Author: Sunfire

Mail.com

BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of an al-Qaida-linked group that carried out attacks across the Middle East before shifting its focus to Syria’s civil war died on Saturday while in custody in Lebanon, the army said.

In a short statement, the Lebanese army said Majid al-Majid “died this morning while undergoing treatment at the central military hospital after his health deteriorated.” It did not elaborate. Earlier, a Lebanese army general told The Associated Press that al-Majid died after suffering kidney failure. He was speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. State-run National News Agency said al-Majid died “after his health conditions deteriorated.”   Continue reading “Senior al-Qaida figure dies in custody in Lebanon”

Mail.com

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Sometime this year, Florida will surpass New York in population, becoming the nation’s third-most populous state, and sun-seeking seniors are not driving the growth.

The milestone is validation of the increasing influence of the Sunshine State as it approaches being home to 20 million residents. Once Florida passes New York, only California and Texas will have more people.   Continue reading “Florida to pass New York State’s population”

Mail.com

BAGHDAD (AP) — Two Iraqi cities that were strongholds of Sunni insurgents during the U.S. war in the country are battlegrounds once more after al-Qaida militants largely took them over, fending off government forces that have been besieging them for days.

The overrunning of the cities this week by al-Qaida’s Iraqi branch in the Sunni heartland of western Anbar provinces is a blow to the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Malik. His government has been struggling to contain discontent among the Sunni minority over Shiite political domination that has flared into increased violence for the past year.   Continue reading “Al-Qaida sweep in Iraq cities revives battleground”

Mail.com

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho will take over the operation of its largest prison from one of the nation’s biggest corrections contractors, abruptly ending an experiment with privatization at a facility that has been plagued by understaffing, multiple lawsuits and allegations of contract fraud.

The state is expected to begin running the 2,080-bed Idaho Correctional Center, located just outside Boise, over the next several months, as its $29 million-a-year contract with the Corrections Corporation of America expires on June 30. Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter made the announcement Friday, saying he is advising the state Board of Correction to shift focus from finding a new contractor to assuming control of the facility.   Continue reading “Idaho to take over troubled privately-run prison”

Mail.com

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The weather warnings are dire: Life threatening wind chills. Historic cold outbreak.

Winter is normally cold, but starting Sunday tundra-like temperatures are poised to deliver a rare and potentially dangerous sledgehammer blow to much of the Midwest, driving temperatures so far below zero that records will shatter.   Continue reading “‘Polar vortex’ to blast frigid air over much of US”

RT News

The National Security Agency is reportedly building a ‘quantum computer’ capable of breaking encryption used to protect the most vital records around the world.

The US spy agency is seeking an advanced-speed,“cryptologically useful quantum computer” that can bypass encryption that currently shields global banking, business, medical and government records.   Continue reading “NSA building a ‘quantum computer’ capable of breaking all forms of encryption”

Mail.com

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The FBI said Thursday a fire at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco was ignited in front of the building, leading to an arson investigation and calls from the Chinese government for better protection of diplomats in the U.S.

No one was hurt in the fire Wednesday night fire that charred the building’s doorway, damaged the lobby and burned upward toward the roof. FBI spokesman Peter Lee said the blaze was caused by an “incendiary device,” but didn’t specify what it was. No bomb-making materials were found, and there were no traces of an explosion, he said.   Continue reading “FBI: SF Chinese Consulate fire set intentionally”

Mail.com

BEIRUT (AP) — An explosion tore through a crowded commercial street Thursday in a south Beirut neighborhood that is bastion of support for the Shiite group Hezbollah, killing at least five people, setting cars ablaze and sending a column of black smoke above the Beirut skyline.

The nature of the blast that hit during rush hour in the Haret Hreik neighborhood was not immediately clear, but a Lebanese security official said it appeared to be caused by a car bomb. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.   Continue reading “Blast in Hezbollah-run area of Beirut kills 5”

RT News

Millions of US and Canadian users of popular photo sharing app Snapchat had their phone numbers and usernames exposed online after the data was captured by anonymous hackers. The leak comes months after Snapchat was warned of a major security hole.

The New Year may have only just started, but for Snapchat developers it has already been marked by the greatest security fail in the mobile app’s history.    Continue reading “4.6 million Snapchat photo app usernames, phone numbers leaked”

RT News

Syrian computer hacker conglomerate, the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA), has kicked off the New Year with a number of cyber-attacks, compromising Skype’s Twitter, Facebook accounts, and its official blog.

