Israel prepares for possible Gaza ground operation - CLG

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Israel prepares for possible Gaza ground operation; rockets and missiles fly 09 Jul 2014 As rockets and missiles fly back and forth between Gaza and Israel, the Israeli military -- saying it doesn't expect the crisis to resolve itself soon -- is preparing for a ground incursion. Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz told CNN such an operation "might become necessary," and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said the security operation against the militant group Hamas "will probably not end within several days." On Tuesday, the Israeli Cabinet gave the authorization for the military to call up 40,000 troops if needed, 10,000 more than were called up during Israel's offensive into Gaza in November of 2012.

Israeli warplanes pound Gaza strip 09 Jul 2014 Israeli warplanes have pounded targets in the Gaza strip as a major campaign to stop volleys of Palestinian rocket fire entered its second day, leaving 28 people dead and more than 100 wounded. A strike on a home in Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza, claimed the lives of a commander of the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, his parents, a woman and two children, emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said. Another strike early today on the southern city of Rafah killed a young man. The deaths brought to 28 the number of fatalities since the launch of Israel's Operation Protective Edge early on Tuesday, with the Jewish state not ruling out a ground operation to stop the rocket attacks.

IDF strikes 50 targets across Gaza as operation gets underway 08 Jul 2014 The IDF struck 50 targets throughout the Gaza Strip overnight between Monday and Tuesday, marking the start of Operation Protective Edge, launched to extinguish Hamas rocket fire on Israel. Forty seven targets were hit by Israel Air Force aircraft, and an additional three were hit by Israel Navy ships off the coast of Gaza. "We are entering into a long operation," a senior IDF source said...The operation is being led by the IDF's Southern Command.

Syria militants receive 2nd batch of US arms 08 Jul 2014 Foreign-backed militants fighting against the Syrian government say they have received the second batch of US-made anti-tank missiles. The Takfiri militants have reportedly received TOW anti-tank rockets in the strategic Qalamoun region. The Saudi daily Akkaz has confirmed the report. The Saudi daily Akkaz has confirmed the report.

US State Department says Kiev has right to use airstrikes against civilians 08 Jul 2014 US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said to reporters at a press briefing that the Ukrainian government has every right to conduct attacks on civilians, as this upholds the country's unity. According to US State Department spokesman Jen Psaki, the Ukrainian government defends the country, inflicting air strikes on civilians in the east of the country. She stated this today at a regular meeting with reporters. Psaki justified Kiev's actions in relation to the militia.

At least 4 NATO troops reported killed in Afghan suicide bombing 08 Jul 2014 Four NATO troops have been killed in a suicide attack in Afghanistan's Parwan province, the ISAF confirmed. The blast also killed two Afghan policemen and 10 civilians, local police said. Earlier Ziaul Rahman Sayedkhili, a senior police officer in the eastern province of Parwan, said the blast had killed six NATO servicemen.

Two British men admit in court to planning terrorist acts 08 Jul 2014 Two men who travelled to Syria to join rebel fighters have admitted preparing to carry out terrorist acts. Childhood friends Mohammed Nahin Ahmed and Yusuf Zubair Sarwar, both 22, spent eight months in the wartorn country last year after contacting Islamic extremists from the UK. The men, from Handsworth, Birmingham, were arrested at Heathrow by West Midlands police's counter-terrorism unit on their return in January after their families had put pressure on them to return to Britain.

Germany to escalate counter-espionage efforts in wake of US spying allegations 07 Jul 2014 Germany may step up its counter-espionage efforts after an employee of its intelligence service was arrested on suspicion of spying for the US. Measures being considered in response to scandal include monitoring the intelligence activities of nominal Nato allies such as America, Britain and France, as well as expelling US agents from Germany. According to a report in Bild, the interior minister, Thomas de Maizière, has emphasised the urgent need for a "360 degree vision" of the foreign secret agency's activities.

CIA had role in Germany spy affair 07 Jul 2014 The Central Intelligence Agency was involved in a spying operation against Germany that led to the alleged recruitment of a German intelligence official and has prompted renewed outrage in Berlin, two U.S. officials familiar with the matter said on Monday. CIA Director John Brennan has asked to brief key members of the U.S. Congress on the matter, which threatens a new rupture between Washington and a close European ally, one of the officials said. It was unclear if and when Brennan's briefing to U.S. lawmakers would take place.

TSA: Some at US-bound airports must turn on devices 07 Jul 2014 The Transportation Security Administration is requiring passengers at some overseas airports that offer US-bound flights to power on their electronic devices. The TSA says devices that will not power up won't be allowed on planes, and those travelers may have to undergo additional screening. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson recently ordered the TSA to put extra security measures in place at some international airports with direct flights to the United States.

