CLG News

Pentagon Launches Mystery US Spacecraft --Launch is military project controlled by US Air Force Space Command - not NASA 23 Apr 2010 A top-secret rocket has been launched by the US military amid rumours its purpose is to perform experiments for a space weapons programme. Officially the project will test a new space shuttle, the X-37B... But the details of its payload, experiments and orbital operations have all been classified. The real purpose of the mission could be to position satellites and other types of surveillance, according to military and security sources.  A military use would explain why the Pentagon has invested up to hundreds of millions of dollars in the craft.

US claims progress in Iran sanctions 23 Apr 2010 As the US pushes for the imposition of crippling sanctions against Iran, a senior American official claims that Washington has made "significant progress" in negotiations. "If you look at where we were six months or so ago, it was very difficult to point to any common ground amongst all of the permanent members of the Security Council," Reuters quoted US Under-Secretary of State William Burns as saying in Cape Town on Friday.

La Gloria, swine flu's ground zero, is left with legacy of anger --Mexican village's controversial US-owned pig farms remain in operation 23 Apr 2010 A year ago, the discovery in Mexico of a new virus mixing pig, bird and human flu strains sparked a global panic: flights were cancelled, travellers put in quarantine and thousands of people hospitalised as pharmaceutical companies scrambled to prepare a vaccine... In La Gloria, Mexico, swine flu remains a divisive issue, bound up with simmering anger over a massive network of US-owned industrial pig farms in the area. The farms, owned by a subsidiary of the US pork giant Smithfield Foods, has long been a target of contamination lawsuits.

CITGO Receives 2009 Safety Recognition by the American Petroleum Institute 23 Apr 2010 The American Petroleum Institute (API) has awarded CITGO Petroleum Corporation with an Occupational Safety Performance Award for 2009. The award was announced during the 61st Annual Pipeline Conference in New Orleans. "As a company committed to the highest standards in safety, CITGO is honored to receive this prestigious award. The people of CITGO are also deeply committed to caring for our communities, our environment and each other. This dedication is in alignment with the principles of safety and environmental stewardship endorsed by our parent company, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A (PDVSA), the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela," commented Gustavo Velásquez, vice president supply and marketing.

Breaking: U.S.'s Toughest Immigration Law Is Signed in Arizona 23 Apr 2010 Gov. Jan Brewer (R) of Arizona signed the toughest illegal immigration law in the country on Friday, aimed at identifying, prosecuting and deporting illegal immigrants. The law, which opponents and critics alike said was the broadest and strictest immigration measure in the country in generations, would make the failure to carry immigration documents a crime. It would also give the police broad power to detain anyone suspected of being in the country illegally.

Star Wars 2010? U.S. military launch space plane on maiden voyage... but its mission is top secret 23 Apr 2010 A top secret space plane developed by the US military has blasted off from Cape Canaveral on its maiden voyage. Billed as a small shuttle, the unmanned X-37B heralds the next generation of space exploration. It will be the first craft to carry out an autonomous re-entry in the history of the US programme. But its mission - and its cost - remain shrouded in secrecy. The Air Force said the launch was a success but would give no further details. 

UK cannot deliver on pledged withdrawal from Afghanistan, Nato partners warn --Military leaders say Britain's election should not be allowed to influence timetable for Afghans to take over 23 Apr 2010 A key part of Britain's exit strategy from Afghanistan – Gordon Brown's pledge that Hamid Karzai's government will start taking charge of security by the end of the year – is almost certain to go unfulfilled. Nato and British military officials have urged that domestic political considerations should not be used to influence strategy in Afghanistan at a crucial time in the conflict and that the transfer of security should begin only when conditions are judged to be right.

Two U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan 23 Apr 2010 Two American service members died of wounds after an overnight clash with insurgents in a province near the capital, Western military officials said Friday. In a statement, the NATO force also said that five insurgents were killed in the firefight in Lowgar province, which borders Kabul province.

Blackwater executive blames feds 22 Apr 2010 The U.S. government approved both the storage of automatic weapons at Blackwater's North Carolina compound and a gift of firearms to the king of Jordan, a lawyer for the former head of the security firm said in federal court Wednesday. "All of this was with the knowledge of, the request of, for the convenience of, an agency of the U.S. government," said Ken Bell, a Charlotte attorney representing Gary Jackson, the former president of Blackwater, who faces charges of breaking firearms laws.