Social media accounts belonging to Skype, Microsoft’s voice-over-IP service, were hacked around 19:30 GMT. SEA posted on Skype’s Twitter account a rogue message saying “Stop spying on people! via Syrian Electronic Army.” The hacker group also urged people not to use Microsoft accounts because the company is “selling the data to the governments.”   Continue reading “‘Stop spying on people!’: Syrian Electronic Army hacks Skype”

RT News

The US has been voted as the most significant threat to world peace in a survey across 68 different countries. Anti-American sentiment was not only recorded in antagonistic countries, but also in many allied NATO partners like Turkey and Greece.

A global survey conducted by the Worldwide Independent Network and Gallup at the end of 2013 revealed strong animosity towards the US’s role as the world’s policeman. Citizens across over 60 nations were asked: “Which country do you think is the greatest threat to peace in the world today?”   Continue reading “US the biggest threat to world peace in 2013 – poll”

RT News

An 85-year-old Palestinian man died after inhaling teargas used by Israeli forces during their clashes with Palestinian youths, who were celebrating the anniversary of Fatah, eyewitnesses told Reuters.

Saeed Jaser Ali died on Thursday in hospital, where he was taken after an Israeli gas canister landed a day earlier in his house in the village of Kufr Qaddoum near Nablus in the northern West Bank.   Continue reading “85yo Palestinian man dies after ‘Israeli teargas canister landed in his home’”

Mail.com

HOUSTON (AP) — Former first lady Barbara Bush remains hospitalized with a respiratory-related issue, but her condition hasn’t changed, a spokesman for her husband’s office said Wednesday.

Bush, 88, was admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital on Monday, though it wasn’t announced until former President George H.W. Bush’s office released a statement Tuesday night. “She is in great spirits, has already received visits from her husband and family, and is receiving fantastic care,” the statement read, promising to provide updates as warranted.   Continue reading “Barbara Bush remains hospitalized in Houston”

RT News

For the first time in history, all three branches of American government are complicit in violating the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution by facilitating illegal surveillance, Ray McGovern, a former CIA officer, told RT.

The persecution-induced suicide of online activist Aaron Swartz, the sentencing of US Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning and the Edward Snowden asylum saga have all made 2013 the year that saw a clampdown on whistleblowers. Yet the US government’s efforts to stifle this kind of activity will hardly stop the new tech-savvy generation from leaking sensitive data, McGovern believes, describing whistleblowing as “unstoppable.”    Continue reading “NSA stands for ‘No Such Amendment’: Intelligence agency violates US Constitution”

RT News

United States Customs and Border Patrol is under fire after a new report revealed that officials there confiscated nearly a dozen homemade instruments from a Canadian man and proceeded to destroy them.

Canadian-born flute player Boujemaa Razgui was flying from Marrakech, Morocco back home to New York when Customs officials at John F. Kennedy International Airport asked to see the instruments he had on hand. Razgui was carrying 11 instruments with him at the time, each of which was built himself and corresponded to varying sets of musical pieces.   Continue reading “TSA agents reportedly destroyed Canadian man’s 11 homemade instruments”

RT News

In a move that could potentially affect millions of American businesses and individuals alike, Congress is allowing billions of dollars in tax breaks to expire at the end of the year – and no one really knows why.

According to the Associated Press, Congress lets this set of 55 popular tax breaks expire almost every year, only to ultimately renew them retroactively so that Americans can still benefit when their tax returns are filed.   Continue reading “Billions in tax breaks expired at midnight”

RT News

A US federal judge has reaffirmed an Obama administration policy granting officials the authority to search Americans’ laptops, citing a controversial premise that makes citizens within 100 miles of the border eligible for a police check.

District Judge Edward Korman made his ruling in New York on Tuesday, more than three years after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit. The ACLU claimed that – since Americans put so much of their lives on their computers, cell phones, and other devices – border officials should have reasonable suspicion before sifting through someone’s personal files.   Continue reading “Constitution ‘exemption’ zone spans 100 miles inland of US border– judge”

RT News

In response to rapidly dwindling global honey bee populations – vital in pollinating a third of the world’s crops – environmental and food safety groups have sued the EPA for approving bee-ravaging pesticides despite damning evidence of their effects.

The Center for Food Safety filed in mid-December a legal brief in support of a lawsuit backed by many organizations that seeks a reversal of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) May decision to approve sulfoxaflor – a type of insecticide chemical known as a neonicotinoid that is associated with mass death among bee populations worldwide.   Continue reading “US govt’s wanton approval of harmful pesticides fueling ‘bee holocaust’ – lawsuit”

RT News

Reported sexual assaults in the US military increased by over 50 percent in 2013, new data reveals. The boost punctuates a year filled with damning disclosures of a culture that has failed to protect the enlisted from systemic levels of sexual violence.

Data obtained by AP shows there were more than 5,000 sexual assault reports during the 2013 fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30. By contrast, there were 3,374 incidents reported in 2012.   Continue reading “Reported sexual assaults in US military jumped by 50% in 2013”