'We have seen police use rubber bullets, batons and gas.' Police embroiled in violent battles with G20 protesters --Reports: Rubber bullets used 24 Sep 2009 Anti-G20 protesters rampaged through the city centre of Pittsburgh tonight, smashing up shops and throwing rocks at police, as officers used tear gas and baton-charges in an attempt to bring them under control. In riots which continued through the middle of the evening rush hour, about 300 protesters were reported to have remained from an initial crowd of 2,000 in Bloomfield, Pittsburgh’s Little Italy.
G-20 opponents, police clash on Pittsburgh streets 24 Sep 2009 Police fired canisters of pepper spray and smoke at marchers protesting the Group of 20 summit Thursday after anarchists responded to calls to disperse by rolling trash bins and throwing rocks. The afternoon march turned chaotic at just about the time that President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrived for a meeting with leaders of the world's major economies.
Pittsburgh a "steel city" of security for G20 summit 23 Sep 2009 Dubbed the "steel city" for its industrial history, Pittsburgh will live up to its name for a different reason when world leaders meet amid heavy security on Thursday and Friday for the Group of 20 (G20) summit. Thousands of additional police have been brought in to the western Pennsylvania city and tall steel fencing is being erected along streets around the convention center where 19 leaders of developed and developing countries will meet.
New York Police Official in Terror Unit Is Removed 24 Sep 2009 The New York Police Department has removed a senior official from one of its two sometimes competing antiterrorism units, after it played a role in disrupting a sensitive federal terrorism investigation, current and former police officials said on Wednesday. He was replaced by a top official from the other unit. The investigation was disrupted two weeks ago when detectives from one of the units, the Intelligence Division, sought assistance from a Queens imam who then alerted the central suspect in the case to the inquiry.
NYC Terror Plot Suspect Charged with Conspiracy to Detonate Bombs --Americans Urged to Remain 'Vigilant' and 'Report Any Suspicious Activity' 24 Sep 2009 Najibullah Zazi, the 24-year-old airport shuttle driver from Denver, Colorado who officials say was the ringleader of an alleged terror plot against New York City, was charged with conspiracy to use explosive bombs Thursday morning -- the latest indication that authorities still believe the alleged attack plan was "the real deal." The one-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury alleges that Zazi "conspired with others to use explosive devices against persons or property in the United States," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.
Terror suspect indicted in Brooklyn court on charge of planning bombings in U.S. 24 Sep 2009 A reputed Al Qaeda [al-CIAduh] operative was indicted Thursday for a conspiracy to use "weapons of mass destruction" to blow up unspecified targets across the country. An indictment unsealed in Brooklyn Federal Court charged Najibullah Zazi with getting bomb-making instructions in Pakistan - and then trying to build the bombs here. His trip to New York on the eve of the eighth anniversary of 9/11 was "in furtherance of his criminal plans," a government memorandum says.
Feds: Suspect hit beauty stores for bomb supplies 24 Sep 2009 An Afghan immigrant who received explosives training from 'al-Qaida' went from one beauty supply store to another, buying up large quantities of hydrogen peroxide and nail-polish remover, in a chilling plot to build bombs for attacks on U.S. soil, authorities charged Thursday. Najibullah Zazi, a shuttle driver at the Denver airport, was indicted in New York on charges of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction.
Cops, feds ransack Queens storage sites for Qaeda bomb-making materials 23 Sep 2009 Detectives were combing Queens storage facilities on Monday for stockpiled explosive chemicals that Al Qaeda terror thugs planned to use to bomb New York, sources said. At the same time, the Daily News has learned that prime terror suspect Najibullah Zazi has confessed he was a jihadist hell-bent on murderous mayhem, the sources said. NYPD investigators, in coordination with the FBI, hit chemical and fertilizer companies looking for customers who bought bulk and paid cash - and they were also showing up at storage centers in Long Island City.
24 People Reportedly Under Observation in NYC-Colorado Terror Probe 23 Sep 2009 As many as 24 people may be under observation in a suspected cross-country terror plot, as police in New York City stepped up patrols and increased random searches on mass transit Wednesday. Reports surfaced of up to two dozen more people under scrutiny who may have knowledge of or involvement in a suspected terrorism scheme that led to the arrest of a Denver shuttle driver and two others. Federal and local officials declined comment.
'He was introduced to an undercover FBI agent, who began working with him to plot an attack.' [Ergo, the FBI agent -- the one planning the attack -- should have been arrested.] Illinois man charged in plot to bomb federal offices 24 Sep 2009 An Illinois man was ordered held on Thursday on charges he tried to blow up a federal building in the state capital, a case unrelated to the New York terrorism plot. Michael Finton, also known as Talib Islam, was arrested in Springfield, Illinois, and charged with attempted murder of federal officers or employees and trying to use a weapon of mass destruction, charges that carry a life sentence.
