UK Abortion Clinic Targeted by US Religious Group

By Meera Selva

London - One of Britain's main abortion providers said Wednesday that a campaign run by a U.S.-based religious group is intimidating women who use its services.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service said activists from the 40 Days for Life group have been holding vigils outside one of their central London clinics and had on occasion filmed people coming in and out of the building. A spokeswoman said she asked the activists to stop filming but they refused.

The spokeswoman, who requested anonymity because she said she had received hate mail, said the protests were bigger than many other anti-abortion protests.

"We've always had sporadic outbursts down the years, but I think we are seeing something, seeing protest on a scale we haven't seen before," she said.

Robert Colquhoun, a campaign director of 40 Days for Life's London campaign, said its members are carrying out a peaceful Christian prayer vigil outside BPAS's central London clinic.

The 40 Days for Life movement began in Texas in 2004, and has now spread around the world. Its members hold vigils outside abortion clinics for a 40-day period.

"It's totally unfounded to say we want to intimidate women," Colquhoun said. "We are there to pray and to show there is love in the community out there."

Colquhoun said the group did not intend to film people using the BPAS clinic but some activists did have cameras to film passers-by who were insulting them.

Britain's debate over abortion has become louder in recent years. A number of young, socially conservative lawmakers were elected to the House of Commons after the last election, including many who support more restrictive abortion laws.

Lawmaker Nadine Dorris tried unsuccessfully last year to bar abortion providers such as BPAS from counseling women about their decisions on whether to terminate their pregnancies. She wanted the counseling services to be provided by an independent body.

Dorris's campaign failed but it drew attention to providers such as BPAS and Marie Stopes International, which between them carry out around half of Britain's 200,000 annual abortions.

Last week, a man was arrested for hacking into the BPAS website and stealing sensitive data, but police did not indicate that the man is linked to those holding the vigil.

Britain's Abortion Act, first drafted in 1967, allows surgical abortions up to 24 weeks into a pregnancy. It also permits abortions after 24 weeks if doctors believe the mother's life is in danger or there is strong evidence that the fetus would be born with a severe disability. Two doctors must approve every referral to an abortion clinic.

Irish Hacking Suspect Freed in Wake of FBI Sting

By Shawn Pogatchnik

Dublin -  An Irish computer hacker accused of breaking into the email account of Ireland's top cybersecurity cop, then using its contents to eavesdrop on American and British anti-hacking detectives, was released without charges Wednesday.

Irish police said they were preparing a new evidence file for state prosecutors to use against Donncha O Cearbhaill. He's been arrested and released once before over alleged hacking attacks in Ireland last year.

FBI affidavits identified the 19-year-old Trinity College chemistry student as the Internet infiltrator responsible for recording and posting online a Jan. 17 trans-Atlantic conference call between American and British anti-hacking detectives.

The U.S. District Court in Manhattan, acting on FBI affidavits, issued indictments Tuesday against O Cearbhaill, two Britons, another Irishman and a Chicago man over their alleged role in a string of cyber attacks on several U.S. agencies and companies committed by an Anonymous hacker subgroup called Lulz Security, or LulzSec. The FBI built its case using the hackers' alleged leader, Sabu, as a turncoat informant who drew out incriminating online admissions from the others.

Hackers claiming allegiance to the amorphous Anonymous movement offered a defiant reply Wednesday by defacing dozens of Web sites connected to Internet defense firm Panda Security. The Anonymous activists justified their attacks citing Panda's links to law enforcement. The Bilbao, Spain-based company said its main site wasn't compromised.

Hackers from Anonymous also said they knocked out the Vatican's Web site Wednesday afternoon in a broad protest against Catholic doctrine, past and present, as well as the chronic cover-up of child abuse by clergy.

O Cearbhaill walked free from Terenure police station in south Dublin after a 24-hour interrogation period, the maximum permitted under Irish law for suspected hacking crimes.

Such releases are typical in Ireland, where state prosecutors can take months, even years, to mull whether to file charges.

He made no public comments following his release. His father John Carroll, a councilman in rural County Offaly, also declined comment.