Oops! Vials of Smallpox Virus Found in Unapproved Maryland Lab --'At the end of the day, we don't know why [the vials] showed up.' 08 Jul 2014 Vials of the virus that causes smallpox were found in a National Institutes of Health research building that was unequipped and unapproved to handle the deadly pathogen, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Because it's so infectious, the smallpox virus is considered a bioterrorism threat and is only permitted in two labs in the world: One at the CDC's Atlanta headquarters and another at the VECTOR Institute in Russia. The newly discovered vials violate an international agreement reached in 1979 aimed at keeping the virus eradicated while allowing some scientists to continue studying it. The vials were found in a cold storage room in the Bethesda, Maryland, research building.

Leak at Fukushima nuclear plant threatens dangerous meltdown 07 Jul 2014 Trouble is looming at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, as a leak has forced the shutdown of a cooling system that could cause temperatures to exceed dangerous levels. Fukushima operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) was forced to switch off the cooling system at Reactor Unit 5, after engineers discovered it had been leaking water. If the system is not repaired within the next nine days, temperatures are expected to soar, Russian news site RT reported Sunday. If no new cold water is pumped in at this rate, it will reach the dangerous threshold of 149 degrees (F) in roughly the next week.

Wylfa forced into reactor shutdown only two days after re-start 07 Jul 2014 An ageing nuclear reactor has had to be shut down due to a "steam leak" only days after it was re-started. Reactor one at Wylfa nuclear power station, on Anglesey, in North Wales, was shut down on Thursday, say owners the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). The NDA say the reactor had been re-started two days earlier on July 1 in a "slow, controlled manner just in case there were any issues".

Sendai nuclear plant set to restart without off-site emergency center 07 Jul 2014 The Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture could restart two reactors in autumn without a crucial emergency facility in place to deal with a possible nuclear accident and evacuations of host communities. The Sendai plant, operated by Kyushu Electric Power Co., is expected to be the first to resume operations among all plants that have applied for safety screenings by the Nuclear Regulation Authority.

Texas blocks release of chemical facility information 13 Jun 2014 The public no longer can access key information about hazardous chemical facilities in their neighborhoods, the state attorney general has ruled, a move that local officials and advocates say threatens community safety. "I have no clue what they're doing over there," West Mayor Tommy Muska said, referring to the office of Texas Attorney General [sociopath] Greg Abbott. On April 17, Muska marked one year since a massive explosion at a local fertilizer company killed 16 people, most of them first responders, and injured many more.

Elephant cries the day he is freed after 50 years of torture in captivity --Raju was held in chains for more than 50 years after being poached in India --The animal bled from spiked shackles and lived on hand-outs from tourists 07 Jul 2014 These incredible pictures show the moment an elephant who was held in chains and beaten and abused for fifty years cried as he was released to freedom. Raju the elephant was left bleeding from spiked shackles and living on hand-outs from passing tourists after he was captured and tied up by his 'owner' [a terrorist who should have been *blown away* YEARS ago, to do the world a FAVOR]. But, after 50 years of torture, the animal cried tears of relief after he was rescued by a wildlife charity in a daring midnight operation -- fittingly on American Independence Day. North London-based charity Wildlife SOS stepped in to save Raju from dying in his bonds after learning of his plight in India.

Christie administration pushed Port Authority to hire governor's former law firm, report says 08 Jul 2014 The Port Authority fast-tracked the hiring of Gov. Chris Christie's former law firm under pressure from the Republican governors administration and proceeded to give the firm millions of d-llars in legal work over the last four years, according to a report by The Record. Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski -- where Christie began his legal career and was a partner before becoming New Jersey's U.S. Attorney in 2002 -- has been paid at least 6.3 million from the bistate agency since 2010, according to the report, which sites internal agency documents and two sources familiar with the situation.

Senate Conservatives Fund sent $70,000 to McDaniel to challenge Mississippi runoff election results --The group has raised more than 90,000 in the past few days. 08 Jul 2014 The Senate Conservatives Fund on Tuesday wired 70,000 to Chris McDaniel's legal fund to investigate alleged voter fraud in last month's election between McDaniel and Mississippi Republican Sen. Thad Cochran, Yahoo News has learned. Cochran narrowly defeated McDaniel, a tea party-backed candidate who challenged the six-term senator from the right, in a June 24 runoff election after he rallied last-minute support from black Democrats in the state.

Typhoon Neoguri batters Japan 09 Jul 2014 Typhoon Neoguri headed for the Japanese mainland on Wednesday after crossing to the southern Okinawa island chain, killing two people and leaving a trail of damage. With gusts of up to 110 miles an hour (180km/h) the typhoon was forecast to hit the southern main island of Kyushu as early as Thursday before moving east along the Japanese archipelago, the national weather agency said.

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