Highway bridge collapses in US; no deaths reported

Source : thenews.com.pk

MOUNT VERNON: The major highway bridge linking Seattle with Canada and the rest of the Pacific Northwest region collapsed late Thursday, dumping at least a handful of vehicles and people into a river, the Washington State Patrol said.

There were no immediate reports of deaths.

The four-lane Interstate 5 bridge _ more than half a century old _ collapsed about halfway between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia, Trooper Mark Francis said. Francis said he did not know how many people were in the water. He did not know what caused the collapse, which came at the start of one of the country's busiest holiday weekends of the year.

Xavier Grospe, who lives near the river, said he could see three partially submerged cars, and the apparent drivers were sitting either on top of the vehicles or on the edge of open windows.

``It doesn't look like anybody's in danger right now,'' Grospe said. Helicopter footage aired by KOMO-TV in Seattle showed one rescue boat leaving the scene with one person strapped into a stretcher. A damaged red car and a damaged pickup truck were visible in the water, which appeared so shallow it barely reached the top of the car's hood.

A man told the local Skagit Valley Herald newspaper he felt a vibration and looked in his rear view mirror to see that the part of bridge he had just crossed was no longer behind him. ``I thought something was wrong with my car at first,'' he said The bridge is not considered structurally deficient but is listed as being ``functionally obsolete'' _ meaning that its design is outdated, according to a database compiled by the Federal Highway Administration.

The bridge was built in 1955 and has a sufficiency rating of 57.4 out of 100, according to federal records. That is well below the statewide average rating of 80, according to an Associated Press analysis of federal data.

The American Society of Civil Engineers' 2013 infrastructure report card said more than a quarter of Washington state's 7,840 bridges were considered structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.

FBI adds woman to its most wanted terrorists list

Source : LBCI News

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) added on Friday a woman to its most wanted terrorist list making her the first woman to be mentioned on the bureau's list of terrorists.

This step comes 40 years after the wanted woman was convicted of killing a police officer.

Joanne Chesimard was a member in the Black Panther Party and member of the Black Liberation Army, one of the most violent armed organisations witnessed in the United States in the 1970's.

The organization claimed responsibility of killing several police officers.

Chesimard was convicted of killing police officer Werner Foerster and sentenced to prison. However, she managed to escape in 1979 with the help of terrorist groups.

The FBI is offering rewards totalling $US2 million for the capture of Chesimard, who now is known by the name of Assata Shakur and is believed to be living in Cuba.

FBI seeks data on 3 in Benghazi attack

Source : LBCI News

The FBI said Wednesday it is seeking information on three people who were on the grounds of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, when it was attacked last year.

The bureau posted photographs of the three people and said they may be able to provide information to help in the investigation. The attack on Sept. 11, 2012, killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans

"We need your help to solve this crime," the FBI said.

In a posting on the FBI's website, the law enforcement agency urged anyone with information to text or e-mail BenghaziTips(at)ic.fbi.gov or to submit information confidentially at https://forms.fbi.gov/benghazi- en .

Republicans in Congress continue to question the Obama administration about the attack.

US police: 5 dead in shooting in northwest

Source : Shanghai Daily

GUNFIRE erupted at an apartment complex in a city south of Seattle and five people were shot to death, including a suspect who was shot by arriving officers, police said yesterday.

Officers responding to an emergency call at 9:30pm PDT on Sunday at the apartments in Federal Way encountered a chaotic scene, with bullets flying.

"When officers arrived there were still shots being fired," said Federal Way police spokeswoman Cathy Schrock.

Investigators found two wounded men on the ground in a parking lot. One of the men reached for a gun as police moved in to assist the two, she said.

At that point, officers opened fire. The suspect died but police said it wasn't immediately clear if it was from their gunfire.

The other man on the ground and a third man in the parking lot were found dead.

In a search of the complex, police found a fourth man dead in one apartment and a slain woman in another unit. Schrock said police were trying to determine if the woman was hit by a stray bullet.

A total of eight officers fired their weapons, Schrock said. All have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard policy, as the investigation continues.

There was no immediate word what set off the shooting.

"We still don't have any idea what started this disturbance tonight," Schrock said.

After police flooded the area and carried out searches, authorities said they were confident there were no more casualties from the shooting.

They said they did not think another shooter was on the loose or that there was an immediate threat to the public.

By dawn, a county medical examiner's office truck arrived at the scene to pick up bodies. Crime scene investigators continued working.

There were no reports of any officers being inju

Nearly Half of Guantanamo Detainees Now on Strike

Source : RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, April 21 (RIA Novosti) - The number of inmates who went on hunger strike in the Guantanamo prison has grown to 84 by Sunday, the Miami Herald reported citing a statement by a US military spokesman.

Army Lt. Col. Samuel House said that 84 out of the prison’s 166 inmates are not on hunger strike, 16 of them are being force-fed via tubes.

The number of prisoners who went on hunger strike in protest against their detention has been steadily growing since the protest began last month.

Russia has stepped up its criticism of the prison following the publication of its so- called “Guantanamo List.” The blacklist of US officials banned from entering Russia was published last Saturday in response to a similar US travel ban on Russian officials suspected of human rights violations

Russian Foreign Ministry's Special Representative for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, Konstantin Dolgov on April 17 reiterated the call to close the prison and urged its authorities to respect the rights and interests of the facility’s only Russian detainee.

Police shot at MIT campus has died: CNN

Source : Xinhua

BOSTON, the United States, April 18 (Xinhua) -- The police who was shot on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus in Boston has died, CNN reported on Thursday.

However, other than the death, CNN did not provide any other details, such as the reason for the gunshots.

The newest development came after MIT on Thursday night reported on its website that gunshots were reported late in the night on campus, and state police said a MIT police officer has been shot.

According to MIT, gunshots were reported at 10:48 PM local time near Building 32 (Stata). Areas near Building 32 are currently surrounded by responding agencies, and an investigation is under way.

Responding agencies were said to have been investigating an "active shooter incident." The school advised students and faculty to stay indoors and away from the building and surrounding area.

Security beefed up worldwide after Boston blasts

Source : Shanghai Daily

FROM the World Trade Center and Times Square in New York to the White House and sports venues across the country, police patrolled in packs and deployed counterterrorism teams Monday as security was stepped up after explosions at the Boston Marathon, according to Associated Press.

Worries also reverberated across the Atlantic, where an already robust security operation was being beefed up for Wednesday's ceremonial funeral for former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The event at St. Paul's Cathedral, to be attended by Queen Elizabeth II and other dignitaries, calls for a procession through the streets of London, with Thatcher's flag-draped coffin carried on a horse-drawn carriage.

British police were also reviewing security plans for Sunday's London Marathon - the next major international race - because of the bombs that killed three people and injured more than 140 in Boston.

Across the U.S., security was tightened at landmarks, government buildings, transit hubs and sporting events. Law enforcement agencies also urged the public to report suspicious activity to the police.

In New York, authorities deployed so-called critical response teams- highly visible patrol units that move in packs with lights and sirens, - along with more than 1,000 counterterrorism officers. Highly trafficked areas like the Empire State building, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the United Nations and the World Trade Center site were being especially monitored.

3 killed, 138 injured in Boston blasts: media

Source : Xinhua

BOSTON, the United States, April 15 (Xinhua) -- The two explosions that rocked the Boston Marathon on Monday has killed three people and injured at least 138, officials and media outlets said.

Local police said the death toll has risen to three, including an 8-year-old boy, according to CNN. At least 17 injured were in critical condition and 10 need to carry out amputations.

The twin explosions happened at around 3 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) and went off within seconds of each other near the Boston Marathon finish line. Many of the injured appeared to be spectators who had gathered at the scene, local media WCVB.com reported.

A FBI official told a press conference in Boston that a criminal investigation has been launched, which has a potential to be a terrorist probe.

