Author: Sunfire

RT

Based on high-tech military wearables, a California-based company is unveiling consumer-oriented state-of-the-art augmented reality glasses – a competitor to Google Glass. They are expected to be released in 2015 at prices below $1000.

The new Smart Glasses system by Osterhout Design Group (ODG) is similar to the heavy duty glasses it has been supplying the US Department of Defense for more than a year, according to the ODG press-release.   Continue reading “Military company to release affordable augmented reality glasses for consumers”

Mail.com

CAIRO (AP) — Al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen is surging in strength, finding new support and recruits among the country’s Sunni tribesmen, in a backlash to drone strikes and the rise to power of Shiite rebels who have taken over the capital and other parts of the country, tribal leaders and Yemeni officials warn.

The militants’ rise comes after months of being squeezed by multiple challenges. Early last year, U.S. drone strikes followed by Yemeni ground troops helped Yemen destroy a key al-Qaida base in the remote mountains of the impoverished, unstable nation. The past year, al-Qaida has also faced fierce competition from the Middle East’s new militant powerhouse, the Islamic State group, which has sought to make inroads into Yemen.   Continue reading “Yemen’s al-Qaida thrives on Sunni backlash to Shiite rebels”

Mail.com

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A 3-week-old baby abducted by a gunman who shot and wounded her parents and an uncle at a Southern California residence has been found dead, and authorities are searching for the assailant.

The identification of Eliza Delacruz came after detectives from Long Beach traveled to San Diego County to help authorities investigate the discovery of remains in a dumpster Sunday behind an Imperial Beach strip mall.   Continue reading “Baby snatched by gunman who wounded parents is found dead”

Mail.com

BOSTON (AP) — Potential jurors stared intently at Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as jury selection in his federal death penalty trial began Monday under tight security.

Tsarnaev, flanked by his attorneys, sat at a table in the front of the jury assembly room. Wearing a dark sweater and khaki trousers, he looked down much of the time but occasionally glanced at the potential jurors and looked at the judge. He also picked at his shaggy beard.   Continue reading “Jury selection gets underway in marathon bombing trial”

RT

The Pentagon’s fighter jet F-35 may not be fully operational until 2019 due to a newly discovered computer glitch. The $400 billion ultra-sophisticated jet, the most expensive in US history, was expected to enter service in 2015.

F-35 is the fifth generation combat aircraft which is designed in three variations for US Air Force, Navy and Marines to replace out of date aircraft. It was planned to join the Marines in 2015 and Air Force in 2016.   Continue reading “Computer glitch prevents US’ most advanced F-35 fighter jet from firing until 2019 – report”

RT

Two earthquakes, of 4.2 and 3.0 in magnitude, have occurred 80 kilometers to the north of Los Angeles, generating over a dozen aftershocks.

The first tremor shook the area at about 7:00 pm local time on Saturday (3:00 am GMT on Sunday). It occurred 13 kilometers from the town of Castaic, and was reported to be a foreshock to the second tremor.   Continue reading “2 quakes with more than a dozen aftershocks strike north of Los Angeles”

RT

After receiving an anonymous tipoff, Indian intelligence agencies have warned the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) that terrorists may imminently target an Air India flight, and airports throughout the country were put on high alert.

The alert has been sounded at major Indian airports, such as Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, according to the Times of India newspaper.   Continue reading “Intel agencies warn terrorists may hijack Air India flight, airports on high alert”

RT

Oklahoma lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban wearing a mask, hood or other types of face covering in the state’s public spaces. If the bill passes, it would join similar bans in other states.

Introduced by the chair of the Oklahoma’s public safety committee, state senator Don Barrington (R), the bill is intended “to deter crime, making it unlawful to wear a mask, hood or covering during the commission of a crime or to intentionally conceal a person’s identity in a public place.” The reasoning behind the bill is to cut down the number of masked robberies and crimes.   Continue reading “Oklahoma lawmakers want to ban hoodies”

RT

As a plane crashed in Kentucky, killing 4 people, a 7-year-old girl managed not only to survive the accident – she walked away from the wreckage and reported the accident to a local resident.

The accident happened when a small Piper PA-34-200T aircraft reported engine trouble and lost contact with air traffic controllers while flying over southwestern Kentucky, the Federal Aviation Administration said.   Continue reading “7yo ‘miracle girl’ walks away from plane crash that killed 4”

Mail.com

CAIRO (AP) — Fifteen years after allegedly helping al-Qaida plot the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Abu Anas al-Libi parked his car on a quiet street in Libya’s capital.

