Grand Jury Inquiry on Destruction of C.I.A. Tapes --The tapes had shown C.I.A. officers using torture, including waterboarding, on two prisoners. 03 Jul 2009 Current and former top Central Intelligence Agency officers have appeared before a federal grand jury in Virginia as part of an 18-month investigation into the agency’s destruction of 92 videotapes depicting the brutal interrogations of two Qaeda prisoners. The witnesses recently called by the special prosecutor, former government officials said, include the agency’s top officer in London and Porter J. Goss, who was C.I.A. director when the tapes were destroyed in November 2005.
Obama administration delays release of CIA report 03 Jul 2009 The Obama administration said Thursday that it needs two more months to review an internal CIA report on the agency's secret detention and torture program before making it public, drawing criticism from civil libertarians who say it's past time for Americans to know how its government treated terrorism suspects. The Justice Department had originally said it intended to release the report in June as part of a lawsuit, but department officials now say they need until the end of August.
U.S. Says It Will Preserve Secret Jails for Terror Case 03 Jul 2009 The government will agree to preserve the secret overseas sites where a defendant in a terror case was once held and, his lawyers say, subjected to harsh interrogation techniques torture after his capture in 2004, a prosecutor indicated in court in New York on Thursday. Lawyers for the defendant, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, told a judge this week that they were afraid that the so-called black sites, which were run by the Central Intelligence Agency, would be demolished as the agency has said it will discontinue their use... In asking that the sites be preserved, Mr. Ghailani’s lawyers said they wanted to inspect them as part of their investigation into what had happened to Mr. Ghailani during his detention.
Iraq's Maliki rejects U.S. offer on national reconciliation --The Iraqi prime minister tells visiting Vice President Joe Biden that U.S. involvement would not be welcome. 03 Jul 2009 Vice President Joe Biden's mission to promote national reconciliation in Iraq was rebuffed Friday by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, who told him that the issue was a domestic Iraqi affair and that U.S involvement wouldn't be welcome. Biden was beginning a two-day visit to Iraq after President Obama appointed him this week as his special representative on dealings with the Persian Gulf nation.
US drone goes down in southern Iraq 03 Jul 2009 An unmanned surveillance aircraft has gone down on the outskirts of al-Kut city in the southern Iraqi province of Wasit which borders Iran. A local police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Voices of Iraq news agency that the drone crashed on Friday close to the Delta Base of American forces. The base is situated seven kilometers (5 miles) west of al-Kut.
US drone attacks kill 13 in Pakistan 03 Jul 2009 Intelligence officials say a US drone has fired missiles into Pakistan's South Waziristan region on the Afghan border, killing at least 13 people and injuring dozens others. The drone reportedly targeted insurgent hideouts in the troubled region where US troops are conducting a major operation against militants, Reuters reported.
U.S. Resumes Surveillance Flights Over Pakistan 30 Jun 2009 The United States has resumed secret military surveillance drone flights over Pakistan’s tribal areas to provide Pakistani commanders with a wide array of videos and other information on militants, according to American and Pakistani officials... Under the intelligence-sharing arrangement, which resumed in the past few weeks but has not previously been made public, Pakistani ground forces receive direct support for several hours a day, though not necessarily every day, from remotely piloted American military aircraft based in Afghanistan, a senior American defense official said.
Russia Opens Route for U.S. to Fly Arms to Afghanistan 04 Jul 2009 The Russian government has agreed to let American troops and weapons bound for Afghanistan fly over Russian territory, providing an important new corridor for the United States military as it escalates efforts to win the eight-year-old war, officials on both sides said Friday. The agreement, to be announced when President Obama visits here Monday and Tuesday, represents one of the most concrete achievements in the administration’s attempt to ease relations with Russia after years of tension.
Russia 'agrees US troop transit' 03 Jul 2009 A senior Obama administration official has told the BBC that Russia has agreed to let US troops bound for the war in Afghanistan fly through its airspace. The deal, which opens up an important new corridor for the US military, is to be officially announced when President Barack Obama visits Moscow next week. Speaking separately, a Kremlin official confirmed a deal was on the table but suggested it referred to weapons only.
UK forces push deep into Taliban territory in Afghanistan 03 Jul 2009 Around 800 British troops have pushed deep into Taliban-held territory in Helmand province after a ten-day battle to secure river crossings. The latest wave of two-week-old Operation Panther's Claw involved one of the most strategically significant operations the British have carried out in Helmand, a British Army statement said.
British regiment commander killed in 'huge' bomb attack in Afghanistan 03 Jul 2009 The commander of a British regiment has been killed in Afghanistan, the first to have died in active service since the Falklands war 27 years ago. Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was killed on Wednesday by what defence officials described last night as a "huge bomb" that shattered the armoured Viking tracked vehicle he was travelling in.
