CLG: Gov. Cuomo to Ban Fracking in New York State, Citing Health Risks, Did CIA torture violate Nuremberg ban on human experimentation?

News Updates from CLG
18 December 2014

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

Previous edition: 'CIA Australian Defence personnel held counterterrorism training in Martin Place 1 May 2013,' which Google relegated to the sp*m bin. See: Google Filter Instructions for CLG Newsletter.

Did CIA torture violate Nuremberg ban on human experimentation? 16 Dec 2014 CIA health professionals may have committed war crimes by collecting and analyzing data on brutally interrogated detainees in potential violation of U.S. and international bans on research on human subjects without their consent, a human rights organization said Tuesday. Physicians for Human Rights called on President Barack Obama and Congress to establish a commission of inquiry to examine the participation of CIA and private medical personnel in the interrogation program, including possible breaches of domestic and international laws. "The CIA relied upon health professionals at every step to commit and conceal the brutal and systematic torture of national security detainees," the organization said in an analysis of a four-year study of the agency's interrogation program released last week by the Senate Intelligence Committee.

CIA medical professionals accused of committing war crimes 16 Dec 2014 Federal investigators in the United States should considering weighing whether or not health workers involved in the interrogation tactics highlighted in the recent CIA torture port should be charged with war crimes, a group said this week. Physicians for Human Rights, a New York-headquartered organization that examines instances of atrocities and severe human rights violations within the medical field, released a report on Tuesday urging federal authorities in the US to open a probe concerning revelations contained in the so-called "torture report" released last week by the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence after a nearly four-year-long investigation.

Psychologist admits he waterboarded al Qaeda suspects: report --'Yes, I waterboarded KSM.' 15 Dec 2014 One of the chief architects of the CIA's harsh Bush-era interrogation program has admitted in a media interview for the first time that he waterboarded terrorism suspects, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of patsy for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. James Mitchell, a former U.S. Air Force psychologist, confirmed some of the specific details in a Senate committee report released last week and defended the practices, saying that valuable intelligence was obtained despite investigators' conclusion to the contrary. "I was part of a larger team that waterboarded a small number of detainees," Mitchell said in the interview posted Monday.

Manning tortured like terrorist, Welsh relatives say 15 Dec 2014 US authorities tortured Chelsea Manning with barbaric CIA techniques, which posed a threat to her psychological health, the Welsh aunt of the jailed whistleblower revealed to local media. Before her trial for providing WikiLeaks with the largest cache of classified information in US history, Chelsea Manning was humiliated in a similar way that terrorist suspects were, her Welsh relatives told WalesOnline on Sunday. "What really hurt me was the treatment Chelsea received in Quantico two years before the trial: stripped naked, kept in solitary confinement, made to stand in a corner, everything taken away," said Sharon Staples, Manning's aunt. Her revelation echoed the 2012 report of UN special rapporteur Juan Mendez, who ruled that "the alleged prolonged solitary confinement...was...a violation of Manning's right to physical and psychological integrity," as well as of presumption of innocence.

U.S., Cuba restore ties after 50 years 18 Dec 2014 The United States and Cuba agreed on Wednesday to restore diplomatic ties that Washington severed more than 50 years ago, and President Barack Obama called for an end to the long economic embargo against its old Cold War enemy. After 18 months of secret talks, Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro agreed in a phone call on Tuesday on a breakthrough prisoner exchange, the opening of embassies in each other's countries, and an easing of some restrictions on commerce. The two leaders made the announcement in simultaneous televised speeches. The Vatican and Canada facilitated the deal.

US and Cuba to normalise diplomatic relations and end decades of hostility 17 Dec 2014 The United States and Cuba have ended decades of cold war hostility by agreeing to normalise diplomatic and travel relations after 18 months of secret talks on prisoner releases brokered by the Vatican. The surprise breakthrough came after a 45-minute phone call between Barack Obama and Raúl Castro on Tuesday finalised the release of Alan Gross, a US government aid contractor [spy for USAID] held for five years in Cuba, which accused him of being a spy. But as he was dramatically flown back to the US on Wednesday accompanied by three congressmen, it became clear that a far larger deal had been agreed between the two countries, not just to release other prisoners and spies, but to restore ties between the countries that have been frozen since 1967.