Related:

Triple explosions rock Boston, triggering fears of terror in U.S.

WASHINGTON/BOSTON, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Three explosions rocked the U.S. city of Boston on Monday afternoon, killing two and injuring over 100, turning the traditional local marathon festivity into a scene of blood and terror.

While President Barack Obama remained cautious and avoided calling the blasts a terror attack, some U.S. media and experts already started to use the phrase of "terrorist bombings." Full story

Explosions turn Boston Marathon into horrific tragedy

BOSTON, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Two explosions struck the Boston Marathon Monday, turning a festive game on Patriots' Day, a state holiday in Massachusetts, into a horrific tragedy.

The runners were crossing the finish line when a powerful blast occurred behind spectators and a row of flags, sending a cloud of smoke almost 15 meters into the air. Full story

Obama says to hold whoever behind Boston explosions accountable

WASHINGTON, April 15 (Xinhua) -- President Barack Obama said here on Monday that the U.S. government has not yet got "all answers" about the explosions that rocked Boston, Massachusetts earlier in the day, but vowed to hold anyone behind them accountable.

In a live televised statement from the White House, Obama acknowledged that his government still did not know "who did this or why." Full story

3 missing after avalanches in U.S. Washington state

Source  :  APA

Baku-APA. Three people were missing and two were injured on Saturday after two avalanches struck in the mountains near Snoqualmie Pass in the U.S. state of Washington, APA reports.

Two skiers were injured and one went missing in the first avalanche on Saturday afternoon when it occurred off Exit 47 on Interstate 90, according to U.S. media reports quoting King County authorities.

Two people were also missing from the second avalanche, which happened off Exit 52 near Alpental Ski Area off I-90 and struck a group of 13 people who were showshoeing in the area.

The avalanches occurred as heavy snow fell in the Cascade Mountains east of Seattle, the seat of King County.

One in Six Americans Already in Poverty as $85 Billion in Cuts Kick in

Source  :  Fars News Agency

TEHRAN (FNA)- The estimated 50 million Americans already living in poverty will be hit hardest by the $85 billion in spending cuts set to begin after Democrats and Republicans failed to reach an agreement over the most effective way to address the national debt.

New statistics from the US Census Bureau reveal that one in every six Americans is living below the poverty line, RT reported.

Additionally, one in five American children is now living in the same unfortunate situation.

The news that 16 per cent of the American public was living in poverty last rang true in the mid- 1960s, when then-president Lyndon Johnson tried to launch a war on poverty. But his efforts - which fell under the Great Society program - were first suspended then permanently abandoned in order to pay for the US invasion of Vietnam.

Each individual American, or American family, is assigned one out of 48 possible poverty thresholds which vary depending on the size of the family and the age of its members. The thresholds were determined in 1964 and are based on what portion of their income families spend on food, although they do not vary geographically.

According to the Census Bureau, if a family's monetary income is less than their predetermined appropriate threshold, then that family is in poverty. For example, a family of five with two children, a mother, father, and great aunt's threshold was $27,517 in 2011. The 2013 threshold for a family of four is $23,021.

Food stamps, housing subsidies, and other non-cash government benefits are not used to determine a family's income.

Now, the extra $85 billion in cuts will further exacerbate that financial stress. The sequester, which could have been avoided before the presidential election in November, could devastate programs that receive federal funding to help the poor.

William McCarthy, executive director of Catholic Charities, told the Associated Press that the national budget cuts "will deepen and increase poverty" for low-income areas, children, poor senior citizens and many other demographics.

U.S. prosecutors seek death penalty to Aurora shooter

Source  :  Xinhua

DENVER, United States, April 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. prosecutors said Monday they will seek the death penalty against the man accused of the Aurora movie massacre last summer that killed 12 people and injured 58 others.

"It is my determination and my intention that in this case, for James Eagan Holmes, justice is death," Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler told a packed courtroom that included Holmes' parents.

Brauchler said he had personally discussed the case with 60 people who lost relatives in the shooting, and his office had talked to 800 victims and family members. Last week, his office publicly rejected an offer by Holmes to plead guilty and spend the rest of his life in prison to avoid execution.

Holmes appeared in court looking typically disheveled, sporting a bushy, unkempt brown beard. Uncharacteristically, he stared at the audience as he entered the room, then sat silently during the proceeding.

His parents sat side-by-side in the front of the courtroom, holding hands tightly during the death penalty announcement. Victims and their families reacted with tears and relief.

"I love the choice... love it," said Bryan Beard, whose best friend Alex Sullivan was killed in the shooting. "I hope I'm in the room when he dies."

But death penalty experts were quick to caution the legal battle has just begun, and hinges on determining Holmes' sanity at the time of the shooting.

"Let the death penalty war begin," said Craig Silverman, former Denver prosecutor who successfully tried a death penalty conviction in 1997. "If the prosecution is successful, this could be a 20-year ride until Holmes sees the inside of an execution chamber."

Defense lawyers will now build the case that Holmes was insane at the time of the attack. Prosecutors will show the methodical, elaborate planning Holmes exercised as proof he was sane. Holmes faces an all-important psychological examination in the next few months.

In a surprise move Monday, suggesting how long the case may take, 18th Judicial District Chief Judge William Sylvester named a new judge, Carlos A. Samour Jr., to take over proceedings.

"A final resolution of this case is now likely years away," Sylvester said, citing his demanding role as chief judge for the district, responsible for the overall running of the court. He said he couldn't oversee a complicated death penalty case as well as handle his other duties.

Prosecutors asked the new judge for a three-month trial starting in January 2014. Public defenders wanted a nine-month trial starting next summer or fall. Samour settled on a five-month trial beginning Feb. 3, 2014.

Both sides also agreed to a dozen preliminary hearings held before the end of the year.

"This is the most important case this court will ever hear," said Holmes' attorney Tamara Brady, her voice rising as she made an emotional plea for more time. Victims in the audience shook their heads in disbelief as the trial schedule moved into next year.

"They are trying to execute our client," Brady said. "We will do whatever we can to save his life."

Holmes faces 166 counts of murder and attempted murder for the shooting during the sold-out midnight premiere of a new Batman movie on July 20, 2012, where he allegedly entered a side door and unloaded an automatic weapon, shotgun and handgun into the unsuspecting audience. It is one of the worst mass shootings in U. S. history.

127 detained at Chicago rally protesting school closing

Source  :  Xinhua

CHICAGO, March 27 (Xinhua) -- At least 127 people were detained at a rally in Chicago Wednesday organized by the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) to protest school closings.

Chicago Police spokesman Adam Collins said 127 people were briefly detained but there were no physical arrests.

An estimated 700 to 900 crowd participated in the rally which started at about 4 p.m. local time with speeches.

About 150 people held a sit-in on La Salle Street, a main north-south street in downtown Chicago, before the main group of the protesters moved on to Chicago Public Schools (CPS) headquarter.

After months of public hearings, CPS last week unveiled a plan to shut down 53 elementary schools and one high school, mostly on the South and West Sides, as part of the city's effort to deal with a pending one-billion-dollar budget deficit.

The plan immediately drew criticism from aldermen and community leaders, as well as from parents.

Hours before CTU led the protest, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the time for negotiation was over, and he was moving forward on the plan to close the 54 schools.

US military says Guantanamo hunger strike edges up

Source  :  Times Republican

Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — More prisoners have joined a hunger strike at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, officials said Monday, as defense lawyers expressed alarm about one of the most sustained protests at the base in several years.

There are 28 prisoners on hunger strike, up from 21 a week earlier, including three who were hospitalized for dehydration from refusing to eat, said Navy Capt. Robert Durand, a spokesman for the prison on the U.S. base in Cuba.

The military is force-feeding 10 of the prisoners to prevent dangerous weight loss, Durand said.

