Blackwater/Xe in Pakistan: 'Blackwater behind Peshawar blast' --Mehsud: US security firm Blackwater, in collaboration with local agencies, was involved in attack 30 Oct 2009 Pakistan's pro-Taliban militants blame private US security firm Blackwater for a Wednesday bomb blast in Peshawar which killed over 100 people. Hakimullah Mehsud, head of the Tehrik-e-Taliban, said Blackwater and some Pakistani agencies were involved in the bomb explosion at a crowded market in Peshawar... Mehsud said the US security firm Blackwater, in collaboration with some local agencies, were involved in the attack. On Sunday, about 200 supporters of the Tehrik-e-Taliban party held an anti-US demonstration in Dera Ismail Khan, denouncing Blackwater and chanting anti-US slogans.
Larijani: US behind terrorist attack in Iran 30 Oct 2009 In the wake of a terrorist attack in southeastern Iran, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has accused the United States of helping terrorist carry out acts of violence in Iran. "Reliable evidence shows the US played a role in the recent move," Larijani said referring to the recent bomb blast in Sistan-Baluchistan Province. At least 41 people, including seven senior commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), were killed in the bombing on October 18 during a unity gathering of Shia and Sunni tribal leaders in the town of Pishin on the Iran-Pakistan border. The Jundallah terrorist group claimed responsibility for the deadly attack. Abdulhamid Rigi, the apprehended brother of the Jundallah point man, told Press TV in a recent interview that Abdulmalek had held several "confidential" meetings with FBI and CIA agents in Karachi and Islamabad.
Iran Speaker says U.S. involved in attack on revolutionary guards 31 Oct 2009 Iran says it has evidence the U.S. was involved in an attack last week that killed 42 people including top Revolutionary Guard commanders. Iran's Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani made the claim on Friday. Larijani was speaking at a public ceremony in the city of Qom. "Currently the attack continues and there are evidences that Americans were involved in the terrorist attack," the Iranian labors new agency reported Larijani as saying.
Abdullah Will Quit Afghan Election, Officials Say 01 Nov 2009 Abdullah Abdullah, the chief rival to President Hamid Karzai, plans to announce on Sunday his decision to withdraw from the Nov. 7 Afghan runoff election, handing a new five-year term to Mr. Karzai but potentially damaging the government’s credibility, according to Western diplomats here and people close to Mr. Abdullah. [Here's the reason for the US furor over the alleged *second* stolen Afghan election --when no one said a word about the *first* stolen Afghan election: Abdullah supports troop increase, but within a broader plan 25 Oct 2009 Afghan opposition candidate Abdullah Abdullah said he supports Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal's strategy assessment that more troops are needed to stabilize Afghanistan, though he believes the more important broader plan must focus on how healthy Afghanistan's government is, and how security will improve. --That's why the US prefers Abdullah over Karzai, who, albeit corrupt, often spoke out against US (illegal) killer drone attacks and the murder of innocent Afghan civilians. --LRP]
Bomb kills seven Pakistani soldiers: officials 31 Oct 2009 A bomb killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 11 others Saturday in the country's northwestern tribal area, officials said. "Seven paramilitary soldiers were killed and 11 were wounded in the remote-control bomb attack," Shafirullah Khan, the top administrative official of Khyber tribal district, told AFP by telephone.
Clinton can't understand why bin Laden is still missing [Ask his bosses --the previous US regime --where he is.] 30 Oct 2009 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has questioned why Pakistan has not been able to keep tabs on al-Qaeda [al-CIAduh] leaders. Speaking to journalists in Lahore, she said she found it "hard to believe" nobody in the Pakistan government knew where they were.
Lebanon says Israel is planning to attack it 31 Oct 2009 Lebanon believes the Israeli army has it in its sights, and is preparing a major attack on its soil. Lebanon's ambassador to the United Nations has told the international body Israel is exhibiting signs of an imminent attack on his country. The claim was published by the Lebanese newspaper Al-Hayyat on Friday.
President of Honduras to be returned to power 31 Oct 2009 The de-facto illegitimate Honduran government has agreed to a deal that may allow ousted President Manuel Zelaya to return to power ahead of elections next month. U.S. diplomats have been in the country to mediate an end to the four-month-old crisis.
