Tag: news

Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten has been granted parole after almost 50 years behind bars, but State Governor Jerry Brown may still deny her freedom

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Leslie Van Houten, the youngest member of the so-called ‘Charles Manson Family’, has been granted parole after spending nearly five decades in custody.

A two-person parole board ruled that Van Houten, now aged 68, is no longer a threat to society. Her release now hinges on the decision of California Governor Jerry Brown.

Van Houten was raised in a privileged but troubled family. Her parents’s divorce when she was just 14 triggered a pattern of erratic behavior. She began using drugs at a young age, became a hippie, and joined a commune. Van Houten then followed another of Manson’s disciples, Catherine Share, into Charles Manson’s own commune.

On August 9, 1969, Van Houten and several others headed into Los Feliz, a wealthy hillside district of Los Angeles, under Charles Manson’s orders. There, they committed murder when they savagely killed Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.

Van Houten was convicted and sentenced to death for first degree murder. Her sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole.

During her 14th parole hearing, Van Houten spoke about the events, saying that “I feel absolutely horrible about it, and I have spent most of my life trying to find ways to live with it“.

According to the parole board, the decision to grant Van Houten’s request for freedom was supported by her exemplary behaviour and accomplishments while incarcerated. She has reportedly earned a bachelor’s degree in counselling, and has spearheaded a large number of related programmes for inmates.

Governor Brown will issue a final ruling on Van Houten’s bid for freedom in the near future. Nobody involved in the Tate-LaBianca’s murders has ever been released from prison.

 

Trump v Kim: Warmongering rhetoric escalates between the two leaders, as the US President now retorts that North Korea ‘will regret any action it takes on Guam’

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un have been playing a high stakes poker game for some time, using world peace as a bargaining chip.

A few days ago, the US President said that North Korea would be met with ‘fire and fury like the world has even seen’, if the Pyongyang regime threatened US soil.

In response to such inflammatory comments, North Korea retorted that it is planning to launch an attack on the Pacific island of Guam, which is both a popular tourist destination and home to Andersen Air Base. The 36th Wing is housed there, providing mission support duties to a large number of civilian and military aircraft. Crucially, a significant portion of the US’ long-range capability (six B-1B bomber aircraft) are based at Andersen.

Trump, incensed at such low blow, today said that the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, will ‘truly regret’ any action it takes against Guam.

Against such warmongering background, China stepped up and said that, should military conflict actually break out, the country will remain neutral if North Korea strikes first. However, if the US and/or South Korea are the ones to start the conflict, China will intervene militarily to defend the current socio-political landscape in the region.

Far from shying away from provocative rhetoric, Trump resorted to Twitter to say “Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!”

The standoff carries dark and ominous undertones not seen since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, and the escalation of the Cold War after the Able Archer European wargames of 1983.

North Korea is profoundly resentful of the latest raft of sanctions set against the country, over its ongoing testing of missiles, and both it and the US remain locked in a high-risk game of nuclear intentions, after US intelligence sources claimed that North Korea had developed a nuclear warhead small enough to fit into a missile that could theoretically reach US soil.

Still, despite the highly charged rhetoric, there has been no discernible change in the state of readiness of US military assets, so the next steps remain unclear.

The Great Irish Mortgage Rip-off: Interest rates in Ireland far surpass the average across the Euro zone

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If you are lucky (or unlucky, depending on your point of view) to have a mortgage, a large chunk of your monthly income is probably being gobbled up by it, preventing you from living the life you want while funding a bank’s speculation game.

The word mortgage literally means ‘death pledge’, and such device is designed to keep people in hock to a financial institution for the best part of their lives.

Mortgages are big business for these institutions, and in Ireland, they make an extra buck or two by keeping interest rates artificially higher than the average across the Euro zone.

Here, you can expect to pay an average of 3.5% variable rate, whereas in most of Europe, it stands at 1.83%, on average.

Financial gurus here say that the reason for such disparity is the higher funding costs in Ireland, and that the volatility of the Irish market makes lending a much riskier proposition.

Al-Jazeera hits back at Israel’s proposal to block the news channel’s signal in the country

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Al-Jazeera has hit back at Israel’s proposed ban of the broadcaster’s signal in the country.

