U.S. and the World

First Civil Case against Bank under 2001 Anti-Terrorism Act Opens

Arab Bank “knowingly and willfully” financially helped Hamas and other “terrorists who have killed, injured and maimed civilians” and “aided and abetted and conspired to commit said acts of international terrorism,” according to the lawsuit filed by 297 Americans. read more

Exxon Teams with Russians to Drill for Arctic Oil

The crisis in the Ukraine continues as American and European leaders lob more sanctions against Russia for its actions in the war-torn country. But in the oil world, it’s business as usual. Oil king ExxonMobil last week began drilling a new oil well off Russia’s Arctic frontier, in cooperation with OAO Rosneft, the country’s state-run oil company. read more

Iceland Retains Most Peaceful Nation Title; U.S. drops to 101st

Last year, the United States was ranked 99th most peaceful country in the world, out of 162. The U.S. has slipped two places in this year’s survey to 101st, nestled between Benin and Angola. Canada did much better in the rankings, coming in seventh in the world. To the south, Mexico landed at 138. read more

Chinese Communists Create their own Version of Christianity

With a growing population of tens of millions of Christians on its hands, China has decided to compete with established religions and create a socialist version of Christianity. Government officials intend to establish a “Chinese Christian theology” that they hope will compete with Protestant sects and the Catholic Church in China. There are reportedly 23 million to 40 million Protestants and about 12 million Catholics in the country. read more

Battle Rages Over $100 Million Worth of Middle East Oil Sitting Off Coast of Texas

A tanker loaded with Iraqi oil has been sitting off the coast of Texas, a floating pawn in an international game of chess, intrigue and subterfuge involving the government of Iraq, the U.S. State Department and federal court system, and the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan inside Iraq. The Kurdish tanker, carrying more than one million barrels of crude oil, has so far refused to dock, given the risk of being seized by order of a federal judge. read more

U.S. State Dept. Approves Largest Sale Ever of Hellfire Missiles to Iraq

The Dept. of Defense has announced it may ship 5,000 Hellfire missiles to Iraq, which its air force can fire from jets or aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan. The deal is valued at about $700 million, which is good news for Hellfire’s maker, Lockheed Martin. The Iraqi military welcomed the news, having used up its supply while fighting the incursion of Islamic militants. Human rights advocates were dismayed by the deal due to Iraq's indiscriminate airstrikes in rebel territories. read more

Thousands of U.S. Weapons Provided to Afghan Forces Are Unaccounted For

The U.S.’ decade-plus of fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan may have been hampered by allowing hundreds, perhaps thousands, of weapons to go missing and possibly fall into enemy hands. A new report said many of the 747,000 weapons given to the Afghan National Security Forces can’t be accounted for. “Weapons paid for by U.S. taxpayers could wind up in the hands of insurgents and be used to kill Americans and Afghan troops and civilians,” said SIGAR's John Sopko. read more

European Union Court Slams Poland for Helping U.S. Torture Program

Poland’s actions in helping the George W. Bush administration torture terrorism suspects on its soil constituted a human rights violation, the European court ruled. It also was faulted for not looking into what happened to Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri (implicated in the 2000 attack on the USS Cole) and Abu Zubaida (accused of facilitating militant training) while they were in CIA custody. Nashiri was subjected to a mock execution and had a drill put to his head at the black site. read more

U.S. Wasted $34 Million Pushing Soybeans on Afghanistan

The USDA decided it would be a good idea to spend $34 million on getting Afghan farmers to grow soybeans and for Afghan consumers to eat them. But the USDA struck out on both counts. The U.S. also paid about $1.5 million to build a soybean plan. When the crops failed, it paid to have 4,000 metric tons of soybeans flown in from the U.S at a cost of about $2 million. But no American expert could convince Afghans to incorporate soybeans into their diet. read more

Air Force to Launch Satellites to Spy on other Satellites

U.S. Air Force officials overseeing the space-based surveillance say they were willing to discuss the mission to warn countries like China and Russia not to mess with American satellites and spacecraft orbiting the earth. The satellites will position themselves 22,300 miles above Earth, putting them in near-geosynchronous orbit, where a satellite maintains about the same relative position over the earth, to improve observational efforts. read more

Corporate Tax Evasion Strategy Debated in Senate

Currently, U.S. businesses can claim they are foreign owned if only 20% of it is actually the property of overseas investors. President Barack Obama says this ceiling should be raised to 50% foreign ownership to slow down the rate of companies leaving the country. read more

U.S. Pork Producers Keep Using Drug Banned or Restricted in 160 Countries

Food safety advocates point out that 160 countries have either outlawed the drug or limited its use, while also noting the existence of 160,000 reports of pigs becoming ill or dying after being fed ractopamine. The nonprofit Center for Food Safety cited information from the European Food Safety Authority showing ractopamine can cause increased heart rates in humans. read more

UN Report Estimates more than Half with AIDS don’t Know they’re Infected

More than half of all the world’s HIV patients are not aware of their medical condition, according to a new United Nations’ report. Nineteen million of the 35 million living with the human immunodeficiency virus are unaware that they’re infected. Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS, which produced the report, says: “Whether you live or die should not depend on access to an HIV test.” read more

U.S. Government Demands Mexican Bus Company Pay Fine for Cocaine Smuggled by Drivers

After Border Patrol agents found and confiscated bags of the drug hidden inside a bus, federal prosecutors threatened to fine Turimex $1,000 per ounce of recovered cocaine. Turimex balked, saying they didn’t know the drugs were on the bus and were thus protected by the Tariiff Act of 1930. However, the wording of the Tariff Act of 1930 only protects ship’s owners and masters. read more

Army Corps of Engineers to Leave behind Fire-Prone Buildings in Afghanistan because Occupants are Young, Fit Soldiers who can Flee Quickly

“The typical occupant populations for these facilities are young, fit, Afghan soldiers and recruits who have the physical ability to make a hasty retreat during a developing situation,” Major General Michael Eyre, commander of the Army Corps’s Transatlantic Division, wrote in a memo. The structures include 83 barracks, four medical clinics and two fire stations. read more

Smaller U.S. Agencies Holding No Classified Data Curiously Become Targets of Chinese Hackers

It’s not just the Pentagon and other high profile U.S. agencies that have to worry about Chinese hackers. Even the little guys in Washington are coming under attack. Lower profile agencies with no secret data, like those overseeing personnel and printing, have now been infiltrated. Hackers may have just been curious to know what these offices do. “Along the way you’re going to shake a lot of doorknobs,” said Shawn Henry. “If the door is unlocked, why not look in?” read more