Minot Air Force base commander fired 30 Oct 2009 The military says the commander at the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota has been relieved of his command. The Air Force told The Associated Press on Friday it lost confidence in Col. Joel Westa's ability to command the base. Westa has been the base commander since October 2007. Westa was ousted a little more than two weeks after the base's missile wing commander was relieved of his duties following a series of mishaps including two crashes of vehicles carrying missile parts in a little more than a year. [See: Minot AFB Clandestine Nukes 'Oddities'.]
Cheney told FBI he had no idea who leaked Plame ID --In the FBI interview, the vice president's memory of key events appeared hazy. 30 Oct 2009 Former Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney told the FBI in 2004 he had no idea who leaked to the news media that Valerie Plame, wife of a Bush regime critic, worked for the CIA. A summary of the FBI's interview with the then-vice president reflects that he had deep concern about Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador in Africa who said the administration had twisted prewar intelligence on Iraq.
CREW Lawsuit Results In Release of Notes of Cheney's FBI Interview In Wilson Leak Case (CREW) 30 Oct 2009 Today, after successfully winning a lawsuit against the Department of Justice, under court order, CREW received documents related to former Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney’s interview with the FBI in the investigation into the leak of Valerie Plame Wilson’s covert CIA identity. The transcript reveals that Mr. Cheney -- generally credited with razor sharp intellect and recall -- demonstrated an astonishing inability to recollect even simple facts much less the numerous conversations others have testified to regarding his involvement in the administration’s efforts to discredit former Ambassador Joe Wilson. The transcript does indicate however, that Mr. Cheney held Mr. Wilson in low regard and called the CIA’s decision to send Mr. Wilson to Niger "amateur-hour." [Leak investigation notes here and here.]
FBI agents assassinate Michigan Islamic leader By Abayomi Azikiwe 29 Oct 2009 A well-known African-American Islamic leader in Detroit was shot to death by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents on Oct. 28 at a warehouse in Dearborn. Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah, 53, who headed the Masjid Al-Haqq mosque on the city’s west side, was killed during a series of raids by both federal agents and local police departments that resulted in the arrest of 11 people.
9yr-old boy tortured, says former Guantanamo detainee --'I was interrogated hundreds of times by the FBI, CIA and even MI5, beaten, and subjected to continuous torture, sexual degradation, forced drugging and religious persecution.' 30 Oct 2009 A British Muslim detained for three years at the controversial Guantanamo Bay prison manned by the United States, revealed that the youngest detainee he knew of was a nine-year-old boy who was also tortured like the rest. Ruhal Ahmed’s story was among more accounts of atrocities committed against the detainees at Guantanamo, told before an open commission hearing which began Friday on the sidelines of an international conference to criminalise war. The testimonies before the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission Hearings will be submitted to a tribunal in conjunction with the Criminalise War Conference and War Crimes Tribunal 2009 spearheaded by former Malaysian prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Dr Mahathir said that the tribunal’s decision would be forwarded to the United Nations for further action.
H1N1 vaccinations to be offered to Guantanamo Bay detainees 30 Oct 2009 The Pentagon will 'offer' the H1N1 vaccination to prisoners at the U.S. facility at Guantanamo Bay, officials there said Friday. The Pentagon made the decision based on U.S. government assessments that people held in detention facilities are at high risk for the pandemic, said Maj. Diana R. Haynie, a spokeswoman for Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay, which is in charge of holding the suspected terrorists.
Pence to Pentagon: Rethink decision to offer H1N1 vaccine to Gitmo detainees 31 Oct 2009 The Pentagon's announcement Friday that it would provide H1N1 vaccinations to Guantanamo Bay prisoners who ask for it is a "terrible decision," one House Republican stressed Friday. The White House should immediately cancel the program to ensure Americans are able to receive those vaccinations first, added Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.).
Obama Administration Eyeing Navy Brig in South Carolina for Gitmo Detainees, Sources Say 30 Oct 2009 Sources tell Fox News that one scenario is that a "handful" of detainees prisoners who are already in the military courts at Guantanamo could be brought stateside as a "trial run" to test the system. The Navy brig in Charleston, S.C., is "very much in play" as an option to transfer Guantanamo Bay prisoners for military tribunal hearings in the U.S., multiple sources tell Fox News. Some sources describe the Naval Consolidated Brig -- which has housed at least two enemy combatants since 9/11 -- as a leading option being considered by the task force reviewing the Guantanamo issue.