Lawyers for prisoners have been returning from visits to the base with reports that the hunger strike is much more widespread, involving a majority of the 166 men held there, and that some have lost significant weight in recent weeks.

Army Capt. Jason Wright said an Afghan prisoner who goes only by the name Obaidullah has dropped from about 167 pounds to 131 since he went on strike and appeared dizzy and fatigued as they met last week.

"He seemed depressed, frustrated at the worsening conditions of his confinement," Wright said. "It seemed like he didn't have any hope of getting out of Guantanamo Bay."

A prisoner from Syria, Abdehhadi Faraj, has lost about 30 pounds and has been having severe stomach pain, migraines and dizziness and vomiting blood, according to Ramzi Kassem, an attorney and law professor at the City University of New York, who visited him last week. He said one of his clients from Yemen has lost a similar amount of weight and that only a handful of prisoners are not participating in the strike.

A Kuwaiti prisoner, Fayez al-Kandari, has also lost significant weight and has trouble standing, according to his lawyer, Carlos Warner, a federal public defender based in Ohio.

"He's in rough shape," Warner said. "I think if they let this go another month or two we are going to see some deaths."

The U.S. military has a formal definition of what constitutes being on hunger strike that includes missing nine consecutive meals, which may explain some of the difference between the official tally and the accounts from defense lawyers. Durand said some men may be pretending to take food to prevent being listed as a hunger striker or force fed. The medical staff is closely monitoring the weight and health of all prisoners, he said.

Some prisoners have covered up the security cameras in their cells to make it more difficult to track their eating, he said.

"I don't know how that will be resolved but it is a matter of concern for the safety of the detainees," he said.

The hunger strike began on Feb. 6 and was prompted by what the prisoners considered more intrusive searches of their cells and of the Qurans that each man is issued by the government as well as their open-ended confinement without charge. Military officials say there has been no change in the way searches are conducted at Guantanamo and the hunger strike is an attempt to attract media coverage.

A delegation from the International Committee for the Red Cross was making one of its regularly scheduled visits to Guantanamo this week and members were expected to meet with hunger strikers. Its findings will be sent to the prison's commander and to the Miami-based U.S. Southern Command, which oversees the detention facility, but will not be made public.

Hunger strikes have occurred at Guantanamo since shortly after it opened in January 2002. The largest one began in the summer of 2005 and reached a peak of around 131 prisoners, when the facility held about 500 detainees. The U.S. military broke the protest by strapping detainees down and force- feeding them a liquid nutrient mix to prevent them from starving themselves to deat

U.S. rules out deploying Patriot missiles in Syria

Source  :  Xinhua

English.news.cn 2013-03-27 07:11:00

WASHINGTON, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. government on Tuesday ruled out deploying Patriot missiles in Syria to protect the opposition there despite such request from Syria's resigned opposition head Moaz al-Khatib.

"Well, we are aware of the request and, at this time, NATO does not intend to intervene militarily in Syria," said White House spokesman Jay Carney at a briefing.

"I think that a Patriot missile battery would fall within the definition of military assistance," he told reporters, stressing that the Patriot missile batteries currently deployed in Turkey are only to defend "its territory and people."

However, Carney also said that the Obama administration is constantly reviewing its policies in Syria.

Moaz al-Khatib, resigned head of exiled Syrian opposition coalition, took up Damascus' seat at the ongoing Arab League summit held in Qatar's Doha. During the summit, al-Khatib said he had asked Washington to extend the Patriot missile protection into northern Syria.

US congresswoman found dead

Source  :  http://old.mehrnews.com

TEHRAN, March 26 (MNA) – US Republican state representative Jessica Upshaw has been found dead in apparent suicide.

The body of Upshaw, who had been a Mississippi legislator since 2004, was discovered on Sunday in the house of former representative Clint Rotenberry.

There is evidence showing that 53-year-old Upshaw has committed suicide by shooting into her head.

“It appeared she had a gunshot wound to her head; it appeared to be self-inflicted,” Simpson County Sheriff Kenneth Lewis said.

Police Chief Candy McCullum stated that nothing rules out the hypothesis of suicide.

Rotenberry has described Upshaw as his “soul mate” and “best friend.”

“There were no signs. No indications.... When I saw her, it was just disbelief. It's like your mind is not believing what your eyes are seeing,” Rotenberry was quoted as saying.

Authorities had received a 911 call to report a suicide at the house, McCullum said, adding that Upshaw is likely to have shot herself dead with a handgun.

Upshaw was the fifth state legislator to die over the past months.

KA/MR MNA END

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US shuts 149 airport control towers

Source :  We Speak News

The US has announced that 149 airport control towers will be closed across the country beginning April 7 due to a budget saving implementation plan.

“We heard from communities across the country about the importance of their towers and these were very tough decisions,” US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

“Unfortunately we are faced with a series of difficult choices that we have to make to reach the required cuts under sequestration,” Xinhua quoted LaHood as saying.

Roughly $85 billion of spending cuts started to hit various US governmental departments this year starting March 1. The spending cuts were included in the August 2011 debt reduction package.

Authorities will begin a four-week phased closure of the 149 air traffic control towers beginning April 7, part of its efforts to save $637 million spending this year, according to the statement.

Obama says all options on table to address Iran's nuclear issue

Source  :  Xinhua

AMMAN, March 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday in Amman that the United States believes that diplomacy is the best resolution to the Iranian nuclear program as he said all options remain on the table in this regard.

"Iran has no credibility to convince the world that it is developing nuclear capabilities for peaceful reasons. Iran's possession of nuclear race is a regional and international problem, " Obama said at a press conference in Amman along with King Abdullah II of Jordan.

"I will maintain all options to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons as that will be dangerous," he said. Iran needs to assure the international community that it is not seeking nuclear bombs, said Obama.

"The issue with Iran is solvable. We will apply pressure to solve the problem," he said.

The Jordanian leader said any military action against Iran will worsen the situation, adding no one can guarantee what is going to happen in case of regional war.

Administration still pushing for assault weapons ban: Biden

Source : Yahoo!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that the Obama administration would continue to press for an assault weapons ban as part of gun control legislation despite a serious setback on the issue earlier this week.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid acknowledged on Tuesday that there was not enough support for the ban in the Senate, meaning it would fail when gun control legislation comes to the floor of the chamber next month.

Biden, who has led President Barack Obama's push for tighter gun regulations, said he was undeterred.

"We are still pushing that it pass," Biden told NPR in an interview, according to its website.

"I believe that the vast majority of the American people agree with us, the vast majority of gun owners agree with us, that military-style assault weapons are — these are weapons of war. They don't belong in the street," he said.

White House stonewalling drone inquiry: US lawmakers

Source :   The Express Tribune

Both Republicans and Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday denounced President Barack Obama’s administration for refusing to share key documents or details of the killings by armed, robotic aircraft.

“The need for oversight is clear,” said Representative John Conyers, a Democrat and normally a staunch ally of the Obama administration.

Conyers and other members of the committee said it was unacceptable that the Attorney General, Eric Holder, or other officials from the Justice Department declined an invitation to appear at the hearing devoted to the drone campaign.

“I don’t think the attorney general of the United States can decline to come before this committee on a subject that is so clearly within our jurisdiction,” Conyers said.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has asked the administration for a chance to review memos that outline the legal basis for killing Americans overseas suspected of having links to al Qaeda. But their requests have been mostly denied so far.

“The American people deserve to know and understand the legal basis under which the Obama administration believes it can kill US citizens, and under what circumstances,” committee chairman Bob Goodlatte said.

Debate about the use of drones has been mounting following the September 2011 killing in Yemen of cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, a senior al Qaeda operative who was an American citizen.

At the hearing, lawmakers asked legal experts how the drone strikes might be better regulated by Congress or the courts, to provide a check on what they called potentially excessive presidential power.