New IAEA chief sees no proof of Iran N-bomb 03 Jul 2009 Incoming IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano says there is no conclusive evidence to prove that Iran is enriching weapons-grade uranium. Amano, who was narrowly elected as the new head of the UN nuclear watchdog on Thursday, however, urged Iran to follow Security Council demands regarding its nuclear activities.
Falk slams Israel, says relief boat seizure 'unlawful' 03 Jul 2009 Israel's two-year blockade of the Gaza Strip is a continuing crime against humanity, and its seizure of a ship carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza was "unlawful", says a UN human rights investigator. Richard Falk, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said Thursday that the blockade restricted vital supplies such as food, medicine and fuel to "bare subsistence levels."
In Israel, former US lawmaker remains imprisoned 03 Jul 2009 Former US lawmaker Cynthia McKinney and several other human rights activists remain in an Israeli prison after refusing to sign a deportation form that they claim is self-incriminating. In a press release from McKinney's Green Party, she said the form states that the their relief boat carrying 21 activists, medial supplies, cement, olive trees and children's toys en route to Gaza, was violating the Israeli blockade and trespassing its territorial waters.
Big brother is watching: The technologies that keep track of you 02 Jul 2009 CCTV, RFID tags and GPS-enabled phones are among the technologies that can be used to keep track of your movements. Here, we list seven of the technologies that can be used to keep track of your movements.
WHO says flu is unstoppable 03 Jul 2009 The World Health Organization head, Margaret Chan, has addressed a meeting in Mexico to say that the spread of the H1N1 swine flu virus worldwide is now unstoppable. As the summit opened, the UK alone projected more than 100,000 new cases of H1N1 a day by the end of the summer.
800 at San Quentin quarantined for swine flu 03 Jul 2009 About 800 San Quentin State Prison inmates have been quarantined - banned from having visitors starting this weekend - as officials await testing on 30 inmates suspected of having swine flu, authorities said Thursday. So far, four of the 30 minimum-security inmates have tested positive for having a strain that has a 97 percent probability of being the H1N1 virus, said Luis Patino, spokesman for the federal receiver who runs state prison medical care.
CDC: US swine flu cases rise to nearly 34,000 02 Jul 2009 The number of U.S. swine flu cases has reached nearly 34,000, and deaths have risen 34 percent in the past week to 170, federal health officials reported Thursday. The numbers mark an increase from the 127 deaths and nearly 28,000 confirmed and suspected swine flu cases reported last week.
Ohio Reserve unit wages war on ND mosquitoes --The Air Force's aerial spray unit based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna, Ohio, has found North Dakota an 'ideal place for practice.' 03 Jul 2009 An Ohio Air Force Reserve unit charged with controlling mosquitoes during wartime is using bug-bitten North Dakota as a practice ground again this summer. Huge gray military airplanes flying as low as 100 feet from the ground sprayed Minot and, for the first time, Williston to kill mosquito larvae this spring. Another mission aimed at adult mosquitoes, is planned for later this month.
Gag me with a chainsaw! Palin plans to stay visible 03 Jul 2009 Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin plans to remain extremely visible and will give serious consideration to running for president in 2012, but has made no decision, a close friend said after her startling announcement Friday that she will resign her office. Friends say Palin plans to spend time writing her book, which is due this fall, then promote it heavily when it comes out in spring 2010.
Palin resigns as governor, leaves plans secret 03 Jul 2009 Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin abruptly announced Friday she is resigning from office at the end of the month, a shocking move that rattled the Republican party but left open the possibility she would seek a run for the White House in 2012. Palin and her staff kept her future plans shrouded in mystery, and it was unclear if the controversial hockey mom would quietly return to private life or begin laying the foundation for a presidential bid.
Sarah Palin will not seek re-election 03 Jul 2009 Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has told associates that she will not seek re-election next year, freeing her to pursue a White House bid in 2012, according to two GOP sources. Leaving office at the end of next year, the former vice presidential hopeful will be able to travel the country more freely without facing the sort of repeated ethics inquiries she’s been fending off since returning to Alaska earlier this year. [Alaska's polar bears and wolves rejoice!]
Everything suggests American bonds seized at Chiasso are real 30 Jun 2009 Four weeks have passed since American bonds were confiscated from two Japanese who were travelling on a direct train to Chiasso, Switzerland. While there has been clarification of some points, very few, Italian authorities have remained silent on the rest of the episode. In addition, a strange coincidence in the timing of the arrest of a director of an internet radio who had made revelations regarding the incident increases the already strong oddities surrounding the case. This added to the revaluation of the fact that among the evidence seized there were "Kennedy Bond" all points toward the authenticity of the items seized by the Guardia di Finanza (GdF) in early June.
