Sources: Guantanamo Might Not Close By January --Problems Include Resolving Legal Issues, Logistical Questions 25 Sep 2009 The White House acknowledged for the first time Friday that it might not be able to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay by January as President Barack Obama has promised. Senior administration officials told The Associated Press that difficulties in completing the lengthy review of detainee files and resolving thorny legal and logistical questions mean the president's self-imposed January deadline may slip.
Judge: blasts case against Kuwaiti held at Guantanamo 25 Sep 2009 So how did an overweight, 43-year-old Kuwaiti man with bad knees and no real military training or experience suddenly become a logistics expert helping al Qaeda leaders organize the defense of Tora Bora in 2001? That’s the question a U.S. federal judge said the government failed to adequately answer in trying to justify the indefinite detention of Fouad Al Rabiah at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Kuwait Airways engineer’s confessions to those charges, extracted with the use of extreme interrogation torture methods, "defy belief," wrote Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in a decision issued today. "If there exists a basis for Al Rabiah’s indefinite detention, it most certainly has not been presented to this court," Kollar-Kotelly wrote in a 65-page decision, noting that his petition to the court for release under habeas corpus is the oldest pending.
Ah, then came the dawn. *This* is the reason for the US warning Iran for a not-so-secret nuclear fuel plant: Tehran dumps dollar for euro 21 Sep 2009 Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered the replacement of the US dollar by the euro in calculating the value of the country's Oil Stabilisation Fund (OSF). The edict, issued on Sept 12, follows a recommendation by the trustees of the country's foreign reserves, Iran's English-language daily The Tehran Times said on Monday, citing Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency.
Iran admits to secret second nuclear plant built inside mountain 25 Sep 2009 Iran has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that it has been building a previously undeclared nuclear facility to enrich uranium, raising fears that Tehran is closer to acquiring an atomic bomb than has been predicted up until now. The presence of a secret second site - built inside a mountain near the holy Shia city of Qum - has been known about by American and other Western intelligence agencies for some time, although nothing has been revealed until now. [Right, that's because Tehran hadn't yet dumped the dollar.]
Obama warns Iran to 'come clean' on nukes, prefers diplomacy but won't rule out military force 25 Sep 2009 Backed by other world powers, President Barack Obama declared Friday that Iran is speeding down a path to confrontation and demanded that Tehran quickly "come clean" on all nuclear efforts and open a newly revealed secret site for close international inspection. He said he would not rule out military action if the Iranians refuse. Obama joined the leaders of Britain and France in accusing the Islamic republic of clandestinely building an underground plant to make nuclear fuel that could be used to build an atomic bomb. Iranian officials acknowledged the facility but insisted it had been reported to nuclear authorities as required.
Iran Is Warned Over Nuclear 'Deception' --Sarkozy: Iran has deadline of two months to comply with international demands or face increased sanctions 26 Sep 2009 President Obama and the leaders of Britain and France accused Iran on Friday of building a secret underground plant to manufacture nuclear fuel, saying the country has hidden the covert operation from international weapons inspectors for years. Appearing before reporters in Pittsburgh, Mr. Obama said that the Iranian nuclear program "represents a direct challenge to the basic foundation of the nonproliferation regime."
Egypt wants 'nuclear' Israel under UNSC supervision 23 Sep 2009 Egypt calls for international supervision of Israel's nuclear program as the pressure mounts on Tel Aviv to account for its controversial activities. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, in a letter to all 15 members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), asked the council to enforce the observation, Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Wednesday. Aboul Gheit mentioned that Tel Aviv has been refusing to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), adding that "Israel's nuclear capabilities cannot evade world attention." [Maybe so, but they surely escape the media attention. --LRP]
US accuses ISI of supporting Taliban 'shadow govt.' [Oh dear. Looks like the billions upon billions the US has been giving NOT to US health care reform but to Pakistan (that went *missing*) has been going to... the people the US are allegedly fighting! Oddly enough, there was NO GOP yelping (as they do with health care spending) about those billions adding to the federal deficit! Funding the Taliban, good -- funding a single-payer health plan... not so good. --LRP] 25 Sep 2009 Senior US military officials blame Islamabad's military intelligence, ISI, for providing sanctuaries in Pakistan for the pro-Taliban insurgents who attack foreign troops in Afghanistan. A New York Times report quoted US military and intelligence officials saying that American authorities believe the Taliban's leadership council, or Shura, is behind the insurgency in northern and western Afghanistan.