The other Irish citizen indicted, Galway university student Darren Martyn, remained free Wednesday and conversed freely with followers on his Twitter account, in which he describes himself as a reformed "blackhat," slang for a criminal hacker.

Martyn said the FBI had got his age wrong — he's also just 19, not 25 — and he intended to keep working on his own Internet and school projects in expectation of potentially imminent arrest. He declined AP requests for an interview.

The U.S. court has indicted Martyn on two counts of hacking, with a potential 10-year prison sentence for each count, while O Cearbhaill faces one count of hacking and one count of disclosing an unlawfully intercepted wire communication, offenses that combined carry a maximum 15-year sentence.

Irish police arrested both O Cearbhaill and Martyn in September after their online noms de guerre claimed responsibility for a hacking attack on the Web site of Fine Gael, the major political party in Ireland's government. They were both released and files of evidence prepared for their potential prosecution, but they have yet to be charged over the Fine Gael attack.

According to the affidavit by FBI Special Agent George Schultzel, O Cearbhaill decided to crack the email codes of his recent police captors.

While Schultzel doesn't identify them by name, he testified that O Cearbhaill was able to crack into the private email accounts of two detectives in the Irish police's Computer Crime Investigation Unit, including its commander — and found a security gold mine because both detectives had been forwarding security-sensitive emails from their police accounts.

The FBI said it seized records of both Irish detectives' email accounts and found they'd been illegally accessed 146 times.

The affidavit reports that O Cearbhaill told his LulzSec contact Sabu Jan. 9 he had "just got into the iCloud for the head of a national cybercrime unit. I have all his contacts and can track his location 24/7." In a footnote, Schultzel identifies O Cearbhaill's target as the Irish police's cybercrime supervisor.

The Associated Press requested an interview Wednesday with the Computer Crime Investigation Unit's director, Detective Inspector Paul Gillen. He and the police force declined the request, citing their ongoing investigation.

The FBI affidavit suggests Gillen shipped a key email from the FBI — listing the invited officials and phone passwords for their Jan. 17 conference call — from his police email account to his private one.

The 15-minute discussion, and the list of security officials, both were leaked on to the Internet. In one telling moment, an FBI official asked about progress on investigating the two Irish hackers, O Cearbhaill and Martyn: "Is anyone on from Ireland?" Silence followed.

Internet security experts said they found it hard to believe that the head of a nation's cybersecurity unit would ship such a sensitive email to a poorly protected private account, then not bother to participate in the conference call.

"It's obviously deeply embarrassing," said Graham Cluley, a technology consultant for data security company Sophos. "It's a boo-boo. I would hope that more sensitive information isn't being shared via his personal account."

Suspicion Rises Between Western Advisers, Afghans

By Deb Riechmann

Kabul, Afghanistan - "Shoulder to shoulder" is the mantra of the NATO-Afghan military partnership. Now, after Afghan soldiers and police turned their guns on their foreign partners during outrage over the Quran burnings, even Western advisers — not just combat troops — are looking over their shoulders.

The deepening distrust is jeopardizing the U.S.-led coalition's strategy of training Afghan security forces and helping government workers so that international troops can go home.

The advisers do a variety of jobs. While some focus on the battlefield, others pore over geological surveys, lure outside investors or make sure that key mountain passes are clear of snow. They work closely with their Afghan counterparts to build a government strong enough to fend off threats and attacks from the Taliban and other militants trying to destabilize their country.

There has been lingering distrust for years. Afghan soldiers and police, or militants dressed in their uniforms, have shot and killed more than 75 U.S. and other coalition forces in Afghanistan since 2007.

But tensions soared Feb. 25 when two U.S. military advisers were found dead with gunshots to the back of the head inside the Afghan Ministry of Interior, one of the most heavily guarded buildings in the capital, Kabul.

The two were among six U.S. troops killed by Afghan security forces during a week of demonstrations over the burning of Islamic books and Qurans at a U.S. military base in eastern Afghanistan. President Barack Obama and U.S. military officials say the burnings were a mistake and not intentional.