Several committee members, including Goodlatte, said they were open to imposing more congressional or even judicial oversight over the drone campaign, possibly by reviewing the executive branch’s decisions on drone attacks after, but not before, operations.

“For me, it’s got to be retrospective, not prospective,” Goodlatte said, as otherwise the president’s ability to conduct a war against al Qaeda could be hampered.

He also said he favored Congress performing a review of the drone strikes instead of courts, as he worried that involving judges could interfere with a president’s commander-in-chief role.

“I would prefer we review it here in Congress in some form rather than handing over war-fighting to the judicial branch.”

Committee members and expert witnesses at the hearing for the most part did not question the legal basis for killing militants abroad who are deemed to be senior figures in the al Qaeda terror network, with which the United States is at war.

But they expressed concern about the intense secrecy around the strikes and questioned if sufficiently thorough procedures were in place when the administration decides what militant should be placed on a “kill list.”

A former senior legal adviser during George W. Bush’s presidency, John Bellinger, said Congress should consider adopting legislation offering a more detailed definition of the criteria needed to allow the targeting of terror suspects.

But he said the United States had to better explain to other governments the legal basis for its operations.

“No other country in the world has come out publicly and said that they actually agree with our position,” Bellinger said.

And he acknowledged that the United States should brace itself for the day when another country, such as Russia or China, carries out its own drone killing outside of its borders, under a similar veil of secrecy.

Obama has promised to work with Congress to ensure the drone operations are “more transparent” and that the public understands the constraints and legal rationales underpinning the drone war.

U.S. Ambassador hands over Hillary Clinton’s letter to Georgian PM

Source : Vesti Kavkaza

U.S. Ambassador Richard Norland handed over former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton's letter to Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. Hillary Clinton's message says when she was Secretary of State it was an honour for her to watch how the Georgian Prime Minister and his colleagues were able to ensure a peaceful transition of power and start the process of cohabitation. "In 2011, our countries marked the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Georgia has taken an important step in democratic development and in terms of the Euro-Atlantic integration. The U.S. is glad to be near Georgia during the peaceful transfer of power which could not take place without your participation," the letter says.

US Secretary of State invents a new country – ‘Kyrzakhstan’

Source : Voice of Russia

In his first speech after he was appointed as US Secretary of State, John Kerry confused the Republics of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and referred to a non- existent country “Kyrzakhstan”. "Brave employees of the US State Department ... work in the most dangerous places around the globe. They fight against corruption in Nigeria. They support the rule of law in Burma, they support democratic reforms in Kyrzakhstan and Georgia," John Kerry said, speaking on February 20 at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

The transcript of Kerry’s speech, including his slip of the tongue, was posted on the websites of US embassies. It was noticed by The Global Post journalists, who suggested that before his official visit to Israel with President Barack Obama, the chief foreign affairs advisor should find out where exactly this “Kyrzakhstan” was located.

On February 22, on all the official websites of the American embassies the word “Kyrzakhstan” in Kerry’s speech was replaced by Kyrgyzstan.

John Kerry Has No Plans to Visit Syria – US State Dept

Source :   RIA Novosti

WASHINGTON, February 15 (RIA Novosti) - The United States does not plan to hold talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad on the regional settlement, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

“The Secretary of State [John Kerry] has no intention to go to Damascus, not on this first trip and not until we are in a place where the Syrian people have gotten on the road to meeting their aspirations for a free and democratic country,” Nuland told reporters Thursday.

“He also has zero intention to talk to Assad,” she said.

Nuland said the United States would keep pushing for a peaceful transition of power in Syria.

Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in Syria’s conflict since March 2011, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said earlier in February.

Russia has faced strong international criticism over its refusal to back UN sanctions against Syria, its la ally in the Arab world, over what it called the pro- rebel bias of some resolutions proposed by Wester nations.

Moscow denies it is backing President Assad and says it is concerned that the Syrian president’s forc departure would only worsen the conflict.

Military weighs cutbacks, shifts in drone programs

Source : Times Republican

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AP) — The Pentagon for the first time is considering scaling back the massive buildup of drones it has overseen in the past few years, both to save money and to adapt to changing security threats and an increased focus on Asia as the Afghanistan war winds down.

Air Force leaders are saying the military may already have enough unmanned aircraft systems to wage the wars of the future. And the Pentagon's shift to Asia will require a new mix of drones and other aircraft because countries in that region are better able to detect unmanned versions and shoot them down.

If the Pentagon does slow the huge building and deployment program, which was ordered several years ago by then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates, it won't affect the CIA drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere against terror suspects. Those strikes were brought center stage last week during the confirmation hearing for White House counterterror chief John Brennan, President Barack Obama's pick to lead the CIA.

Gen. Mike Hostage, commander of Air Combat Command, said senior leaders are analyzing the military's drone needs and discussions are beginning. But he said the current number patrolling the skies overseas may already be more than the service can afford to maintain.

Overall, Pentagon spending on unmanned aircraft has jumped from $284 million in 2000 to nearly $4 billion in the past fiscal year, while the number of drones owned by the Pentagon has rocketed from less than 200 in 2002 to at least 7,500 now. The bulk of those drones are small, shoulder-launched Ravens owned by the Army.

The discussions may trigger heated debate because drones have become so important to the military. They can provide 24-hour patrols over hotspots, gather intelligence by pulling in millions of terabytes of data and hours of video feeds, and they can also launch precisely targeted airstrikes without putting a U.S. pilot at risk.

The analysis began before Brennan's confirmation hearings, where he was questioned sharply about the CIA's use of drones to kill terror suspects, including American citizens overseas. The CIA has its own fleet of drones that it uses on its counterterror missions, and any decision to stop building drones would be unlikely to have any effect on that program.

The Air Force discussions are focused more on whether the military's drone fleet is the right size and composition for future conflicts.

There has been a seemingly insatiable appetite within the military for the unmanned hunter/killers, particularly among top combat commanders around the world who have been clamoring for the drones but have seen most resources go to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We are trying to do the analysis and engage in the discussion to say at some point the downturn in operations and the upsurge in capabilities has got to meet," Hostage said.

Hostage, interviewed in his office at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Va., amid the intermittent roar of fighter jets overhead, said the military's new focus on the Asia-Pacific region will require a different mix of drones and other aircraft. Unlike in Afghanistan, where the U.S. can operate largely without fear of the drones being shot down, there are a number of countries in the Pacific that could face off against American aircraft — either manned or unmanned.

Right now, Predator and Reaper drones that pilots fly remotely from thousands of miles away are completing 59 24-hour combat air patrols a day, mostly in Afghanistan, Pakistan and areas around Yemen and the Africa coast. The standing order is for the Air Force to increase that number of air patrols to 65 a day by May 2014, although officials say that is an arbitrary number not based on an analysis of future combat requirements.

The staffing demands for that increase have put a strain on the Air Force, as they would require nearly 1,700 drone pilots and 1,200 sensor operators. Currently there are fewer than 1,400 pilots and about 950 sensor operators.

Lt. Gen. Larry D. James, the Air Force deputy chief of staff for intelligence, said no recommendations for changes to the projected drone fleet have been sent yet to Pentagon leaders. A key part of the decision will involve what types of drones and other aircraft will be needed as the military focuses greater concentration on the Pacific.

While Predators and Reapers have logged more than 1 million hours of combat patrols in the skies over Afghanistan and Iraq, where insurgents don't have the ability to shoot them down, they would be likely to face challenges in the more contested airspace over the Pacific.

Countries with significant air power or the ability to shoot do

Obama Says War in Afghanistan to Be Over by End of 2014

Source : RIA Novosti

WASHINGTON, February 13 (RIA Novosti) - US President Barack Obama said on Tuesday 34,000 American troops will return from Afghanistan over the next year.

