News Updates from CLG
01 October 2015
Previous edition: UK must prepare for war with Russia: Army calls for fleet of battle tanks to take on Putin
13 Killed in Shooting at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College | 01 Oct 2015 | [3:54 pm ET] Thirteen people were dead and more than about 20 others were injured after a gunman opened fire Thursday morning on the campus of Umpqua Community College in southwest Oregon, authorities told NBC News. It wasn’t immediately known whether the gunman was among the dead after the shooting near Roseburg, which was called in at 10:38 a.m. (1:38 p.m. ET), officials said. State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum told NBC News simply that he had been "neutralized." Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg said it was treating nine patients, with three more expected. Sacred Heart General Hospital in Eugene, a major trauma center, told NBC News it was expecting three patients by helicopter. Students and faculty were being bused to the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
Oregon shooting: Reports of 10 dead at Umpqua Community College | 01 Oct 2015 | Preliminary information indicates 10 people were killed and more than 20 others injured in a shooting at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College on Thursday, said Oregon State Police spokesman Bill Fugate. Douglas County Commissioner Chris Boice told CNN that the shooter is in custody. It was not immediately clear whether the shooter was injured. "We arrived to find multiple patients in multiple classrooms. Law enforcement was on scene and had the shooter neutralized," Douglas County Fire Marshal Ray Shoufler told CNN. He said that two patients died while being transported to a hospital.
Ten federal agents and a therapy dog are already en route to Oregon mass-shooting site; Sandy Hook invoked by www.legitgov.org –Student witness: [Alleged] shooter was alive and in handcuffs. [This statement directly contradicts media reports that the shooter was ‘neutralized.’ — Oddity #1]; Law enforcement armed with assault rifles –109 officers on scene –At least one gunman involved –More ATF agents heading to Portland, OR, to boost team *already in place* –Students being ‘patted down’ –Umpqua Community College on lockdown –Canine unit sniffing cars in parking lot for explosives | 01 Oct 2015 | [Wires. This item will be updated.]
Obama authorizes $20mn in ‘non-lethal’ military aid and training for Ukraine regime | 30 Sept 2015 | One day after Ukraine announced that US instructors would start training the country’s special forces, President Obama has authorized the provision of up to 20 million to Ukraine via the State Department to fund training and other similar activities. The announcement of additional funds allocated for the training of Ukrainian troops follows a statement by President [sic] Petro Poroshenko, who said that American instructors will start training Ukrainian special-operations troops [war criminals] this November. "We have agreed that the best US instructors will finally start training the Ukrainian special forces, our special-operations troops, starting from November," Poroshenko said in New York after meeting representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora living in the US.
US military favors keeping troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016 [Yes, the CIA’s poppy fields and opium pipelines need to be managed.] | 30 Sept 2015 | In a potential major shift in policy, U.S. military leaders want to keep at least a few thousand U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016…Keeping any substantial number of troops in Afghanistan beyond next year would mark a sharp departure from President Barack Obama’s existing plan, which would leave only an embassy-based security cooperation presence of about 1,000 military personnel by the end of next year.
Watchdog report finds numerous problems with Pentagon-led $1.6 billion Iraqi army ‘training’ program | 01 Oct 2015 |As the battles to retake the Iraqi cities of Ramadi and Baiji have stalled, the U.S.-led operation to ‘train and assist’ the Iraqi Army is facing its own internal problems, according to a Pentagon Inspector General report released Wednesday. The 48-page report is critical in its observations of the day-to-day workings of Operation Inherent Resolve’s Iraqi train and assist program. The issues involve miscommunication between coalition training personnel and their command, delivery of incomplete equipment, unknown supply warehouse contents and inadequate billeting for Iraqi Army personnel…When the program started in Oct 2014, just a few months after the Iraqi army was routed from Mosul by the Islamic State, approximately 1.6 billion was allocated to help train 12 Iraqi brigades arm and supply I-CIA-SIS.
Putin: Claims that Russian jets killed civilians in Syria emerged before airstrikes started | 01 Oct 2015 | Reports of alleged casualties among civilians caused by Russian airstrikes in Syria emerged even before Russian warplanes were launched for their first combat mission, President Vladimir Putin said, branding such reports ‘information attacks.’ "Other nations have been bombing Syrian territory for over a year," Putin told the Russian human rights council on Thursday, stressing that the US-led coalition invades the Syrian airspace with no UN mandate or invitation from Damascus. "We have such an invitation and we intend to fight against terrorist organizations and them only," Putin added.
Russian Air Force in Syria deploying over 50 planes and choppers – Defense Ministry | 01 Oct 2015 | Russia’s Air Force fleet in Syria includes over 50 warplanes and helicopters, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry said, reporting eight overnight sorties. Previously Russia hadn’t revealed any detail of its contingent in Syria, which started an aerial campaign on Wednesday to help the Syrian Army fight against terrorist troops. The fleet includes the latest Su-24M and Su-25 ground attack planes, he said.
Hurricane Joaquin Upgraded to ‘Extremely Dangerous’ Category 4 Storm | 01 Oct 2015 | As Connecticut dries out from a drought-snuffing drencher, Hurricane Joaquin continues to gather strength as it approaches the Eastern seaboard. Joaquin was upgraded to an "extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane" Thursday afternoon by the National Weather Service. The weather service forecasts Joaquin will batter the Bahamas through Thursday night with "hurricane force winds…storm surges…and heavy rain." Joaquin continues on a projected track that would take it near the U.S. East Coast by the weekend.
Joaquin upgraded to a major category 3 hurricane | 30 Sept 2015 | Hurricane Joaquin continues to strengthen northeast of the Bahamas. As of 8 p.m. Joaquin has sustained winds of 115 mph, making it a category 3 hurricane. It continues to move southwest at 6 mph. Gov. McAuliffe declared a state of emergency for Virginia Wednesday afternoon, followed by the City of Norfolk also declaring a state of emergency.
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Well done, Chris Mintz!