Pakistan: US Drone attack kills 10 in North West Province 25 Sep 2009 A US drone attacked an office operated by an Afghan radical on Thursday, killing 10 suspected militants in the tribal belt near the border with Afghanistan, officials said. "A missile was fired from a US drone in Dandy Darpa Khel area," one security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
U.S. commander in Afghanistan submits request for more troops 25 Sep 2009 Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, hand-delivered his request for as many as 45,000 more troops to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Germany Friday and made his case for why he needs more forces to fight an increasingly unpopular [not to mention, illegal] war.
Five U.S. troops killed in southern Afghanistan --Three are slain in a roadside bombing; two in other attacks. 25 Sep 2009 Five American troops were killed late Thursday and early Friday in southern Afghanistan, adding to the security and political concerns in the troubled nation. Taliban and other insurgents have stepped up attacks on U.S. and NATO-led forces this year...
20,000 neglected ex-servicemen are either in jail or on probation 26 Sep 2009 The neglect of ex-servicemen was branded a 'disgrace' yesterday as it was revealed that 20,000 are in prison or on probation in England and Wales. The shocking figures compiled by probation staff show that one in ten prisoners used to be in the armed forces - up by almost a third in five years.
Bombs thrown into Brazilian embassy: Zelaya 25 Sep 2009 The ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya says that gas and non-lethal noise bombs have been thrown into the Brazilian embassy, where he has taken refuge. Zelaya said the air felt heavy, and people in the building had become sick, with one aide vomiting blood. He said he had stomach cramps, and that his eyes and throat had become itchy as a result of the attacks, which he said had tried to "scare" him.
Muslims gather at Capitol Hill, condemn prejudice 25 Sep 2009 Thousands of Muslim men and women have gathered outside Capitol Hill to hold a prayer meeting and demonstrate against prejudice against Islam. On Friday, the crowd prayed on lawns outside the building in an event organized by the Dar-ul-Islam Elisabeth mosque, in northeastern New Jersey.
'In both cases, FBI agents posing as al-Qaida operatives supplied the men with bogus explosives.' FBI agents in two terrorist bomb cases let their sting operations play out to the end 25 Sep 2009 As Hosam Maher Husein Smadi prepared to remotely detonate what he believed was a powerful bomb underneath a Dallas skyscraper, his comrade-in-arms, who was actually an undercover FBI agent, offered him earplugs, authorities say. Smadi declined. He said he wanted to hear the blast, according to investigators. Sitting in a car a safe distance from the skyscraper, Smadi, 19, allegedly dialed the cell phone number he thought would trigger the explosion. It was instead a law enforcement number. He was promptly arrested on terrorism charges.
Terror Suspect's Ties to Canada Investigated --Authorities Probing Suspect's Travel North of the Border 25 Sep 2009 Authorities say that terrorism suspect Najibullah Zazi has made several trips to Canada, raising concern among investigators that Zazi may have tried to organize a terror cell in that country. Canada has been the target of several alleged al Qaeda [al-CIAduh] plots. The information was revealed at a court hearing for Zazi today in Denver.
Terror suspect arrives in New York over 9/11 bombing plot 25 Sep 2009 An accused Al Qaeda terrorist was hauled back to New York under intense security Friday as a prosecutor gave new details of a warped plot to detonate homemade bombs around the 9/11 anniversary. Najibullah Zazi, arrested last weekend in Denver, landed at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport about 5:45 p.m. and was whisked by NYPD helicopter into the city allegedly was his target two weeks earlier.
Suspected terrorist may have planned 9/11 anniversary attack 25 Sep 2009 A Denver man accused of plotting a terrorist attack in the United States had apparently planned to set off a bomb in New York on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, a federal prosecutor said today. That revelation came during what was otherwise a routine federal court hearing in Denver that paved the way for Najibullah Zazi, 24, to be flown to New York today.
Suspect Used Web to Find Bomb Supplies, Feds Say --Indictment alleges terror suspect Zazi shopped beauty stores for bomb supplies in US plot 25 Sep 2009 Afghan-born Najibullah Zazi set up shop in suburban Denver, scouring the Web and visiting beauty supply stores in a hunt for chemicals needed to build bombs for al-Qaida [al-CIAduh], authorities charge, calling the alleged plot one of the most significant terror threats to the U.S. since 9-11. The 12-page memorandum outlining the alleged conspiracy also used the repeated phrase "and others," evidence of a possible al-Qaida cell plotting a homemade bomb attack on U.S. soil.
Marines Train in Area --Urban exercises in advance of deployment 24 Sep 2009 The Marines are landing in our backyard. 2,300 Marines are converging on this region for two weeks of intensive training in preparation for an upcoming deployment. Part of the training involves exercises in small cities in Kentucky and southern Indiana. Simulated missions will take place in Frankfort late next week.
