Sunfire, Author at From the Trenches World Report

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North Korea has fired two missiles off its eastern coast, according to the South Korean military. It comes just days after Pyongyang tested what it says were new precision-guided missiles.

“The North fired two missiles into the East Sea (Sea of Japan) at about 5:00 am from the country’s east coast,” a defense ministry spokesman told AFP.

The rockets fired were short-range Scud missiles with a range of about 500 kilometers, Yonhap news agency cited a military official as saying. Continue reading “North Korea fires two missiles off eastern coast”

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California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a bill making alternative currencies, including bitcoin, lawful in the state.

The bill repeals the provision of the old legislation, which banned the use of “anything but the lawful money of the United States.” Continue reading “California governor signs bill legalizing bitcoin”

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Facebook is locked in a legal battle over a court ruling that forced the site to hand over data from almost 400 profiles to authorities. The social media site argues the decision is unconstitutional and violates the Fourth Amendment.

Last summer, a New York court ordered Facebook to release data from the accounts of 381 people, who were suspected of being involved in a disability fraud case. The information included photos, private messages and other data. Continue reading “Facebook fighting against ‘largest ever’ govt data request in court”

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Washington has announced it won’t make or buy any more anti-personnel landmines (APL), but declined to destroy the 3 million units of existing stock. Washington still expects to join the international agreement banning such weapons at some point.

“The United States took the step of declaring it will not produce or otherwise acquire any anti-personnel landmines in the future, including to replace existing stockpiles as they expire,” the White House said in a statement following the declaration of such intent made by the US delegation at the Mine Ban Treaty conference in Mozambique. Continue reading “US vows not to replenish its 3mn anti-personnel landmine stock”

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Authorities in Nebraska have mistakenly freed hundreds of prisoners over several years due to correction officials miscalculating their sentences. Law enforcement is now looking to put dozens of them behind bars again.

All in all, 306 inmates were freed erroneously, a situation first exposed by local media outlet Omaha World-Herald. 257 of them won’t be pursued, on condition that they don’t commit any offenses – because they would have completed their sentences by now. Three others died since they were let go, and five have successfully completed their parole. Continue reading “Nebraska releases hundreds of inmates by mistake, now wants them back”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Libyan militant charged in the 2012 Benghazi attacks was in federal law enforcement custody, the U.S. attorney’s office said Saturday. Security at the capital’s federal courthouse was heightened in anticipation of a possible court appearance by the suspect later in the day.

Spokesman William Miller declined further immediate comment regarding Ahmed Abu Khattala, who faces criminal charges in the deaths of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans from the attack on Sept. 11, 2012. Continue reading “Benghazi suspect in federal law enforcement hands”

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BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi troops backed by helicopter gunships launched an operation early Saturday aimed at dislodging Sunni militants from the northern city of Tikrit, one of two major urban centers they seized in recent weeks in a dramatic blitz across the country.

After watching much of Iraq slip out of government hands, military officials sought to portray the push that began before dawn as a significant step that puts the army back on the offensive. They said the operation includes commandos, tanks and helicopters, as well as pro-government Sunni fighters and Shiite volunteers. Continue reading “Iraq launches push for militant-held northern city”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Citing “significant and chronic system failures” in the nation’s health system for veterans, a review ordered by President Barack Obama portrays the Department of Veterans Affairs as a struggling agency battling a corrosive culture of distrust, lacking in resources and ill-prepared to deal with an influx of new and older veterans with a range of medical and mental health care needs.

The scathing report by deputy White House chief of staff Rob Nabors says the Veterans Health Administration, the VA sub agency that provides health care to about 8.8 million veterans a year, has systematically ignored warnings about its deficiencies and must be fundamentally restructured. Continue reading “Review: VA a struggling agency beset with ills”

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MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s foreign minister on Saturday accused the United States of encouraging Ukraine to challenge Moscow and heavily weighing in on the European Union.

Speaking in televised remarks Saturday, Sergey Lavrov said that “our American colleagues still prefer to push the Ukrainian leadership toward a confrontational path.” He added that chances for settling the Ukrainian crisis would have been higher if it only depended on Russia and Europe. Continue reading “Russia accuses US of fueling Ukrainian crisis”

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The Pentagon has reportedly placed an order for 500 high-tech wearables that will give Google Glass a run for its money.

According to Defense One technology editor Patrick Turner, the United States Department of Defense is acquiring a cache of the state-of-the-art X6 glasses from San Francisco’s Osterhout Design Group that will “give spooks in the field an intelligence edge over everybody else.” Continue reading “Pentagon orders 500 new state-of-the-art spy glasses”

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President Barack Obama has said that tens of thousands of kids illegally migrating from Central America have created a “humanitarian crisis,” and called for parents to stop sending their children north as they might not even reach the US.

