Photo from twitter.com user @MyFoxHoustonOfficials in Houston, Texas say that several people have been shot at a local community college.Investigators with Harris County Precinct 4 tell KPRC News that a shooting occurred at Lone Star College’s North Harris campus shortly after 12 noon local time on Tuesday. Authorities have yet to give a number in terms of subjects or victims, but deputy constables say they have at least one person detained. Additionally, a second person of interest is reported to have fled the scene and is being chased by police. Eyewitnesses tell KTRK News that several gunshots were heard this afternoon outside of a classroom. The school has since ordered the campus and other area schools to be locked down, but the network says they believe there are at least three victims. At least one person has been taken to a local hospital, and a SWAT team has been called to the scene.According to CNN, police are still looking for the shooter or shooters, and the identity of the one person detained has not been revealed. … Read More
Point blank: Man aims gun at head of Bulgarian politician during speech (SHOCKING VIDEO)
Point blank: Man aims gun at head of Bulgarian politician during speech (SHOCKING VIDEO)Get short URLLink copied to clipboardemail story to a friendprint versionPublished: 20 January, 2013, 00:14
TAGS:Arms,
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This video grab broadcast by Bulgarian television channel BTV shows a man (R) pointing a pistol at leader of the Turkish minority Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) party Ahmed Dogan during his speech at a national party conference in Sofia on January 19, 2013.(AFP Photo /BTV)(7.5Mb)embed videoA man boarded the stage and pointed a gas pistol at the head of a leading Bulgarian politician in front of a stunned party conference. Angry parliamentarians then pounced on the would-be assassin, beating him to a bloody pulp.”);
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Ahmed Dogan, the leader of the Turkish minority MRF party, known as the kingmaker of Bulgarian politics, was delivering an emotional speech in which he was about to announce that he was stepping down as chief of the party he founded in 1990.Local video footage then shows a tall, heavily-built man wearing a laminated badge, later named as Oktai Enimehmedov, running into view, before holding the pistol an inch away from Dogan’s face. Dogan flinches, and Enimehmedov pauses for a second without firing, before the politician rapidly regains his composure and pushes away the assailant’s hand. Security personnel then run onto the stage, and overwhelm the failed assassin. What follow are unedifying scenes of a swarm of furious politicians repeatedly kicking and punching Enimehmedov on the ground as blood streams from his head.It is not clear if Enimehmedov planned to shoot, as he appeared to have sufficient time to pull the trigger before Dogan even noticed him.“Such an act is unacceptable in a democratic country. In the name of all Bulgarians, I want to convey the outrage caused by this act of violence,” said President Rossen Plevneliev, who urged the authorities to investigate who, if anyone, was behind the attack.25-year-old Enimehmedov, who has previous assault and drugs convictions, was also found to have been carrying a knife. What seemed to be his conference pass was actually obtained at a previous party event.Security appears to have been lax at the conference. There were no metal detectors at the door, and the National Protection Service, an official corps of top bodyguards that accompanies all leading politicians, reacted slowly.Although his Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) is a moderate liberal party, Dogan himself, often referred to as “the Falcon” by his allies and enemies alike, is a polarizing figure.A dissident who went to jail in Communist times for protecting the rights of Turks who refused to abandon their identity during the forced policy of Bulgarization, he was later outed as a police informer, who co-operated with the secret service for more than a decade.A successful leader, who led the party to a record result of 14 percent in the last election, Dogan has also been accused of being intolerant of dissent within his party, and of using his position to secure lucrative “consulting” fees from large corporations.His political opponents say he has divided Bulgarian politics along ethnic lines, and has used the party as his personal plaything, joining two ideologically different governments as a minority coalition partner since the turn of the millennium.In fact, some opponents have already accused Dogan of “staging” the incident to garner political support, and swing the outcome of the election in favour of the new MRF leader.“Why did the security service act so unprofessionally? One possible answer is that we saw complete and utter incompetence; the alternative is that the National Protection Service was an accomplice in this staged incident,” said ultra-nationalist leader Volen Siderov.The MRF conference is scheduled to restart this weekend.Bulgarian security officers escort a bloodied 25 year old man after he attacked Ahmed Dogan, leader of the Turkish minority Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) party during his speech at a national party conference in Sofia on January 19, 2013.(AFP Photo / Dimitar Kyosemarliev)
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Mega launch: Kim Dotcom’s new file storage project kicks offKim Dotcom, founder of the file-storage website Megaupload outlawed by the US, has launched his new project, Mega. It comes exactly one year after the US authorities shut down Megaupload and Dotcom’s New Zealand mansion was raided.
