Mainstream News

Pentagon planning massive cybersecurity increase

"The US Department of Defense has approved a fivefold expansion of its cybersecurity force over the coming years in a bid to increase its ability to defend critical computer networks, The Washington Post reported. Citing unnamed US officials, the newspaper said the Defense Department’s Cyber Command, which currently has a staff of about 900, will expand to about 4,900 troops and civilians. The decision to expand the Cyber Command was made by senior Pentagon officials late last year in recognition of a growing threat in cyberspace, the report said." Continue reading →

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When Police Violate the Constitution

"The federal courts are bearing down on the New York City Police Department’s constitutionally suspect stop-and-frisk program, under which hundreds of thousands of citizens are stopped on the streets each year, often illegally and for no discernible reason. The department’s patently illegal strategy, the judge said, encouraged officers to 'stop and question first, develop reasonable suspicion later.' The ruling focuses on detentions that occurred as people were entering or leaving one of many residential buildings in the Bronx whose managers had simply asked the department to patrol the area and arrest trespassers." Continue reading →

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Obamacare Layoffs Begin In Health Care Services; Insurers, Hospitals Set To Profit

"It looks like Obamacare is having some negative effects on the industry it was intended to help. Dr. Nick Turkal, CEO of Wisconsin-based non-profit health care provider Aurora Health Care, announced job cuts due to Obamacare. Orlando Health, a Florida network of community and specialty hospitals, said it would be laying off 400 employees due to new Obamacare costs. Likewise, small medical device company ADM Tronics says Obamacare will mean the company will have to lay off employees for the first time in over a decade. Hospitals and insurance companies alike are expected to receive a large influx in payments due to the new health law." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObamacare Layoffs Begin In Health Care Services; Insurers, Hospitals Set To Profit

Confused professors shocked schools are cutting their hours to avoid Obamacare penalties

"Robert Balla, an adjunct professor of English at Stark State College, in North Canton, Ohio received a letter in which he was told that 'in order to avoid penalties under the Affordable Care Act…employees with part-time or adjunct status will not be assigned more than an average of 29 hours per week.' He told the Journal that the move cut his $40,000 salary by about $2,000 and that he cannot afford health insurance. 'I think it goes against the spirit of the [health-care] law,' Mr. Balla said. 'In education, we’re working for the public good, we are public employees at a public institution; we should be the first ones to uphold the law, to set the example.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingConfused professors shocked schools are cutting their hours to avoid Obamacare penalties

Boomtown: Washington D.C. Passes Silicon Valley For Highest Median Income In U.S.

"Wealth in Washington, DC has surged to the highest median income in the United States, surpassing even tech mecca Silicon Valley, California. With a median household income of $119,134, the Census Bureau reports that Loudoun County, Virginia now occupies the number one spot for the highest median U.S. income. The number two position belongs to Fairfax County, Virginia at $105,797. Arlington, Virginia comes in third at $100,735. In fact, seven of the ten counties with the highest household incomes are in the Washington region." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBoomtown: Washington D.C. Passes Silicon Valley For Highest Median Income In U.S.

French-led forces in Mali take Timbuktu airport, enter city

"French-led troops in Mali have seized control of the airport in Timbuktu from Islamist militants and are fighting their way into the city center, a spokesman for the Malian military said Monday. The United States has also stepped up its involvement in the conflict by conducting aerial refueling missions on top of the intelligence and airlift support it was already providing. Covering the fighting up close is almost impossible for journalists, who are prevented from gaining access to the front line. Journalists are only allowed to enter after a town after it has been freed and its security guaranteed by French and Malian troops." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFrench-led forces in Mali take Timbuktu airport, enter city

After riots, Mohamed Morsi declares emergency in three Egyptian cities

"President Mohamed Morsi has announced a state of emergency in three cities near Egypt’s Suez Canal, following four days of civil unrest that have left at least 40 dead and over 500 injured. Since Thursday, hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in 12 of the country’s 21 provinces, to protest against the Islamist president, the Muslim Brotherhood, and police brutality – exactly two years after the start of the Egyptian revolution. 'We think the president is totally responsible for the conflict,' said Khaled Daoud, a spokesman for the National Salvation Front, a disparate collection of liberal and leftist parties opposed to Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAfter riots, Mohamed Morsi declares emergency in three Egyptian cities

US general warns over Iranian cyber-soldiers

"Cyber-attacks on Iran are turning it into a 'force to be reckoned with' America's top cyber-soldier has warned. Since 2010, Iran has come under attack many times by malicious viruses written specifically to target key industrial installations in the country. The repeated attacks have provoked Iran to improve its cyber-capabilities, said Gen William Shelton who oversees US cyber-operations. That improved capability had helped it protect itself against subsequent attacks on oil terminals and other manufacturing plants. Its capability might well be turned against Iran's enemies in the coming years, he said." Continue reading →

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How cigarette smuggling fuels Africa’s Islamist violence

"The key role cigarettes play in facilitating terrorism has been inexplicably ignored. But it has become of urgent interest to western intelligence agencies as they seek to check al-Qaida’s diverse factions operating across the Saharan region. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has concluded that 'cigarette smuggling has provided the bulk of financing for AQIM'. The total value of the illicit tobacco trade in north Africa is thought to exceed $1bn (£632m). The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that Africans smoke 400bn cigarettes a year, of which 60bn are bought on the black market." Continue reading →

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Peaceful Azerbaijan rally against police violence broken up brutally by police

"Azerbaijan police on Saturday brutally dispersed an unauthorised rally in central Baku, beating up and arresting scores of people, an AFP correspondent witnessed. Several dozen protesters briefly gathered in Baku’s central Sahil square to protest against the police using excessive force against peaceful protests. But police halted the rally within 10 minutes, beating up and arresting dozens of people." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPeaceful Azerbaijan rally against police violence broken up brutally by police