The news channel, which is owned by the Qatari Government and based in the country’s capital, Doha, has faced similar bans on other Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Now, Al-Jazeera says that Israel’s position makes mockery of the country’s claim to uphold democratic values, and aligns it instead with the very countries it professes to oppose.

Al-Jazeera’s troubles began soon after the outset of the Gulf Crisis, when several neighbouring countries colluded to ban Qatar from their airspace, and also forbid the importing of any Qatari products.

Last month, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, accused Al-Jazeera of ‘inciting violence’ over its coverage of clashes between Muslim worshippers and Israeli security forces.

The Great American Eclipse: Vast swathes of the United States will be plunged into darkness on August 21

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The United States is gearing up for a once-in-a-century astronomical event.

On August 21, 2017, the Moon will be positioned between the Earth and the Sun just right, creating a total solar eclipse, the first since 1979.

The event will be visible across the entire continent as the shadow of the Moon crosses the country, but a 70 miles-wide strip will experience night-like conditions for a brief period of time.

Spanning from South Carolina to Oregon, the so-called ‘path of totality’ will be plunged into total darkness for just over two and a half minutes. Planets and stars will become visible during this time.

The event will commence at 9.05am local time on the Pacific coast (5.05pm UK), and will finish at 4.09pm local time on the east coast (9.09pm UK).

 

US will bolster its military presence in South Korea with the deployment of 16 additional F-16 fighter jets and 200 troops

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The US is set to reinforce its military deployment in South Korea, as it plans to send 16 extra F-16 fighter jets and 200 military personnel to Kunsan Air Base, some 180km south of Seoul.

The four-month long deployment comes in the wake of heightened tensions in the area, prompted by a string of missile tests by North Korea.

South Korea and the US have been conducting joined military exercises in recent days, in a clear show of force to the Pyongyang regime.

The exercises called for two supersonic B-1B Lancer bombers to fly over South Korean airspace.

The Rockwell B-1B is a heavy, long-range bomber, and one of the cornerstones of the US’ strategic bombing fleet, along with the B-2 Spirit and the B-52 Stratofortress.

The aircraft carries the largest payload in the entire US Air Force, and first saw action in 1998.

Plastic nightmare: Spiralling consumption of plastic bottles threatens to become environmental disaster in the near future

 

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The consumption of plastic bottles has skyrocketed over the last decade. About 480 billion were sold worldwide in 2016. This compares to about 300 billion just ten years before. To put it into perspective, if one were to stack 480 billion bottles, the plastic tower would reach almost half way to the Sun.

Right now, factories produce an average of 20,000 bottles every second of every day. Tonnes of discarded plastic enter the world’s oceans all the time, ultimately entering the food chain through birds and fish.

Plastic bottles have been found in every corner of the oceans, including the Arctic and remote, uninhibited islands. The world’s fatal love affair with plastic is now threatening to become a harmful environmental issue not far into the future, as consumption rates far outstrips recycling.

Experts are warning that plastic pollution will soon become as harmful as climate change, unless drastic measures are taken.

 

War to infinity and beyond: US Army committee votes for the creation of ‘space corps’ army branch

PFC. Vasquez and PFC. Drake, Smartgun Operators attached to 2nd Battalion, Bravo Team of the United States Colonial Marine Corps (USCMC), onboard  the USS Sulaco, from the movie Aliens. Photo credit: Fox.

 

Having almost run out of foes to fight on Earth, the US House Armed Services Committee has set its iron sights on the Solar System.

The committee has voted in favor of the creation of a brand new ‘space corps’ army branch, whose mission would be to conduct exoatmospheric operations.

The proposal, which has bipartisan backing, would require the personal signature of President Donald Trump to become a reality.

If it comes to pass, the so-called ‘Space Corps’ would become the sixth branch of the US Army, and the first US command to be created in seven decades.

The new corps would assume the responsibilities currently carried by the US Air Force in outer space. The Air Force does have a Space Division at present time, but if the new proposals become law, the space branch would become its own entity, featuring a new chain of command.

The ‘space soldiers’ would presumably be tasked with defending US interests around known space, and defend the country from potential alien threats.