Hours after the military advisers' bodies were found on the floor of their office, Gen. John Allen, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, took the unprecedented step of recalling hundreds of coalition personnel working in more than two dozen government ministries in Kabul. He said the decision was made "for obvious force protection reasons." Britain, France, Germany and Canada quickly followed suit, putting much of the West's mentoring and advising work on hold.

"It's a declining relationship. It has been for years," said Martine van Bijlert, co-founder of the Afghan Analyst Network in Kabul. "You won't be able to fix that. The big question is 'Will it remain a workable relationship?' I think it's possible. It could settle down, but it won't fully settle down to the old level."

"These advisers are crucial, especially in the security sector when we're talking about transition," said Haroun Mir, director of Afghanistan's Center for Research and Policy Studies in Kabul. "Certainly the Afghan government can function without them, but if they don't return, it will take a toll on the financial situation of the government. Many of these projects financed by donors require the presence of these advisers."

Allen is determined to get the advisers back into the ministries as soon as possible — when he deems it is safe enough to do so, said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jimmie Cummings, a coalition spokesman. The coalition has not disclosed the total number of advisers who work in the ministries.

Their work has not completely stopped, he said.

"Though they are not physically standing beside them, the advisers are still in daily communication with their Afghan counterparts, as Gen. Allen directed to keep the lines of communication open," Cummings said. "We are committed to our partnership with the government of Afghanistan. ... Tens of thousands of Afghan and coalition troops continue to effectively work together on significant missions every day."

A few dozen advisers critical to the mission have trickled back to work, but with additional security, Cummings said.

A senior Western adviser who oversees advisers in several ministries said that when they go back they probably will be required to wear body armor and travel in groups with armed escorts. The adviser said they also might have to get permission to visit the ministries, reducing day-to-day contact with their Afghan partners.

Some advisers, such as the ones involved in the Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands program, will balk at increased security, the adviser said. The U.S. established the program in September 2009 to create a team of military and civilian experts who could develop close working relationships with their Afghan and Pakistani counterparts.

Contractors who serve as advisers generally are not so eager to rush back to the ministries, and some told the adviser they are ready to head home.

The adviser and all others who spoke on condition of anonymity for this article did so because of increasing tensions in the NATO-Afghan relationship.

Restoring trust between Western advisers and their Afghan counterparts will be challenging.

"If an adviser gets killed and you're an adviser, it's going to be difficult," said Nadia Gerspacher, a senior program adviser for the United States Institute of Peace in Washington.

"Is it going to make people less trusting and feeling more insecure in the ministry? Probably," said Gerspacher, who has been in contact with advisers in Kabul since the killings.

An international security contractor said he could feel the tension when he visited an Interior Ministry office the day after the U.S. advisers were killed. Usually Afghan police there greet him with "Salamou Aleikom," meaning "Peace be with you." This time, 14 or 15 armed policemen standing in a hallway outside the office were silent, he said. The policemen asked an interpreter whether the Western contractor was American or British. He and a colleague soon left.

An Afghan National Police general at the Interior Ministry said he felt ashamed by the killings and would welcome the advisers back.

They are the teachers for Afghanistan's new system of providing security and if they don't return, the work being done to reform the unprofessional and corrupt policemen will collapse, said the general. A lot of work has been suspended since the killings, the general said.

Another official at the Interior Ministry said the Western advisers' morale had been shattered.

When two Western advisers visited his unit a few days ago, he tried to break the tension. Jokingly, he shook his finger at them, smiled and said: "You've been absent for four or five days. Your pay will be docked." He said that he has developed strong bonds with a few of the Western advisers and will consider them good friends forever.

Some ministries aren't so dependent on the advisers, according to an official at the Finance Ministry. He said the advisers were badly needed three or four years ago, but that the ministry was now staffed with talented, well-trained Afghan employees who no longer need the 20 to 25 well-paid Westerners who currently work there. The ministry could hire five Afghans with the salary paid to one Westerner, he said.

New Virus Affecting European Meat

Europe - A new virus that affects animals in Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium is cause for concern according to the European Food Safety Authority.