Within moments, soldiers from the U.S. Army’s elite Delta Force forced him at gunpoint into a van and sped away. They’d fly him to a naval ship in the Mediterranean Sea before finally bringing him to New York to stand trial on charges of helping kill 224 people, including a dozen Americans, and wound more than 4,500.   Continue reading “Libyan charged in 1998 US embassy bombings dies”

Mail.com

PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian officials said Saturday that they were confident wreckage of AirAsia Flight 8501 had been located after sonar equipment detected four massive objects on the ocean floor.

The biggest piece, measuring 18 meters (59 feet) long and 5.4 meters (18 feet) wide, appeared to be part of the jet’s body, said Henry Bambang Soelistyo, chief of the National Search and Rescue Agency.   Continue reading “4 large objects detected in AirAsia wreckage hunt”

RT

Former US Senator Mike Gravel has agreed to become the chief executive of a Nevada company that develops and markets cannabis products to states that have legalized both medical and recreational marijuana.

Gravel, who represented Alaska from 1969 to 1981, will head KUSH, a subsidiary of Cannabis Sativa Inc, where Gravel previously sat on the board of directors for nine months, according to the company.   Continue reading “Former US senator to lead new cannabis company, ‘Kush’”

RT

The Central Intelligence Agency has admitted that it was responsible for at least half of reported UFO sightings in the middle of the last century due to its secret, high-altitude reconnaissance flights.

The 1950s and ’60s was an intense period when a number of Americans reported UFO sightings and alien visitations. These sensational events lent cinematic credence to a number of Hollywood space blockbusters, including Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “ET,” and George Lucas’s “Star Wars.”    Continue reading “‘It was us’: CIA ‘fesses up on UFO sightings in 1950-60s”

Mail.com

BRINDISI, Italy (AP) — Wearing gas masks against the smoke, Italian firefighters and investigators boarded the charred Norman Atlantic ferry on Friday and retrieved a data recorder they hope will help them discover what caused a deadly blaze.

But with some parts of the ferry still burning, they emerged hours later to admit they must put off for at least a day the search for any more bodies in the maritime disaster that has already killed 11 people. The team will attempt to go back onboard on Saturday.   Continue reading “Firefighters find black box on still-burning ferry”

Mail.com

HONOLULU (AP) — The United States imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea on Friday, targeting top state officials and defense-related organizations in an attempt to punish North Korea for a crippling cyberattack against Sony. The sanctions marked the first public act of retribution by the U.S.

Although it was unclear how punishing the blow would be — North Korea already is under tough U.S. sanctions — the move signaled that that the U.S. was not backing away from its insistence that North Korea is responsible for the attack against Sony. North Korea has denied involvement, and some cybersecurity experts say it’s possible Pyongyang wasn’t to blame.   Continue reading “US sanctions North Korea over Sony cyberattack”

Mail.com

CREVE COEUR, Mo. (AP) — Fifty-one years ago, Arthur Lampitt of Granite City, Illinois, smashed his 1963 Thunderbird into a truck. This week during surgery in suburban St. Louis, a 7-inch turn signal lever from that T-Bird was removed from his left arm.

Dr. Timothy Lang removed the lever Wednesday during a 45-minute operation. Lampitt, now 75, is recovering at home. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/1EOtGa6 ) reports that the accident broke Lampitt’s hip, drawing attention away from the arm, which healed.   Continue reading “51 years after wreck, 7-inch car part found in arm”

RT

The US government may add the Monarch butterfly to the Endangered Species list following a catastrophic loss of its population over last decades due to habitat decrease from cultivation of genetically engineered crops and climate change.

US Fish and Wildlife Service announced on Monday it would conduct a one-year status review of the Monarch butterfly to determine if they are warranted protection under the Endangered Species Act.    Continue reading “Monarch butterfly may be listed as endangered species after 90% population drop”

RT

Thousands of fireworks and party favors have been snatched up in the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh after local authorities began enforcing a fatwa banning New Year’s Eve celebrations in the country’s sharia-ruled province.

The fatwa was issued by Aceh provinces clerical Ulema Consultative Assembly, which said that wishing someone ‘Merry Christmas’ or celebrating the New Year were forbidden under Sharia or Islamic law.   Continue reading “No New Year’s fun: Indonesian city bans celebrations under Sharia law”