Author: Sunfire

RT

A new rapid reaction force, likely numbering at least 4,000 and ready to be deployed within 48 hours, will be created in Eastern Europe, after a decision by the 28 NATO member states following a conference in Wales.

“This is a demonstration of our solidarity and resolve,” said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen as the summit, largely dedicated to Ukraine, and attended by the country’s President Petro Poroshenko, wrapped up.   Continue reading “At least 4,000 troops: NATO approves new E. Europe-based spearhead force”

RT

An Oregon gun manufacturer is blaming the Obama administration for blocking its ability to process orders for parts. This is despite the fact that it claims to have done nothing wrong.

Specifically, Calico Light Weapons Systems is pointing the finger at “Operation Choke Point” – a Justice Department initiative rolled out in 2013 intended to crack down on companies involved in fraud or money laundering and obstruct their access to banks.   Continue reading “Gun maker blames Obama administration for blocking sales”

Mail.com

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A doctor who became infected with Ebola while working in Liberia — the third American aid worker sickened with the virus — arrived Friday at a Nebraska hospital for treatment.

Officials at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha have said Dr. Rick Sacra, 51, will be treated at the hospital’s 10-bed special isolation unit, the largest of four such units in the U.S. Sacra, a doctor from suburban Boston who spent 15 years working at the Liberia hospital where he fell ill, felt compelled to return after hearing that two other missionaries were sick. Sacra delivered babies at the hospital, but was not involved in the treatment of Ebola patients, so it’s unclear how he became infected with the virus that has killed about 1,900 people.   Continue reading “US doctor infected with Ebola arrives in Nebraska”

Mail.com

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon was flying out of St. Louis around noon on Aug. 9, about the same time as a white policeman was fatally shooting an unarmed black 18-year-old a couple of miles from where Nixon had just delivered a college commencement speech.

By the next night, rioting and looting had erupted in Ferguson, where Michael Brown was killed. Since then, questions have been raised about whether the governor should have responded faster to an increasingly chaotic and racially tense situation that focused the eyes of the nation on the St. Louis suburb.   Continue reading “Records: Gov. Nixon kept routine after shooting”

Mail.com

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — New procedures to improve Oklahoma’s execution process must be implemented before the state resumes putting prisoners to death by lethal injection, Gov. Mary Fallin said after investigators presented their findings about an April case in which the inmate writhed and moaned on the gurney.

In its report released Thursday about the troubled April 29 execution of Clayton Lockett — who was declared dead 43 minutes after his execution began — the state Department of Public Safety made 11 recommendations include more training for medical personnel and having additional supplies of lethal drugs and equipment on hand.   Continue reading “Oklahoma governor: No executions without new rules”

Mail.com

ATLANTA (AP) — More than two months after his son’s death in a hot car, a Georgia man who prosecutors say sat in his office exchanging nude photos with women while his son languished for hours was charged with murder on Thursday.

A Cobb County grand jury indicted Justin Ross Harris on multiple charges, including malice murder, felony murder and cruelty to children. The malice murder charge indicates that prosecutors intend to prove Harris intentionally left his son Cooper in the hot car to die.   Continue reading “Dad in Georgia hot car death charged with murder”

Mail.com

NEWPORT, Wales (AP) — NATO leaders grappled Thursday with whether the alliance has a role in containing a mounting militant threat in the Middle East, as heads of state converged in Wales for a high-stakes summit also focused on the crisis in Ukraine and next steps in Afghanistan.

President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron declared that their nations would “not be cowed” by extremists from the Islamic State group who have claimed responsibility for killing two American journalists. They also challenged NATO to not turn inward in the face of the threat.   Continue reading “Leaders: US, UK will ‘not be cowed’ by militants”

RT

Fast food workers from around 150 cities across the United States went on strike early Thursday in an effort to secure higher wages and the right to join a union.

At least 19 demonstrators were arrested Thursday morning in New York City’s Times Square, police told the Daily News, with similar results being reported out of Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Indianapolis and elsewhere as employees at eateries from coast-to-coast rally for an industry minimum wage of $15 and the ability to unionize.   Continue reading “Fast food worker strike begins with arrests nationwide”

Mail.com

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — After walking out of prison for the first time in three decades, former death row inmate Henry McCollum tried to climb into his father’s car but put his head through the loop of the seatbelt that is supposed to cross his chest. A TV cameraman showed him how it works.

The safety gear isn’t all that’s changed since the 50-year-old McCollum and his younger half brother were sent away for a 1983 rape and killing that new DNA evidence shows they likely did not commit. McCollum has never accessed the Internet or owned a cellphone. And he looked ill at ease Wednesday in a tie and white dress shirt, the collar at least an inch too large, shedding the red jumpsuit he wore in his cell. His relief was obvious, though.   Continue reading “NC inmate to adjust to life outside after 30 years”

Mail.com

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The intravenous line inserted into the groin of an Oklahoma inmate who writhed and groaned before dying 43 minutes after his execution began was not properly monitored, according to a state review released Thursday, which also recommended more training for prison officials and medical personnel.