The virus, called Schmallenberg and named after its town of possible origin in Germany, causes birth defects in cattle, sheep, and goats. It causes abnormalities of the head, neck, and limbs.

The EFSA is looking into how the virus, which comes from insects, will affect livestock in upcoming months and years, as well as how it will affect the human population.

According to Commission health spokesman Frederic Vincent “Nothing shows at this stage that the virus can infect human beings, but nevertheless we have asked EFSA to look into that as well”

Russia has, at the moment, banned imports of sheep and goat meat from the European countries in question.

BP to Cover 42-Billion in Oil Spill Costs

United States/Great Britain - British Petroleum will likely have to pay the entire bill of $42-billion after it failed to transfer some of the cost to Transocean, a contractor it worked with when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier ruled BP must uphold a clause in its deal with the company protecting it from compensatory damage claims filed against it. However he has left open the chance Transocean will have to pay some or all punitive damages and civil penalties the U.S. government may impose upon it under the Clean Water Act.

It's estimated BP will have to pay anywhere from 3.5 to more than 20-billion dollars in civil fines alone to the workers of the Gulf.

The ruling was most likely influenced by the fact that while Transocean owned the rig itself, BP owned most of the Macondo well that blew up, leading to the spill.

Initially, according to Reuters, BP sought to shift the cost of the disaster, to Transocean.

Lou Colasuonno, Transocean's spokesman, said the ruling is a victory and it "discredits BP's ongoing attempts to evade both its contractual and financial obligations."

Ohio's Earthquakes Linked to Fracking

The town of Youngstown, Ohio has went through it's eleventh earthquake in the months since fracking began in the area.  Geologists are saying they have little doubt about the link, which is also confirmed by the USGS and Columbus's 10TV.com via SinceDutch.


On November I wrote about the ties to fracking in Great Britain and I admit I was somewhat skeptical.  However now it seems like those ties can also be found here in the United States.  I don't know what other kind of warning would be needed for the people, especially the leaders, of this country to get the hint.  Fracking not only makes us able to light our water on fire or make people phenomenally sick, but is proven to be the reason why places like Arkansas, Maine, Oklahoma are experiencing more earthquakes than they should.

I suppose it won't be until we have them more and more often, our drinking water is useless, and smoking inside of a house is dangerous for everyone that we realize - too late for any of us unfortunately - that fracking is definitely not the way to go when it comes to a viable energy solution.

Here's the video from SinceDutch that shows a direct correlation between fracking and Ohio's earthquakes.





Update: Ohio shut down five fracking facilities owned by Northstar Disposal Services LLC as a precautionary measure.  

Ohio's Department of Natural Resources deputy director Andy Ware said "[according to a geologist] there is a strong chance there is a fault line very close to the site of the well."

Health Inequality in the World

Chicago – Americans with chronic illnesses struggle more to pay their medical bills or need more help than their counterparts in other high-income countries, according to a survey by the Commonwealth Fund.


The survey studied 18-thousand adults not in the United States, but in ten other countries around the world. Past reports by the nonpartisan group have been used by politicians and policymakers who advocate for healthcare reform. Chances are this one will be touted as a strong argument it.


“Despite spending far more on health care than any other country, the United States practically stands alone when it comes to people with illness or chronic conditions having difficulty affording health care and paying medical bills,” says Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis.


The survey, which took place over the telephone, included those who were in fair or good health, had surgery in the recent years, or treated for a serious illness or injury in the past year.


Forty-two percent of the 1,200 U.S. adults in the survey went without care, visiting a doctor, or not getting a prescription filled, as a result of costs. and more than a quarter (27%) said they couldn't pay, the study found. The comparison with countries like Australia, Great Britain, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland, reveals at the most a 41-point gap. Those countries had between one and 14 percent.


More than seven out of ten people in Britain, Switzerland, France, New Zealand, and the Netherlands were found to be able to get an appointment for their illnesses on the same day or the next. Half of the Canadian and Swiss patients are able to get the same speedy care.


Adults under the age of 65, 51 percent, didn't have care because of the costs when compared to those older than 65, who were under Medicare.


For more information about health inequality, visit the CommonWealthFund website.