Army disinvites Graham to Pentagon Prayer Day 22 Apr 2010 Evangelist Franklin Graham's invitation to speak at a Pentagon prayer service has been rescinded because his comments about Islam were inappropriate, the Army said Thursday. Graham, the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, in 2001 described Islam as evil. More recently, he has said he finds Islam offensive and wants Muslims to know that Jesus Christ died for their sins.

Military's health care costs booming 23 Apr 2010 Military health care spending is rising twice as fast as the nation's overall health care costs, consuming a larger chunk of the defense budget as the Pentagon struggles to pay for two wars, military budget figures show. The surging costs are prompting the Pentagon and Congress to consider the first hike in out-of-pocket fees for military retirees and some active-duty families in 15 years, said Rear Adm. Christine Hunter, deputy director of TRICARE, the military health care program. Pentagon spending on health care has increased from $19 billion in 2001 to a projected $50.7 billion in 2011, a 167% increase.

Man pleads guilty in N.Y. terror plot 23 Apr 2010 An accused co-conspirator of Najibullah Zazi, the airport shuttle bus driver who plotted to detonate explosives in New York's subway system, pleaded guilty Friday afternoon in a Brooklyn federal court. Zarein Ahmedzay, 24, admitted to conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and providing material support to al-Qaeda [al-CIAduh].

Former NSA official pleads not guilty in media-leaks case 23 Apr 2010 A former U.S. intelligence official accused of leaking secrets to the media pleaded not guilty Friday during his first appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. Lawyers for Thomas A. Drake, 53, a former official with the National Security Agency, requested that he be tried by a jury. U.S. District Court Judge Richard D. Bennett scheduled an October trial. Drake, of Glenwood, was accused in an indictment this month of sharing classified information with a reporter.

Greece asks for EU-IMF bailout 23 Apr 2010 Hobbled by exorbitant borrowing costs, Greece triggered an emergency aid plan Friday to draw cash from the IMF and countries that use the euro — the first test of whether the EU is prepared to bail out one of its members... The three-year plan agreed on in Brussels recently and hailed as a sign that Europe can cope with the crisis will provide Greece with loans: euro-zone members will contribute euro30 billion ($40 billion) at interest rates of about 5 percent, while the IMF will chip in about euro10 billion this year.

Oil pollution fears after blazing rig sinks 23 Apr 2010 A crew member from an oil platform that sank off the Louisiana coast last night reported an initial explosion three hours before the rig went up in flames in a second, larger explosion, the Coast Guard said... The sinking of the rig could unleash more than 300,000 gallons (1,135,600 liters) of crude a day into the water. The environmental hazards would be greatest if the spill were to reach the Louisiana coast. 

Arizona immigration bill: Obama says it's 'misguided' 23 Apr 2010 President Barack Obama says the government must enact immigration reform at the national level - or leave the door open to "irresponsibility by others." Obama says a failure to act will lead to more of what he called "misguided" efforts like an immigration bill in Arizona. If signed by the state's governor, the bill would require police to question people about their immigration status if there's reason to suspect they're in the country illegally.

SEC Staffers Watched Porn As Economy Crashed 22 Apr 2010 Senior staffers at the Securities and Exchange Commission spent hours surfing pornographic websites on government-issued computers while they were being paid to police the financial system, an agency watchdog says. The SEC's inspector general conducted 33 investigations of employees looking at explicit images in the past five years, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press. The memo says 31 of those probes occurred in the 2 1/2 years since the financial system teetered and nearly crashed.

U.S. Faces Choice on New Weapons for Fast Strikes --The final price of the system remains unknown. 22 Apr 2010 In coming years, President Obama will decide whether to deploy a new class of weapons capable of reaching any corner of the earth from the United States in under an hour and with such accuracy and force that they would greatly diminish America’s reliance on its nuclear arsenal...  the White House has asked Congress for about $250 million next year to explore a new alternative, one that uses some of the most advanced technology in the military today as well as some not yet even invented.

NATO raid kills 5 Afghan civilians 23 Apr 2010 The US-led forces in Afghanistan have killed at least five civilians and injured several others in the war-torn country's eastern province of Logar. The fatal incident happened during a pre-dawn raid on Friday against Afghan homes. Two NATO forces were also killed in the attack.

Bomb blasts kill 70 in Baghdad 23 Apr 2010 Bomb blasts across the Iraqi capital kill at least 70 people in one of the deadliest string of attacks which took its toll on Shia mosques among other places. The explosions, which ripped through Baghdad on Friday, also injured more than 180 people according to Iraq's Interior Ministry, a Press TV correspondent reported.

