Author: Sunfire

RT News

Lawyers for accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev have petitioned Massachusetts to move the trial out of state, claiming the juror pool in Boston is already biased against their client.

The defense team asked a Massachusetts court Wednesday to have Tsarnaev tried in Washington, DC instead of Boston, citing “an overwhelming presumption of guilt in the District of Massachusetts.”   Continue reading “Lawyers ask to move trial of Boston Marathon bomber to Washington, DC”

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An 89-year-old Czechoslovakian immigrant was arrested by federal officials in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Wednesday to face charges related to allegations that he worked for the Nazis at concentration camps during World War II.

The New York Times wrote on Wednesday that the case against Johann Breyer of Philly could very well be the last legal battle involving an accused Nazi to ever be held on US soil.   Continue reading “Last Nazi on trial? US authorities arrest suspected 89-year-old death camp guard”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The deteriorating situation in Iraq is giving Congress pause about President Barack Obama’s plan to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2016, with fears that hard-fought gains could be wiped out by a resurgent Taliban.

Senior Obama administration officials insist Afghanistan is not Iraq, with a population far more receptive to a continued U.S. presence and the promise of a new unity government. But the officials could offer no assurances that Afghanistan won’t devolve into chaos after Americans leave, as Iraq has.   Continue reading “Iraq crisis stirs fears Afghanistan could be next”

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PHOENIX (AP) — A teacher at an Arizona prison was alone in a room full of sex offenders before being stabbed and sexually assaulted by a convicted rapist, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press about an attack that highlighted major security lapses at the facility.

The attack occurred Jan. 30 at the Eyman prison’s Meadows Unit, which houses about 1,300 rapists, child molesters and other sex offenders. The teacher was administering a high school equivalency test to about a half-dozen inmates in a classroom with no guard nearby and only a radio to summon help. The Department of Corrections issued only a bare-bones press release after the attack, but the AP pieced together what happened based on interviews and investigatory reports obtained under the Arizona Public Records Act.   Continue reading “Left alone with a sex offender, a teacher is raped”

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TENINO, Wash. (AP) — A deadly blast at a fireworks plant in Washington state came as workers were preparing shells for shipping, an Entertainment Fireworks official says.

The company produces professional fireworks shows around the region, Ken Julian, company operations vice president, said in a statement. After the explosion Wednesday morning, a 75-year-old man died of his injuries while awaiting an airlift to a regional trauma center.   Continue reading “ATF, Wash. investigate fatal fireworks explosion”

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BAGHDAD (AP) — Sunni militants hung their black banners on watchtowers at Iraq’s largest oil refinery, a witness said Thursday, suggesting an ever-increasing stranglehold on the vital facility by insurgents who have seized vast territories across the country’s north. A top Iraqi security official and a militant fighting for control of the plant said the government still held it.

The fighting at Beiji, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad, comes as Iraq has asked the U.S. for airstrikes targeting the militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. While U.S. President Barack Obama has not fully ruled out the possibility of launching airstrikes, such action is not imminent in part because intelligence agencies have been unable to identify clear targets on the ground, officials said.   Continue reading “Militants fly their black flags over Iraq refinery”

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — With Florida carrying out the nation’s third execution in less than 24 hours, some death penalty states — particularly in the South — appear unfazed by the recent furor over how the U.S. performs lethal injections.

A botched execution seven weeks ago in Oklahoma amplified a national debate about the secretive ways many states obtain lethal injection drugs from loosely regulated compounding pharmacies. Before Tuesday, nine executions were stayed or delayed — albeit some for reasons not related to the drug question.   Continue reading “Concerns aside, executions persist in some states”

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Following the capture of the suspected ringleader behind the 2012 attacks on the American consulate in Benghazi, the Libyan government has criticized the United States for the raid and demanded the return of the suspect.

In what marked the country’s first official comments on the American operation, Libya’s government said that any trial regarding the alleged crimes of Ahmed Abu Khattala, whose apprehension was announced on Tuesday, should take place in Libya and within its court system.   Continue reading “Libya demands return of Benghazi suspect, slams US raid as attack on sovereignty”

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Entrepreneur and inventor Elon Musk has some travel suggestions that are out of this world. The SpaceX CEO known as the brains behind the Tesla electric car says he wants to take humans to Mars during the next decade.

Speaking to CNBC this week, the South African-born billionaire said that his main goal at this moment is to perfect technology that would make space travel possible in the not-so-distant future.   Continue reading “Elon Musk plans to take people to Mars within 10 years”

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In what could be a tragic case of child abuse, police have officially charged a New York state mother with deliberately and fatally poisoning her young child in order to garner sympathy and attention online.

