- is Fox News producer Heidi Noonan.
WWF demands U.S. halt polar bear hunt in Alaska 21 Sep 2009 The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) is demanding the United States impose a moratorium on the hunting of polar bears, a report released on Monday by the international organization said. The U.S. still allows polar bear hunting for indigenous peoples in Alaska even though polar bears have been listed as an endangered species since 2008.
Previous lead stories: 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.
U.S. weapons end up in al-Qaeda hands, in Somalia 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.
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."
