CLG News

DHS Secretary announces two general aviation security enhancements 26 Jul 2010 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator John S. Pistole on Monday launched two major enhancements to general aviation security. "If You See Something, Say Something" national campaign was launched by the general aviation component of the DHS on Monday, as well as a streamlined system for vetting passengers and crew on general aviation aircraft entering and exiting the United States through a single, Department-wide process.

On landmark law's 20th anniversary, House passes bill to make Internet more accessible for disabled 26 Jul 2010 The House late Monday passed a bill that aimed at making the Internet and mobile phones more accessible to the disabled through video captions for the hearing impaired and better descriptions of smartphone screens for the blind. The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, which was sponsored by Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), cleared the House on a vote of 348 to 23. Its approval came on the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and as a similar bill works its way through the Senate.

Obama marks 20th anniversary of Disabilities Act 26 Jul 2010 President Barack Obama marked Monday's 20th anniversary of a landmark anti-discrimination law for people with disabilities by promising to boost government efforts at recruiting, hiring and retaining people with physical and mental limitations. In a sun-splashed ceremony on the White House South Lawn, Obama signed an executive order requiring the federal personnel agency to develop model guidelines for hiring people with disabilities, and announced a series of other measures.

EU approves tougher sanctions against Iran 27 Jul 2010 European Union (EU) foreign ministers on Monday endorsed tougher sanctions over Iran's nuclear program, including measures to block oil and gas investment and curtail its refining and natural gas capability. Foreign ministers from the 27 EU member states adopted a decision implementing the measures contained in UN Security Council Resolution 1929 as well as extra measures identified by EU heads of state and government at their June summit. EU's restrictive measures, which went beyond UN sanctions imposed on June 10, followed a similar U.S. move.

No plans to quit Afghanistan, says US 25 Jul 2010 The United States has assured its allies in South Asia that it has no plans to quit the region and will stay engaged with Afghanistan as well. The assurance followed reports in the US media that President Barack Obama’s intention to start withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan from July next year had unsettled [thrilled] the entire region, causing South Asian nations to prepare themselves for a post-withdrawal scenario. "The fact is, we’re not leaving Afghanistan or the region at the end of next year," said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley.

Nato probes reports raid killed 45 Afghan civilians 25 Jul 2010 International forces in Afghanistan say they are urgently investigating reports as many as 45 civilians died in an air strike in Helmand province on Friday. Nato's initial investigation found no evidence, [?!?] but a BBC journalist visiting Regey village spoke to several people who said they had seen the incident. At the time, dozens were sheltering in the village from nearby fighting.

Radical police shake-up plans 'a return to 1950s' --A return to 1950s-style policing was signalled by the Government yesterday as ministers unveiled plans to recruit tens of thousands of special police constables. 26 Jul 2010 The number of the voluntary officers would increase more than fourfold -- from the current 15,000 to the peak levels of 67,000 last seen more than 50 years ago, said Theresa May, the Home Secretary. She also outlined plans for a volunteer "police reserve force" to bolster the country’s 141,000 front-line police officers, whose numbers are said to be under threat because of public sector spending cuts.

'US psywar plan includes 2 hot wars' 26 Jul 2010 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the United States and Israel plan to attack two countries in the Middle East as part of a conspiracy to apply pressure on Iran. "We have precise information that the Americans have devised a plot, according to which they seek to launch a psychological war on Iran," Ahmadinejad stated in an exclusive interview with Press TV on Monday. "They plan to attack at least two countries in the region within the next three months," he added.

'We will do what is necessary to try to determine who is responsible for the leaking of this information.' U.S. Hunts For Leaker of Afghan War Documents 26 Jul 2010 The Pentagon said on Monday it was launching a manhunt to find whoever leaked tens of thousands of classified documents on the war in Afghanistan, one of the largest security breaches in U.S. military history. U.S. defense officials said the person behind the release of some 91,000 classified documents appeared to have "secret" clearance and access to sensitive documents on the Afghan war. More leaks were possible, officials acknowledged.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is 'annoyed' by 9/11 truth By SnowCrash 22 Jul 2010 In this interview ['Wanted by the CIA: Wikileaks founder Julian Assange' 19 Jul 2010], Belfast Telegraph reporter Matthew Bell asks Wikileaks founder Julian Assange about "conspiracy theories". Assange subsequently explains his position. His obsession with secrecy, both in others and maintaining his own, lends him the air of a conspiracy theorist. Is he one? "I believe in facts about conspiracies," he says, choosing his words slowly. "Any time people with power plan in secret, they are conducting a conspiracy. So there are conspiracies everywhere. There are also crazed conspiracy theories. It's important not to confuse these two. Generally, when there's enough facts about a conspiracy we simply call this news." What about 9/11? "I'm constantly annoyed that people are distracted by false conspiracies such as 9/11, when all around we provide evidence of real conspiracies, for war or mass financial fraud." [Hmm. Maybe that explains why the CIA hasn't 'found' him. Can you say 'limited hangout?']