US Homeland Security officials open $9-million operations center to combat cyber attacks 31 Oct 2009 US Homeland Security officials Friday opened a $9 million operations center, with 61 computer stations spread across it. The center will unite the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team and the National Coordinating Center for Telecommunications, so as to strengthen the fight against the cyber-criminals.
NSA to Build $1.5 Billion Cybersecurity Data Center --The massive complex, comprising up to 1.5 million square feet of building space, will provide intelligence and warnings related to cybersecurity threats across government. 29 Oct 2009 The National Security Agency will soon break ground on a data center in Utah that's budgeted to cost $1.5 billion. The NSA is building the facility to provide intelligence and warnings related to cybersecurity threats, cybersecurity support to defense and civilian agency networks, and technical assistance to the Department of Homeland Security, according to a transcript of remarks by Glenn Gaffney, deputy director of national intelligence for collection, who is responsible for oversight of cyber intelligence activities in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Lieberman Wants Senate-Confirmed Cyber Coordinator 30 Oct 2009 n a speech this morning at the Chamber of Commerce, Sen. Joe Lieberman (R-Israel), the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, will outline legislation that includes the step of making president's cyber coordinator a Senate confirmed position. The White House, which has not named its cyber coordinator, wants the position to be accountable only to the National Security Adviser.
FBI: Suspects Planned to Attack Newspaper 30 Oct 2009 Two Chicago men who were schoolmates in Pakistan plotted terrorist attacks against a Danish newspaper that triggered widespread protests by printing cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, federal prosecutors said Tuesday in announcing charges against the men. David Coleman Headley traveled to Denmark in January and July to conduct surveillance on possible targets, including the Copenhagen and Aarhus offices of the Jyllands-Posten newspaper, prosecutors said in criminal complaints filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Tahawwur Hussain Ranahelped arrange Headley's travel, prosecutors said.
40,000 contract serious virus in Ukraine, kills 30 --Virus is not H1N1 flu 30 Oct 2009 A viral infection in Ukraine has taken the lives of 30 people and at first it seemed like an ordinary flu but after a week the symptoms became worse. Radio Netherlands Worldwide reports 40,000 Ukrainians have contracted the disease and at least 100 are in the hospital. Tests are currently being conducted and all is known is that it is not the H1N1 flu.
Unknown virus kills in the west of Ukraine 30 Oct 2009 The inhabitants of the western regions of Ukraine reached on an unknown disease, whose symptoms are diagnosed as pneumonia. However, health professionals say the unusual and very rapid course of illness has already led to confirmed deaths of 40 patients. The media has been informed of 40 fatal cases in the Lviv, Ternopil, Chernivtsi and other zachodniukrainskich cities. Most of the fatal cases have been reported in Ternopil. Hospitals reported to be held on 23-29 October 9.5 thousand people. The Ministry of Health of Ukraine has created a special headquarters in connection with the increase in the number of cases. Doctors examine the relationship of the earlier detection of two new cases of swine flu disease in the west of Ukraine (infected recently returned from Moscow) with a new virus.
White House releases visitor logs 30 Oct 2009 In a move it is hailing as "transparency like you've never seen before," the White House on Friday released nearly 500 visitor records of individuals visiting the executive mansion between Inauguration Day and the end of July. [See: White House Visitor Logs --Inauguration Day through 31 July 2009 Posted by CLG 30 Oct 2009.]
9 more U.S. banks fail; $2.5 billion hit for FDIC fund 30 Oct 2009 Nine more U.S. banks, all owned by the same Illinois holding company, were closed Friday by regulators, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said U.S. Bank of Minneapolis would assume their deposits. The closings brought the 2009 total to 115 in 2009 -- the first year since 1992 that more than 100 banks have gone under... The deposit insurance fund will take an estimated $2.5 billion hit, the FDIC said. All nine banks were subsidiaries of FBOP Corp., a holding company based in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Ill., according to the FDIC.
