News Updates from CLG
26 May 2015
26 May 2015
http://www.legitgov.org/
All links are here:http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news
All links are here:http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news
Previous edition: Obama Takes Unexpected Setback on Trade Agenda as Fast Track Passes Senate
Fukushima leak 'could cause hydrogen explosion' at nuclear plant --'If the concentration level is high, a spark caused by static electricity could cause a container to explode' - Nuclear Regulation Authority official | 25 May 2015 | Leaking containers at Japan's embattled Fukushima nuclear power plant are at risk of possible hydrogen explosions, experts have claimed. Almost 10 percent of recently inspected containers holding contaminated water at the nuclear plant in northeast Japan were found to be leaking radioactive water. The leakages, discovered during inspections by Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), the operators of the plant, were thought to be caused by a build-up of hydrogen and other gases due to radiation contamination.
Magnitude 5.5 Quake Rattles Tokyo, Temporarily Halts Rail and Air Transport | 26 May 2015 | A magnitude 5.5 temblor shook Tokyo on Monday at 2:28 pm. The earthquake resulted in a temporary stop to central Tokyo's train system and airports. The Japan Meteorological Agency, or JMA, identified the epicenter of the tremor at 56 kilometres below ground of the northern part of Saitama prefecture...NHK said that the Tokai No 2 nuclear plant in southern Ibaraki, operated by the Japan Atomic Power Co, had neither irregularities nor changes in radiation levels near the site.
Britain sends biggest warship for NATO drills on Russian border | 24 May 2015 | Britain is ramping up its military rhetoric, sending its biggest warship for NATO drills in the Baltic, right off the Russian coast, in this latest show of force. The drills ['Baltops 15'] kick off on June 5 and will last for two weeks. The helicopter carrier HMS Ocean is expected to reach Russia's city of Kaliningrad sometime this week, carrying aboard about 80 Royal Marines who are to join other NATO troops in Poland, the Sunday Times reports. The international fleet of vessels to take part in the games will include close to 50 warships and submarines, some of which will assemble as close as 50 miles to the Russian border, in the Gulf of Gdansk. Some other weapons featured in the games will be American B-52 nuclear bombers, which have stood for decades more as a symbol of Cold War readiness than anything else.
2 civilians, including 12yo killed by Ukrainian army shell in Donbass - reports | 26 May 2015 | Two civilians, including a child, have reportedly been killed in eastern Ukraine after a shell fired by the [US-backed] Ukrainian military hit a residential area. The shell hit five people in the town of Gorlovka, killing a man and a 12-year old girl, senior rebel commander Eduard Basurin told Russia's Rossiya24 channel. However, according to the Emergencies Ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, the victims were a man and an 11-year-old boy.
New US drone strike kills five in northeast Afghanistan | 22 May 2015 | At least five people have been killed and several others injured in a fresh US drone strike in the troubled northeastern Afghanistan, security sources say. Local Afghan security officials said that the attack took place in Kunar province on Friday evening. Provincial officials say the victims were Taliban militants, including one of their commanders. However, local residents say the attack claimed civilian lives.
At Least 10 Afghan Police Officers Killed in Taliban Assault | 24 May 2015 | Taliban insurgents attacked police checkpoints Sunday in volatile southern Afghanistan, killing at least 10 officers in the ongoing assault, authorities said. Mohammad Ismail Hotaki, the director of Helmand province's Joint Coordination Office, said that Taliban fighters attacked 10 police checkpoints in the province's Sangin district. Hotaki said Taliban fighters captured three checkpoints and continued to surge forward in their assault.
Iraqi army lacks 'moral cohesion' to fight Isis, says UK military chief | 25 May 2015 | The Iraqi army is struggling to deal with attacks from Islamic State fighters, despite heavily outnumbering them, because it lacks "moral cohesion" and effective leadership, according to the most senior British officer to be involved in postwar planning in Iraq. Maj Gen Tim Cross echoed comments by the US defence secretary that successive gains by Isis [I-CIA-SIS] militants in the region were because the Iraqi army did not have the "will to fight". Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, Cross said: "It's interesting that the secretary used that [will to fight] expression because we use that expression in the British army and our argument is that it's about a moral cohesion in your army."