European Parliament votes to recognize Palestine statehood 'in principle' 17 Dec 2014 The European Parliament has adopted a resolution recognizing Palestinian statehood in principle. A total of 498 MEPs voted in favor, while 88 were against. A parliamentary session in Strasbourg on Tuesday could not decide on the matter, opting for further negotiations, but on Wednesday the European Parliament eventually adopted a resolution that "in principle" grants the troubled region statehood. The vote also saw 111 abstentions.

EU court removes Hamas from terror blacklist [Now, just add Mossad and the CIA *to* it.] 17 Dec 2014 The EU General Court has ordered that the Palestinian militant group Hamas be removed from the bloc's terror blacklist. The move comes over four years after Hamas appealed its terror designation before the EU.

Russia censures 'hostile' US sanctions 15 Dec 2014 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has lashed out at the US Congress for passing fresh sanctions against Moscow, describing Washington’s move as a "hostile" act. "This move by the United States is of course hostile," Lavrov said in an interview with Russia’s Interfax news agency on Monday. On Thursday, the US Congress unanimously approved the Ukraine Freedom Support Act, which includes bans against Russian oil production imports, weapons exports, and financial institutions that process the transactions. It also authorizes the supply of $350 million worth of weapons, training, and defense equipment for Ukraine over three years [so Ukraine can continue to carry out more war crimes].

Pakistan Militants Kill 141 in Army-Run School Massacre 16 Dec 2014 Taliban gunmen have killed 141 people, including at least 132 children, in a school attack in Peshawar, Pakistan. Nine men stormed the army-run school while around 500 children and teachers were believed to be inside, with many students taking exams at the time. Most of the victims of the country's deadliest terror attack were killed in the first few hours as the gunman fired bullets indiscriminately at pupils and teachers..."We selected the army's school for the attack because the government is targeting our families and females," said Taliban spokesman Muhammad Umar Khorasani.

Sony cancels The Interview release amid threats 17 Dec 2014 Sony Pictures has cancelled the planned US release on 25 December of the [CIA propaganda] film The Interview, after major cinema chains decided not to screen it. The film is about a fictional plot to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Hackers have already carried out a cyber attack on Sony and warned the public to stay away from cinemas screening the film. Earlier, the New York premiere of The Interview was cancelled.

Hackers who targeted Sony invoke 9/11 attacks in warning to moviegoers 16 Dec 2014 The computer hackers who targeted Sony Pictures have invoked the 9/11 terror attacks in a warning to moviegoers considering seeing the controversial movie they claim provoked their hack. In the latest blow for Sony, the group calling itself Guardians of Peace (GOP) posted a message online warning people to stay away from cinemas showing The Interview, a comedy [sic] starring Seth Rogen and James Franco that depicts a fictional assassination attempt on the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. US authorities are investigating the possibility that the hack was orchestrated by North Korea, which the country denies.

Australia's foreign affairs dept evacuated over suspicious package: police 15 Dec 2014 Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the capital, Canberra, was evacuated on Tuesday after a suspicious package was found in the building's canteen, police said. Australia is on high alert after heavily armed police stormed a Sydney cafe early on Tuesday morning and freed terrified hostages being held there at gunpoint for 16 hours.

3 dead, 4 injured after police op in Sydney siege 15 Dec 2014 Heavily armored police units have stormed Lindt Café and brought an end to a day-long hostage standoff in the heart of Sydney. Police said three people including gunman were killed, four more injured. As a result of the police operation at Sydney's Lindt Café, the gunman identified as Iranian-born Sheik Man Haron Monis was killed, New South Wales (NSW) police said. Two hostages, a 34-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman, were pronounced dead after being taken to hospital, police added.