Clayton Lockett’s troubled execution on April 29 prompted Gov. Mary Fallin to halt all upcoming executions until a review she’d ordered was completed. The review, released by the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, cited problems with Lockett’s IV line, which caused swelling the size of a golf ball.   Continue reading “Problems with IV line affected Okla. execution”

RT

US President Barack Obama on Tuesday authorized the deployment of an additional 350 American troops to Iraq, where they will be charged with protecting US diplomats and facilitates in Baghdad.

According to Reuters, Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said the deployment means that 820 American military troops will be operating in Iraq as part of the US effort to beef up diplomatic security against Islamic State militants.   Continue reading “Obama orders 350 additional troops to Iraq”

RT

More than a dozen “fake cell phone towers” could be secretly hijacking Americans’ mobile devices in order to listen in on phone calls or snoop on text messages, a security-focused cell phone company claims. It is not clear who controls the devices.

ESD America, which markets heavily-encrypted cell phones built within the body of a Samsung Galaxy S3, said it was able to locate numerous towers intercepting mobile communications – but does not know who is running them.   Continue reading “Fake cell phone ‘towers’ may be spying on Americans’ calls, texts”

RT

If the massive supervolcano at Yellowstone National Park erupted again, scientists believe it would blanket much of the United States in ash and potentially sever communication as well as travel between the country’s coasts.

According to a new study published by the US Geological Survey, cities about 300 miles away from the volcano’s location in Wyoming would be covered in up to three feet of ash as a result of a supereruption, the largest kind of volcanic eruption possible. More than 240 cubic miles of material would be expelled into the atmosphere, reaching cities like New York and Los Angeles on both sides of the United States.   Continue reading “Yellowstone supervolcano eruption would be disastrous for entire US – study”

Mail.com

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A 15-year-old Indianapolis girl whose burned body was found over the weekend was likely abducted and killed by someone she didn’t know, police and family members said Tuesday.

Dominique Allen’s death was a homicide resulting from asphyxiation, Marion County Chief Deputy Coroner Alfarena Ballew ruled Tuesday. A man walking his dog found Allen’s body in his backyard on the city’s near northwest side Sunday, police said.   Continue reading “Police: Death of teen whose body burned was random”

Mail.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Thirty-two teens “overwhelmed” their minders and escaped from a juvenile detention center by crawling under a weak spot in a fence, a state government spokesman said. Hours later Tuesday, eight were still on the run.

Police caught up with some walking along roads or coming out of the woods. Some turned themselves in. And some were swiftly delivered back to the detention center by their own families, concerned about what other trouble they might face on the outside.   Continue reading “32 teens escape from Nashville detention center”

Mail.com

WALDO, Fla. (AP) — The north Florida town of Waldo has long had a reputation as a speed trap, and it’s no wonder. A small segment of highway that runs through Waldo requires drivers to speed up and slow down six times: 65 mph becomes 55 mph; 55 becomes 45; then goes back to 55; then back down to 45; to 55 again and eventually, 35 mph.

AAA named the tiny town between Jacksonville and Gainesville one of only two “traffic traps” nationwide and even placed an attention-getting billboard outside the limits of the town to warn drivers to slow down before entering.   Continue reading “Infamous speed trap town investigated over tickets”

RT

Hundreds of US fast food workers from MacDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and KFC are planning a big protest on Thursday in an effort to boost the minimum wage to $15 per hour. The rally will include acts of civil disobedience.

The rally was announced by Fight For 15, a union of fast food and retail workers, which is seeking a $15/hour living wage.   Continue reading “#FightFor15: Fast food workers to strike for higher wages across US”

RT

A “ghost ship” oil tanker carrying approximately $100 million of disputed Iraqi Kurdish crude oil has reappeared on satellite imagery near the US coast Monday, after disappearing for several days. The tanker seems not to have offloaded its oil.

According to the US Coast Guard and Reuters, the tanker, United Kalavrvta, is still 95 percent full and has not yet unloaded its cargo. The vessel was anchored Monday in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area, close to its previously known position.   Continue reading “Kurdish ‘ghost’ oil tanker reemerges near Texas – with $100mn cargo”

RT

Cuba’s former president Fidel Castro compared NATO’s recent statements to that of Nazi SS and accused US and its allies of igniting conflicts abroad. Castro slammed John McCain for backing Israel and accused both of being involved in the creation of ISIS.

Apparently referring to the pressure the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has been trying to exert on Moscow in connection with the Ukrainian crisis, which coincides with calls for the ramping up of military budgets of NATO member countries, Cuba’s iconic leader accused Western politicians of hypocrisy and aggression.   Continue reading “Castro compares NATO to Nazi SS, slams US, Israel for ‘creating ISIS’”