Man arrested in alleged attempt to bomb Dallas skyscraper 24 Sep 2009 Federal authorities arrested a 19-year-old Jordanian citizen whom they said placed an inactive car bomb today at Fountain Place, a 60-story skyscraper in downtown Dallas. Hosam Maher Husein Smadi has repeatedly voiced his intent to serve Osama bin Laden and al-Qa’ida [al-CIAduh] and commit “violent Jihad,” authorities said in a prepared statement.
U.S. terror suspects accused of targeting Marine base 24 Sep 2009 Two men charged in North Carolina last month with plotting terrorist attacks overseas also planned to attack the U.S. Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, authorities said on Thursday. The two were among seven suspects arrested in August for conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and for conspiracy to murder, kidnap, maim and injure people overseas.
U.S. teen tied to IEDs, fake CIA badge 24 Sep 2009 U.S. authorities said a 19-year-old Maryland native is linked to the possession of explosive devices and faked CIA intelligence identification badges. Rod Rosenstein, the U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, said Collin McKenzie-Gude of Bethesda, Md., pleaded guilty to the possession of an unregistered destructive device.
Inoperative Cameras Hinder SEPTA 'Photo' Probe 24 Sep 2009 Twice in the past two days, SEPTA officials have alerted police to men taking pictures on the Broad Street subway line in South Philadelphia. On Wednesday, a SEPTA cashier told officers about a man taking pictures at the Lombard-South station, but the man, after being questioned by the cashier about his activities, left before officers arrived. On Tuesday, officers received a report of a male taking pictures in the track area at the Snyder Avenue station.
'Al-Qaeda group' escape Iraq jail 24 Sep 2009 Sixteen members of 'al-Qaeda' in Iraq have escaped from a prison north of Baghdad, Iraqi security officials say. Reports said five of the group, who were being held at a facility in Tikrit, had been sentenced to death for involvement in attacks. One of the men has since been caught, but the rest remain at large.
Join the club, pal: Guantanamo prisoner says he's lost hope in Obama A Guantanamo prisoner who held up a photo of President Barack Obama as a sign of hope at a war crimes court hearing last year said Wednesday he has lost faith that the American leader will be much different than his predecessor. Ahmed al-Darbi, who told the court in December he hoped Obama would "earn back the legitimacy the United States has lost in the eyes of the world," said in a note passed to his lawyer that he is disappointed the Guantanamo prison remains open and the military court still holds hearings.
U.S. soldier charged with murder in contractor slaying in Iraq 23 Sep 2009 The U.S. military announced Tuesday that a soldier had been formally charged with murder in the slaying of a civilian contractor who was shot this month on a base in northern Iraq. Army Spc. Beyshee Velez, who was already in custody, was charged Monday in the killing of an employee of Houston-based KBR on Sept. 13 at the U.S. base Camp Speicher near Tikrit. The soldier, who is being held in Hawaii, faces two counts of murder, three counts of assault and one count of fleeing apprehension in the death of contractor Lucas Vinson, the military said in a statement.
Report: Census Worker In Kentucky Had Been Warned to Be Careful 24 Sep 2009 ...Much still isn't known about the death of Census field worker Bill Sparkman in Clay County, Ky. Yesterday, it was reported that he was found hanged and that the word "fed" had been written on his chest. Today on Federal News Radio, news director Ted Werbin of WHAS-radio in Louisville reported that Sparkman had told others he had been warned by a retired state trooper to be careful in rural Clay County because some people there aren't fond of anyone from the federal government.
Census Worker Hanged with "Fed" on Body --FBI Investigating Whether Worker Was Victim of Anti-Government Sentiment 23 Sep 2009 A U.S. Census worker found hanged from a tree near a Kentucky cemetery had the word "fed" scrawled on his chest, a law enforcement official said Wednesday, and the FBI is investigating whether he was a victim of anti-government sentiment. The law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss the case and requested anonymity, did not say what type of instrument was used to write the word on the chest of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old part-time Census field worker and teacher.
U.N. unanimously backs Obama's nuclear disarmament goal 24 Sep 2009 With President Barack Obama in the chair at an unprecedented meeting of the U.N. Security Council, major world powers on Thursday endorsed his goal of a nuclear weapons-free world and pledged to strengthen the shaky international system for preventing the spread of nuclear arms. The Security Council unanimously passed a U.S.-drafted resolution that endorses the eventual goal of "a world without nuclear weapons."
Another blow to MoD as Major-General Andrew Mackay resigns from Army 25 Sep 2009 Prince Harry’s brigade commander in Afghanistan [Major-General Andrew Mackay] has resigned from the Army. He is the fifth senior officer to leave the Forces prematurely in two years and the most senior commander to resign since the operation began in Afghanistan.