“Already, we have brought home 33,000 of our brave servicemen and women. This spring, our forces will move into a support role, while Afghan security forces take the lead,” Obama said in his State of the Union address before Congress.

“Tonight, I can announce that over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan. This drawdown will continue,” he said. “And by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over.”

The United States currently has 66,000 troops in Afghanistan.

The US president said in January he could not comment on the number of US troops who might remain in the country after the end of 2014

Obama says North Korea nuclear program threat to world security

Source : Maan News Agency

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- President Barack Obama said North Korea's latest nuclear test was a "highly provocative act" that hurt stability in the region and called its nuclear program a threat to US and international security.

"The danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants further swift and credible action by the international community. The United States will also continue to take steps necessary to defend ourselves and our allies," Obama said in a statement.

"We will strengthen close coordination with allies and partners and work with our Six-Party partners, the United Nations Security Council, and other UN member states to pursue firm action," he said

Blizzard buries U.S. Northeast

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- A massive blizzard dumped as much as three feet (one meter) of snow in parts of the Northeastern United States, leaving some 650,000 households and businesses without power and two dead by Saturday.

Steady snow started falling on Friday afternoon. By Saturday morning, many roads were impassable in the densely populated New England region. More than 38 inches (97 cm) of snow fell in Milford in central Connecticut, and an 82 miles per hour (132 km per hour) wind gust was recorded in nearby Westport. Parts of southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire also saw snow accumulate to at least 2 feet. People across the region were having trouble opening their doors to get outside.

The blizzard wrecked major havoc to transportation. In Massachusetts, Gov. Deval Patrick enacted a statewide driving ban for the first time since the Blizzard of 1978. Airlines canceled more than 5,300 flights through Saturday, and the three major airports serving New York City as well as Boston's Logan Airport were closed.

At least two were killed in the blizzard, one in New York and the other in Connecticut. In New York, a 74-year-old man died after being struck by a car which lost control in Poughkeepsie, and in Connecticut, one pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and killed Friday night in Prospect.

Even as snow continued to fall, coastal flooding has become a major concern. On Saturday morning, officials in Massachusetts ordered the evacuation of some communities along the coast as waves lashed the shoreline and high tide brought a surge of water.

Among the big cities in the region, the situation in Boston seemed most precarious. Nearly 22 inches of snow fell in Boston and up to 3 feet was expected, the National Weather Service said, threatening the city's 2003 record of 27.6 inches.

Further exacerbating the problem, temperature dropped precipitously overnight in Boston, creating dangerous conditions for those without power. And the storm seemed to have gained strength in the Boston area on Saturday morning, with winds topping 70 miles per hour whipped through.

Kerry: Washington Evaluating Diplomatic Steps on Syria

Source : SANA, Syria

WASHINGTON, (SANA)-US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Washington is considering diplomatic steps to take to deal with the situation in Syria.

In his first press statement since assuming his office, AFP quoted Kerry as saying ''We are making an assessment of the situation to decide on what steps to take, diplomatic particularly, to reduce violence and deal with the situation there.''

''There is too much killing and too much violence, and we want to find a way forward,'' Kerry said, adding ''It is a very complicated and very dangerous situation .''

Commenting on the news about splits within the US administration on Syria, Kerry said ''I'm not aware of the delibrations at the White House and who said what, and I'm not going to go backward…We have a new administration now and President Obama's second term …I'm the new Secretary of State and we are going forward from this point.''

Panetta and Dempsey Publicly Admit Support to Plan to Arm Syrian Opposition

After many attempts to cover Washington's role in sabotaging the peaceful solution in Syria, U.S. Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta, and Chairman of the U.S. Military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, admitted publicly that they support arming what they called the opposition in Syria.

During a Congress hearing session Thursday, Panetta and Dempsey said they were in favor of a recommendation advocated last year by the State Department and the CIA to arm "the Syrian opposition".

Senator John McCain pressed the Pentagon leaders about whether they backed the recommendation, to which they said yes.

"Did you support the recommendation by then Secretary of State Clinton and then head of CIA General Petraeus that we provide weapons to the resistance in Syria? Did you support that?" McCain (R-AZ) asked Panetta and Dempsey.

"We did," Dempsey responded.

Panetta however added that the plan was rejected by the White House.

The New York Times reported on February 2 about the plan developed last summer by Clinton and Petraeus, who have since left their jobs.

Panetta and Dempesy's public acknowledgment followed statements by Republican Senator Rand Paul Thursday in which the latter revealed confirmed information about weapon shipment from Libya to Syria under US supervision.

Paul told the CNN channel that in answer to a question he recently raised to Clinton on whether we coordinate to send weapons from Libya to Turkey, then to the gunmen in Syria, she answered no, but before one week of the assassination of US Ambassador in Libya, a ship loaded with weapons left Libya with the recognition of the Americans.

The ship captain talked about weapons which were sent to the gunmen in Syria who fight each other on who got weapons and who didn't, Paul added.

Barack Obama administration claims it provides only "non-lethal aid" to the Syrian opposition, without clarifying how this aid is non- lethal in its perspective.

Information on the US involvement in supporting the terrorist groups in Syria is plenty as the Washington Post recently revealed the role of the CIA in exchanging information with Saudi Arabia and Qatar who are supplying the gunmen with weapons.

The newspaper report noted that CIA agents are deployed along the Turkish-Syrian border and coordinating the passing of equipment and medical supplies to the gunmen in Syria and providing communications training.

H. Said/M. Ismael

Lawmakers to see drones report before CIA confirmation hearing

Source :   Shanghai Daily

President Barack Obama's choice to head the CIA was facing a Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing yesterday just hours after lawmakers were expected to receive a classified report providing the rationale for drone strikes targeting Americans working with al-Qaida.

John Brennan, the White House counterterrorism chief and Obama's nominee to run the nation's spy agency, helped manage the deadly drone program.

The confirmation hearing sets the stage for a public airing of some of the most controversial programs in the covert war on al-Qaida, from the deadly drone strikes to the CIA's use of interrogation techniques like waterboarding.

The CIA's drone strikes primarily focus on al-Qaida and Taliban targets in the tribal regions of Pakistan, while the military has launched strikes against al- Qaida targets in Yemen and Somalia. The agency also carries out strikes in Yemen, where three American citizens with al-Qaida connections have been killed - Anwar al-Awlaki, his 16-year-old-son and Samir Khan.

A memo leaked this week says it is legal for the government to kill US citizens abroad if it believes they are senior al-Qaida leaders continually engaged in operations aimed at killing Americans, even if there is no evidence of a specific imminent attack.

That unclassified memo is based on classified advice from the Office of Legal Counsel that is being made available to committee members.

Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, the Senate committee's chairwoman, laid out the administration's policy for targeting al-Qaida with lethal drone strikes ahead of the hearing, defending the use of such strikes but disavowing the harsh interrogation techniques used when Brennan was at the CIA.

In answers to pre-hearing questions, Brennan said no further legislation was necessary to conduct operations against al-Qaida.

He answered some of his critics who charged him with backing the detention and interrogation policy while he served at the CIA. Those allegations stymied his attempt to head the intelligence agency in 2009.

He was "aware of the program but did not play a role in its creation, execution, or oversight." He "had significant concerns and personal objections" to the interrogation techniques.

Brennan went on to describe how individuals are targeted for drone strikes, saying whether a suspect is deemed an imminent threat - and appropriate for targeting - is made "on a case-by-case basis."

Brennan defended the missile strikes by unmanned drones as a more humane form of war, but acknowledged there were "instances when, regrettably and despite our best efforts, civilians have been killed."

Florida outdoor exhibit to display designs by Iranian artists

Source : Tehran Times

TEHRAN -- Graphic designs by two Iranian artists will go on display at Embracing Our Differences, an outdoor art exhibition which will be held in Sarasota, Florida, in April and May.