Carter: Iraqis showed 'no will to fight' in Ramadi | 24 May 2015 | Defense Secretary Ash Carter, in his first comments since the key town of Ramadi fell to ISIS [I-CIA-SIS], blamed the weak state of Iraq's military as one major reason for the city's fall, in an exclusive interview on CNN's "State of the Union" aired Sunday. "What apparently happened was that the Iraqi forces just showed no will to fight," Carter told CNN. "They were not outnumbered. In fact, they vastly outnumbered the opposing force, and yet they failed to fight, they withdrew from the site, and that says to me, and I think to most of us, that we have an issue with the will of the Iraqis to fight ISIL and defend themselves."
Japan for first time joins US-Australian military drill 'Talisman Sabre' in July | 26 May 2015 | Japanese troops will take part in a major US-Australian military exercise for the first time in July, as Washington looks to strengthen links among its allies in the face of an 'increasingly assertive' China. Japan's ground self-defence force -- its army -- will send 40 personnel to participate in Talisman Sabre, a two-yearly drill that begins on 7 July, which will involve about 27,000 service men and women, a Japanese government spokesman said. "We will participate in joint exercises with the US marines, rather than operating directly with the Australian military," he said.
Heads up! Canadian NORAD region to conduct Arctic exercise | 25 May 2015 | The Canadian NORAD Region will lead an exercise that will see Canadian and American military personnel and aircraft deploying to various locations in the North and High Arctic to train in aerospace detection and defence. The exercise starts today and ends June 1. Exercise AMALGAM DART [?!?] will involve approximately 300 military personnel and 15 aircraft staging air operations from Alaska, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut to confirm integration procedures of NORAD's bi-national force and benefit from realistic training scenarios in the North and High Arctic, according to the Canadian Forces news release.
Five New York flights searched for bombs in 'chemical weapons' terror scare: Fighter jets scrambled after anonymous threats to flights into JFK --Airline authorities have received threats warning about the risk of either 'chemical weapons' or bombs onboard at least five New York bound flights | 25 May 2015 | Airline authorities have received anonymous threats warning about the risk of either 'chemical weapons' or bombs onboard at least five New York bound flights. Three warnings have been received about 'chemical weapons' including an Air France flight which was forced to make an emergency landing at JFK at 10:17 a.m. on Monday. Further warnings about 'chemical weapons' were phoned in relating to an American Airways flight landing from Birmingham, England, and a Delta flight coming into Newark.
US jets scrambled to escort Air France plane to JFK after threat against flight | 26 May 2015 | An Air France passenger jet [Airbus AF022] flying from Paris to New York has been escorted by two US fighter planes for the last leg of its trip after a bomb threat. The threat was made by phone from the United States [likely from Langley, Virginia -- so the Patriot Act is renewed and the NSA's bulk data collecting can continue, unmolested], the official said. It was a bomb threat phoned in to a Maryland state police barracks shortly after 6.30am local time, said police spokesman Greg Shipley. The FBI was notified immediately. Two F-15 planes were scrambled by NORAD, a joint US-Canadian monitoring force, as a precautionary measure, NORAD said.
Bomb squad destroyed pressure cooker in suspicious DC vehicle - police | 25 May 2015 | A bomb squad safely destroyed a pressure cooker found in an unattended vehicle parked on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol and the vehicle's owner was found and arrested, a U.S. Capitol Police spokeswoman said. Police Lt. Kimberly A. Schneider told The Associated Press that Capitol Police officers on routine patrol spotted the parked, unoccupied vehicle on a street on the mall west of the Capitol around 5 p.m. Sunday. "Further investigation revealed a pressure cooker, and an odor of gasoline was detected," Schneider said, adding a Capitol Police bomb squad was called in because the vehicle was deemed "suspicious in nature."
