News Updates from CLG
26 January 2016
Air Force officials won’t say whether radioactive material was released when Minuteman III nuclear missile was damaged: Nuclear missile ‘mishap’ costs Air Force $1.8M —Air Force officials did not specifically address whether radioactive material was released when the missile was damaged. | 24 Jan 2016 | Three U.S. Air Force airmen were stripped of their nuclear certifications after a “mishap” caused approximately 1.8 million in damage to an intercontinental ballistic missile in 2014, officials said Friday. The incident occurred when the Minuteman III nuclear missile, assigned to the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, became “non-operational” during a diagnostic test, according to a statement released by the Air Force…Further details about the nature of the “mishap” are murky, as the full report from the military’s Accident Investigation Board remains classified.
Islamic State video purports to show Paris attackers, threatens Britain | 25 Jan 2016 | A video published on Sunday by the media centre of Islamic State [Langley, Virginia?] purported to show images and last statements of nine of the people who took part in the Paris attacks that killed 130 people on Nov. 13. Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the footage, which showed the men delivering anti-Western diatribes and concluded with an apparent threat to attack Britain. The French Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the video.
Plane Diverted to Ireland After Bomb Threat | 24 Jan 2016 | A Turkish Airlines flight from Texas has been diverted to Shannon, Ireland, after a handwritten bomb threat. The Boeing 777, which had been heading to Istanbul, landed and all 209 passengers got off safely, a Shannon airport spokesman said…The Irish Times reported that flight TK-34 departed Houston at 9.07pm local time on Saturday (4.07am Irish time Sunday).
FBI Stages Weapons Purchase, Then Arrests Milwaukee Man for Allegedly Planning Temple Attack | 26 Jan 2016 | A Milwaukee man was arrested Tuesday on charges that he sought machine guns in order to carry out a terror attack on a Masonic temple, federal prosecutors said. Samy Mohamed Hamzeh, 23, was charged with unlawfully possessing a machine gun and unlawfully receiving and possessing firearms not registered to him. Hamzeh allegedly told two informants working with the FBI last week that the three should carry out an attack on a Masonic temple using machine guns equipped with silencers…The FBI set up a fake buy Monday and arrested Hamzeh after he paid for two fully automatic guns and one silencer, the FBI said.
Sydney teenager arrested over allegedly collecting documents linked to terrorism | 26 Jan 2016 | An 18-year-old Sydney man has been charged with three counts of collecting documents likely to facilitate terrorist acts. The NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team arrested Sameh Bayda, of Guildford, late yesterday and his bail has been refused, police said. When Bayda appeared in Parramatta Court today, police alleged that in December and January he collected images of documents likely to be used for a terrorist attack.
Denmark passes tough migrant law as Nordic refugee welcome dims | 26 Jan 2016 | Denmark’s parliament passed measures on Tuesday aimed at deterring refugees from seeking asylum, including confiscating valuables to pay for their stay, despite protests from international human rights organisations. The measures, which also include extending family reunification among refugees from one year to three years, are the latest sign that the Nordic welcome for refugees is waning…The bill is the latest attempt by Denmark’s minority centre-right government to curb immigration to a country that took in a record 20,000 refugees last year.
Zika virus set to spread across Americas, spurring vaccine hunt –The Zika outbreak comes hard on the heels of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. | 25 Jan 2016 | The mosquito[Fort Detrick lab]-borne Zika virus, which has been linked to brain damage in thousands of babies in Brazil, is likely to spread to all countries in the Americas except for Canada and Chile, the World Health Organization said on Monday. Zika transmission has not yet been reported in the continental United States, although a woman who fell ill with the virus in Brazil later gave birth to a brain-damaged baby in Hawaii…British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline said on Monday it was studying the feasibility of using its vaccine technology on Zika, while France’s Sanofi said it was reviewing possibilities. [Translation: Billions more for the military-pharma complex to cure a virus they likely created.]
Trump will ‘definitely not’ participate in Fox debate, campaign says | 26 Jan 2016 | Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump says he will not attend a debate scheduled for Thursday night in Des Moines, an unexpected twist just days before voters here launch the election process. “I probably won’t be doing the debate. I’m going to have something else in Iowa,” he said during a press conference in a high school workout room on Tuesday afternoon. After the press conference, Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski confirmed to The Washington Post that Trump would “definitely not” participate in Thursday’s Fox News debate.
Evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr. endorses Trump | 26 Jan 2016 | Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr., the son of the late televangelist, endorsed Donald Trump on Tuesday, giving the Republican front-runner the blessing of one of the evangelical community’s biggest names just days before the Iowa caucuses. Falwell’s move has long been expected since he has showered praise on the billionaire in recent weeks and developed a rapport with him. But the timing of the formal announcement is significant, coming as Trump and Ted Cruz compete intensely in Iowa for the support of social conservatives.
6 Cleveland cops fired over 2012 chase, 137-shot barrage | 26 Jan 2016 | The Cleveland Police Department announced Tuesday that six of its officers involved in the 137-shot barrage that killed an unarmed pair after a car chase have been fired. Those officers included Michael Brelo, a patrolman acquitted of manslaughter charges in May for having fired the last 15 shots of the barrage in East Cleveland on Nov. 29, 2012…The deadly chase lasted 20 minutes, beginning in Cleveland and ending at Heritage Middle School in East Cleveland and involved more than 100 officers. At its conclusion, 137 shots were fired through the windshield of the vehicle, killing Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams.
At Least 30 Dead After Deadly Blizzard Brings Heavy Snow, Winds, Flooding to East Coast | 24 Jan 2016 | A mammoth blizzard with hurricane-force winds that set single-day snowfall records in Washington and New York City and caused some two-dozen deaths, gave way Sunday to brilliant sunshine and gently rising temperatures, enabling millions to dig out and enjoy the winter. New York and Baltimore began lifting travel restrictions and hearty souls ventured out on snow-choked streets Sunday, while mass transit systems up and down the coast gradually restored service…At least 30 people have died as a result of the snowstorm, including in car accidents, from carbon monoxide poisoning, and from suffering heart attacks while shoveling snow.
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