Two works by Sina Afshar and Maedeh Mosavvarzadeh will be showcased in the adult section and the student section of the exhibit.

The Island Park of Sarasota will host Embracing Our Differences, which will put on show 41 billboard-size graphic designs.

Since 2004, “Embracing Our Differences” has been viewed by more than one million visitors.

The exhibition is an international outdoor art exhibition intended to demonstrate in a positive way that diversity enriches today lives.

The mission of “Embracing Our Differences” is to use art as a catalyst for creating awareness and promoting throughout our community the value of diversity, the benefits of inclusion and the significance of the active rejection of hatred and prejudice.

 

Florida judge reportedly allows gay man, lesbian couple to be on daughter's birth certificate

Source : Fox News

i-Dade circuit judge has reportedly approved an adoption allowing three people — a gay man and a married lesbian couple — to be listed on the birth certificate of their 23- month-old daughter.

The Miami Herald reports that Maria Italiano and Cher Filippazzo, who married in Connecticut, and their attorney, Kenneth Kaplan, declined to be interviewed. The women, according to Miami family attorney Karyn Begin, are longtime partners who unsuccessfully tried to become pregnant via fertility clinics.

“We’re creating entirely new concepts of families,” said Begin, who represented father Massimiliano Gerina in a two-year paternity case involving lesbian friends who had his baby. “If you have two women seeking to be listed as Parent One and Parent Two, that does not exclude listing a man as father.”

Following a verbal agreement, Gerina gave the women his perm and Italiano conceived. The couple planned for Filippazzo to later adopt the baby and both would raise the child.

According to Florida law, sperm donors have no legal rights in artificial inseminations. But Gerina said he considered himself a parent, not simply a donor.

The women, he claimed, “wanted a father for the baby, not just the sperm.”

Roughly seven months after learning Italiano was pregnant, the women asked Gerina to sign a contract to give up his rights to the child. He declined and hired Begin.

“My papers said I would have parental rights, a visitation schedule,” Gerina said. “They hated it. They said this wasn’t what they wanted. I said, ‘Now that you’re already pregnant, you should have thought about that before.’”

Their daughter, Emma, was born March 10, 2011. The three parents feuded in court for nearly two years. A trial was set for Jan. 31, 2013, but a week earlier, Gerina, Italiano, Filippazzo and their attorneys settled the case privately, the newspaper reports.

Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Antonio Marin later approved the settlement and the court adoption clerk submitted paperwork for Emma’s new birth certificate, which indicated that Italiano, a retail saleswoman, received “sole parental responsibility,” Begin told the newspaper.

Filippazzo, a financial services professional, legally adopted Emma and the state recognized Gerina as Emma’s father. He was granted time with her for the next two years and overnight visitations will be considered after she turns 4. All visits must be pre-arranged and at the mothers' discretion, the newspaper reports.

“The mothers are in charge,” Gerina said. “I’m just going to spend time with her. They are the parents.”

Justice memo sets rationale to kill U.S. citizens

Source : The Seattle Times

A confidential Justice Department memo says it is legal for the government to kill U.S. citizens abroad if it believes they are senior al-Qaida leaders continually engaged in operations aimed at killing Americans.

The document, first reported Monday night by NBC News, provides a legal rationale behind the Obama administration's use of drone strikes against al-Qaida suspects.

The 16-page document says it is lawful to target al-Qaida linked U.S. citizens if they pose an "imminent" threat of violent attack against Americans, and that delaying action against such people would create an unacceptably high risk. Such circumstances may necessitate expanding the concept of imminent threat, the memo says.

"The threat posed by al-Qaida and its associated forces demands a broader concept of imminence in judging when a person continually planning terror attacks presents an imminent threat," the document added.

A September 2011 drone strike in Yemen killed Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan, both U.S. citizens linked to al-Qaida.

The memo does not require the U.S. to have information about a specific imminent attack against the U.S.

"A decision maker determining whether an al-Qaida operational leader presents an imminent threat of violent attack against the United States must take into account that certain members of al-Qaida ... are continually plotting attacks against the United States" and that "al-Qaida would engage in such attacks regularly to the extent it were able to do so," says the document.

The document also says that a decision maker must take into account that "the U.S. government may not be aware of all al-Qaida plots as they are developing and thus cannot be confident that none is about to occur; and that...the nation may have a limited window of opportunity within which to strike in a manner that both has a high likelihood of success and reduces the probability of American casualties."

US State Department doubts launch of Iranian monkey into space

Source : Vesti Kavkaza

Spokeswoman of the US State Department Victoria Nuland has expressed doubts about the launch of a monkey into space by Iran, ITAR- TASS reports.

The State Department noticed differences in the appearance of the monkey on photographs. Iran has commented, stating that newspaper reporters confused the photos and posted the one of the backer-up monkey

San Francisco nudity ban upheld in federal court

Source : TimesRepublican.com

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge cleared the way Tuesday for the city of San Francisco to ban most displays of public nudity, ruling that an ordinance set to take effect on Feb. 1 does not violate the free speech rights of residents and visitors who like going out in the buff.

U.S. District Court Judge Edward Chen refused to block the ban temporarily or to allow a lawsuit challenging it to proceed.

"In spite of what plaintiffs argue, nudity in and of itself is not inherently expressive," Chen wrote in an 18-page opinion.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 7-4 last month to prohibit residents and visitors over age 5 from exposing their genitals on public streets, in parks or plazas or while using public transit.

The measure was introduced in response to a group of nudists that regularly gathers in the city's predominantly gay Castro District. The threat of seeing outlawed a right that many people associate with free-spirited San Francisco prompted public protests and disrobing at supervisors meetings.

The activists who challenged the measure in court also had argued that the ordinance was unfair because it grants exceptions for public nudity at permitted public events such as the city's gay pride parade and the annual Bay-to-Breakers foot race.

Chen also rejected that argument.

"The plaintiffs took an unlikely position in their case that if they couldn't be naked everywhere, no one could be naked anywhere," City Attorney Dennis Herrera said. "We believed their legal challenge to be baseless, and we're grateful that the court agreed."

Christina DiEdoardo, a lawyer for nudity advocates who sued to overturn the ban, said her clients were considering whether to appeal. DiEdoardo noted that the judge indicated he would be open to considering a revised lawsuit if advocates could cite examples of their civil rights being trampled, which could be easier to do once the ban is enforced.

"We can still come back once the ordinance takes effect," she said.

Obama says struggling over whether to intervene in Syria

Source : Alarabiya

President Barack Obama said he has been wrestling with the question whether a U.S. military intervention in Syria’s 22-month-old civil war would help resolve the bloody conflict or make things worse.

In a pair of interviews, Obama responded to critics who say the United States has not been involved enough in Syria, where thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced according to U.N. officials. Transcripts of both interviews were released on Sunday.

The United States has called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, and has recognized an opposition coalition - but has stopped short of authorizing U.S. arming of rebels to overthrow Assad.

“In a situation like Syria, I have to ask, can we make a difference in that situation? Would a military intervention have an impact?” Obama told the New Republic Magazine.

Obama said he has to weigh the benefit of a military intervention with the ability of the Pentagon to support troops still in Afghanistan, where the United States is withdrawing combat forces after a dozen years of war.

“How would it affect our ability to support troops who are still in Afghanistan? What would be the aftermath of our involvement on the ground? Could it trigger even worse violence or the use of chemical weapons?” he asked.

“What offers the best prospect of a stable post-Assad regime? And how do I weigh tens of thousands who’ve been killed in Syria versus the tens of thousands who are currently being killed in the Congo?”

Obama said these questions are “not simple” and that any decision made should “balance all these equities.”