Rand Paul declares war on Obama’s executive actions on gun control
Senator Rand Paul (AFP Photo/Mandel Ngan)Sen. Rand Paul has made plans to nullify President Obama’s 23 executive actions on gun control policy, claiming the president is exercising too much power and demonstrating a ‘king complex’.The Kentucky Senator made a Wednesday night appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity”, during which he outlined the legislation he hopes to pass in order to prevent the president from using his executive powers.“Our founding fathers were very concerned about us having separation of powers. They didn’t want to let the president become a king,” Paul said. “In this bill, we will nullify anything the president does that smacks of legislation.”Paul’s bill, the Separation of Powers Restoration and Second Amendment Protection Act of 2013, points to Article I of the Constitution, which states, “All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States.” The bill makes mention of the president’s 23 executive actions, which “could be construed to describe an attempt by the executive to make laws in violation of the Article 1, Sec. 8 of the Constitution and the 2ndAmendment.
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President Obama on Wednesday laid out the 23 executive actions, which he believes will put an end to “the epidemic of gun violence in this country”. His new restrictions would tighten the background check and information sharing system for gun purchases and more closely tackle the issue of mental health. They would also maximize law enforcement efforts at preventing and prosecuting gun crimes and more closely monitor where firearms are stored – especially those recovered in criminal investigations.Since the president announced these actions without congressional approval, opponents of the measures, including Paul, have criticized the decision. Paul did not discuss his views on the individual actions themselves, but reviewed his concern with the president’s use of his executive powers.“This idea of checks and balances and separation of powers should be a fundamental one,” he said, explaining his hopes to nullify the president’s gun control actions. Paul said his bill is lagging support from Democrats and could therefore stall in the Senate. But if it were to pass, it would nullify the president’s executive orders, defund them and ask the Senate to file a court challenge to them.“I’m against having a king,” Paul said. “I think having a monarch is what we fought the American Revolution over and someone who wants to bypass the Constitution, bypass Congress – that’s someone who wants to act like a king or monarch.”President Obama announced the 23 executive actions without congressional approval, but is relying on legislators to make their own decisions on a number of more significant gun control measures. Obama recommended reinstating the assault weapons ban, restoring a 10-round limit on ammunition magazines, providing mental health services at schools, hiring more police officers, among other policies that require congressional approval.“I intend to use whatever weight this office holds to make them a reality,” Obama said. “If there’s even one life that can be saved, then we’ve got an obligation to try.” … Read More
Christmas terror attack foiled in Russia
Christmas terror attack foiled in Russia1000
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Get short URLLink copied to clipboardemail story to a friendprint versionPublished: 07 January, 2013, 02:49
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(Handout photo by the National Anti-Terrorism Committee)Russian authorities have prevented a Christmas terror attack in the southern region of Kabardino-Balkaria. A car with three suspects exploded during a shootout with police, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee reported.(Handout photo by the National Anti-Terrorism Committee)”);
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The special operation followed a timely tipoff about the terror cell’s plans to launch a series of extremist attacks in churches of Kabardino-Balkaria during Christmas service celebrations. A special unit was formed to battle the threat.When one the members of the Special Forces attempted to stop a truck with three suspects inside late on January 6, the passengers opened fire at the police.In the course of the fire exchange a number of explosives detonated in the car setting it on fire. The three passengers died in the blast.Police found two pistols, an AK-47 with ammunitions along with explosives. The explosive material was destroyed at the scene while the guns were sent to a forensics expert.Investigators are still trying to identify the bodies and track down any possible accomplices.The operation was conducted as part of the government’s efforts to battle an extremist insurgency in the republic, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee press service said.(Handout photo by the National Anti-Terrorism Committee)(Handout photo by the National Anti-Terrorism Committee) … Read More
RT correspondent injured in Damascus crossfire
RT correspondent injured in Damascus crossfire(47.9Mb)embed videoA group of international journalists – including members of RT’s Arabic team – have been caught in crossfire in Syria while covering the army’s operations outside the capital. RT’s correspondent suffered light injuries while trying to escape.Syrian government forces have been trying to clear the area of rebels occupying the Damascus suburb of Daraya. Several international journalists, including Russians, Iraninans and Syrians, joined the group to report on the early morning operation and found themselves caught in heavy gunfire.“We were moving from street to street, and when we reached the dock, my colleagues and I got caught in crossfire,” RT Arabic correspondent Kamel Saqer explained.“We tried to escape, running one after another fearing that armed rebels would notice us. A Syrian army soldier accompanied us the entire time – he constantly kept his eye on the situation and helped us to escape the gunfire.”It was unclear whether the rebels were deliberately targeting journalists, all of whom were wearing bulletproof vests with clearly visible word ‘press’ on them, Saqer said.The firing was very intense and it was difficult to find shelter, Saqer added. “I ran and fell down, I hurt my arms – but the Syrian army doctors gave me first aid on the scene. So I could continue to do my job.”One of the Syrian cameramen was also slightly wounded.