Mainstream News

Police group receives donation from Taser stun-gun maker

"The nation's largest association of police chiefs, which has advised thousands of its members on the appropriate use of stun guns, accepted a $300,000 donation from the foundation associated with Taser International, the biggest supplier of stun guns to law enforcement. The contribution to the International Association of Chiefs of Police Foundation (IACP), the organization's philanthropic arm, represents the latest in a series of controversial relationships Taser has established with police, the primary source of the Arizona-based company's lucrative business." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice group receives donation from Taser stun-gun maker

Greek government loses track of, asks again for stolen Swiss account data

"Greece has asked France to re-send it a list of Greeks with Swiss bank accounts, Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras said on Wednesday, after an original list delivered in 2010 apparently went missing. The list was originally acquired from France's then finance minister Christine Lagarde two years ago and is part of account data leaked by an HSBC bank employee in Switzerland. The first recipient of the data, former finance minister George Papaconstantinou, on Wednesday told a parliamentary committee that he did not know what had happened to the original version." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGreek government loses track of, asks again for stolen Swiss account data

Convicted Italian earthquake scientists resign over L’Aquila quake verdicts

"Earthquake experts worldwide expressed shock at the manslaughter convictions of six Italian scientists who failed to predict the deadly L'Aquila quake, warning that the decision could severely harm future research. Two scientists resigned their posts with the government's disaster preparedness agency Tuesday after a court in L'Aquila sentenced six scientists and a government official to six years in prison. Seismologists were aghast at the court's decision, noting that earthquakes remain impossible to forecast with any kind of accuracy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingConvicted Italian earthquake scientists resign over L’Aquila quake verdicts

Cash-strapped Cyprus plots Russian exit from austerity

"The Russians, quite correctly, view Cyprus as a convenient backdoor to the European Union – and they are not alone. The Chinese have also started arriving, encouraged by what they regard as an incredibly low bar to immigration. Forget all those tricky visa forms, for anyone prepared to spend €300,000 on a property in Cyprus there is the bonus of eligibility for permanent residency. Once this is achieved, the owner is entitled to move anywhere within the EU. For the price of a shoebox in Shanghai, Cyprus is offering a gold-card travel pass and much more besides." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCash-strapped Cyprus plots Russian exit from austerity

Britain has left the European Union in all but name

"The UK is preparing to pull out of almost all areas of 'Justice and Home Affairs', the so-called Pillar III of EU jurisdiction. (Pillar I is the single market, and Pillar II is foreign affairs). This is revolutionary. We are withdrawing from 130 directives, covering everything from the European Arrest Warrant, the European Public Prosecutor, to the European justice department (Eurojust). Luckily, Tony Blair negotiated the right to a mass opt-out on this Pillar III corpus to be exercised before it all becomes justiciable at the European Court (ECJ) in 2014, a move that would transform the ECJ into Britain's supreme court." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBritain has left the European Union in all but name

Credit Card Data Breach at Barnes & Noble Stores

"Hackers have stolen credit card information for customers who shopped as recently as last month at 63 Barnes & Noble stores across the country, including stores in New York City, San Diego, Miami and Chicago, according to people briefed on the investigation. The company discovered around Sept. 14 that the information had been stolen but kept the matter quiet at the Justice Department’s request so the F.B.I. could determine who was behind the attacks, according to these people. The information was stolen by hackers who broke into the keypads in front of registers where customers swipe their credit cards and enter their PINs." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCredit Card Data Breach at Barnes & Noble Stores

FDA probes deaths linked to Monster Energy drinks

"The family of US teen Anais Fournier, who died of an arrhythmia in December 2011, allegedly after drinking two cans of Monster Energy over a 24-hour period, brought suit Friday in California against Monster Beverage. A November 2011 report by the US Department of Health and Human Services found a tenfold spike in emergency room visits for issues linked to energy drinks between 2004 and 2009, totaling more than 16,000 visits in 2008, with sales of the beverages skyrocketing during that same period. Energy drinks contain stimulants like caffeine, guarana and ginseng as well as the relaxant taurine and other vitamins." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFDA probes deaths linked to Monster Energy drinks

Whitaker police officer charged over threats to motorist

"A part-time Whitaker police officer was charged on Friday with official oppression, attempted extortion and related crimes after being accused of using his gun to break a female motorist’s window and threatening to send her to jail if she did not admit responsibility and pay for the damage. Willliam S. Davis, 35, was charged by investigators from the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office after an investigation surrounding events that occurred about 9 p.m. June 27, when Davis was in plainclothes and riding in an unmarked police vehicle." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhitaker police officer charged over threats to motorist

Disabled veteran could change U.S. drug policy on medical marijuana

"Michael Krawitz, one of five plaintiffs involved in a legal case before the court of appeal for the District of Columbia Circuit, told the Guardian that the VA denied him pain treatment after they discovered he had been prescribed medical marijuana while abroad. He told the court in an affidavit that the withdrawal of care by the department, which has rated him 100% permanently disabled and thus eligible for all medical treatment under its auspices, has meant he now has to travel 130 miles from his home to see a doctor for pain relief." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDisabled veteran could change U.S. drug policy on medical marijuana

McAlester police officer charged with a felony in tasing of handcuffed woman

"According to court records, Williams was given a 10-year suspended sentence for felony assault and battery on a police officer, public intoxication and expectorating on a police officer. She said she has scars on her hands from the handcuffs and on her chest from the probes being pulled out by another police officer. An MPD 'Use of Force Report' written by Taylor after the incident and signed by MPD Capt. David Bailey states: 'Subject had spit on officer and was fixing to spit on officer again force was used to stop action.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMcAlester police officer charged with a felony in tasing of handcuffed woman