“At the end of your presidency, you can look back and say, I made more right calls than not and that I saved lives where I could, and that America, as best it could in a difficult, dangerous world, was, net, a force for good,” Obama added.

Obama’s comments come as world leaders gathered in Davos, Switzerland, said they wished the United States were more engaged in geopolitical issues such as the conflicts in Syria and Mali, where France is attacking al Qaeda-affiliated militants.

In an interview with CBS television program “60 Minutes,” Obama bristled when asked to respond to criticism that the United States has been reluctant to engage in foreign policy issues like the Syrian crisis.

Obama said his administration put U.S. warplanes into the international effort to oust Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, and led a push to force Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak from office.

But in Syria, his administration wants to make sure U.S. action would not backfire, he said.

“We do nobody a service when we leap before we look, where we ... take on things without having thought through all the consequences of it,” Obama told CBS.

“We are not going to be able to control every aspect of every transition and transformation” in conflicts around the world, he said. “Sometimes they’re going to go sideways.”

US could see piecemeal action on new gun laws: experts

Source : Globaltimes.cn

US  lawmakers are likely to take a piece-by-piece approach to legislation aimed at combating gun violence, as a comprehensive package of gun laws could be a tough sell to a bitterly divided Congress, experts said Thursday.

President Barack Obama unveiled a rash of new proposals Wednesday aimed at curbing gun violence after last month's horrific massacre in Newtown Connecticut that left 20 elementary school students dead and shocked nations worldwide. Measures included a ten-round limit on gun magazines, a ban on assault weapons, a clampdown on gun trafficking and better background checks.

Lanae Erickson Hatalsky, director of social policy and politics at Third Way, noted Obama did not make the package comprehensive, but instead said it could be done bit-by-bit.

That was a smart move for Democrats, she said, since proposals such as improving the background check system, for example, could find agreement on both sides of the political divide.

"There are a lot of pieces that (Obama) suggested that would go a long way toward reducing gun crime," said Hatalsky.

Those include stricter penalties for gun traffickers. Currently, there are no federal laws against gun trafficking, only state laws, which ties the hands of law enforcement. And while there is a law against selling a firearm to a known felon, it is difficult for prosecutors to use it in court.

"That means you can drive a truck full of weapons into a city and sell them in an alleyway to a stranger and fear no prosecution from the federal government," she said, although state laws could come into play under such a scenario.

So far, the weeks following the shooting have seen a firestorm of debate between leading Democrats calling for a ban on assault weapons and gun proponents who maintain that such a ban would infringe on Americans' constitutional right to bear arms.

Indeed, Obama's proposed ban on assault weapons is likely to face an uphill climb in the GOP- controlled House and strong opposition from the National Rifle Association, whose president, David Keene, told ABC News Wednesday that the gun lobby is preparing for "battle" with the White House and Congress.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Obama's proposals would fail to stop another Newtown-style killing spree, and some conservative pundits argue the White House proposals failed to address holes in the mental health system, as well as violence in the US film and video game industries.

Questions of constitutionality will play a pivotal role.

The office of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday the first test of any new legislation the majority leader decides to bring before the Senate "will be on whether or not it infringes on the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms."

For now, it remains unclear what the Senate Judiciary Committee will consider, sources familiar with the matter said.

No "credible evidence" shows Syria's use of chemical weapons: U.S.

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. government said Wednesday that there was no "credible evidence" so far that showed the Syrian government forces had used chemical weapons.

"At the time we looked into the allegations that were made and the information that we had received, and we found no credible evidence to corroborate or to confirm that chemical weapons were used," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said at a daily briefing.

Nuland's statement came after the Foreign Policy magazine reported on its website Tuesday that a secret diplomatic cable from the U.S. consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, had concluded that the Syrian government had probably used chemical weapons.

While admitting the existence of such message from the Istanbul consulate, Nuland told reporters that the State Department had concluded that the report cannot be corroborated.

However, the spokeswoman reiterated the Obama administration's harsh warning against the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

"We have been absolutely consistent and clear, from the president on down, that our red line is: we have a red line with regard to use of chemical weapons or their proliferation," Nuland said.

"If the Assad regime makes the tragic mistake of using chemical weapons or fails to meet its obligations to secure them, there will be consequences, and the regime will be held accountable," she added.

On Dec. 3, in a speech at the National Defense University in Washington, D. C., U.S. President Barack Obama warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of "consequences" in using chemical weapons in the Arab country's lengthy conflict.

"The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable, and if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons there will be consequences and you will be held accountable," he said at the time.

Washington Dismisses Report on Chemical Attack in Syria

Source : RIA Novosti

WASHINGTON, January 15 (RIA Novosti) – The White House downplayed on Tuesday media speculations that chemical weapons had been used by President Bashar al-Assad’s regime against the Syrian rebels.

According to a recent report in the Foreign Policy magazine, a secret American investigation revealed that Assad forces used a poisonous gas against the rebels in Homs on December 23, 2012.

"The reporting we have seen from media sources regarding alleged chemical weapons incidents in Syria has not been consistent with what we believe to be true about the Syrian chemical weapons program," White House National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement.

The official reiterated, though, that Assad’s government would be still held responsible for any potential chemical attack against the Syrian opposition forces or failure to ensure security of its stockpile of chemical weapons.

"If the Assad regime makes the tragic mistake of using chemical weapons, or fails to meet its obligation to secure them, the regime will be held accountable," Vietor said.

The Syrian stockpiles of chemical weapons are believed to consist mostly of large amounts of Sarin, in addition to tabun (nerve agents) and mustard gas, and the country is reportedly producing and preparing VX for weapons.

The CIA says Syria has had a chemical weapons program "for years” and that the weapons can be “delivered by aircraft, ballistic missile, and artillery rockets." But Syria has never deployed the weapons, although it warned last summer that they could be used against “foreign invaders.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in December last year that the Syrian government is in control of chemical weapons and had placed its chemical arsenals in one or two depots in an effort to make them more secure.

At least 60,000 people have been killed in Syria’s conflict since March 2011, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has said, citing new analysis released by the United Nations in early January.

Obama under fire for white male Cabinet

Source : www.hurriyetdailynews.com

U.S. President Barack Obama has come under fire from some of his own Democratic Party for naming a stream of white men to key Cabinet and leadership posts in his second administration.

Obama named Jan. 10 Jack Lew as his treasury secretary, the fourth white male he has named to the most-prized Cabinet posts in recent weeks. Lew’s nomination follows Obama’s pick of Sen. John Kerry to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. If confirmed by the Senate, Kerry will be the first white male to hold the top U.S. diplomatic post in more than a decade. Obama has also named former Sen. Chuck Hagel to be defense secretary and John Brennan to head the Central Intelligence Agency. Against this, he lost the first Hispanic woman in the Cabinet when Labor Secretary Hilda Solis announced her resignation on Jan. 9. Last month Lisa Jackson, who is black, announced she was stepping down as head of the Environmental Protection Agency.

“It’s embarrassing as hell,” New York Democrat Charles Rangel, one of the most senior black members of Congress, said. New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, whose state has the only all-female delegation in Congress, described the appointments as “disappointing.”

Testosterone in Cabinet

Republicans joined in the criticism with former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee accusing Obama of waging a “war on women,” using the same words Democrats coined to criticize Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney during the election campaign. “Now a lot of those females who supported Obama are saying, ‘How come there is so much testosterone in the Cabinet and so little estrogen?’” the former Arkansas governor said.

Obama beat Romney 55 percent to 43 percent among women, according to Reuters/Ipsos exit polling on Election Day. He also won large majorities of the African-American and Hispanic vote.

Diversity in the U.S. is usually defined as including women and racial minorities, especially Hispanics and African-Americans. U.S. political pundits parse polling data of women, Hispanics, African-Americans and other groups for signs of voting patterns. They track the “gender gap,” which is the percentage difference between Democratic and Republican support among women. Since Obama’s re-election in November, analysts have noted the rising percentage of ethnic minorities and described his victory as a reflection of changing demography.

