An unnamed NATO official admits that members United Kingdom and France sent in ground troops, into Libya, long ago.
The NATO official said it would be “unfair to call them NATO forces.”, implying that Britain and France are acting totally independent of U.S. led NATO, and the United Nations.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is sending a team of experts to a nuclear power plant in the state of Virginia, that was hit by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake on August 23.
The North Anna nuclear power station is about 20km (12 miles) away from the epicenter of the strongest quake to hit the east coast state in 114 years.
The NRC now admits the plant had experienced tremors that exceeded the level it was designed to withstand.
The United Kingdom’s Inner City Press revealed a 10 page document that shows a United Nations backed ground force operation is about to begin in Libya. It will involve 200 military observers, 190 UN police officers and 61 civilians.
The operation is awaiting approval by the UN Security Council, and an official request from Libyan rebels. It also details the creation of a new Libyan government, by the United Nations, not the rebels.
The 10 page “Martin report” also claims that the Libyan rebels committed war crimes, by killing prisoners and looting. It also “doubts” that Gaddafi used mercenaries.
The report was apparently written on August 22, but was officially denied until Inner City Press got its hands on an official copy.
“We are afraid that the resolution could push the most radical Syrian opposition forces to more active operations to topple the government. Just because of that, we categorically do not accept the aims our Western colleagues try to attain with that resolution.”–Vitali Churkin, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations
Russia, as well as China, have stated that they oppose any UN Security Council resolution against Syria.
Russian officials say they have information that the United States, and European Union, will sidestep the UN Security Council, because they can not get enough votes of support for their planned attack on Syria. Instead it is highly likely that the U.S. and EU will use language under NATO rules to justify an attack on Syria. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is not part of the United Nations.
Bank of America announced that it wants to sell half its stake in the lucrative China Construction Bank. Why? B of A needs cash now!
Bank of America hopes to get $8.3 billion from the sale. B of A will still hold 5% of China Construction Bank.
“The next 12 months look tough. Incentives brought forward buying in a very dramatic fashion in 2009, 2010, and now we are seeing a lack of pent-up demand.”-Ashvin Chotai, Intelligence Automotive Asia
General Motors can’t stand the heat of the competition in China, so they’re sacrificing profit margin by dropping their prices, on minivans.
“GM does not rely on the minibus for profit, they only contribute volume.”– Jenny Gu, JD Power & Associates.
GM might not rely on minivan sales for profits in China, but they’re sure taking the competition serious. GM’s sales of minivans, in China, dropped 3% this year, so far. That’s important when you realize that China, not the United States, is now GM’s largest auto market.
The minivans that GM sells in China, are made in China, not the U.S. One in eight vehicle sales in China are minivans.
It looks like VolksWagen is taking up the slack in GM’s lagging Chinese made minivan sales. GM sold 1.27 million vehicles in China in the first half of this year, compared with VW’s 1.1 million. This means VW could soon overtake GM’s number one foreign car maker position in China.
“We’ve had an increase in requests for that type of service, and so our food supply is dwindling rapidly.”-Brenda Ames, Pocatello Salvation Army
A recent survey by Feeding America revealed that the economic situation in Idaho is much worse than elected leaders claim. At least 20% of Idaho kids do not know where their next meal is coming from.
“Children are aware that the parents are struggling to feed them. They don’t know if there is enough in the house for breakfast, enough food for dinner.”-Joye Jones, Idaho Food Bank Pocatello Branch
The problem is made worse by the facts that because more people are making less money, donations to food banks are down, and, the state of Idaho has been cutting federally funded social programs.
The state with the least food insecurity is also the state with the best economy; North Dakota with less than 12% of kids going hungry.
The Virginia earthquake shutdown at least one nuclear power plant, but Hurricane Irene could hit dozens more.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has sent personnel to the Brunswick nuclear plant, on the North Carolina coastline where Irene is expected to make landfall.
NRC regulations call for nuclear reactors to be completely shut down several hours ahead of the arrival of hurricane-force winds of 75 mph or greater.
There are at least seven nuclear power plants in the projected path of Hurricane Irene.
More than one year ago, the city of Adelanto, California, sold their prison to GEO Group. The Adelanto Community Correctional Facility was being used to house state prisoners.
City officials say they got a promise from GEO that the former city prison guards would be hired. City officials also thought the prison would be reopened shortly. One year later those former city paid prison guards are still unemployed.
GEO is remodeling the prison, because it is now going to be used as an immigrant detention center. It’s been renamed the Adelanto ICE Procesing Center East & West. GEO wants to start taking in immigrants by August 2011, but doesn’t expect the new detention center to be completed until August 2012.
GEO also runs the Desert View Modified Community Correctional Facility, in Adelanto. GEO Group is the second largest for profit prison corporation in the United States. GEO run prisons have histories of violence and sexual assaults.
August 24, the Federal Bureau of Investigation seized a Santa Rosa County commissioner’s computer. It’s in connection with an investigation involving former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom, and GEO Group.
Sansom is being investigated for improper use of the Republican Party of Florida credit card, in which thousands of dollars in charges where made, that do not appear related to Republican Party of Florida business.
The FBI now suspects that GEO Group, and Sansom made improper deals in order to guarantee that GEO Group would get the contract to run the Blackwater River Correctional Facility, in Santa Rosa County.
Back in July the FBI issued three subpoenas to the Florida legislature. One for all travel vouchers relating to Sansom, and his aides: Melanie Phister, Eric Edwards, Dort Baltes and Samantha Sullivan.
The second subpoena was specifically for Samantha Sullivan, and related to campaign finance. The third subpoena related to GEO Group, and Sansom’s role is getting GEO the prison contract. GEO Group is one of the biggest supporters of the Republican Party of Florida.
GEO run prisons have histories of violence and sexual assaults.