U.S. official says White House gave Israel ‘green light’ to carry out more attacks on Syria –Israel targeted multiple targets in recent attack on Syria – U.S. intelligence official 02 Feb 2013 Israeli jets attacked several targets in Syria Tuesday night in addition to the Scientific Studies and Research Center in Jamarya, outside Damascus, Time Magazine reported Friday. In the hours and days after the airstrike allegedly carried out by the Israel Air Force, conflicting reports surfaced regarding the nature of the strike. Syria accused Israel of attacking a research center in Jamarya, but denied that an attack on a convoy transporting SA-17 surface-to-air missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon had taken place as was previously reported. “At least one to two additional targets were hit the same night,” a Western intelligence official indicated to Time, adding that Israel received a “green light” from the United States to carry out further attacks in the future.
U.S. nuclear-powered submarine arrives in S. Korea for joint drill 01 Feb 2013 A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine arrived in the southeastern port city of Jinhae for joint naval drills with South Korea, military officials said Friday, in a move seen as a warning to North Korea ahead of what may be an imminent nuclear test. USS San Francisco (SSN-711), a 6,800-ton Los Angeles-class submarine, has been anchored at a naval base in Jinhae, 410 kilometers southeast of Seoul, since Thursday to prepare for joint drills slated for next week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. A 9,800-ton cruiser equipped with missiles and torpedoes as well as naval combat helicopters also arrived in the southern port city of Busan, on the same day, it said.
Italian court convicts 3 in absentia for 2003 CIA kidnapping of Egyptian terror suspect in Milan 01 Feb 2013 A Milan appeals court on Friday vacated acquittals for a former CIA station chief and two other Americans, and instead convicted them in the 2003 abduction of an Egyptian terror suspect from a Milan street as part of the CIA’s extraordinary rendition program. The decision means that all 26 Americans tried in absentia for the abduction now have been found guilty. The ongoing trials, which have dragged on for years, brought the first convictions anywhere in the world against CIA agents involved in a practice alleged to have led to torture.
Milan court convicts former CIA chief of kidnapping 01 Feb 2013 Milan’s appeals court has sentenced a former Central Intelligence Agency chief to seven years in prison for kidnapping an Egyptian Muslim cleric. The trio had been acquitted at their first trial in 2009 due to diplomatic immunity, but prosecutors had appealed against the verdict. Jeff Castelli was found guilty along with two other agents, who were each given six years for abducting Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, as part of the CIA’s ‘extraordinary rendition’ program in 2003.
The Case Against Ralph Eberhart, NORAD’s 9/11 Commander 16 Jan 2013 In a 2004 U.S. Senate hearing, Senator Mark Dayton remarked that “this country and its citizens were completely undefended” for “109 minutes” on 9/11. Dayton went on to clarify that officials within the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) had covered up the facts about the lack of air defenses by lying to the 9/11 Commission, to Congress and to the American people. And they were not held accountable. One man was most responsible for both the air defense failures and the lying that covered it up. U.S. Air Force General Ralph Edward Eberhart had taken over command of NORAD from General Richard Myers in February 2000. The position included leadership of all air defense operations in North America and, also, the U.S. Space Command. Therefore, on 9/11, Eberhart was the man most responsible for failure to intercept the four hijacked aircraft over a period of nearly two hours… On 9/11, the NORAD interception system failed completely and we have been given multiple, conflicting explanations for why that happened. Considering that there is strong evidence for an alternative hypothesis of insider involvement in 9/11, it is reasonable to assume that an intentional compromising of the U.S. air defenses might have occurred that day. Adding to this suspicion is the fact that guilt tends to be reflected in false testimony. And as Senator Dayton said, NORAD officials “lied to the American people, they lied to Congress and they lied to your 9/11 Commission.” [Yeah, too bad the neocons in Congress are busy investigating Benghazi instead of the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld-Rice-‘Lucky Larry’ Silverstein-Giuliani 9/11 inside job. –LRP]
Fashion Advice at the DIA: ‘Makeup Makes You More Attractive’ 01 Feb 2013 A week after women were cleared to serve in combat, Defense Intelligence Agency employees got a different message. “Makeup makes you more attractive.” “Don’t be a plain Jane.”…”Don’t be afraid of color.” And, “brunettes have more leeway with vibrant colors than blondes or redheads.” Men and women at DIA were given fashion advice in a presentation prepared by an employee at the agency this week. Susan Strednansky, public affairs officer at DIA, offered the agency’s regrets about the briefing, which raised eyebrows among some employees, saying, “I’m not going to deny that it exists, and it was bad. It was inappropriate for sure.”
Mini helicopter drone for UK troops in Afghanistan 03 Feb 2013 British soldiers in Afghanistan have become the first to use miniature surveillance helicopters in frontline operations. The Norwegian-designed Black Hornet Nano features a tiny camera and relays video and still images to a handheld control terminal. It measures about 10cm by 2.5cm (4in by 1in) and weighs 16g (0.6oz). Mini drones can be piloted directly or programmed to follow co-ordinates using GPS. [Great! If Anonymous can’t hack them, just stomp on them! Ammunition can then be saved for the bigger drones.]
