CLG News

US military admits killing 23 Afghan civilians 29 May 2010 The US military has admitted killing 23 civilians and has reprimanded six operators of a pilot-less drone that attacked a convoy of civilians. An investigation found that warnings that the convoy was not an attacking force were ignored and that the ground-force commander was not sure who was in the vehicles. Women and children were among the dead.

Canada to mount largest-ever security operation for G8/G20 summits By Paul Franklin 29 May 2010 Next month’s meeting of the G8 and G20 leaders in Ontario, Canada will see the largest and most expensive security operation in Canadian history.

Obama administration blocked efforts to stop BP oil drilling before explosion By Joe Kishore 10 May 2010 In 2009, the Obama administration intervened to support the reversal of a court order that would have halted offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Obama’s Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who has long had close ties to the industry, specifically cited BP’s Deepwater Horizon operation as one that should be allowed to go forward, according to a group involved in the court case.

Congressmen Propose Pre-Paid Phone Registration to Prevent Terrorism 28 May 2010 Pre-paid phones have a lot of advantages... But they also have another benefit, anonymity, that can benefit criminals and terrorists. That's why two congressmen have proposed legislation that will require pre-paid phone users to register before purchase.

Children draped in English flags take part in fascist protest march through Newcastle 29 May 2010 Children were thrust into racial hostilities today as the English Defence League clashed with police and anti-fascist groups in Newcastle. Shops and pubs in the city closed as up to 3,000 EDL and Unite Against Fascism members took to the streets, chanting and waving banners.

BP Buses In 400 Workers During Obama's Visit --Jefferson Parish Councilman Calls Company's Actions 'Shameful' 29 May 2010 Officials from Jefferson Parish claim BP bused 400 cleanup workers into Grand Isle on Friday in time for a visit from President Barack Obama. Jefferson Parish Councilman John Young said the workers were brought in to clean oil off Grand Isle's beaches. The extra workers were brought in for Friday only, at a rate of $12 an hour, officials told WDSU...

Notice the tarballs at BP waited until *Saturday night* to announce this (highly predictable) nugget: BP's 'top kill' procedure fails to stop oil gusher 29 May 2010 BP has failed in its latest attempt to plug the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico with mud and cement, the company said Saturday. BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said the company determined the "top kill" method had failed after studying it for three days.

We Need a President Who Catnaps on a Cot 24/7 By J. Speer-Williams 30 May 2010 Mr. Obama, are you going to become a real leader, or continue to be a mere passive observer of the greatest man-made catastrophe in human history? You as our president should be operating 24/7 in a Louisiana command center, catching catnaps on a cot until our Gulf disaster and its attendant problems are solved. Enough with your bored detachment - we need real leadership right now.

Israeli gunships head to sea to block flotilla 29 May 2010 Israeli gunships headed out to sea Friday to stop a flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists from reaching the Gaza Strip, the military said, setting the stage for what could become a dramatic showdown on the high seas.

US admits killing Afghan civilians 29 May 2010 The US military has admitted killing almost two dozen Afghan civilians in an airstrike in Uruzgan earlier this year amid growing discontent over the issue. A US air raid in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan claimed the lives of at least 23 people -- including women and children -- in February.

The Times Square false flag -- the gift that keeps on giving: Options studied for possible Pakistan strike 29 May 2010 The U.S. military is reviewing options for a unilateral strike in Pakistan in the event that a successful attack on American soil is traced to the country's tribal areas, according to senior military officials.

It's the 'Oh, my God' Obusha holiday weekend really, really bad news dump:  US considering attack on Pakistan 29 May 2010 The US military is reportedly weighing all possible options to attack Pakistan, in the event that it manages to link the country with a disastrous attack on the US soil...

British Iraq war probe quizzes Bremer, Crocker on US trip 28 May 2010 Britain's Iraq war inquiry questioned US diplomats Paul Bremer and Ryan Crocker among other officials during a visit to the United States last week, it said Friday. Members of the five-strong panel, which is investigating the March 2003 invasion and subsequent operations until Britain's pull-out last year, also met with the current French and Australian ambassadors in Washington.

U.S. Senate Approves $60 Billion War-funding Bill --War Bill Approved as Afghan Conflict Tops Iraq in Cost, Troops 28 May 2010 The U.S. Senate approved a $60 billion war-funding bill last night as the conflict in Afghanistan has exceeded the Iraq war in annual cost and number of troops. Senators voted 67-28 for the measure, which goes to the House for consideration next month.

US Senate passes $349 million economic stimulus for Pakistan 29 May 2010 The US Senate has passed $349 million in economic and security aid for Pakistan, as part of a $60 billion war supplemental bill to fund Afghan operations and some other projects requested by the Obama administration.

CITGO Refineries Recognized with 7 Meritorious Safety and Environmental Awards 27 May 2010 CITGO Petroleum Corporation refineries were recognized by the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association (NPRA) with seven awards for their safe operations during 2009.

