<![CDATA[Breaking News ll News Updates]]>Breaking: NORAD Fighter Jets Scrambled to Follow Unresponsive Plane Over Atlantic 5 Sept 2014 Two F-15s following an unresponsive turboprop plane over the Atlantic Ocean have temporarily broken off their pursuit until the plane flies over Cuba and re-enters international airspace, a NORAD spokeswoman said today. The F-15s will fly around Cuba’s eastern end and wait in international airspace on the southern side of the island to pick up the plane’s trail should it cross the island, Capt. Jennifer Stadnyk said. The single-engine plane was flying from Rochester, New York, to Naples, Florida, officials said. „The plane’s occupants did not respond to attempts to communicate,“ the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said this morning.
NATO approves new force aimed at deterring Russia 5 Sept 2014 Seeking to counter Russian aggression, NATO leaders approved plans Friday to create a rapid response force with a headquarters in Eastern Europe that could quickly mobilize if an alliance country in the region were to come under attack. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said a command headquarters would be set up in Eastern Europe with supplies and equipment stockpiled there, enabling the „spearhead“ force to mobilize and deploy quickly.
4 NATO warships to enter Black Sea before September 7 – military source 3 Sept 2014 Four NATO warships from US, France, Canada and Spain will reportedly enter Black Sea waters this week, a diplomatic and military source said. USS Ross, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, French Commandant Birot, Canadian HMCS Toronto, a Halifax-class frigate, and Spanish frigate Almirante Juan de Borbon will enter the Black Sea before September 7, the source told the Itar-Tass news agency.
NATO warships enter Black Sea 4 Sept 2014 A US Navy destroyer and, reportedly, a French frigate have entered the Black Sea, as NATO builds up its presence in the region while tensions remain high in Ukraine. Another two warships are expected to arrive in the area by the end of the week. The US Navy 6th Fleet official command has confirmed on its official Twitter account that the destroyer USS Ross, (DDG 71), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, is now in the Black Sea.
US prepares military drill in W. Ukraine for mid-September 3 Sept 2014 The US and its allies are preparing to stage a military exercise in western Ukraine, close to the Polish border, in mid-September. The joint drill will involve over 1,000 troops from the US and Europe, as well as from Ukraine. Initially planned for mid-July, the exercise — code-named ‚Rapid Trident‘ [*puke*] — was halted due to a significant escalation in the conflict between Kiev and the southeastern regions of Ukraine.
Heavy shelling in Ukrainian port of Mariupol hours before agreed ceasefire 5 Sept 2014 Hours before an expected ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, heralded as a significant breakthrough by Nato leaders meeting in Newport, heavy shelling has been heard on the outskirts of Mariupol. A commander of a Ukrainian volunteer militia based in the key eastern port city told Reuters: „We were under fire all night but we are still keeping the rebels at bay. They are facing us with tanks and artillery.“
Kiev, E. Ukraine militia agree on ceasefire starting 1500 GMT Friday 5 Sept 2014 Kiev officials and representatives of the two self-proclaimed republics in southeastern Ukraine have agreed to a ceasefire, as the contact group met behind closed doors in Belarus. The two sides accompanied by representatives of Russia and the OSCE were meeting in the Belorussian capital, Minsk, in an attempt to end the bloodshed in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who is now in Wales for the NATO summit, has confirmed the ceasefire agreement on his Twitter account.
Barack Obama and David Cameron seek coalition against Isis 3 Sept 2014 Barack Obama and David Cameron have vowed to use the Nato summit starting in Wales on Thursday to engineer a resilient military and political coalition, including key countries in the Middle East, capable of squeezing out and destroying Islamic State (Isis) in northern Iraq. British officials also said the British prime minister was examining every option to protect the British hostage threatened by the jihadist group on Tuesday, in light of its murder of the American journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley in the past month. „We will not be intimidated,“ Obama said in Estonia on the way to the summit.
Islamic State guides Egyptian militants, expanding its influence 5 Sept 2014 Islamic State, fighting to redraw the map of the Middle East, has been coaching Egypt’s most dangerous militant group, complicating efforts to stabilize the biggest Arab nation. Confirmation that Islamic Sate [sic], currently the most successful of the region’s jihadi groups, is extending its influence to Egypt will sound alarm bells in Cairo, where the authorities are already facing a security challenge from home-grown militants.
U.S. confirms death of al Shabaab leader Godane in Somalia strike 5 Sept 2014 The Pentagon confirmed on Friday that Ahmed Abdi Godane, a leader of the al Shabaab Islamist group, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Somalia this week, calling it a „major symbolic and operational loss“ for the al Qaeda-affiliated militants.
Canadian no-fly list numbers must stay secret: government 3 Sept 2014 Federal security officials are resisting pressure to reveal how many people are on Canada’s no-fly list, arguing the information could help terrorists plot a catastrophic attack on an airliner. In newly filed court documents, the government also contends that divulging the figure might damage relations with key allies, especially the United States. Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault is challenging the government’s refusal to disclose the data to a Montreal journalist who requested it under the Access to Information Act.
Terror Suspect to Be Extradited From UK to US 4 Sept 2014 British judges have approved the extradition of a mentally ill terrorism suspect to the US. The decision by the High Court means Haroon Aswat can face trial on conspiracy charges in New York. Aswat is wanted for allegedly conspiring with convicted terrorist Abu Hamza to establish a jihadi training camp in Oregon a decade ago. A European court ruled last year he could not be extradited because of his mental condition.
US doctor infected with Ebola heading to Nebraska 4 Sept 2014 A doctor who became infected with Ebola while working in Liberia – the third American aid worker sickened with the virus — is expected to arrive Friday at a Nebraska hospital for treatment. Officials at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha have said Dr. Rick Sacra, 51, will begin treatment in the hospital’s 10-bed special isolation unit, the largest of four such units in the U.S.
Found ‚Reckless‘ in Gulf Spill, BP Faces $18 Billion Fine 4 Sept 2014 A federal judge ruled on Thursday that BP was grossly negligent in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil well blowout that killed 11 workers, spilled millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and soiled hundreds of miles of beaches. „BP’s conduct was reckless,“ United States District Court Judge Carl J. Barbier wrote in his sternly worded decision. Judge Barbier also ruled that Transocean, the owner of the rig, and Halliburton, the service company that cemented the well, were negligent in the accident. But the judge put most of the blame on BP, opening the way to fines of up to 18 billion under the Clean Water Act.
US adds just 142,000 jobs in August to end streak of bigger gains 5 Sept 2014 The US added 142,000 jobs in August, the Labour Department announced on Friday, the lowest figure this year and one that ends a streak of months in which the economy added over 200,000 new positions. The news came as a surprise. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a gain of about 225,000.
Hundreds of Fast-Food Workers Striking for Higher Wages Are Arrested 4 Sept 2014 Hundreds of fast-food workers and labor allies demanding a $15-an-hour wage were arrested in sit-ins around the country on Thursday, as the protesters used civil disobedience to call attention to their cause. Organizers said nearly 500 protesters were arrested in three dozen cities — including Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, New York and Little Rock, Ark. All told, the sit-ins took place in about 150 cities nationwide, the organizers said. In Milwaukee, United States Representative Gwen Moore, Democrat of Wisconsin, was arrested along with several fast-food workers.
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