BP boss Hayward to get immediate £600,000 pension 26 Jul 2010 BP chief executive Tony Hayward will get an immediate annual pension worth about £600,000 ($930,000) when he leaves in October, the BBC has learned. Mr Hayward is to stand down after sustained criticism of his handling of the Gulf of Mexico oil leak. However, a BP source said he would be nominated for a non-executive position at the firm's Russian joint venture.

NORAD plans Washington, D.C. exercise --Exercise flights conducted throughout U.S. and Canada since start of 'Operation Noble Eagle' 26 Jul 2010 The North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct early morning exercises over the Washington area. The exercises will take place between midnight and 2 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. Civil Air Patrol aircraft and Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopters will take part in the exercise.

Big Payoff for axed boss 26 Jul 2010 BP was last night poised to boot out boss Tony Hayward - with a near £15million pay-off. The under-fire chief executive could go as early as today after being locked in talks over the weekend. He will carry the can for the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which has badly damaged BP's reputation in the US... Mr Hayward - slammed for his handling of the crisis - would be due a £1million salary pay-off, share options worth £2.7million and a £10.8million pension pot.

It's no Lam-bear-ghini 26 Jul 2010 A greedy bear took a car for a joyride when he dived into the vehicle in search of a peanut butter sandwich. The clever creature managed to open the door of the car, close it behind him, put it in gear and send it careering 100ft (30m) down a hill. The owner of the car, 17-year-old Ben Story, had left a peanut butter sandwich on the back seat and the smell attracted the hungry black bear. When cops arrived they found the panicked animal thrashing around inside the Toyota Corolla.

BP set to begin oil drilling off Libya 24 Jul 2010 Oil giant BP has confirmed it will begin drilling off the Libyan coast in the next few weeks. The deepwater drilling will take place in the Gulf of Sirte following a deal signed in 2007 with Libya on oil and gas development. The news comes amid major concerns over BP's environmental and safety record following the Gulf of Mexico spill.

Afghanistan war logs: How US marines sanitised record of bloodbath --War logs show how marines gave cleaned up accounts of incident in which they killed 19 civilians 26 Jul 2010 Brevity is the hallmark of military reporting, but even by those standards the description of one especially disastrous event is remarkably short: "The patrol return to base." It started with a suicide bomb. On 4 March 2007 a convoy of US marines, who had arrived in Afghanistan three weeks earlier, were hit by an explosives-rigged minivan outside the southeastern city of Jalalabad. The marines made a frenzied escape, opening fire with automatic weapons as they tore down a six-mile stretch of highway, hitting almost anyone in their way -- teenage girls in the fields, motorists in their cars, old men as they walked along the road. Nineteen unarmed civilians were killed and 50 wounded. None of this, however, was captured in the initial military account, written by the marines themselves. It simply says that, simultaneous with the suicide explosion, "the patrol received small arms fire from three directions".

25 killed as Iraq car bombings target shrine city, media 26 Jul 2010 Twin car bombs killed 21 people in the Shiite holy city of Karbala in southern Iraq on Monday, while four people died in a suicide attack on a Saudi-funded television channel in Baghdad. The suicide blasts in Karbala, where religious commemoration ceremonies are due to begin on Wednesday, occurred at around 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) and also wounded at least 47 people, a provincial health official said.

Kabul: US-led forces kill 52 civilians 26 Jul 2010 Afghan President Hamid Karzai has confirmed that a recent US-led NATO air strike killed at least 52 civilians including several women and children. Karzai said on Monday that NATO troops fired a rocket that killed "52 innocent civilians" in southern Afghanistan. The government sources say that the attack happened on Friday when civilians crammed into a house to flee the exchange of fire between NATO troops and alleged militants.

War leaks show Obama following Bush policies 26 Jul 2010 The US has condemned the leak of documents on the Afghan war. Leaked US military documents detail how American-led NATO forces in Afghanistan have killed or wounded hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents. The documents leaked by the whistle-blower website Wikileaks say some of the casualties are caused by airstrikes, but a large number is the result of troops shooting unarmed drivers or motorcyclists allegedly to protect themselves.

Blast hits al-Arabiya's Baghdad office 26 Jul 2010 Four people have been killed and more than a dozen wounded in a bomb attack on the office of the Arabic-language satellite news channel al-Arabiya in Baghdad. The incident occurred on Monday morning when a bomber detonated his explosive-laden vehicle in front of the Dubai-based channel's office, the Washington Post reported.

US to fund Israel's Arrow 3 missiles 26 Jul 2010 The United States has agreed to fund Israel's new anti-missile system while discussion is underway on Israeli plans to purchase US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets. The Israeli defense ministry and the US Missile Defense Agency signed an agreement on Sunday under which Tel Aviv will receive full funding for the development and production of Arrow 3 ballistic missile system, Haaretz reported.