Navy's Drone Death Ray Takes Out Targets at Sea By Nathan Hodge 28 May 2010 For years, the U.S. Navy has been pursuing a workable ray gun that could provide a leap ahead in ship self-defenses. Now, with a series of tests of a system called the Laser Weapon System, or LaWS), it may be one step closer to that goal.

IDF to intercept Gaza-headed flotilla 27 May 2010 Navy commandos will board the nine international aid ships sailing toward Gaza City if they don’t turn back, and the commandos will be armed in case terrorists [?!?] are hiding aboard, defense officials said on Thursday. The ships are scheduled to try to break the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip on Saturday. They are carrying around 750 activists, including diplomats and journalists, as well as about 10,000 tons of supplies.

Gulf oil spill is public health risk, environmental scientists warn --Pollution could do lasting damage to locals' health 28 May 2010 Prolonged exposure to crude oil and chemical dispersants is a public health danger, environmental scientists warned today as BP spent a third day trying to initiate a "top kill" operation to cap the ruptured well on the sea bed.

The Obusha strategy: Fund them while killing them. US drone attack kills 11 in Pakistan 28 May 2010 A fresh US drone strike has left at least 11 people dead and several others wounded in the troubled northwestern Pakistan, intelligence officials say. A US drone fired missiles into a suspected militant hideout in North Waziristan on Friday, DPA reported.

7 Gulf oil spill cleanup workers hospitalized 28 May 2010 Seven workers helping to clean up the Gulf oil spill remain hospitalized after they reported dizziness, headaches and nausea while working on boats off the Louisiana coast. West Jefferson Medical Center spokeswoman Taslin Alfonso said Thursday that doctors believe the likely cause is chemical irritation and dehydration from long hours working in the heat.

Analysts question Korea torpedo incident 27 May 2010 How is it that a submarine of a fifth-rate power was able to penetrate a U.S.-South Korean naval exercise and sink a ship that was designed for anti-submarine warfare? Such questions are being fueled by suggestions in the South Korean and Japanese media that the naval exercise was intended to provoke the North to attack.

Obama press conference: Lies and evasions in defense of BP By Patrick Martin 28 May 2010 The White House press conference Thursday, the first held by President Barack Obama in nearly ten months, was devoted to presenting his administration as an active crisis manager in the Gulf oil catastrophe, rather than a handmaiden for BP, the giant oil company whose profit drive is responsible for the worst ecological disaster in US history...

22-mile oil plume found under Gulf surface 28 May 2010 Marine scientists have discovered a massive new plume of what they believe to be oil deep beneath the Gulf of Mexico, stretching 22 miles from the leaking BP wellhead northeast toward an underwater canyon whose currents feed sealife in the waters off Florida.

Obama bans new drilling in deep coastal waters 28 May 2010 Describing the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as a "wake-up call," President Barack Obama on Thursday banned new drilling in deep coastal waters and ordered floating rigs to quickly stop work on 33 exploratory wells.

House Votes to Allow Repeal of 'Don’t Ask, Don't Tell' Law 27 May 2010 The House voted Thursday to let the Defense Department repeal the ban on gay and bisexual people from serving openly in the military, a major step toward dismantling the 1993 law widely known as "don’t ask, don’t tell." The provision would allow military commanders to repeal the ban. The House vote was 234 to 194, with 229 Democrats and 5 Republicans in favor. Opposed were 168 Republicans and 26 Democrats.

Two Norfolk teachers put on leave over material about police 27 May 2010 (VA) Two Norview High School teachers were placed on paid administrative leave this week after a parent complained that they distributed classroom materials that gave advice on how to deal with police if stopped.

Gunmen kill four policemen in Pakistan 28 May 2010 At least four Pakistani policemen have been killed by unidentified gunmen in the southwestern part of the country. According to officials, the officers were killed on Friday in Satellite Town, a neighborhood of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province. "A police station house officer, two constables and the driver were killed on the spot," local police official Mohammad Amin told AFP.

Acres of land burnt by Israeli war games 28 May 2010 Military exercises conducted by the Israeli army have set fire to thousands of acres of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, destroying plant life in the region. Firefighting teams put out the fire on more than 17,000 acres, Israeli news outlet Ynet reported on Thursday. The five-day-long military maneuvers, dubbed Turning Point 4, began Sunday and were conducted in 68 cities and towns.

US base in Bahrain to double size 28 May 2010 Amid regional turmoil, a US naval base in the Gulf is set for major expansion. Ground has been broken at the American naval base in Bahrain, home to the US Fifth Fleet, for a $580 million expansion that is estimated to take five years to complete, the US Navy said in a press statement on Wednesday. "Naval Support Activity Bahrain continues to grow to better support ongoing operations around the region," said Capt.