Faulty fan, smoke blamed in brief evacuation of US Capitol | 26 May 2015 | Police briefly evacuated hundreds of workers and tourists from the U.S. Capitol and its adjacent visitors' center on Tuesday in a problem officials tentatively blamed on a faulty exhaust fan in a visitor center kitchen. Within an hour after alarms sounded, employees returned to the building. Tourists were readmitted shortly after that.
Australia to introduce 'jihadi watch' program in schools, to check for radicalised behaviour | 24 May 2015 | Australia is set to introduce new counter-terrorism laws, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Sunday (May 24), with the package expected to include stripping dual nationals who are linked to terrorism of their citizenship. There has also been speculation that the plan to amend citizenship laws, which was disclosed in February, could affect second-generation Australians who carry only one passport. At the same time, the government is considering introducing a "jihadi watch" programme in schools, which would keep tabs on pupils whose behaviour suggests they might have been radicalised, it was announced on Sunday.
Privacy advocates oppose fresh Senate attempt to renew NSA spying powers | 26 May 2015 | Fresh attempts to prevent controversial National Security Agency surveillance powers expiring this weekend emerged on Tuesday, only to quickly run into opposition from privacy campaigners in Congress. Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein, a hawkish member of the intelligence committee, has proposed the new legislation to try to win over a handful of wavering Republicans who stood in the way of more ambitious reform efforts during a showdown last week. Feinstein's current proposed bill -- presented as an update to the original Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa) of 1978 -- proposes an end to NSA bulk collection but contains various mandates for how phone companies [NSA's corpora-terrorists] would be required to store the data, something privacy advocates argue amounts to a recreation of the NSA database in private hands.
NSA Begins Dismantling Phone Data Collection Program [For Now] | 23 May 2015 | The National Security Agency has begun "winding down" the once top-secret bulk collection of Americans' phone records after Congress failed to renew or change the program before a holiday recess, a senior administration official told ABC News. "We've said for the past several days that the wind-down process would need to begin yesterday if there was no legislative agreement. That process has begun," the official said. The government has relied on Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which expires at midnight on May 31, to authorize collection of telephone metadata for all U.S. calls.
EU dropped pesticide laws due to US pressure over TTIP, documents reveal | 22 May 2015 | EU moves to regulate hormone-damaging chemicals linked to cancer and male infertility were shelved following pressure from US trade officials over the [deadly] Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) 'free trade' deal, newly released documents show. Draft EU criteria could have banned 31 pesticides containing endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). But these were dumped amid fears of a trade backlash stoked by an aggressive US lobby push, access to information documents obtained by Pesticides Action Network (PAN) Europe show. On 26 June 2013, a high-level delegation from the American Chambers of Commerce (AmCham) [eco-terrorist group] visited EU trade officials to insist that the bloc drop its planned criteria for identifying EDCs in favour of a new impact study.
Worm Now Thrives in GMO Corn Designed to Kill It, Study Says [Hahaha! Go, little worm, go - and devour Obama's eco-terrorists, Monsanto!] | 03 Mar 2014 | One of industrial agriculture's biggest GMO crops may have just backfired. Scientists have confirmed that corn-destroying rootworms have evolved to be resistant to the Bt corn engineered to kill them. Bt -- Bacillus thuringiensis -- is the genetically modified corn's "donor" organism. [Deadly] Bt corn accounted for three-quarters of all corn planting in 2013. That may have to change.
Bernie Sanders kicks off 2016 bid from Clinton's left | 26 May 2015 | Challenging Hillary Rodham Clinton from the left, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders kicked off his presidential bid Tuesday with a pitch to liberals to join him in a "political revolution" to transform the nation's economy and politics. Sanders, who entered the Democratic race in late April, formally opened his White House campaign in Burlington, where he was first elected mayor by defeating a longtime Democratic incumbent by 10 votes. Three decades later, Sanders is the underdog again, vowing to campaign on an agenda to elevate issues like income inequality, campaign finance and climate change.
Sanders kicks off presidential run with help from Ben & Jerry's | 26 May 2015 | Challenging Hillary Rodham Clinton from the left, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders formally launched his Democratic presidential campaign on Tuesday by vowing to start a "political revolution" to address core economic issues, massive student debt and the role of big m-ney in politics. Already in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sanders was opening his campaign with a kickoff event -- complete with free Ben & Jerry's ice cream -- in Burlington, the place where he won his first election by beating a longtime incumbent Democrat by 10 votes to become mayor.
