Category Archives: USA

Obama warns on US military sexual assaults

Posted on May 9, 2013 by

President Barack Obama has said sexual harassment and assault will not be tolerated in the US military. He spoke as figures showed reported sexual assaults in the US military rose from 3,192 to 3,374 in 2012. But as many attacks go unreported, officials estimate the total number of sexual assaults stands at 26,000, up from 19,000 last year. It comes after the officer tasked with stopping sexual crimes in the US Air Force was charged with sexual battery. Lt Col Jeff Krusinski, 41, was arrested on Sunday accused of grabbing a woman’s breasts and buttocks in a car park in Virginia, police said. The Air Force has been criticised after … Continue reading →

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U.S. military plane crashes in southern Kyrgyzstan

Posted on May 4, 2013 by

 A U.S. military refuelling plane on its way to Afghanistan exploded in mid air and crashed in Kyrgyzstan on Friday when its cargo of fuel ignited, the Central Asian country’s Emergencies Ministry said. The aircraft took off from the U.S. military transit centre at Kyrgyzstan’s international Manas airport, which U.S. forces maintain for operations in Afghanistan, with around 70 tonnes of fuel on board, a local ministry official said. The plane, used for in-flight refuelling, disappeared from radar screens at 3:10 p.m. as it flew near the Kyrgyz village of Chaldovar, the ministry said. The three person crew was unaccounted for, it said. The ministry said witnesses saw the plane … Continue reading →

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Karzai confirms US has been giving him ‘loads of cash’

Posted on April 29, 2013 by

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Monday that his national security team has been receiving payments from the U.S. government for the past 10 years. Karzai confirmed the payments when he was asked about a story published in The New York Times saying the CIA had given the Afghan National Security Council tens of millions of dollars in monthly payments delivered in suitcases, backpacks and plastic shopping bags. During a news conference in Helsinki, Finland, where he was on an official visit, Karzai said the welcome monthly payments were not a “big amount” but were a “small amount,” although he did not disclose the sums. He said they were used to … Continue reading →

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Jordanian King warns Syria is heading for a break-up

Posted on April 27, 2013 by

Jordan is urging the Obama administration to intensify efforts to find a political settlement to the Syrian conflict, warning that its northern neighbor appears increasingly headed toward either anarchy or a breakup that could imperil the region for decades to come. Jordan’s monarch, King Abdullah II, presented a blunt assessment of the two-year-old conflict during meetings this week with congressional leaders and White House officials, citing evidence that a long-feared splintering of Syria along sectarian and tribal lines appears to be speeding up. At the White House on Friday, the king described a ‘fragmentation of Syrian society, which is becoming more and more alarming.’ “We’re now seeing the surge of … Continue reading →

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Woman indicted in Cuba spy case flees to Sweden

Posted on April 27, 2013 by

The US Justice Department on Thursday announced the indictment of a former State Department employee for allegedly spying on behalf of Cuba, but it is unable to arrest her because she lives in Sweden, a country that does not extradite citizens accused of espionage. Marta Rita Velazquez, 55, a graduate of Princeton University and Georgetown University Law School, was indicted nearly a decade ago on charges of conspiracy to commit espionage. Velazquez lives in Stockholm and is aware of the charges against her, the Justice Department said. But the extradition treaty between the United States and Sweden does not allow extradition for spying. “Espionage is considered a ‘political offense’ that, … Continue reading →

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North Korea nears ‘dangerous line,’ Hagel says

Posted on April 11, 2013 by

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has warned North Korea it is “skating very close to a dangerous line” after weeks of saber-rattling, as northeast Asia watched for an expected missile test. “Their actions and their words have not helped defuse a combustible situation,” Hagel told reporters at the Pentagon. He said the United States and its allies want to see North Korean rhetoric “ratcheted down,” but if that doesn’t happen, “our country is fully prepared to deal with any contingency.” “We have every capacity to deal with any action North Korea will take to protect this country and the interests of this country and our allies,” Hagel said. American radar and … Continue reading →

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Tens of thousands at US immigration reform rallies

Posted on April 11, 2013 by

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have rallied across the US in a mass call for citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants. The co-ordinated protests were designed to press Congress to act as senators negotiate an immigration reform bill. In Washington DC cheering crowds gathered outside the Capitol, and more than 1,000 demonstrated in Atlanta. Lawmakers are expected soon to unveil a bill that would grant a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants. The push for immigration reform follows an election in which Hispanic voters overwhelmingly supported President Barack Obama and Democratic candidates. Most of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US are Hispanic, and members of the … Continue reading →

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Ex-US soldier who ‘fought in Syria’ could face execution

Posted on April 10, 2013 by

A former US soldier who allegedly fought Syrian government forces with a group linked to al-Qaeda could face the death penalty, prosecutors have said. They told a court that Eric Harroun, 30, could face execution if his actions are found to have caused a death. During interviews with the FBI, Mr Harroun allegedly said he had shot 10 people in Syria, but was not sure if he had killed anyone. He was denied bail at Monday’s hearing in Alexandria, Virginia. Mr Harroun, who has been charged with using a weapon outside the US, allegedly fought in Syria with the al-Nusra Front. The group wanted Mr Harroun, who served in the … Continue reading →

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Helicopter crash in Afghanistan kills two US troops

Posted on April 9, 2013 by

A NATO helicopter crashed Tuesday in Afghanistan, killing two American service members. The deaths raised to nine the number of Americans, including three civilians, killed in Afghanistan so far this month. The US-led International Security Assistance Force said the cause of the crash is under investigation but initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time. It did not immediately identify the nationalities of those killed. But a senior U.S. official confirmed they were Americans. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release the information ahead of a formal announcement. A local official, Mir Baz Khan, said the helicopter crashed … Continue reading →

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U.S. commander cancels Washington trip over tensions in Korea

Posted on April 9, 2013 by

The U.S. commander in South Korea, General James Thurman, has cancelled a scheduled trip to Washington this week due to tensions with North Korea, a spokeswoman said on Sunday. Thurman had been due to testify before three congressional committees, where he was expected to discuss the U.S. response to threats from Pyongyang. The North’s provocations prompted a thinly veiled rebuke from China over the weekend. “Given the current situation, General Thurman will remain in Seoul next week as a prudent measure,” said Colonel Amy Hannah, a spokeswoman for U.S. forces in South Korea, in an email message. The move is the latest demonstration of U.S. caution and concern after more … Continue reading →

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