Author: Sunfire

RT News

Despite the ability to monitor the Internet and cell phone activities of millions, the National Security Agency says it lacks the technology necessary to sift through its own employees’ personal email accounts, according to a new report.

The claim came in response from a Freedom of Information Act request sent by Justin Elliot, a reporter at Pro Publica seeking to identify to relationship between the NSA and the National Geographic Channel, which has aired what Pro Publica characterized as sympathetic documentaries on the secretive intelligence entity.    Continue reading “NSA claims inability to search agency’s own emails”

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Bitcoin, the virtual currency that has been gaining momentum in recent years, now seems to have reached the dubious milestone of its first Ponzi scheme, following charges filed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission in Texas.

On Tuesday the SEC announced it was charging Trendon Shavers of McKinney, Texas for allegedly defrauding investors he had lured into the Bitcoin market with promises of up to 7% interest per week.    Continue reading “SEC brings charges as first-ever Bitcoin Ponzi scheme unravels”

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Biotech giant Monsanto has been awarded yet another victory by the federal government thanks to a recent Environmental Protection Agency decision to allow larger traces of the herbicide glyphosate in farm-grown foods.

Despite a number of studies linking exposure to the chemical with diseases including types of cancer, the EPA is increasing the amount of glyphosate allowed in oilseed and food crops.  Continue reading “Another win for Monsanto: US raises allowable levels of company’s pesticide in crops”

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Leaked internal data produced by Pakistani officials documenting drone strikes on the ground reveal a high civilian death toll, countering US claims that the targeted assassination campaign results in “exceedingly rare” fatalities.

A 12-page report, titled ‘Details of Attacks by NATO Forces/Predators in FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas)’ describes 75 CIA drone attacks between 2006 and 2009, with death tolls compiled by officials in the turbulent border regions for internal use by the government. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism – a UK news website – says it obtained three identical copies of the classified document from various sources in Pakistan.   Continue reading “At least 1 in 5 drone strike victims a confirmed civilian – leaked Pakistani records”

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Cancer is more common than flu in the Iraqi city of Najaf, a local medic tells RT. While doctors say the government discourages them from talking openly to the press on the disease, local families are scared of having more kids with birth defects.

Rates of leukemia and birth defects “rose dramatically” due to use of depleted uranium by the US military since 2003 invasion.    Continue reading “Depleted uranium used by US forces blamed for birth defects and cancer in Iraq”

Mail.com

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Government troops fired mortar rounds that slammed into a main market in a town in northern Syria on Sunday, killing at least 20 civilians, activist groups said.

The mortar shells struck the town of Ariha, which is held mostly by opposition fighters, a few hours ahead of iftar, the meal that breaks the dawn-to-dusk fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.   Continue reading “Mortar shells hit market in Syria, killing 20”

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Two US fighter jets have dropped four unarmed bombs in Australia’s World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef marine park after a training exercise went wrong.

The AV-8B Harrier jets took off from the aircraft carrier USS Bonhomme Richard and each released an inert bomb and an unarmed explosive bomb off the coast of Queensland, the US 7th Fleet said in a statement on Saturday.   Continue reading “FAIL: US drops unarmed bombs on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef marine park”

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A federal appeals court ruled Friday that New York Times journalist James Risen must testify in the trial of a former Central Intelligence Agency officer accused of leaking classified national defense information to the media.

A lower court ruled previously that Risen could protect the source responsible for sharing intelligence about a CIA operation discussed in his writing, but the US Court of Appeals from the Fourth Circuit reversed that decision Friday morning with a 2-1 vote.   Continue reading “Court rules journalists can’t keep their sources secret”

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Police officers in the state of New Jersey will now require a judge’s signature on a search warrant if they want to obtain the sensitive location details emitted from the cell phones of criminal suspects.

The state Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday in a 7-0 vote that law enforcement agents in New Jersey need warrants in future cases when they want cell phone companies to hand over location data.   Continue reading “New Jersey toughens rules for phone data searches”

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On the heels of a Colorado town’s announcement that it was floating the idea of legalized drone hunting, the Federal Aviation Administration has warned that the practice could result in prosecution and fines.

The small town of Deer Trail, Colorado is currently weighing an ordinance that would grant residents permits to shoot down unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, and even encourage the practice by awarding a $100 bounty to anyone presenting identifiable pieces of a drone that has been shot out of the sky.    Continue reading “FAA warns Colorado town that shooting down drones could lead to prosecution”

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The Obama administration has renewed the authority for the National Security Agency to regularly collect the phone records of millions of Americas as allowed under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

The United States government has reportedly asked the FISA court every 90 days since 2006 to renew an order that compels the nation’s telecommunication providers to hand over telephony metadata pertaining to millions of US citizens. The program has been conducted in near total secrecy, however, until NSA leaker Edward Snowden released top-secret documentation to the Guardian newspaper which caused an international backlash upon being published last month.   Continue reading “FISA court renews NSA surveillance program”

Mail.com

BEIJING (AP) — A man in a wheelchair who was airing grievances set off a homemade bomb in a crowded terminal at Beijing’s main airport on Saturday evening, injuring himself but no one else, Chinese state media and witnesses said.