‘There’s no way to be safe in wartime’According to recent studies, Syria was the most dangerous country for journalists in 2012, with over 50 correspondents killed while covering the conflict. “The reality is there is no way to be safe in wartime,” an award-winning war correspondent Russ Baker told RT. “It is just inherently dangerous.”A member of the Syrian Opposition Coalition previously said that Russians in Syria have become legitimate targets, claiming they are “cooperating with enemy forces”And Baker believes that the very fact that most journalists are perceived as somewhat biased increases the danger to them during the wartime.“The reality is that very few news organizations are seen as truly objective or open minded. And I suppose that just as people from RT may be seen as in some ways skeptical of the rebels, American journalists are going to face the opposite kind of thing.”“Unfortunately I now consider a lot of combat coverage to be sort of in the realm of entertainment,” he added. “And what I mean by that is that it doesn’t really provide people with any kind of great insight into what really is going on.”Many international journalists are reported missing or have been detained in Syria, one of them is Ukrainian Anhar Kochneva who is being held captive by the Free Syrian Army. Generally there i
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s no condemnation of such cases from the world powers which back the opposition, and Baker believes that is because such incidents do not fit the reality they are trying to present.“This is a general problem that all journalists have to be treated alike and we’ve got to have some kind of standardization of the criteria. But war is a game of propaganda and unfortunately there is very little context to any of this.” … Read More
Weapon background checks hit record high in December
Jason Zielinski shows a customer a selection of AR-15 style rifles being offered for sale at Freddie Bear Sports sporting goods store on December 17, 2012 in Tinley Park, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP)Last month, the FBI ran a record 2.8 million background checks on those wishing to purchase firearms in the US, with most of those checks occurring after the Dec. 14 massacre in Newtown, Conn.Background check applications for firearm purchases have been on the rise for years, but spiked dramatically after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School last month. Data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shows that the agency performed 2.78 million background checks in December, which is up from the 2.01 million conducted during the previous month, which was the first to exceed two million.The states that saw the large
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st background check increases from the previous month were Georgia (66.3 percent), Oregon (63. 1 percent), New Hampshire (60.7 percent), Texas (60.2 percent), and Montana (58.3 percent).While the figures do not indicate the number of new guns sold, they give an approximation of the number of Americans wishing to purchase firearms. Depending on state law, buyers are often allowed to purchase multiple guns under one background check.December’s 2.8 million background checks are up 50 percent from December 2011, when the FBI performed 1.86 million checks. In total, 19.6 million background checks were performed in 2012, which is not an annual record but is an increase of 19 percent from 2011.Even though the background checks cannot predict the firearms sold, gun sales also increased in December. Every US state saw a greater number of gun sales last month than in November, with 48 of 50 states also seeing an increase in total firearm sales in 2012. Washington, DC saw the largest year-to-year increase in gun sales, rising by 49.7 percent.“Handgun sales are up substantially and modern sporting rifles are up astronomically,” Karl Durkheimer, owner of the gun shop Northwest Armory, told The Guardian. “The people you see are twofold. There are first-time buyers who are in fear of what the future will bring. But most of what you saw is people hedging their bets that there might be a political policy put forward by the liberal side of the government.”The FBI did not suggest reasons behind the rise in gun sales and background checks, but some attribute the change to fear of tighter gun control regulations in light of the Dec. 14 shooting in Newtown, Conn. Gun sales and background checks typically also increase during the holiday season.Past data indicates that mass shootings frequently prompt Americans to stock up on weapons in fear of gun control laws. After 24-year-old James Holmes killed 12 and injured 58 in a shooting in Aurora, Colo., applications to buy guns rose by more than 40 percent in a week. After Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot, there was a 60 percent increase in gun sales in a single day in Arizona.While Americans mourned the death of the 20 children and six adults killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School last month, many more headed to their local firearms’ dealer to stock up on handguns and hunting rifles, in the case that Congress passes legislation restricting or limiting eligibility for such purchases.The FBI background investigations are required under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993, which was signed into law by former President Bill Clinton and went into effect on November 30, 1998. During the program’s first month of operation, 871,644 background checks were performed by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which is about a third of the number performed this year. … Read More
Communists, Al-Qaeda… China: US to boost Asia arms sales in 2013 to fight new ‘boogeyman’