Overnight missile strike on Syrian airbase signifies a dramatic escalation of the conflict

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US President Donald Trump took resolute action against Syria last night, on foot of Tuesday’s chemical weapons attack on civilian population.

On presidential orders, two US Destroyers, USS Porter (DDG-78) and USS Ross (DDG-71) stationed on the Eastern Mediterranean launched a coordinated surgical strike at 8:40 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time (4:40 a.m. Zulu Time) on April 7.

The warships fired a barrage of 59 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs) against Shayrat Airfield near the Syrian city of Homs, believed to be the jump point for the fixed-wing warplanes that deployed the chemical weapons on the town of Khan Sheikhoun on Tuesday, April 4.

The Tomahawk is a long-range cruise missile weapon system that can be equipped with nuclear or conventional warheads. Operated by the United States and the United Kingdom, the Tomahawk can deliver its payload to targets up to 1,350 nmi away.

President Trump later released a pre-recorded statement to the press: “Tonight, I ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield where the chemical attack was launched,”

“It is in this vital to the national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons. There can be no dispute that Syria used banned chemical weapons, violated its obligation its obligation under the chemical weapons convention and ignored the urging of the U.N. Security Council.”

The missiles targeted aircraft, oil storage facilities, air defense sites, and other key
installations at the airfield. It is understood that while Russian authorities were informed ahead of the action, US top brass did not seek Moscow’s permission for the strike.

According to the Pentagon, the destruction of Shayrat Airfield will severely disrupt the Syrian Airforce’s capacity to deliver further chemical strikes from the site, besides reducing its overall combat capabilities. US officials have called the action ‘a proportional response to Assad’s heinous act.’

Escalation

The strike signifies a dramatic escalation of the Syrian conflict, and the first direct military intervention by US assets.

Moscow’s response to the attack has been swift. Russian officials have called it an ‘act of aggression’ by the US. Furthermore, they said that it ‘delivers a significant blow’ to US-Russia relations.

The two nations have been engaged in a proxy war across Syria from some time, each supplying weapons, military equipment and other assets to their chosen ally.

The US’ goal is to prevent Russia from gaining a foothold in the Middle East, while Russia is engaged in active protection of its foreign assets and facilities in the country. Putin’s government has consistently vetoed any UN resolution against Syria, for example.

Last night’s strike signifies a dramatic stepping up of the ongoing conflict, and it requires careful monitoring by the UN and other overseeing bodies, as it might trigger a Russian military response if Moscow decides to defend Syrian’s interests.

In this scenario, a direct military confrontation between the US and its old adversary could lead to a global conflict.

Death toll rises to 70 after deadly gas attack in Syria -Assad’s government denies any intervention

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The death toll after Tuesday morning’s deadly gas attack in Syria has risen to at least 80, many women and children among these. The scene was described by local doctors as ‘nightmarish’ and ‘chaotic.’

And Bashar al Assad’s government are denying any responsibility for the act, blaming a “leak” on a “rebel” factory instead.

According to the official version, Syrian aircraft struck a target near the Khan Sheikhoun. The facility hit was purportedly a warehouse containing toxic substances, which leaked and caused the deaths of dozens of men, women, and children in the nearby town.

However, international observers refute this claim, stating instead that the Syrian army acted with intent, and deployed a chemical weapon on a civilian area.

The gas, suspected to be sarin or a similar organophosphate agent, acted quickly and killed as many as 70 people in the immediate vicinity, injuring up to 400 more as the chemical dispersed.

According to World Health Organisation observers, victims displayed symptoms consistent with nerve agent poisoning, including acute dyspnea, miosis ( constriction of the pupils), and convulsions. The dead bodies also showed no sign of external injury, which seems to corroborate the chemical agent theory.

US President Donald Trump referred to the act as ‘heinous’ and quickly blamed his predecessor for the lack or resolute action in Syria.

The attack is one of the worst atrocities in Syria’s long running civil war, and follows a similar event in August 21, 2013, when Syrian forces deployed sarin-loaded rockets in Ghouta, a rebel-held suburb of Damascus. Up to 1,800 people, including many children, perished.