Under fire from own party, N.Y. Republican quits House race 31 Oct 2009 Under fire from prominent members of her own party who said she wasn't conservative fascist enough, the Republican candidate for an open U.S. House seat in New York abruptly withdraw from the race Saturday just days before the election. State Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava said she was trailing in polls, unable to raise money and unlikely to win. The sudden withdrawal came as polls showed her falling to third place behind Democrat Bill Owens and Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. The election in New York's upstate 23rd Congressional District will fill a seat vacated when moderate Republican John McHugh was [insanely] named Secretary of the Army by President Barack Obama.
Lieberman Marching Further Right in 2010 [How much farther right can he go? He's already a Nazi.] 30 Oct 2009 Sen. Joe LieberBush (I-Israel) tells ABC News he will campaign for some Republican candidates during the 2010 midterm elections and may not seek the Democratic Senate nomination when he runs for re-election in 2012. "I probably will support some Republican candidates for Congress or Senate in the election in 2010," Lieberman said in an ABC News interview aboard the U.S. Capitol Subway System. Lieberman infuriated fellow Democrats in 2008 by supporting Republican presidential nominee John McCain [and Sarah Palin] as well as congressional candidates Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. [See: Silence On the Senator --The Lieberman Lie Pie is growing, and Connecticut's largest newspaper is ignoring it. By Lori Price 28 Oct 2009.]
ABC News Investigation: The Blueberry Children --Children as Young as 5 and 6 Working in the Fields of Large Blueberry Grower Featured by Walmart 30 Oct 2009 Walmart and the Kroger supermarket chain have severed ties with one of the country's major blueberry growers after an ABC News investigation found children, including one as young as five-years-old, working in its fields. The children were discovered at the Adkin Blue Ribbon Packing Company, in South Haven, Michigan, this summer by graduate school students working with ABC News as fellows with the Carnegie Corporation. The owner of the company, Randy Adkin, was once featured on a Walmart billboard advertising his "locally produced and locally sold" blueberries.
Polar bear patrol keeps Churchill's trick-or-treaters safe 30 Oct 2009 Some trick-or-treaters in the northern Manitoba town of Churchill will be going out under police escort this year. That's because it's prime polar bear season in the seaport community, located on the shores of Hudson Bay, about 1,050 kilometres north of Winnipeg. The bears wander through Churchill making their way north up the coast of Hudson Bay to hunt for seals. That's where the polar bear patrol comes in. It is comprised of RCMP members, representatives from Parks Canada and Manitoba Conservation officers. Every Halloween, they fan out around town to watch for the bears while kids are trick-or-treating.
Previous lead stories: US Quietly Speeds Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in Military Aid to Pakistan --The number of American Special Forces soldiers and support personnel who are training and 'advising' Pakistani Army and paramilitary troops has doubled in the past eight months to 150 29 Oct 2009 The United States has quietly rushed hundreds of millions of dollars in arms, equipment and sophisticated sensors to Pakistani forces in recent months, said senior American and Pakistani officials. During preparations this spring for the Pakistani campaigns in Swat and South Waziristan, President Obama personally intervened at the request of Pakistan’s top army general to speed the delivery of 10 Mi-17 troop transport helicopters... American military surveillance drones are feeding video images and target information to Pakistani ground commanders, and the Pentagon has quietly provided the Pakistani Air Force with high-resolution, infrared sensors for F-16 warplanes, which Pakistan is using to guide bomb attacks on militants’ strongholds in South Waziristan.
Taliban and Al-Qaeda refuse blame on Pakistan blast 29 Oct 2009 The Taliban and al-Qaeda have said they did not explode the bombs that caused 105 deaths in Peshawar on Wednesday. Pakistani paper The News has quoted an al-Qaeda source as saying the group was not involved in the killing of innocent women and children. The sources instead placed the blame on "elements who want to defame jihad." The banned Taliban group, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, in an e-mail sent to the media, also denied its involvement in the blast.
Passports linked to 9/11 found along Afghan border [LOLOLOL! Good one.] 29 Oct 2009 Pakistani soldiers battling their way into a Taliban stronghold along the Afghan border have seized passports that may be linked to '9/11 suspects.' Soldiers displayed passports seized in the operation, among them a German document belonging to a man named Said Bahaji. That matches the name of a man thought to have been a member of the Hamburg cell that conceived the 9/11 attacks. The passport included a tourist visa for Pakistan and a stamp indicating he'd arrived in the southern city of Karachi on Sept. 4, 2001.