Obama reassures Wall Street on bank regulation bill By Barry Grey 23 April 2010 President Barack Obama went to lower Manhattan Thursday to deliver a message to Wall Street: Your profits and bonuses will not be disturbed by the regulatory overhaul making its way through Congress. In a deferential speech pitched to top bankers in the Cooper Union audience, Obama urged what he called the “titans of industry” to call off their lobbyists and “join us” in passing his so-called reform. The subtext was that the White House and congressional Democrats had already removed most of the provisions to which the bankers objected, and were prepared to go even further in accommodating them.

Federal judge in NC allows former Blackwater president, 4 others to remain free pending trial 21 Apr 2010 The former president of Blackwater Worldwide and four of his past colleagues at the North Carolina security firm can remain free as they await trial on federal weapons charges, a judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. Magistrate Judge James Gates denied the government's request to set a bond for the suspects, including a proposed $250,000 bond for former Blackwater President Gary Jackson.

Potentially deadly fungus spreading in US, Canada --Fungus is unique genetic strain 22 Apr 2010 A potentially deadly strain of fungus is spreading among animals and people in the northwestern United States and the Canadian province of British Columbia, researchers reported on Thursday. The airborne fungus, called Cryptococcus gattii, usually only infects transplant and AIDS patients and people with otherwise compromised immune systems, but the new strain is genetically different, the researchers said.

FDNY teams with Marines to stage mock suicide bomb, poison gas attacks 22 Apr 2010 The New York City fire department teamed  with Marines Thursday morning to respond to simultaneous mock suicide bomber and poison gas attacks. An FDNY team raced around the mangled shell of an MTA bus, herding wounded "victims" to a triage area as real fire burned in the street... About 100 firefighters joined 100 marines in the chillingly realistic exercise at the FDNY Fire Academy on Randall's Island.

Arizona border plan: Add National Guard, have Feds pay for it 22 Apr 2010 Gov. Jan Brewer (R) pledged $10 million in federal stimulus funds to beef up local law enforcement efforts along the Arizona-Mexico border, and called on President Obama to pay for deployment of 250 National Guardsmen to the area to combat illegal immigration. Brewer said in a Thursday afternoon news conference that she had pleaded five times in letters to Obama for a federal response to help Arizona stanch the flow of illegal immigrants across its southern border by deploying additional troops here.

Former Bush Official Charged With Contempt of Congress In Geeks On Call Case 22 Apr 2010 Former U.S. Special Counsel Scott Bloch was charged today with criminal contempt of Congress in connection with his notorious use of Geeks On Call to scrub his computer while under investigation for misusing his office, according to a court filing in federal court in Washington. The "information" filed today alleges that, responding to a request from the House oversight committee, Bloch failed to "state fully and completely the nature and extent of his instructions that Geeks On Call perform 'seven level wipes' on his [Office of Special Counsel]-issued computers" and the computers of two other appointees in the office. That was in late 2006.

Search Ends for Missing Oil Workers 23 Apr 2010 The Coast Guard called off its search Friday for 11 oil rig workers who had been missing since an explosion on the rig Tuesday night in the Gulf of Mexico. "We have just made a very difficult decision," said Rear Adm. Mary E. Landry, the commander of the Coast Guard’s Eighth District. "After a three-day search covering 5,300 miles, we have reached a point where reasonable expectations of survival has passed."

Pakistan allows US to question Taliban leader Baradar 22 Apr 2010 Pakistan's main intelligence agency has eased restrictions for US investigators to interrogate a top Afghan Taliban commander, officials have told the BBC. Security sources say the Americans began getting "limited access" to Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar last month.

US had 'specific concerns' in issuing terror warning 22 Apr 2010 Describing terrorism as a "shared challenge" for India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States, Washington says it had some "specific concerns" in warning Americans about possible terror attacks in well-known markets in New Delhi. State Department spokesman P J Crowley Wednesday called the warden message issued by the US embassy in New Delhi "a prudent warning" but would give few details.

US renews Syria threats over Scuds 22 Apr 2010 The United States has repeated its warning to Syria over an alleged transfer of ballistic missiles to Lebanon's Hezbollah, boasting all options are on the table. Speaking to a congressional committee on Wednesday, Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman said that Washington has alarmed Damascus officials several times since late February against sending arms to the Lebanese resistance movement.