NSA to defend Internet collection in court 16 Dec 2014 Digital rights advocate the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is taking the National Security Agency (NSA) to court on Friday over the agency's Internet data collection program. EFF said it's the first public court challenge of the NSA spying tool that collects Internet data from the major cables and nodes connecting computer networks around the world, known as "upstream" collection. The federal court in Oakland, Calif., will hear the case.

Texas police officer used stun gun on 76-year-old during routine traffic stop --The car was a dealer vehicle, and so Vasquez was exempt from being cited. If he had been cited, an expired inspection certificate is a class C misdemeanour. 15 Dec 2014 A Texas police officer is under investigation for using a stun gun on a 76-year-old mechanic he had pulled over for an expired inspection certificate. In dashboard-cam footage uploaded by local newspaper the Victoria Advocate, officer Nathaniel Robinson, who is 23, can be seen slamming Pete Vasquez on to the hood of the police car. He then puts him in a restrictive hold, before the two abruptly fall out of the camera's field of vision...Police later confirmed the stun gun had been used twice on Vasquez.

Gov. Cuomo to Ban Fracking in New York State, Citing Health Risks 17 Dec 2014 Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's administration announced on Wednesday that it would ban hydraulic fracturing in New York State because of concerns over health risks, ending years of uncertainty over the disputed method of natural gas extraction. State officials concluded that fracking, as the method is known, could does contaminate the air and water and pose inestimable dangers to public health. That conclusion was delivered during a year-end cabinet meeting Mr. Cuomo (D) convened in Albany. It came amid increased calls by environmentalists to ban fracking, which uses water and chemicals to release oil and natural gas trapped in deeply buried shale deposits.

Only 5 Northern White Rhinos Left --Poaching [by sociopaths] has pushed critically endangered rhinos to brink of extinction 15 Dec 2014 A northern white rhinoceros that was only one of six left in the world died Sunday at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, zoo officials said. Angalifu, who was about 44 years old, apparently died of old age. His death leaves only one northern white rhino at the San Diego zoo -- a female named Nola -- one at a zoo in the Czech Republic and three in a preserve in Kenya.

Hello bear! Crowd-pleasing cub waves paw at tourists and sticks tongue out for cameras at wildlife refuge in Alaska 15 Dec 2014 This cute polar bear cub clearly knows a thing or two about crowd-pleasing, after giving stunned tourists a friendly wave before cheekily sticking his tongue out. The little celebrity was joined by his proud mum as he confidently struck a series of poses for thrilled photographers who could bear-ly believe their eyes. French photographer, Sylvain Cordier, was aboard a boat at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Kaktovik, Alaska, when he captured the snowy snaps.

Jeb Bush Will 'Actively Explore the Possibility of Running for President' 16 Dec 2014 Jeb Bush announced this morning that he will "actively explore the possibility of running for president of the United States." The former Florida governor, 61, said he made the decision over the Thanksgiving holiday in consultation with his family. His timing is to send the message to donors, GOP activists and other 2016 prospects that he is dead-serious about running and they should take that into account, a top Republican close to Bush told ABC News.

Activists Trash [FBI Snitch and Fraud] Sharpton for Silencing Speaker at DC Rally 16 Dec 2014 Critics denounce him a race hustler [FBI snitch, corporatist, and fraud], and now some grassroots activists are calling the Rev. Al Sharpton an elitist and questioning his self-appointed role as a civil rights leader for a younger generation. Sharpton angered some protesters at a weekend march in Washington, D.C., after he created a VIP section for special guests and pulled the microphone on an activist who wanted to address the crowd. "Youth protesters push back against Al Sharpton's role in police brutality marches," the website Mashable reports. "If Rev. Al Sharpton ever hoped to lead the 'black lives matter' movement that's sweeping the United States, he likely lost that opportunity in one moment on Saturday."

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