Author: Sunfire

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — During six years behind bars at Guantanamo Bay, Abdul Rauf insisted he was a lowly Taliban foot soldier who delivered bread and tea to combatants, even though he was really a corps commander. He was released in 2007 and sent home to Afghanistan. Until this week, he was working as the top recruiter in Afghanistan for Islamic State militants.

Rauf, who was killed along with seven others in a U.S. drone strike on Monday, and detainees like him who have returned to the battlefield are complicating President Barack Obama’s hopes of closing the detention center for terrorism suspects on the U.S. Navy base in Cuba. The administration says the prison is costly, damages America’s relationship with key allies and provides extremists a propaganda tool to woo recruits.   Continue reading “Gitmo detainee’s turn to IS hampers effort to close prison”

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STEPHENVILLE, Texas (AP) — A Texas rodeo store has temporarily run out of baseball caps honoring Chris Kyle, the Navy SEAL depicted in the blockbuster movie “American Sniper.” A roadside sign outside Grumps Burgers next door proclaims support for the families of Kyle and friend Chad Littlefield, who were slain two years ago at a gun range.

With opening statements set to begin Wednesday in the trial of the former Marine accused of capital murder in their deaths, many residents in this small community have been captivated by the case. “It’s been a big deal around here,” said Cory Flores, 25, who didn’t know Kyle but said he hoped to get a seat to witness the trial. He was among the dozens of people, including members of the media, waiting early Wednesday outside the Donald R. Jones Justice Center in Stephenville, about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth.   Continue reading “Trial opens for ex-Marine accused in ‘American Sniper’ death”

RT

The beautiful monarch butterfly, which is also a major pollinator, is being threatened by herbicides that eradicate milkweed, its primary food source. Now, a desperate rejuvenation program is under way to save the species from possible extinction.

A shocking statistic released by the US Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday summed up the plight of the monarch butterfly: Since 1990, about 970 million of the butterflies – 90 percent of the total population – have vanished across the United States.   Continue reading “Monsanto monarch massacre: 970 million butterflies killed since 1990”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House was ready to share with lawmakers Tuesday its plan to seek authority for the use of military force against the Islamic State group, setting up the first war vote in Congress in 13 years.

Presidential counsel Neil Eggleston was set to address the Senate Democrats’ luncheon, the day before President Barack Obama is expected to formally unveil his proposed authorization, a Democratic official revealed.   Continue reading “Obama to send his new war powers request to Capitol Hill”

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — United Arab Emirates fighter planes roared out of an air base in Jordan on Tuesday to pound Islamic State militant positions, marking a return to combat operations by one of the United States’ closest Arab allies in the fight against the extremists.

The Emirates’ decision to launch fresh airstrikes from the kingdom after a more-than-monthlong hiatus was a strong show of support for Western-allied Jordan, which has vowed a punishing response to the militants’ killing of one of its pilots.   Continue reading “Emirates launches airstrikes from Jordan on Islamic State”

RT

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to deliver an Iran-blasting speech before US legislators despite sparking partisan rivalry in America. Critics accuse him of rising ties with the USA to score more votes at an upcoming election.

Netanyahu was invited to speak before the US Congress on March 3 by Republican House Speaker John Boehner in a move that sparked outrage in the Democrat camp. Boehner didn’t consult with White House before inviting the foreign leader, who intends to argue against a US deal with Iran on its controversial nuclear program. The Democrats view it as breach of protocol and an attempt to sideline the Obama Administration, which learned of the upcoming speech shortly before its public announcement.   Continue reading “‘Elections, not Iran’: Israeli PM accused of vote-scoring, risking US ties at Congress speech”

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CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) — The trial was set to begin Monday at Camp Lejeune for a Marine who vanished in Iraq a decade ago and then wound up in Lebanon.

Defense attorneys maintain Cpl. Wassef Hassoun was kidnapped in 2004 by insurgents and later became tangled up in Lebanese courts. But prosecutors allege Hassoun fled his post because he was unhappy with his deployment and how U.S. troops treated Iraqis.   Continue reading “Marine goes to trial a decade after vanishing in Iraq”

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CAIRO (AP) — The killing of more than 20 soccer fans outside a Cairo stadium in a melee with security forces has revived scrutiny of police tactics in Egypt less than a month after a woman was shot dead during the dispersal of a peaceful protest marking the anniversary of the 2011 uprising.

The violence late Sunday, which prompted the Cabinet to suspend the national football league indefinitely, dealt a further blow to the military-backed government’s attempt to project an image of stability after four years of political turmoil. Three years ago, Egypt witnessed one of the deadliest soccer riots in the sport’s history.   Continue reading “Egypt soccer violence revives scrutiny of police”

Mail.com

Sharon Bowen thought her late husband was a bit crazy for buying a scrapbook filled with black and white photos of Cleveland ballplayers from the early 1900s — but not anymore. It turns out that book held what may be the only autographed photo of Shoeless Joe Jackson, the Holy Grail of baseball signatures.