“We don’t even know how many of these kids don’t make it, and may have been waylaid into sex trafficking or killed because they fell off a train,” Obama stated in an interview with ABC. Continue reading “Obama tells Central America to stop sending migrant kids”

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The test launch of an Angara space rocket automatically aborted due to “technical issues,” Russian officials said. While the second attempt is scheduled for Saturday, President Putin has ordered the reasons for the launch failure be detailed in one hour.

The would-be historic launch was automatically terminated just few minutes before the countdown, the Defense Ministry declared. “Technical issues” are blamed for the incident, said sources in the Russian space agency Roscosmos. Continue reading “Russia calls off launch of newest space rocket Angara”

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For the first time ever Chinese warships are taking part in the world’s largest naval drills: the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), biannual US-led training of Asia-Pacific regional navies traditionally conducted off the Hawaiian Islands since 1971.

RIMPAC will last for over a month, from June 26 to August 1.

The ongoing drill involves 47 surface ships, six submarines, over 200 aircraft, and 25,000 troops from 22 countries. Continue reading “Chinese Navy near Hawaii: First time participation in US-led RIMPAC drills”

Mail.com

LONDON (AP) — Before the fast, let there be a shopping feast.

From Harrods in Knightsbridge to the glittering diamond stores in Mayfair, London has long attracted big spenders. But every year around the holy month of Ramadan, which starts this weekend, a wave of spectacularly rich Middle Eastern shoppers arrives and takes retail therapy to a whole new level — complete with an entourage of bodyguards, chauffeurs, and Gulf-registered Rolls-Royces and Ferraris flown in just for the occasion. Continue reading “Ramadan rush: Mega-rich shoppers descend on London”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Before a unanimous Supreme Court weighed in, the White House had brushed off claims that President Barack Obama was exceeding his executive authority as just so much grousing from frustrated partisans.

Then, in a 9-0 decision Thursday, the high court ruled that at least in one case Obama had gone too far. For Republicans, the court’s decision that Obama violated the Constitution in 2012 when he appointed members to the National Labor Relations Board without Senate confirmation validated their argument that Obama has acted against the law when he has taken matters into his own hands. Continue reading “Court ruling comes as Obama’s use of power tested”

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The disappearance of a Minnesota mother of seven was just a missing person case when it landed on the desk of Detective Sgt. Lee Hollatz. Seven months later, her body and that of another woman were found stuffed in suitcases along a rural Wisconsin highway, and the former police officer whom Hollatz had long considered his top person of interest is now suspected in their deaths.

Steven M. Zelich is scheduled to appear in court in Wisconsin on Friday afternoon on two counts of hiding a corpse. Authorities say Zelich, a 52-year-old security guard from West Allis, Wisconsin, met his victims online, bound and killed them and kept their bodies for months, either in his vehicle or his home, though he has not yet been charged in their deaths. Continue reading “Ex-cop suspect in deaths of 2 women in suitcases”

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Death row inmates in Oklahoma have filed a new lawsuit against the state, claiming that experiments with lethal injection drugs are causing unnecessary harm and unusually painful deaths for those sentenced for execution.

The federal lawsuit was filed in US District Court by 21 inmates on Wednesday, with their attorneys arguing that attempts to execute prisoners via new and untested lethal injection procedures violate human rights, cause pain, and are unconstitutional. Continue reading “Oklahoma death row inmates sue to stop executions”

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The US House voted on Wednesday to speed up applications for the export of US liquified natural gas. Supporters of the bill cited positive economic impact for the country, as well as potential benefits for its allies.

Thanks to horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (or fracking), the US is currently faced with a significant excess of gas supply. The most recent figures provided by the US Energy Information Agency indicate that natural gas supply in North America could exceed demand by 2016. Continue reading “House votes to expedite US natural gas exports”

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Big Apple residents with big thirsts were victorious Thursday this week when an appeals court in the Empire State said New York City officials lacked the authority to implement a ban against large beverages.

The decision handed down by the state’s Court of Appeals in Albany by way of a 4-2 ruling Thursday morning now means that former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg’s campaign to keep big drinks out of area businesses has officially hit the end of the road. Continue reading “Suck it, nanny state! Court kills NYC soda ban”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday limited the president’s power to fill high-level vacancies with temporary appointments, ruling in favor of Senate Republicans in their partisan clash with President Barack Obama.

The high court’s first case involving the Constitution’s recess appointments clause ended in a unanimous decision holding that Obama’s appointments to the National Labor Relations Board in 2012 without Senate confirmation were illegal. Obama invoked the Constitution’s provision giving the president the power to make temporary appointments when the Senate is in recess. Continue reading “High court rebukes Obama on recess appointments”