The criticism of Obama is surprising because Republicans usually are the party accused of insensitivity to diversity. Former President George W. Bush deflected this by pointing to the two secretaries of state during his eight years in office, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, both black. They were followed by Hillary Clinton. Almost overlooked in the criticism is that the White House announced this week that Attorney General Eric Holder, who is black, will stay on as the nation’s senior legal officer.

Obama also was widely reported to be considering an African-American woman, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice as secretary of state. She pulled her name from consideration because of Republican objections to her statements about the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. White House spokesman Jay Carney urged critics to make their judgments only after Obama had completed his team. “Women are well-represented in the president’s senior staff,” he said Jan. 9, noting that his team included Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Obama, Karzai agree to accelerate military transition

Source : Voice of Russia

Afghan security forces will control 90 percent of the country’s territory from February just as US troops continue their pullout, according to a joint statement to this effect made by Afghan and U.S. Presidents on Friday.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Friday they have agreed to slightly speed up the schedule for moving Afghanistan's security forces into the lead across the country, with U.S. troops shifting fully to a support role. The leaders also said Obama agreed to place battlefield detainees under the control of the Afghan government.

The two leaders say the Afghan army is "exceeding initial expectations" and the Afghan forces will be put in the combat lead across Afghanistan this spring, rather than wait until summer as was initially planned.

Obama said it was not certain what it would mean for the pace of U.S. troop withdrawals this year. He said that was "something that isn't yet fully determined." He also cautioned that while U.S. troops will fall back into primarily a support, American forces will still likely see combat.

Afghans now lead about 80% of operations and by February are expected to have a lead in securing 90% of the Afghan population, according to a joint statement issued by Obama and Karzai.

The most important item on the two leaders' agenda were talks on whether the United States will have a residual presence in the country beyond 2014, when the U.S. and its allies are scheduled to end combat operations.

Some U.S. commanders have proposed fewer than 10,000 troops in Afghanistan after 2014, to keep battling terrorists and training Afghan forces.

Karzai declined to spell out the size of a contingency force he'd like to see left behind.

"Number are not going to make a difference to the situation in Afghanistan," Karzai said."It's the relationship that will make a difference in Afghanistan."

There are currently 66,000 troops in Afghanistan.

Eight flu deaths reported in Oklahoma, U.S.

Source: Xinhua | English.news.cn

HOUSTON, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Eight people in the U.S. state of Oklahoma have died from flu complications this season, state health officials said Thursday.

The state Health Department's weekly flu report also shows a sharp increase in the number of flu deaths reported, with flu deaths jumping by six in one week to eight for the week ending Tuesday.

Ninety-two people in Oklahoma were hospitalized due to the flu in the past week, and 345 hospitalizations have been reported because of the flu so far this season, according to the report.

Oklahoma's flu season typically peaks in January or February, health officials said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned that influenza activity would be increasing across most of the country.

More than 200,000 people are hospitalized due to influenza each year, according to the CDC.

According to the agency's most recent weekly influenza report, 29 states are reporting high levels of the flu, and 18 pediatric deaths have been attributed to the flu this season.

US takes Indonesia to WTO over import restrictions

Source : BBC News

he US has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against Indonesia's restrictions on imports of horticultural and animal products.

Indonesia had put in place strict licensing requirements for imports of plant-based products in 2011.

It also has a quota on imports of beef and other animal products, which the US said has seen "drastic reductions".

The US said the moves were designed to protect Indonesia's domestic industry and were a violation of WTO rules.

It added that the rules had hurt US exports to Indonesia.

"Indonesia's opaque and complex import licensing system affects a wide range of American agricultural exports," US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said in a statement.

"It has become a serious impediment to US agricultural exports entering Indonesia, reducing Indonesian consumers' access to high- quality US products."

The US said it has requested consultations with Indonesia under the dispute settlement provisions of the WTO.

Indiana boy abducted in 1994 found in Minnesota under different name

Source: Fox News

WOLCOTTVILLE, IND. – A boy abducted from northeastern Indiana by his paternal grandparents 19 years ago has been found in Minnesota.

Indiana State Police said Thursday that Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was abducted in July 1994 during court proceedings over his custody in Wolcottville.

Police say a 24-year-old man with the same Social Security number and birth date as Landers but living under a different name was located in October in Long Prairie, Minn.

His grandparents also were living under aliases nearby and confirmed his identity.

The grandparents were initially charged with custody interference, but charges were dropped in 2008 after the case went cold.

Police spokesman Sgt. Ron Galaviz says Landers' father was never in the picture.

Galaviz says an attorney is working with Landers' mother to reconnect her with her son.

Americans Less Healthy, Die Younger: Study

Source : RIA Novosti

January 10 (RIA Novosti) Americans under the age of 50 are less healthy and die sooner than their peers in other developed countries due in part to disease and the prevalence of car accidents, gun violence and drug overdoses, according to a new study by a panel of US experts released Thursday.

“Since 1980, the United States has had the first or second lowest probability of surviving to age 50 among the 17 peer countries,” said the authors of the 18-month study by two non-profit research groups, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council and available here.

“Americans who do reach age 50 generally arrive at this age in poorer health than their counterparts in other high-income countries, and as older adults they face greater morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases that arise from risk factors (e.g., smoking, obesity, diabetes) that are often established earlier in life.”

The study, whose results were described as “stark” by The New York Times, was commissioned to examine the reasons for a slower climb in longevity rates in the US that began in the 1980s, compared to other countries including Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain, Norway and the United Kingdom.

In ranking life expectancy among the 17 nations, the group found that even though the United States spends more on money on healthcare than any other country American men were at the bottom of the list with the lowest life expectancy, and American women were second from the bottom.

“Something fundamental is going wrong,” said lead panelist Steven Woolf, chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University, quoted by The New York Times.

“This is not the product of a particular administration or political party. Something at the core is causing the US to slip behind these other high-income countries. And it’s getting worse.”

What the study authors called the “US health disadvantage” appears to impact all Americans including those who are higher income, who don’t smoke, and who are not overweight.

The study identified nine categories which appeared to negatively affect the mortality rates in the US, including high infant mortality rates, deaths from motor vehicle crashes and homicides, adolescent pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, and high rates of HIV and AIDS, obesity, drug deaths and heart disease.

It also noted that killings with guns were 20 times higher in the United States than in other countries while the rate of suicides with firearms was six times higher.

“We expected to see some bad news and some good news,” Woolf told The New York Times. “But the US ranked near and at the bottom in almost every heath indicator. That stunned us.”

US Nuclear Systems, Infrastructure Under Cyber-Attack

Source : Islamic Invitation Turkey

America’s power, water, and nuclear systems are increasingly being targeted by cybercriminals seeking to gain access to some of the nation’s most critical infrastructure. The number of attacks reported to a US Department of Homeland Security cyber-security response team grew by 52% in 2012, according to a recent report from the team. There were 198 attacks brought to the agency’s attention last year, several of which resulted in successful break-ins. The energy sector was the most-targeted field, with 82 attacks, and the water industry reported 29 attacks last year. Chemical plants faced seven cyber-attacks, and nuclear companies reported six. According to the source, many companies choose not to report incidents, and the majority of cyber-attacks go undiscovered, according to industry researchers. DHS warned that the nation’s infrastructure is worryingly vulnerable. The Obama administration and many in Congress have been more vocal about how an “enemy nation” or a terrorist cell could target the country’s critical infrastructure in a cyber-attack. Legislation aimed at preventing such attacks stalled in Congress last year.

In its report, the Department of Homeland Security advised critical infrastructure companies to keep devices linked to their control systems offline, put stronger passwords in place and implement better security protocols.