US sales of bombers, missiles and rockets to China’s and North Korea’s neighbors are forecast to increase sharply in 2013 challenging Beijing’s goal to be the main power in the region. The rising arms trade has been predicted by The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), a trade group that includes US defense corporations like Lockheed Martin Corp, Boeing Co and Northrop Grumman Corp, in a report published in December. Equipping its Asia-Pacific allies has been viewed as a “top priority” for the Obama administration following the re-alignment of security policy in November 2011. At the time, President Obama announced a strategic shift into the Asia-Pacific region. The so-called ‘Asia pivot’ involved American military presence throughout the region in order to contain China’s rising economic and military influence and maintain US dominance.Obama’s pledge in November 2011 was seen as a challenge to China, which has been striving to be the main power in the region.“Similarly, growing Chinese defense budgets have led to significant new US sales in South and East Asia – sales that will also guarantee major deliveries,” says the latest report by AIA. The vice president for national security at the AIA stressed that the pivot “will result in growing opportunities for our industry to help equip our friends.”“In the longer term, the US national security strategic “pivot” to the Pacific will almost certainly require increases in air and naval power – all of which are integrated and supported by space assets,” reads the report. “Long distances and the prospect of contested air space in the Pacific theater will require airpower – fighters; tankers; transports; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms; and long-range penetration capability with UAS, bombers, missiles and rockets.”Independent journalist James Corbett based in Japan told RT that the increasing armament of China’s neighbors will also trigger worsening tensions in the region. Corbett says the policy of “pivoting” to Asia is a “very old imperial strategy of “building up boogeyman” and it is not about containing China’s growing potential, but giving contractors a chance to make billions of dollars. RT: America arming its allies, on top of its own military shift towards the Asia-Pacific – how worried is the US about China’s growing military prowess?J
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C: I think what we can see here with the strategy of the shift towards the Asia-Pacific and then suddenly this report saying that now US arms contractors are going to be gaining billions of dollars in contracts from the shift. What we can see is just a return to the very old imperial strategy of “building up boogeyman” in order to create the sales to combat those boogeymen. So, it is a very old strategy identified by name by President Eisenhower in his farewell address in 1960 when he talked about the military industrial complex. And here we are half a century later with the exact same strategy at play and before that was the communists, then it was Al-Qaeda and terrorists’ threat, and now there is China and that threat. So, I don’t know if that is a question of a real existential threat that China is posing here so much as a chance for contractors, associated with the US government to make billions of dollars. RT: What’s the key gain here – geopolitical muscle, or billions of dollars in sales revenue from arms sales?JC: I think it creates a situation where the economics maybe what is driving this “pivot” towards the Asia-Pacific. But that in turn creates geopolitical reality, so that for example China sees all of these arm sales going to Korea, and Taiwan and Japan and some of the US’s allies in the region sales and they respond with a military armaments of their own. So it is a kind of self-perpetuating prophecy that fulfils itself by the economics of the situation. So, I think it becomes a geopolitical reality. And there is no coincidence that just after they announced this “Asia-Pacific pivot” in a last couple of years, suddenly we see all of this commotion about the South China Sea and the East China Sea in these territorial disputes. RT:How much is North Korea’s missile launch last month being used as a military marketing tool?JC: I think that is the right frame for it. Again it is not really the question that there is the imminent sense of an existential threat for North Korea so much as another excuse to use a North Korean launch as the panic to create the market for more of these devices. So now, for example, just last month we saw a new $1, 2 billion sale of Global Hawk spy drones to South Korea, on a back of this commotion about North Korea. Obviously we see the opening of a brand-new market for drones which are normally aimed at either North Korea or China and, again, just helps to fuel the billions of dollar contracts that are being opened right now. RT:How do you expect North Korea to react when it sees countries like Japan and its neighbors getting American military upgrades?JC: Interestingly enough we have just seen Kim Jong-un come out and talk about the possibility of the creating some kind of détente peace with South Korea, so we really don’t know – that is a big “wild card”, a Joker in a deck that we can’t really say much about – but certainly, I think, China, specifically, understands the type of threat that is being built up right now. And the deep integration that the US is trying to achieve with Asian and their allies in the region, so I think China probably is going to be more of the concern in the years ahead.RT: What about China’s response – since US arms manufacturers will help upgrade the air fleet of Taiwan, a territory China still claims as its own? What will it do to Washington relations?JC: Obviously it is not going to help relations at all. And of course Taiwan is one of the most sensitive parts of the entire region and has long been envisioned as the tinderbox that sets off the bigger explosion in the region, so I think Beijing definitely has its eye on what is happening with Taiwan and its F-16 fleet, also the Japanese extended radar for example that just recently has been expand
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ed and worked on I think has to be seen as a threat by China as well. I think definitely we are going to see an increase in tensions and it will probably create more situations like we saw in the past years with the Senkaku Island dispute between Japan and China. … Read More