For various reasons, ranging from ear infections and high fevers to mysterious spikes in sodium levels, five-year-old Garnett Spears was in and out of hospitals ever since he was born. Although doctors were generally at a loss as to why – the boy also had trouble gaining weight and, as a result, had a feeding tube put in place – police now believe they know what was behind at least some of the problems: his mother.   Continue reading “Mommy blogger accused of poisoning son to boost web traffic”

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The F-bomb that Mayor Eric Garcetti dropped on Los Angeles this week has quickly mushroomed into a conundrum over just what a politician can get away with saying in public these days.

Presiding over a rally honoring the Los Angeles Kings for winning hockey’s Stanley Cup, Garcetti reminded everyone there are two things an elected official should never do in public: Appear with a drink in hand or let loose with a four-letter word.   Continue reading “LA mayor’s F-bomb blows up worries about bad words”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Your money or your life?

Sovaldi, a new pill for hepatitis C, cures the liver-wasting disease in 9 of 10 patients, but treatment can cost more than $90,000. Leading medical societies recommend the drug as a first-line treatment, and patients are clamoring for it. But insurance companies and state Medicaid programs are gagging on the price. In Oregon, officials propose to limit how many low-income patients can get Sovaldi.   Continue reading “$1,000-a-pill Sovaldi jolts US health care system”

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DENVER (AP) — A Colorado prosecutor said he’s frustrated that the state’s “Make My Day” law prevents him from charging a man who killed an acquaintance during a drunken brawl that spilled into his home, becoming the latest test to self-defense gun laws nationwide.

The New Year’s Day shooting involving “foolish, drunken children” likely was not what lawmakers had in mind when they adopted Colorado’s law, Mesa County District Attorney Pete Hautzinger said. It protects homeowners from prosecution for using deadly force when someone illegally enters their home and there’s reason to believe that person will commit a crime.   Continue reading “Deadly brawl is latest test of self-defense laws”

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A fast-moving wildfire near the Arizona-New Mexico border grew Tuesday as it approached two communities and threatened traditional grazing lands on the Navajo Nation, where sheep are a staple of life, their wool is prized for its use in rugs, and mutton is on the menu of restaurants throughout the region.

The Assayii Lake Fire ballooned to more than 19 square miles in less than two days while making its way across winter and summer grazing lands in the Chuska Mountains. The flames destroyed at least four structures and threatened about 50 homes near the rural communities of Naschitti and Sheep Springs, fire officials said.   Continue reading “Navajo Nation wildfire threatens homes, livestock”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The prospect of the U.S. military returning to the fight in Iraq has turned congressional hawks into doves.

Lawmakers who eagerly voted to authorize military force 12 years ago to oust Saddam Hussein and destroy weapons of mass destruction that were never found now harbor doubts that air strikes will turn back insurgents threatening Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government and Baghdad.   Continue reading “Prospect of new Iraq fight turns hawks into doves”

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CAIRO (AP) — The Libyan militant suspected in the deadly Sept. 11, 2012 attack on Americans in Benghazi was not a difficult man to find.

Ahmed Abu Khattala lived openly and freely in the restive eastern Libyan city — seen at cafes and in public places — even after the U.S. administration named him and another militant as suspects in the attack two years ago that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya.   Continue reading “Nabbed Libyan militant lived openly in Benghazi”

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NEW YORK (AP) — A 1-cent postage stamp from a 19th century British colony in South America has become the world’s most valuable stamp — again.

The 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta sold Tuesday at auction in New York for $9.5 million, Sotheby’s said. It was the fourth time the stamp has broken the auction record for a single stamp in its long history.

The stamp was expected to bring between $10 million and $20 million. Sotheby’s said the buyer wished to remain anonymous. The price included the buyer’s premium. David Redden, Sotheby’s vice chairman, called the sale “a truly great moment for the world of stamp collecting.”   Continue reading “Rare stamp sets record at NYC auction”

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United Launch Alliance (ULA), the US joint venture providing space launch services in the US, has signed a number of contracts to find a replacement for the Russian-made RD-180 rocket engine, which is used in the Atlas family of rockets.

The announcement came after SpaceX, ULA’s competitor, sued the United States Air Force (USAF) to challenge what the firm’s CEO Elon Musk called a ULA monopoly. The USAF awarded ULA a contract for 36 launches at a value of $9.5 billion.   Continue reading “Multiple contracts: US firm scrambles to replace Russian-made engine for Atlas rockets”