Top U.S. officer warns Afghan war will get worse 25 Jul 2010 More NATO troops will die in Afghanistan as violence mounts over the summer, but Washington's goal of turning the tide against the insurgency by year's end is within reach, the top U.S. military officer said on Sunday. The remarks by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, on a visit to the country, came as the Taliban said they were holding captive one of two U.S. servicemen who strayed into insurgent territory, and that the other had been killed.

Ex-CIA chief says clash with Iran more likely --Bush aide points to nuclear push [while ignoring Israel's nuclear weapons] 26 Jul 2010 Former CIA director Michael Hayden says military action against Iran now seems more likely because no matter what the United States does diplomatically, Tehran keeps pushing ahead with its suspected nuclear program. Hayden, a CIA chief under President [sic] George W. Bush, said that during his tenure a strike was "way down the list" of options. But he said on CNN’s "State of the Union" that such action now "seems inexorable."

Over 160,000 Michigan utility shutoffs from January to May 2010 By Lawrence Porter 21 Jul 2010 Recent figures, obtained by the World Socialist Web Site from the Michigan Public Services Commission (MPSC), confirm the unrelenting and inhuman policy of utility shutoffs in the State of Michigan, despite the well-publicized series of deaths last winter as a direct result... Altogether 84,769 DTE [Energy] customers saw their utilities turned off during the first five months of the year compared to 77,598 homes by Consumers [Energy], a whopping total of 162,367 households.

Afghanistan war logs: Massive leak of secret files exposes truth of occupation --Covert unit hunts leaders for 'kill or capture' --Hundreds of civilians killed by coalition troops --Steep rise in Taliban bomb attacks on Nato 25 Jul 2010 A huge cache of secret US military files today provides a devastating portrait of the failing war in Afghanistan, revealing how coalition forces have killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents, Taliban attacks have soared and Nato commanders fear neighbouring Pakistan and Iran are fuelling the insurgency. The disclosures come from more than 90,000 records of incidents and intelligence reports about the conflict obtained by the whistleblowers' website Wikileaks in one of the biggest leaks in US military history. The war logs also detail --How a secret "black" unit of special forces hunts down Taliban leaders for "kill or capture" without trial. --How the US covered up evidence that the Taliban have acquired deadly surface-to-air missiles. How the coalition is increasingly using deadly Reaper drones to hunt and kill Taliban targets by remote control from a base in Nevada.

Venezuela head threatens US oil cut over Colombia row 25 Jul 2010 President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela has threatened to halt oil exports to the US if his country is attacked by Colombia - a close US ally. The threat comes amid an escalating dispute over allegations that Venezuela is harbouring Colombian rebels [aka freedom fighters resisting US-backed death squads]. Mr Chavez broke diplomatic ties with Colombia last week and put his army on high alert. Mr Chavez said he had received intelligence that "the possibility of armed aggression against Venezuela from Colombia was higher than it had ever been". [Right, USociopaths are constantly on the prowl for new countries to invade/occupy at the behest of corporaterrorists.]

BP chief Tony Hayward 'negotiating exit deal' 25 Jul 2010 BP's chief executive Tony Hayward has been negotiating the terms of his exit, with a formal announcement likely within 24 hours, the BBC has learned. Mr Hayward has been widely criticised over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. BBC reports that Mr Hayward is likely to be replaced by his American colleague, Bob Dudley, who is in charge of the clean-up operation poisoning workders and destroying the Gulf.

'The US uses human rights to pressure Iran while this country does not observe even the most basic articles of the human rights law.' Iran to sue US for rights violations 25 Jul 2010 An Iranian lawmaker says Tehran plans to file a lawsuit against the US over the inhumane policies adopted by Washington towards the people of Iran. "It has been agreed that the issue of US violation of human rights as well as its double standard policies be raised in the international community and a lawsuit be filed to seek compensation for some of the damages inflicted on Iran because of it," member of the Majlis Human Rights Committee Zohreh Elahian said on Sunday.

US drone strikes kill 8 in Pakistan 25 Jul 2010 Two US drone attacks have left at least eight people dead in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region amid growing discontent over the issue. Officials say at least four people were killed and two others wounded in the latest attack on Dargah Mandi village in North Waziristan. In an earlier attack, US drones fired two missiles at a compound in South Waziristan, killing four.

Taliban 'kill captured US soldier' 25 Jul 2010 The Taliban say one of the two missing American soldiers has been killed and the other, captured alive, is currently held by the militants. A Taliban spokesman said Sunday the group is holding both the body of the dead soldier and the captured one. "One of the two was killed in the exchange of fire and we arrested the second alive," said Zabihullah Mujahid.