Afghan official: Roadside bomb kills family of 5 03 Feb 2013 An Afghan government official says a roadside bomb has killed a family of five in the south of the country. The administrator for Miyanishin district in Helmand province, Shah Mahmood Shafa, says the family was driving through the district in a Toyota Corolla Saturday night when their car struck a bomb. He did not say if the explosion had targeted them, or how the bomb was detonated.
Officials: Militants target Pakistan army base in attack that leaves at least 35 dead 03 Feb 2013 Militants attacked an army base in northwest Pakistan in a coordinated assault that resulted in an hours long gun battle that left at least 35 people dead on Saturday, intelligence and security officials said. At least 13 security personnel, 10 civilians and 12 militants were killed in the early morning attack on the base that included housing for Pakistani military personnel and their families near the town of Serai Naurang in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the officials said.
Iraq violence: Suicide attack on Kirkuk police HQ 03 Feb 2013 A suicide bomber and gunmen have attacked a police headquarters in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. Unconfirmed reports say 30 people have been killed and 70 injured. A city official told AFP news agency that militants had tried to seize the compound but were unsuccessful. No group has said it carried out the attack. Kirkuk is ethnically mixed, and at the centre of a dispute between the Iraqi government and Kurds over oil and land rights.
Suicide bomber kills guard at U.S. embassy in Turkey 01 Feb 2013 A far-leftist [? Reuters grammar/content alert] suicide bomber killed a Turkish security guard at the U.S. embassy in Ankara on Friday, officials said, blowing open an entrance and sending debris flying through the air. The attacker detonated explosives strapped to his body after entering an embassy gatehouse. The blast could be heard a mile away. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said the bomber was a member of the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), a far-left group which is virulently anti-U.S. and anti-NATO and is listed as a terrorist organization by Washington. [Blackwater terrorists likely carried out the attack, so they could get more lucrative ‘security’ contracts at US embassies.]
White House rebuffed Clinton-Petraeus plan to arm Syrian rebels: report 02 Feb 2013 A plan developed last summer by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and then-CIA Director David Petraeus to arm and train Syrian rebels was rebuffed by the White House, The New York Times reported on Saturday. The United States has sent humanitarian aid to Syria but has declined requests for weapons by rebels fighting to overthrow the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The White House rejected the Clinton-Petraeus proposal over concerns it could draw the United States into the Syrian conflict and the arms could fall into the wrong hands, the Times said, citing unnamed Obama administration officials.
Two defendants in Jerusalem lynch of Palestinian youth get plea deal 16 Jan 2013 The Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday accepted a plea deal between the prosecution and representatives of the two defendants in the brutal lynch of Jamal Julani, a young Palestinian who was attacked by dozens of Jewish youth in the center of the capital this past August. Julani was seriously injured in the unprovoked attack, which occurred when he and three friends were besieged by a mob shouting anti-Arab slurs in Jerusalem’s central Zion Square. The prosecution indicted eight Jerusalem youths for assault, causing grave bodily harm, incitement to violence and racist incitement.
Sandy Hook: ‘I’m Sorry Governor, What Did You Say?’ —Video by revmichellehopkins 10 Jan 2013 Conn. Governor Dannel P. Malloy: “Earlier today, a tragedy of unspeakable terms played itself out in this community. The lieutenant governor and I have been spoken to in, in an attempt that we might be prepared for something like this playing itself out in our state.”
Former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle Killed at Gun Range; Former Marine Charged 03 Feb 2013 A former Marine has been charged with three counts of murder in the killing of former Navy SEAL and “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle, the most deadly sniper in U.S. history, and another man at an Erath County, Texas, gun range, police said. The suspect, identified as Eddie Ray Routh, 25, was arrested in Lancaster, Texas, after a brief police chase, a Lancaster Police Department dispatcher told ABC News. Routh was driving Kyle’s truck at the time of his arrest, police said. Routh was arraigned Saturday evening on one count of capital murder and two counts of murder. He was brought to the Erath County Jail this morning and was being held there today on a combined $3 million bond, Officer Kyle Roberts said. Investigators told WFAA that Routh is a former Marine said to suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome.
Elite Navy SEAL slain in Erath County; suspect arrested 03 Feb 2013 Chris Kyle, a former Navy SEAL who became known as the deadliest U.S. sniper, was one of two men murdered on Saturday afternoon at a gun range in Erath County. Three sources confirmed to News 8 that Kyle — who served in every major battle during Operation Iraqi Freedom — was among the shooting victims at Rough Creek Lodge, 53 miles southwest of Fort Worth. The identity of the second victim was not available late Saturday night. Security guards were posted at the resort’s gate. Eddie Routh, 25, is in custody in connection with the shootings.
