News Updates from CLG
22 March 2015
Previous edition: Secret C.I.A. Fund Adds Millions to al-Qaeda Coffers
Islamic State calls on backers to kill 100 U.S. military personnel | 21 March 2015 | Islamic State has posted online what it says are the names, U.S. addresses and photos of 100 American military service members, and called upon its "brothers residing in America" to kill them. The Pentagon said after the information was posted on the Internet that it was investigating the matter. In the posting, a group referring to itself as the "Islamic State Hacking Division" wrote in English that it had hacked several military servers, databases and emails and made public the information on 100 members of the U.S. military so that "lone wolf" attackers can kill them.
Plane drops of ammunition helping to reinforce ISIS – reports; earlier munitions had English-language markings | 17 March 2015 | The Islamic State is getting outside help [and I think we all know who that is], with plane drops providing ammunition for the terrorist organization, according to an RT Arabic report. Iraqi government soldiers also say this is a recurring theme and the group is as strong as ever…This begs the question: Who is supplying the Islamic State with arms? [US allies] Saudi Arabia and Qatar have both been rumored to be helping to arm the Islamic State – claims which have been repeatedly denied by Riyadh and Doha…There have been unconfirmed reports from the Iranian news agency FARS that Britain and the US could be behind the ammunition drops.
Navy fires commander of strategic air wing; cites investigation and ‘loss of confidence’ | 17 March 2015 | The Navy fired the commander of an organization whose aircraft allow the president and the secretary of defense to directly contact the submarines, bombers and land-based missiles that comprise the nation’s strategic nuclear force. A Navy statement said Capt. Heather E. Cole was relieved of her duties as commander of Strategic Communications Wing 1, based at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, for what it called a "loss of confidence" in her ability to lead. A spokeswoman, Cmdr. Jeannie Groeneveld, said the firing was based on findings of an investigation into her management of the wing.
Obama confirms ‘evaluating options’ after Netanyahu’s ‘no Palestinian state’ pledge | 22 March 2015 | Since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apparently meant what he said in announcing that there would be no Palestinian state on his watch, the White House is re-evaluating its policy towards Israel and seeking other option to avoid chaos in the region, the US President has said. Commenting on the Israeli elections for the first time after PM Netanyahu’s victory, US president Barack Obama made it clear that the US supports the two-state solution in the Israeli conflict despite the PM’s strong pre-election rhetoric. The two-state solution is "the only way for the long-term security of Israel, if it wants to stay both a Jewish state and democratic," US President said in his interview with the Huntington Post.
Binyamin Netanyahu bids to form rightwing Israeli coalition after decisive win |18 March 2015 | Binyamin Netanyahu has begun efforts to assemble a new rightwing coalition to govern Israel after his Likud party scored a decisive victory in the country’s general election. Hours after opposition leader Isaac Herzog conceded defeat on Wednesday morning, Netanyahu called Naftali Bennett, the hard-right pro-settlement leader of the Jewish Home party, to open negotiations over the shape of his new coalition. Speaking on a visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Wednesday afternoon, Netanyahu said he was "thrilled by the heavy responsibility" of his victory.
Syrian air defenses shoot down U.S. drone | 18 March 2015 | On Tuesday, the U.S. military lost contact with an unarmed Predator drone in Syria. Although U.S. officials couldn’t confirm the actual status of the lost drone, Syrian state media reported that it had been shot down by Syrian air defenses. "Syrian air defences brought down a hostile U.S. surveillance plane in the coastal province of Latakia,’ Syrian state news agency SANA said on Tuesday.
US troops withdrawing from Yemen air base | 21 March 2015 | The United States is evacuating its remaining military personnel from Yemen because of the deteriorating security situation, US officials have confirmed. On Saturday, Yemeni officials said about 100 US troops were leaving an air base near a southern city that was stormed by al-Qaeda [al-CIAduh] fighters on Friday. There has been mounting violence by rival armed groups in Yemen, including Houthi rebels, al-Qaeda and IS [thanks to the US].
Suicide bombers kill 137 in Yemen mosque attacks | 20 March 2015 | Suicide bombers killed at least 137 worshippers and wounded hundreds more during Friday prayers at two mosques in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, in coordinated attacks claimed by Islamic State. The attacks on mosques used by supporters of the Shi’ite Muslim Houthi fighters who control the city were the deadliest in a years-long campaign of violence in the country, where Washington has been waging a drone air war against a local branch of the Sunni Muslim militant group al Qaeda [al-CIAduh]. State news agency Saba, which is controlled by the Houthis, put the death toll at 137 and the number of wounded at 357.
Venezuela advert in US press demands Obama rescind ‘national security threat’ –New York Times advert accuses US of trying to ‘govern Venezuela by decree’ | 17 March 2015 | Venezuela’s foreign ministry has demanded President Obama retract an executive order declaring the South American state a threat to US national security in a combative full-page advert published in the New York Times. The advertisement – published under the title: "Letter to the people of the United States: Venezuela is not a threat" – also demands the cancellation of sanctions against seven senior law enforcement and military officials, accused by the US of corruption and human rights violations.
Venezuelans March against Obama Threats –The march coincided with a vote in the Venezuelan Parliament on dealing with Obama’s claims that the South American nation posed a security threat. | 15 March 2015 | Venezuelans took the streets of Caracas Sunday to reject U.S. threats and to support a new law passed to enable President Nicolas Maduro to respond to the latest aggression. Thousands attended the march, which was addressed by President Maduro, who described it as highlighting the unity of the Venezuelan people in the face of such external threats.
W.H.O. Report Links Ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup to Cancer | 20 March 2015 | The world’s most widely-used weed killer can "probably" cause cancer, the World Health Organization said on Friday. The organization’s cancer arm, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, said glyphosate, the active ingredient in the Monsanto herbicide Roundup, was "classified as probably carcinogenic to humans." It also said there was "limited evidence" that glyphosate was carcinogenic in humans for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
52 Congress members sign letter warning of GMOs killing monarch butterflies | 18 March 2015 | Dozens of House Democrats have signed onto a letter sent to President Obama claiming that the spread of GM crops is leading to the death of monarch butterflies. The letter, authored by Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine, says that the butterflies are "in peril of being lost to the history books" in large part because of the "virtual eradication" of milkweed plants from their primary breeding grounds in the Midwest. The milkweed eradication, the letter states, has come primarily from the "widespread spraying of herbicides in agricultural areas" where the plants were once bountiful.