US appeals court rules against Obama's plan to shield 5 million from deportation | 26 May 2015 | A federal appeals court refused Tuesday to lift a temporary hold on Barack Obama’s executive action that could shield as many as 5 million immigrants illegally living in the US from deportation. The Justice Department had asked the fifth US circuit court of appeals to reverse the decision of a Texas judge who agreed to temporarily block the president's plan in February, after 26 states filed a lawsuit alleging Obama's action was unconstitutional. But two out of three judges on a court panel voted to deny the government's request.
Arrest these two Camp Pendleton sociopaths NOW: Husky puppy who suffered terrible cruelty 'at the hands of US Marines': Dog had its legs broken and mouth tied shut so tightly his snout was scarred to the bone | 26 May 2015 | Two Marines are being investigated after a husky puppy was beaten so brutally his hind legs were broken and his snout was bound with rubber bands that cut through to the bone. Five-month-old Kane was allegedly abused by the married couple, but is on the road to recovery and has found a new home. When he was discovered by California-based Ranch Dog Rescue, the dog weighed just 11lbs and his mouth had been bound shut for so long that his teeth had rotted and his snout was scarred to the bone. A statement from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton said: 'Two Camp Pendleton Marines, a husband and wife, are under investigation by the military police aboard Camp Pendleton and their unit for allegations of animal abuse.'
Cleveland announces historic second settlement over chronic police abuse | 26 May 2015 | Federal prosecutors have announced a settlement with Cleveland in which the city's police department agreed to take steps to correct a pattern of abusive behavior by officers. The announcement makes Cleveland the first American city to have cut two such deals to rein in its police force. Federal prosecutors announced the most recent settlement at a news conference at Cleveland city hall Tuesday afternoon. The deal was reached after investigators documented a pattern of harsh and chronic abuse by police officers in a December 2014 report.
Many men, women arrested in Cleveland during protests of Michael Brelo verdict released | 25 May 2015 | Fifty-three men and women arrested Saturday in Cleveland during protests of the acquittal of police officer Michael Brelo have been released from jail. Those released were among 56 arraigned Monday morning in Cleveland Municipal Court. All 56 faced a charge of failure to disperse -- a first-degree misdemeanor -- in connection with three clashes with police during a day of protesting in the city.
71 protesters arrested following Brelo verdict | 24 May 2015 | Cleveland police arrested 71 people during a day of protests on Saturday following the acquittal of Cleveland police officer Michael Brelo. Police Chief Calvin Williams said on Sunday that about 39 are men and at least 16 women were arrested. Juveniles and were also arrested during the protest, Williams said. A police spokeswoman said she expects to release more detailed information on who was arrested.
Official: 'Wall of water destroyed everything in its path' --Two confirmed dead in Texas floods | 26 May 2015 | Residents and officials faced an unprecedented wall of water during flash floods that crushed homes and swept away families over the weekend in Central Texas. Rescue crews on Tuesday continued searching the length of the Blanco River for 13 people who remained missing, including a family of eight vacationing in a single home washed away, authorities said. A record surge 44 feet high sped down the Blanco River late Sunday, demolishing homes and businesses, Hays County Commissioner Will Conley said. The previous record on the river was 32 feet, recorded in 1926. "It was literally a large wall of water that came down the Blanco River and destroyed everything in its path," he said.
Texas storms: flooding had 'tsunami-type power', says governor | 26 May 2015 | Texas governor Greg Abbott has expanded the emergency disaster zone in his state, adding 24 counties to a list of 13 affected by storms and flooding. Three people were reported dead and 12 missing as Oklahoma was also hit hard, while a tornado left 13 dead in a Mexican town just beyond the border. Abbott said the damage caused by flash floods in central Texas was "absolutely devastating" and had been caused by "relentless, tsunami-type power". The 12 people missing were from two families staying together in one house in Wimberley Valley, in Texas.
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