CLG: Despite Huge Government Contracts, Boeing Paid No Federal Income Tax Last Year

News Updates from CLG24 Feb 2014

http://www.legitgov.org/
All links are here:http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news

Previous edition: 100 tonnes of highly radioactive water leak from Fukushima nuclear plant

U.S. examines Afghanistan option that would leave behind 3,000 troops 23 Feb 2014 One of the four options President Obama is considering for a U.S. military presence in Afghanistan beyond this year would leave behind 3,000 troops, based in Kabul and at the American installation at Bagram, U.S. officials said. Military commanders have recommended 10,000 troops, with more installations across the country. Under the 10,000-troop option, U.S. forces would remain in Kabul, Kandahar, Bagram and Jalalabad until the end of 2015, with 5,000 NATO and other international troops based in the northern and western parts of the country as part of a NATO mission called Resolute Support [of CIA poppy fields].

Washington directly supporting Svoboda neo-Nazi party fighting in Ukraine 24 Feb 2014 Svoboda is a Neo-Nazi Party, Ukraine’s fourth biggest party holding 36 seats out of 450 in parliament. They’re also part of the Alliance of European National Movements along with the BNP and Jobbik. Svoboda is supported directly by Washington.

John McCain to Vladimir Putin: Don't meddle in [Our Meddling in] Ukraine 23 Feb 2014 Sen. John McCain, R-Iraq Meddler-Ariz., has a message for Russian President Vladimir Putin: let Ukrainians choose their own future. McCain appeared on CBS's "Face the Nation" in the wake of a tumultuous few days in Ukraine during which President Viktor Yanukovych fled to a more Russian-aligned city in the east and protestors assumed control of the capital and the Parliament.[Creepy neocon hypocrite John McCain warns Putin about 'meddling.' Hello, Pot? This is Kettle...]

Anonymous Ukraine releases Klitschko emails showing treason 23 Feb 2014 Anonymous Ukraine is battling forces in Ukraine that are funded and directed from the West and attempting to overthrow the democratically elected government of the sovereign country of Ukraine. A member of Anonymous Ukraine who wishes to remain anonymous spoke to the Voice of Russia about the operations and the recent release of emails between Vitali Klitschko and the Lithuanian Presidential advisor. The emails show that Klitschko was intentionally planning to destabilize the country, is being instructed and funded from abroad, and has his accounts in Germany.

Ukraine: another piece in US-NATO-EU neo-con puzzle 21 Feb 2014 A monstrous crime is being committed in Ukraine right before the eyes of the world and the western media is helping to cover it up and distract the attention of the entire world from the core fact that the events in Ukraine are not a popular uprising, but a carefully orchestrated synthetic coup d'état brought about by long entrenched western color revolution infrastructure that was installed by US/NATO/EU to bring about the illegal act of regime change on the sovereign country of Ukraine... Under the UN Charter all attempts by the US/NATO/EU to influence the events in Ukraine so as to bring about a resolution that conforms to their own interests are illegal.

US-led airstrikes kills child in southern Afghanistan 24 Feb 2014 A 9-year-old Afghan has been killed in a deadly airstrike by US-led forces in the troubled southern province of Helmand, Press TV reports. Local Afghan police sources say the boy's father and sister were injured after warplanes from the Western military alliance attacked a residential area in the region on Monday. US-led forces have confirmed the airstrike, saying civilians were targeted by mistake.

Taliban attack kills dozens of soldiers in eastern Afghanistan --Army support unit en route to assist operation also targeted by suicide bomber 23 Feb 2014 Taliban insurgents [or, as the corporate-run US media calls the attackers in the Ukraine -- protesters] assaulted a checkpoint in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, leaving 19 soldiers dead and seven missing, officials said. General Mohammad Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the defence ministry, said "hundreds" of foreign and Afghan insurgents were involved in the attack, which took place in the Ghazi Abad district of Kunar province in the early hours. He confirmed that 19 soldiers were dead and two injured following a four-hour gun battle between the insurgents and the army.

Gunmen hit Afghan police compound near Kabul 21 Feb 2014 Gunmen have attacked a police compound in a mountainous area near the Afghan capital of Kabul, killing at least one police officer, Press TV reports. The attack was carried out on Friday when a car laden with explosives was detonated at the gates of the headquarters in Surobi district, according to Afghan officials. Two other assailants then opened fire on the compound and a gun battle started, the authorities added.

US-led foreign soldier dies in Afghanistan: ISAF 21 Feb 2014 A foreign soldier serving with the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has died of non-combat-related injuries in the war-weary Afghanistan, the Western military alliance says. ISAF released a statement, saying the soldier died on Friday, but it did not disclose the soldier’s nationality, nor did it provide further details on the incident.

