Bookmark and Share

From LegitGov.org.

NATO report threatens to “persecute” Anonymous

—Hacktivist grouped named as threat by military alliance

June 3, 2011—NATO leaders have been warned that WikiLeaks-loving “hacktivist” collective Anonymous could pose a threat to member states’ security, following recent attacks on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and defence contractor HBGary—and promise to “persecute” its members. In a toughly-worded draft report to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, General Rapporteur Lord Jopling claims that the loose-knit, leaderless group is “becoming more and more sophisticated,” and “could potentially hack into sensitive government, military, and corporate files.”

Fukushima fallout spurs bans on green tea

June 3, 2011—Japan has slapped new restrictions on green tea and plums from areas around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant because of lingering radioactive contamination from the ongoing disaster there. The latest government bans were prompted by the discovery of radioactive cesium-137 and -134 at concentrations higher than Japanese standards allow, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters Thursday. The government has forbidden the shipment of both fresh and dried green tea from Ibaraki Prefecture, southwest of the plant; from six towns in Chiba Prefecture and six towns in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo; and two in Fukushima Prefecture, where the crippled plant is located.

Army Judges Weigh Military Trials for Civilians, U.S. Citizens

—“Almost anyone accompanying troops in the field, including embedded reporters, potentially could be affected.”

June 2, 2011—Three Army judges are weighing a question: whether a civilian contractor working for the U.S. military can be tried in a military court. The case of Alaa “Alex” Mohammad Ali, a former Army translator in Iraq, challenges the notion that courts-martial only have authority over members of the armed forces. Ali’s appeal is before the Army Court of Criminal Appeals. At a hearing Wednesday, the three Army colonels serving as judges wondered how far the military’s authority could extend when civilians are involved. “Does citizenship matter?” Col. Theresa Gallagher asked. Maj. Adam Kazin, representing the Army, said the rules would apply equally to Americans and foreigners.

Goldman Said to Get Subpoena Over Its Role in Crisis

June 2, 2011—Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs has received a subpoena from the office of the Manhattan district attorney, which is investigating Goldman’s role in the financial crisis, said one person familiar with the subpoena. It comes amid increased enforcement scrutiny of the company, which has faced blistering criticism that it shorted—or bet against—the mortgage market before it collapsed and that it knowingly sold bundles of bad mortgages to its clients.

Fukushima’s nuclear meltdown puts forest industry near collapse

—Adding to the woes are concerns of severe soil contamination caused by radioactive materials, a probability which would impact the forest industry for some time to come.

June 2, 2011—High levels of radiation, planned evacuations and no-entry zones as a result of the meltdown at Fukushima’s Daiichi nuclear facility have combined to place the prefecture’s forest industry in danger of collapse. Approximately 341,000 acres (138,000 hectares) in Fukushima Prefecture are under the jurisdiction of five forestry cooperatives, based on information from the Fukushima Prefectural Government and an association of prefecture forestry cooperatives. Located in 11 municipalities, the woodlands are either part of a no-entry zone or required evacuation areas in coming weeks, based on government orders.

Polish officials may face charges over secret CIA prisons

June 1, 2011—Polish state prosecutors are considering bringing charges against members of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) for their alleged involvement in secret CIA prisons located on Polish soil between 2002-2005. The prisons were allegedly used to torture terrorist suspects from “al-Qaeda.” Officials from the leftist SLD government in power at the time, including former Prime Minister Leszek Miller, may be charged with violating Poland’s constitution, helping to illegally imprison a number of people and with participating in crimes against humanity.

Blast at Japan nuclear plant “likely gas cylinder”

May 31, 2011—An explosion was heard Tuesday at Japan’s tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, but no rise in radiation levels nor any injuries were reported, the plant operator said. Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), which has struggled to control the crippled Fukushima plant, said the explosion was heard as unmanned heavy machines worked near the unit four reactor building. “The machines were remotely controlled to remove rubble when the blast was heard,” a TEPCO spokeswoman told AFP.

Three arrested, accused of illegally feeding homeless

—Orlando police say they violated a city ordinance restricting the feedings.

June 2 2021—Members of Orlando Food Not Bombs were arrested Wednesday when police said they violated a city ordinance by feeding the homeless in Lake Eola Park. Jessica Cross, Benjamin Markeson, and Jonathan “Keith” McHenry were arrested at 6:10 p.m. on a charge of violating the ordinance restricting group feedings in public parks.

78 percent of Pakistani children with polio were given polio vaccines

June 2, 2011—In the last year, as Pakistan has lost favor with the U.S. and UNICEF, polio virus has paralyzed increasing numbers of Pakistani youth, casting doubt on the good intentions of those who fight polio. To make matters worse, most of the new cases have occurred in children already vaccinated. Is the U.S. attempting to fight Pakistan by tainting inoculation doses? …Last year, there were 136 cases of infected youth, and 107 of these had been administered multiple polio vaccinations.

Iraq has most unsolved murders of journalists: watchdog

—Blackwater is a busy little bee!

June 1, 2011—Iraq remained worst in the world when it comes to punishing murders of reporters in 2010, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday. The war-wracked country topped the list, published by the New York-based press watchdog to spotlight countries where media killings often go unpunished, for the fourth year running with an unsolved murder rate more than three times that of Somalia, which was next worst.

Copyright 2011 Citizens For Legitimate Government

________________________________________________________________________

This link roundup originally appeared at LegitGov.org.

  Robert Reich: The Truth About the American Economy: Reich traces the history of the economy, from Depression to prosperity and now to stagnation. More
 
  Tom Engelhardt: Dumb Question of the Twenty-first Century: Is It Legal?: Post-Legal America and the National Security Complex: When it comes to acts of state today, there is only one law: don’t pull up the curtain. More
     
  Rafia Zakaria: Curse of the Bomb: The bomb that was supposed to deter and defeat has been unable to frighten anyone into leaving Pakistan alone. More
 
  Joshua Holland: Five Eye-Opening Facts About Our Bloated Post-9/11 “Defense” Spending: A dollar spent on guns is one less buck available for butter. More

SUBSCRIBE TO GUERNICA’S RSS FEED

At Guernica, we’ve spent the last 15 years producing uncompromising journalism.

More than 80% of our finances come from readers like you. And we’re constantly working to produce a magazine that deserves you—a magazine that is a platform for ideas fostering justice, equality, and civic action.

If you value Guernica’s role in this era of obfuscation, please donate.

Help us stay in the fight by giving here.