Jackson, who was tossed out of baseball for throwing the 1919 World Series and remembered in the movie “Field of Dreams,” was illiterate and rarely signed anything but paychecks and legal documents, making his autographs among the rarest in sports.   Continue reading “Rare Shoeless Joe Jackson autograph photo may bring $100,000”

RT

Over 500 rabbis from Israel, Britain, the US and Canada have called on the Israeli prime minister to stop demolishing Palestinian homes. Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR) say Benjamin Netanyahu’s stance is against “international law and Jewish tradition.”

RHR’s open letter came after the Israeli PM announced the destruction of over 400 Palestinian homes in the Israel-controlled part of the West Bank, the territory known as Area C.   Continue reading “500 rabbis urge Israel to stop demolition of Palestinian homes”

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AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan has launched 56 airstrikes against Islamic State group weapons depots, training centers and military barracks since militants released a video of them burning a Jordanian pilot to death, Jordan’s air force chief said Sunday.

Meanwhile, a squadron of F-16 fighter jets from the United Arab Emirates arrived in Jordan. The UAE has said it is sending the warplane to support the kingdom, and a Jordanian government official has said they will participate in airstrikes on Islamic State group targets.   Continue reading “Jordan says it launched 56 airstrikes against Islamic State”

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BOSTON (AP) — Winter-weary New England, which has been battered recently by a series of major snowstorms, braced Sunday for even more, as schools and courts announced closures and drivers were warned to stay off roadways.

Light snow was falling Sunday afternoon but the “long duration” storm was expected to intensify on Sunday night. The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for central New York, the western Catskills and much of New England through early Tuesday.   Continue reading “Another big storm bears down on New England, may last days”

RT

US Vice President Joe Biden has called on European countries to show unity when it comes to sanctions against Russia, labeling the dissenting voices “inappropriate and annoying”, reported ‘Der Spiegel’, quoting the participants of the Brussels meeting.

Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine said that the US vice president’s remarks were made at a special meeting of leaders of the European parliament factions at the EU headquarters in Brussels. Biden called on European countries to ‘stand firm’ against Russia’s alleged threats to the region’s unity.   Continue reading “Biden says Europeans questioning Russia sanctions ‘inappropriate, annoying’ – Spiegel”

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DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Nigeria’s electoral commission will postpone Feb. 14 presidential and legislative elections for six weeks to give a new multinational force time to secure northeastern areas under the sway of Boko Haram, an official close to the commission told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Millions could be disenfranchised if the voting went ahead while the Islamic extremists hold a large swath of the northeast and commit mayhem that has driven 1.5 million people from their homes. A small protest started Saturday by civil rights groups opposed to any postponement. Police prevented them from entering the electoral commission headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. Armed police began deploying to block roads leading to the building.   Continue reading “Nigeria postponing Feb. 14 vote amid Boko Haram violence”

RT

Scrutinized trashcans and handrails of New York’s subway infrastructure reveal that the system houses potential threats to health, such as yet-unstudied microorganisms, accompanied by more common bacteria leading to meningitis or food poisoning.

The majority of the microbes inhabiting the New York City subway system are harmless, but in several parts of the city samples of disease-causing bacteria can be found, estimated at 12 percent. These include drug-resistant species, or even DNA fragments of anthrax and Bubonic plague, both, however, at very low levels and likely not alive.   Continue reading “PathoMap: NY subway shelters bubonic plague, anthrax, 600+ unknown organisms”

RT

Global debt has soared by $57 trillion since the outbreak of the financial crisis in 2007, with the debt to GDP ratio jumping to above 500 percent in Japan. This raises questions about financial stability and poses a threat of another crisis.

“After the 2008 financial crisis and the longest and deepest global recession since World War II, it was widely expected that the world’s economies would deleverage. It has not happened. Instead, debt continues to grow in nearly all countries, in both absolute terms and relative to GDP. This creates fresh risks in some countries and limits growth prospects in many,” according to new research carried out by consultants McKinsey in 47 countries.   Continue reading “World record debt of $199trn could drag economies into another crisis – study”

Mail.com

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Porter Alexander spent more than 20 years wondering if his daughter’s killer would ever be caught. He’s spent the last four years hoping he’ll live to see the man brought to justice.

Alexander, 74, planned to urge a judge Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court to set a trial date for Lonnie Franklin Jr., who is charged with 10 counts of murder in what have been dubbed the “Grim Sleeper” serial killings that spanned two decades.   Continue reading “Families of serial killing victims to urge trial to start”

Mail.com

Thousands of travelers to the Caribbean and nearby regions are coming home with an unwanted souvenir: a mosquito-borne virus that recently settled there.

The virus, called chikungunya (chih-kihn-GOON’-yuh), causes severe, often disabling joint pain, and few U.S. doctors are prepared to recognize its signs. At one New York City hospital, a woman arrived in such agony she had to be admitted just to control her pain. “Thinks she has chicken virus??” the mystified staff wrote on the medical chart after interviewing the patient.   Continue reading “Caribbean blues: Mosquito virus is sickening more travelers”