Order was quickly restored and no flights were affected by the explosion at the airport’s main international terminal, state-run China Central Television said on its microblog. The official Xinhua News Agency said a wheel-chaired Chinese man set off the device outside the arrivals exit of Terminal 3 at Beijing Capital International Airport at around 6:24 p.m. It said the man was being treated for injuries, but that no one else was hurt in the explosion.   Continue reading “Bomb detonated at Beijing airport; 1 injured”

Mail.com

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The U.S. Marine Corps released a sergeant Friday whose murder conviction was overturned in a major blow to the military’s prosecution of Iraq war crimes.

Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III, of Plymouth, Mass., walked out of the brig at the Marine Corps Miramar Air Station in San Diego after having served more than half of his 11-year sentence. “The emotions I am feeling right now are hard to describe,” Hutchins said in a statement issued through his attorney. “I am overcome. This is all I ever wanted.”   Continue reading “Marine ordered freed in Iraq war crime case”

RT News

The FBI has ordered a Florida medical examiner’s office not to release the autopsy report of a Chechen man who was killed during an FBI interview in May over his ties to one of the suspected Boston Marathon bombers.

The autopsy report for Ibragim Todashev, 27, killed by an FBI agent during an interrogation which took place in his apartment on May 22 was ready for release on July 8. However, the FBI barred its publication, saying an internal probe into his death is ongoing.    Continue reading “FBI withholds autopsy of Tsarnaev associate ‘shot in head’ during questioning”

RT News

The Army and the FBI have detected radiation in a former nuclear weapons bunker in Texas and have launched an investigation to determine the extent of the contamination. About 30 people who work in the bunker are undergoing radiation tests.

Investigators have discovered radiation at a former nuclear weapons bunker at Fort Bliss, Texas. The above-ground concrete bunker sits in a desert area and is covered in dirt. A sign posted at its entrance warns of radiation danger inside the former weapons storage facility.   Continue reading “Army fights to contain radiation in Fort Bliss military base”

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A United States military drone presumed to be a QF-4 crashed, exploded and sent up a large black cloud of smoke Wednesday morning at Tyndall Air Force Base.

Local news outlets from the Florida panhandle region reported Wednesday morning that an unmanned aerial vehicle crashed on the drone runway at Tyndall AFB during take-off at 8:20 a.m. EST that morning.   Continue reading “Air Force drone crashes and explodes in Florida, shutting down highway”

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The American Civil Liberties Union has released documents confirming that police license plate readers capture vast amounts of data on innocent people, and in many instances this intelligence is kept forever.

According to documents obtained through a number of Freedom of Information Act requests filed by ACLU offices across the United States, law enforcement agencies are tracking the whereabouts of innocent persons en masse by utilizing a still up-and-coming technology.   Continue reading “‘You are being tracked’: ACLU reveals docs of mass license plate reader surveillance”

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The US has expanded negotiations with Manila and is seeking to build facilities and storage sites in the Philippines, as well as gain greater access to bases for its aircraft and warships. Bases the US is considering are all facing the South China Sea.

Talks for greater US military presence in the South China Sea comes as the territorial dispute between China and the Philippines is heating up. Since February, the Philippine military has complained that Chinese navy and government vessels have increased their presence in the disputed area.   Continue reading “US to get wider access to South China Sea for military warships and aircraft”

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Search engine Yahoo has won a court case to release NSA records and potentially prove it resisted handing over customer data to US authorities. The ruling could clear Yahoo’s name following allegations it collaborated with the NSA to spy on citizens.

The US Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Court ruled that data, pertaining to a 2008 order for Yahoo to hand over customer information to US authorities, should be revealed.    Continue reading “Yahoo wins lawsuit to declassify docs proving resistance to PRISM”

Mail.com

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — Doctors are looking into the mystery of a Florida man who awoke speaking only Swedish, with no memory of his past, after he was found unconscious four months ago at a Southern California motel.

Michael Boatwright, 61, woke up with amnesia, calling himself Johan Ek, The Desert Sun reported (http://mydesert.co/145PNGw ). Boatwright was found unconscious in a Motel 6 room in Palm Springs in February. After police arrived, he was transported to the Desert Regional Medical Center where he woke up.   Continue reading “Man found in California motel awakens with amnesia”