G20 protesters blasted by sonic cannon --US police spark outrage by using wartime acoustic weapon to disperse G20 protesters in Pittsburgh 25 Sep 2009 A few hundred protesters took to the streets of Pittsburgh to mark the opening day of the G20 summit of world leaders, but the police were taking no chances. Sonic weapons or long-range acoustic devices have been used by the US military overseas, notably against Iraqi 'insurgents.' But US security forces turned the piercing sound on their own citizens yesterday to widespread outrage. Pittsburgh officials told the New York Times that it was the first time "sound cannon" had been used publicly.
"Other law enforcement agencies will be watching to see how it [the sound cannon] was used," said Nate Harper, the Pittsburgh police bureau chief. "It served its purpose well." Protesters Are Met by Tear Gas at G-20 Conference 25 Sep 2009 As the two-day Group of 20 meeting brought leaders of the world’s industrialized nations here Thursday, the police were out in force, patrolling on bicycles, foot and horseback, by river and by air. In the afternoon, protesters trying to march toward the convention center where the gathering is being held encountered roaming squads of police officers carrying plastic shields and batons. The police fired a sound cannon that emitted shrill beeps, causing demonstrators to cover their ears and back up, then threw tear gas canisters that released clouds of white smoke and stun grenades that exploded with sharp flashes of light. City officials said they believed it was the first time the sound cannon had been used publicly.
New NSA center unveiled in budget documents 25 Sep 2009 The National Security Agency was so confident that its nearly $2 billion plan for a new data center in Utah would be approved by Congress that it began designing the facility last November. NSA budgeting documents also indicate that the design of the 1-million-square-foot center should be completed by February. President Barack Obama last week signed a spending bill that included $181 million for preparatory construction of the Camp Williams facility and tentatively agreed to two future phases of construction that could cost $800 million each. The agency is set up to collect intelligence on foreign threats, but it has been accused of also participating in the unwarranted monitoring of the communications of U.S. citizens. A similar center is being constructed in San Antonio, Texas, and NSA documents indicate that the agency is also expanding its existing intelligence collection facilities in North Yorkshire, England, and Fort Meade, Md.
Unpublished Canadian data on seasonal flu shots and H1N1 stir concern 24 Sep 2009 Canadian researchers reportedly have found as-yet-unpublished evidence that people who had a seasonal flu shot last year incurred a higher risk of H1N1 infection... The Canadian Press (CP) reported that a series of studies in British Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario seem to suggest that people who received a seasonal flu shot last year were about twice as likely to contract the pandemic H1N1 virus. The findings are spurring an effort by some Canadian public health officials to delay, reduce, or cancel seasonal flu vaccination campaigns this fall.
Volunteers needed to give H1N1 shots 25 Sep 2009 The Cook County Public Health Department is calling for volunteers in its mass vaccination push in the Southland to attack the H1N1 virus that first appeared last spring. Active or retired licensed physicians, nurses or other health care workers are needed to help prevent the virus from spreading when the [squalene-laden, mercury-filled, Polysorbate 80-laced] shots become available in mid-October.
Health District suspends mercury limits for H1N1 shots 25 Sep 2009 Washington health officials have temporarily suspended limits on the amount of mercury allowed in the upcoming [deadly] H1N1 influenza vaccine for pregnant women and children younger than 3 years old. The move comes after Health Secretary Mary Selecky was informed that the initial batches of vaccines against the swine flu may not include enough doses that were specially packaged without thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative. The preservative is controversial among some people who believe that it may be linked to autism and other childhood disorders.
Swine flu prompts changes to Mental Health Act 23 Sep 2009 (UK) The government plans to rush through measures allowing people with suspected mental health issues to be quickly detained because of fears over staff shortages in any forthcoming swine flu outbreak, it has been revealed. The temporary changes to the Mental Health Act, as laid out in an unusually short consultation lasting just one month, would mean it would only take one doctor, rather than two, to have a person sectioned and put on medication without their consent.
Atlanta's Georgian Bank fails; 95th of the year 25 Sep 2009 Atlanta's Georgian Bank became the 95th bank failure of the year, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Friday. First Citizens Bank and Trust Company Inc. of Columbia, S.C., will assume all of the deposits of Georgian Bank, estimated at about $2 billion as of July 24. The cost of the failure to FDIC's deposit-insurance fund is $892 million. Georgian Bank also marks the 19th bank failure in the state this year.
Previous lead stories: Barack Obama: Supporters Get Words, Backers Get Deeds --Obama's able to wrap a bomb in Valentine's Day wrapping with no one ever noticing it was a bomb and not a box of chocolates The Rec Report By Michael Rectenwald 25 Sep 2009 Every time Barack Obama says something, it's compensation for something he's doing. He pays his "supporters" with words and the truly powerful backers are repaid with deeds and money.
'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.
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.