Nuclear leaks bill will be paid by taxpayer --Private contractors not liable for accidents during decommissioning 22 Feb 2014 The private consortium that will manage the decommissioning of Britain's ageing Magnox nuclear reactors will not be held financially liable if they suffer a major radioactive incident -- even if it costs billions of pounds to clear up, it has emerged. The government will indemnify the private contractors, which means the taxpayer will be left to foot the bill for any leak, a similar arrangement to how things stand now. Critics complain that granting the multimillion-pound contract to a private consortium while freeing it of liability for a nuclear incident is such a poor deal for the taxpayer that it will render its new management unaccountable.

U.S. bugging German ministers in place of Merkel: report 23 Feb 2014 The National Security Agency (NSA) has stepped up its surveillance of senior German government officials since being ordered by Barack Obama to halt its spying on Chancellor Angela Merkel, Bild am Sonntag paper reported on Sunday. Revelations last year about mass U.S. surveillance in Germany, in particular of Merkel's mobile phone, shocked Germans and sparked the most serious dispute between the transatlantic allies in a decade. Bild am Sonntag said its information stemmed from a high-ranking NSA employee in Germany and that those being spied on included Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, a close confidant of Merkel.

Hacker defaces website of IT security certification body EC-Council --'I'm sitting on thousands of passports belonging to LE (and .mil) officials.' 24 Feb 2014 A hacker defaced the website of EC-Council, an organization that runs IT security training and certification programs, and claims to have obtained copies of passports of law enforcement and military officials who signed up for the organization's courses. The organization claims to have trained over 80,000 individuals and certified more than 30,000 security professionals from organizations like the US Army, the FBI, IBM, and the United Nations. It also claims to have received endorsements from various U.S. government agencies including the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS). The page contains a photocopy of Snowden’s passport and a letter from a Department of Defense Special Representative in Japan acknowledging Snowden’s five-year experience in information security.

Nuclear leaks bill will be paid by taxpayer --Private contractors not liable for accidents during decommissioning 22 Feb 2014 The private consortium that will manage the decommissioning of Britain's ageing Magnox nuclear reactors will not be held financially liable if they suffer a major radioactive incident -- even if it costs billions of pounds to clear up, it has emerged. The government will indemnify the private contractors, which means the taxpayer will be left to foot the bill for any leak, a similar arrangement to how things stand now. Critics complain that granting the multimillion-pound contract to a private consortium while freeing it of liability for a nuclear incident is such a poor deal for the taxpayer that it will render its new management unaccountable.

Federal study confirms oilsands ponds leaking 20 Feb 2014 (Edmonton) New federal research has strongly backed suspicions that toxic chemicals from Alberta's vast oilsands tailings ponds are leaching into groundwater and seeping into the Athabasca River. Leakage from oilsands tailings ponds, which now cover 176 square kilometres, has long been an issue. Industry has acknowledged that seepage can occur and previous studies using models have estimated it at 6.5 million litres a day from a single pond.

Chris Christie's lawyer for bridge scandal withdraws as Port Authority's counsel in separate lawsuit 22 Feb 2014 In an unexpected move, the lawyer for Gov. Chris Christie's office in the George Washington Bridge scandal withdrew this week as counsel to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in an ongoing federal lawsuit, setting off speculation about what it means and why he did it. Randy Mastro, a head litigation partner of the law firm of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, represents the governor's office in the bridge scandal and other controversies tied to Hurricane Sandy aid. At the same time, he had served for more than a year as a lead attorney for the Port Authority in a federal lawsuit focused on controversial toll hikes.

Michigan's Dingell, longest-serving U.S. lawmaker, to retire 24 Feb 2014 Michigan Democrat John Dingell, a gruff legislator who has served longer in the U.S. Congress than any other person in history, announced on Monday that he will retire from the House of Representatives after this year. Speaking to a Michigan business group, the 87-year-old Dingell said he would not seek reelection in November because he no longer could "live up to my own personal standard" for serving in Congress. In characteristic fashion, Dingell used his retirement announcement to deliver sharp words to some of his fellow lawmakers, whom he criticized for contributing to the partisan gridlock that has made this Congress one of the least productive in decades.

Despite Huge Government Contracts, Boeing Paid No Federal Income Tax Last Year 20 Feb 2014 One of the largest recipients of federal government contracts paid nothing in taxes last year, according to an analysis from the Center for Effective Government, a left-leaning think tank. Boeing reported an $82 million tax refund last year, but made $5.9 billion in U.S. pre-tax profits during the same period, the analysis of the company's recent government filings found. That means Boeing paid a federal tax rate of -1.4 percent. At the same time, the company won 4.4 percent of all federal contracts last year, according to the report.

Kangaroos, Emus, Parrots Drop Dead as Australia Sizzles in Record-Breaking Heat Wave 10 Jan 2014 Animals are collapsing and falling down from the sky as Australia continues to sizzle in record-breaking temperatures. After news of 100,000 bats falling from the sky, reports of kangaroos "fainting" because of exhaustion and scorching heat have circulated in the country. Australia's weather bureau has recorded a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius in the sparsely populated Pilbara region on Jan 9.

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