'Rogue broker' blamed for oil spike 02 Jul 2009 The startling spike in oil prices to their highest level this year on Tuesday was caused by a rogue broker [terrorist] who placed a massive bet in the Brent oil market, triggering almost $10m (€7m) of losses for his company. PVM Oil Associates, the world’s largest over-the-counter oil brokerage, said on Thursday it had been the "victim of unauthorised trading".
Seven banks fail, pushing 2009 tally to 52 --Regulators close six Illinois banks and one Texas bank, setting the FDIC back a total of $314.3 million. 03 Jul 2009 Seven banks were shut down by authorities Thursday, pushing the tally of failed banks for 2009 to 52, more than doubling the failures in 2008. Six regional banks in Illinois and one in Texas closed their doors, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The rash of Illinois failures are interlinked: All six banks were controlled by one family and followed a similar business model that "created concentrated exposure in each institution," according to the FDIC.
Aircraft repair jobs sold to foreign workers, resumes not important --It's a huge facility in the middle of San Antonio International Airport, but a large number of mechanics are temporary workers from foreign countries. 01 Jul 2009 A News 8 investigation found that hundreds of aircraft mechanics have been brought into the United States to work at aircraft repair facilities. Insiders say the companies that are importing the mechanics are so eager to save money, they’re overstating their qualifications. The result may be a threat to safety, abetted by lax enforcement of immigration law.
ExxonMobil continuing to fund climate sceptic groups, records show --Records show ExxonMobil gave hundreds of thousands of pounds to lobby groups that have published 'misleading and inaccurate information' about climate change 01 Jul 2009 The world's largest oil company [terrorists] is continuing to fund lobby groups that question the reality of global warming, despite a public pledge to cut support for such climate change denial, a new analysis shows. Company records show that ExxonMobil handed over hundreds of thousands of pounds to such lobby groups in 2008. These include the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) in Dallas, Texas, which received $75,000 (£45,500), and the Heritage Foundation in Washington DC, which received $50,000.
Sea Ice At Lowest Level In 800 Years Near Greenland 02 Jul 2009 New research, which reconstructs the extent of ice in the sea between Greenland and Svalbard from the 13th century to the present indicates that there has never been so little sea ice as there is now. The research results from the Niels Bohr Institute, among others, are published in the scientific journal, Climate Dynamics.
Scientists solve mystery of Scotland's shrinking sheep --Shorter, milder winters caused by global warming to blame for steady decrease in size of St Kilda sheep, experts say 02 Jul 2009 The mysterious shrinking sheep of St Kilda... involves a rare herd of wild sheep on the remote Scottish island - known in Scottish Gaelic as Hirta. They have steadily decreased in size since the 1980s. Scientists have fingered the culprit as the new Moriarty of mankind: global warming. The experts say shorter and milder winters mean that lambs do not need to put as much weight on during their first few months of life. The average weight of the sheep has dropped by 81g each year.
Previous lead stories: Court Filing Shows Evidence Cheney Swayed White House Response to CIA Leak --Discussions of CIA Agent Listed in Filing 03 Jul 2009 A document filed in federal court this week by the Justice Department offers new evidence that former vice president [sic] Richard B. Cheney helped steer the Bush administration's public response to the disclosure of Valerie Plame Wilson's employment by the CIA and that he was at the center of many related administration deliberations. A list of at least seven related conversations involving Cheney appears in a new court filing approved by Obama appointees at the Justice Department. In the filing, the officials argue that the substance of what Cheney told special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald in 2004 must remain secret.
Obama Administration to Involve NSA in Screening Civilian Agency Networks 02 Jul 2009 The Obama administration will proceed with a Bush-era plan to use National Security Agency assistance in screening government computer traffic on private-sector networks, with AT&T as the likely test site, according to three current and former government officials. President Obama said in May that government efforts to protect computer systems from attack would not involve "monitoring private sector networks or Internet traffic." Under a classified pilot program approved during the Bush regime, NSA data and hardware would be used to 'protect' the networks of some civilian government agencies. Part of an initiative known as Einstein 3, the pilot called for telecommunications companies to route the Internet traffic of civilian government agencies through a monitoring box that would search for and block malicious computer codes... The pilot was to have been launched in February. "To be clear, Einstein 3 development is proceeding," DHS spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said.
Al-Sadr demands full U.S. withdrawal from Iraq --About 131,000 US troops remain in Iraq, on bases and in outposts outside of population centers. 01 Jul 2009 The ongoing presence of U.S. troops in Iraq "shows that the (Iraqi) government and the occupation are not serious about the withdrawal," a key Shiite cleric in the country said Wednesday. Muqtada al-Sadr made the statement on his Web site a day after U.S. forces withdrew from Iraqi cities and towns in accordance with the security agreement between the United States and Iraq.