Former Navy SEAL who authored ‘Naval Special Warfare Sniper Doctrine’ is Killed at Shooting Range 03 Feb 2013 A man is under arrest in connection with the killing of two men at an Erath County, Texas, gun range, police said. One of the victims is reportedly former Navy SEAL and best-selling author Chris Kyle. ABC affiliate WFAA-TV in Dallas reported that three sources said Kyle, author of the New York Times bestselling book, “American Sniper,” and a neighbor of his were shot while helping a soldier who is recovering from post traumatic stress syndrome at a gun range in Glen Rose… After leaving combat duty, Kyle became chief instructor training Naval Special Warfare Sniper and Counter-Sniper teams, and he authored the Naval Special Warfare Sniper Doctrine, the first Navy SEAL sniper manual.
Anonymous teenage hacker spared jail over cyber attacks 01 Feb 2013 A “profoundly isolated” teenage hacker has avoided jail for his role in planning cyber attacks with the hacking group Anonymous. Jake Birchall, 18, had admitted conspiring to impair the operation of computers between 1 August 2010 and 22 January 2011. Birchall, from Chester, remained impassive on Friday morning as he was given an 18-month youth rehabilitation order and a 60-hour unpaid work requirement by the judge Peter Testar, at Southwark crown court in London. Testar said Birchall should receive a “substantial” custodial sentence for his role in plotting the cyber attacks, but that he was forced to issue a non-custodial sentence because Birchall was 16 when he was arrested.
M6.9 quake shakes Hokkaido; 10 injuries reported 03 Feb 2013 A powerful 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan on Saturday, causing strong tremors across Hokkaido but no damage to several nuclear facilities in the region, officials said. The quake, which was preceded by an early warning broadcast on television and radio, hit near the town of Obihiro at a depth of 103 kilometers at 11:17 p.m., according to U.S. Geological Survey data. Ten people suffered minor injuries due to falling objects, broken glass and other incidents, according to national broadcaster NHK, but authorities said no serious damage was reported and the quake did not generate a tsunami.
Vogtle nuclear reactor vessel slips and gets ‘stranded’ between Savannah, Burke County 10 Jan 2013 A 300-ton nuclear reactor vessel bound for Plant Vogtle was stranded briefly in south Georgia this week after a malfunction with the specially designed rail car moving the nuclear component from Savannah to Burke County. “The platform that contained the RV (reactor vessel) during transport became misaligned with the Schnabel railcar, so the railcar stopped immediately,” said Georgia Power Co. spokesman Mark Williams. Georgia Power officials said the malfunction occurred less than a mile from the port of Savannah. Plant Vogtle is undergoing a $14 billion expansion that involves building two new [deadly] Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear reactors.
Exelon Probed on Nuclear Funding Shortfall, U.S. Says –Shortfall totaled $1 billion in 2009 01 Feb 2013 Exelon Corp., the largest U.S. nuclear operator, “deliberately” under-reported for four years the amount of money needed to retire its reactors, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said. [Obama corpora-terrorist crony] Exelon, based in Chicago, faces “escalated enforcement action” for the financial reporting errors that may total as much $140,000 for each day of the violation, Scott Burnell, a spokesman for the regulatory agency, said in a phone interview today. The agency asked Exelon to explain the errors for the years 2005-2007 and 2009 in a Jan. 31 letter.
A living, lurking threat in Sandy-hit homes: mold 03 Feb 2013 Three months after Superstorm Sandy, mold lurks in once-waterlogged buildings, hiding below subflooring, under foundations, and in door and window frames. Sometimes it mottles walls in plain sight. And it can make dwellers sick, another blow to people still recovering from the October storm that sent the Atlantic surging into homes in New Jersey and New York. Mold is flourishing in homes that never completely dried out, where the owners may have waited to make repairs or could not access the house for weeks because of safety concerns. Other flooded homes remain vacant and unheated.
Dow closes above 14,000 for the first time since 2007 01 Feb 2013 The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 14,000 for the first time since October 2007, as stocks continue a rally this year. The Dow gained 149.21 points, or 1.08%, to close at 14,009.79 in trading Friday. Stocks were lifted Friday by a host of data pointing to a continued recovery in the U.S. economy.
White House Proposes Compromise on Contraception Coverage 02 Feb 2013 The Obama administration proposed yet another compromise on Friday in an effort to address the concerns of religious organizations that object to its policy requiring health insurance plans to cover contraceptives for women at no charge. Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, said the proposal would guarantee free coverage of birth control “while respecting religious concerns” [‘concerns’ that were *non-existent* when GOP presidents allowed birth control and abortion clauses in insurance plans]. Churches and religious organizations that object to providing birth control coverage on religious grounds would not have to pay for it. [Yes, the entire Obama misministration is *one big compromise* aka one big implementation of GOP/Wall Street proposals. That’s the Drone administration’s raison d’être. Too bad MSNBC and the so-called Left doesn’t see it. –LRP]
CLG needs your support.
http://www.legitgov.org/donate.html
Photo: Nationalpost.com