At U.N., Brazil's Lula demands Zelaya reinstatement 23 Sep 2009 Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the first world leader to address the U.N. General Assembly, called on Wednesday for ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to be reinstated. "The international community demands that Mr. Zelaya immediately return to the presidency of his country and must be alert to ensure the inviolability of Brazil's diplomatic mission in the capital of Honduras," Lula said, drawing applause from the hall.
Most parents won't have kids get H1N1 flu shots, study finds 25 Sep 2009 Germ-spreading schoolchildren are expected to be the focus of a massive U.S. vaccination campaign against the novel H1N1 flu. But if their parents are hearing the rallying cry to have their kids vaccinated, they're not buying it, says a new national survey. In a poll of 1,678 U.S. parents conducted by the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, 40% said they would get their children immunized against the H1N1 virus.
Tampa International Airport to sell flu vaccines 24 Sep 2009 Flu vaccines will be available at the Tampa International Airport starting next month. As of Oct. 1 the airport will open kiosks delivering the antiserum for the virus. Vaccines are available at drug stores and other health-related facilities around Hillsborough County.
Seasonal flu shot may increase H1N1 risk 23 Sep 2009 Preliminary research suggests the seasonal flu shot may put people at greater risk for getting swine flu, CBC News has learned. Four Canadian studies involved about 2,000 people in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta, health officials told CBC News. Researchers found people who had received the seasonal flu vaccine in the past were more likely to get sick with the H1N1 virus.
Justice Ginsburg hospitalized after feeling faint 24 Sep 2009 Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized Thursday after becoming ill in her office at the court following treatment for an iron deficiency. The 76-year-old justice, who underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer in February, was taken to Washington Hospital Center at 7:45 p.m. EDT as a precaution, a statement from the court said.
Banks fight to kill proposed consumer protection agency 24 Sep 2009 If you doubt that U.S. banks long to return to the days of impotent regulation, you need only look at one of the financial sector's top legislative priorities: killing a proposed new agency that would be dedicated solely to protecting consumers' financial interests. The Obama administration is asking Congress to create a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency to regulate consumer financial products ranging from credit cards to mortgages, and to simplify disclosure about them all.
U.S. stock investors set to unload junk [LOL!] 24 Sep 2009 Just like the government's "cash for clunkers" program, investors are ready to cash in junk stock holdings for sounder equities, analysts say. The stock market is up 57 percent since March 9, led by so-called junk stocks -- or badly beaten names with hazy growth prospects.
Sarah Palin bores business audience --Listeners said the speech sounded like a pitch for the 2012 presidency and was long and humourless. 24 Sep 2009 Former Alaska Governor and defeated US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has failed to enthuse investors attending the CLSA Asia Pacific Markets Forum in Hong Kong. The forum, which entices the foremost political and business minds on earth, this year decided to include Palin on her first ever visit to East Asia.
Previous lead stories: AP source: Census worker hanged with 'fed' on body --Census official: Law enforcement officers have told agency matter is "an apparent homicide" 23 Sep 2009 The FBI is investigating the hanging death of a U.S. Census worker near a Kentucky cemetery, and a law enforcement official told The Associated Press the word 'fed" was scrawled on the dead man's chest. The body of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old part-time Census field worker and occasional teacher, was found Sept. 12 in a remote patch of the Daniel Boone National Forest in rural southeast Kentucky. The Census has suspended door-to-door interviews in rural Clay County, where the body was found, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Guantanamo court "a headless chicken": lawyer 23 Sep 2009 The Guantanamo war crimes court has become "a headless chicken" that still operates under the old rules even as the Obama administration issues new ones, the lawyer for an accused Saudi boat-bomb plotter said on Wednesday. U.S. President Barack Obama has pledged to shut down the Guantanamo detention camp for terrorism suspects by January 22, and his administration has said it will decide by November 16 whether to move the 10 pending prosecutions into the regular U.S. courts or try them in revised tribunals. The Obama administration also is pushing legislation in Congress that would stop the military tribunals from using evidence obtained through brutality.
Administration Won't Seek New Detention System 24 Sep 2009 The Obama administration has decided not to seek legislation to establish a new system of preventive detention to hold terrorism suspects and will instead rely on a 2001 congressional resolution authorizing military force against 'al-Qaeda' and the Taliban to continue to detain people indefinitely and without charge, according to administration officials... In federal court in March, the Obama administration cited the 2001 congressional authorization of force to assert that "the president has the authority to detain persons that the president determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, and persons who harbored those responsible for those attacks. The president also has the authority to detain persons who were part of, or substantially supported, Taliban or al-Qaeda forces or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners, including any person who has committed a belligerent act, or has directly supported hostilities, in aid of such enemy armed forces."
