New York ( Senator Malcolm Smith and City Councilman Dan Halloran Arrested by FBI ) Bribery

New York Senator, IDC member, arrested today in bribery plot, NY Post reports

New York state Sens. Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, left, and John Sampson, D-Brooklyn, appear at a news conference at the Capitol in Albany in 2009. Today, Smith was arrested in a bribery plot to rig the New York City mayor's race, the New York Post reported.

Print

By Teri Weaver | tweaver@syracuse.comThe Post-Standard
Follow on Twitter
on April 02, 2013 at 7:54 AM, updated April 02, 2013 at 8:22 AM

Email

Syracuse, N.Y. -- State Sen. Malcolm Smith, a Queens Democrat, was arrested this morning at his home by FBI agents investigating a plot to get Smith on the Republican ballot for New York City mayor, the New York Post is reporting.
The New York Times and the Associated Press also reported the arrest this morning.
Smith was charged at his Queens home shortly after 6 a.m., the Post reported. Also charged was New York City Councilman Dan Halloran. Both men are accused of building an alliance built on cash payments and fraud to get Smith placed on the GOP mayoral ballot, the Post said.
Smith did not comment as he was arrested.
Here's more from the Post's report:
"To get on the GOP ballot, Smith allegedly enlisted Halloran, a Republican, to set up meetings with party leaders and negotiate thousands of dollars in bribes. The money was masked as payments for legal and accounting services, sources said.
"Halloran allegedly collected thousands in bribes for himself along the way, the sources said.
"He is separately charged with taking bribes from a consultant in return for up to $80,000 in City Council discretionary funding.
"The feds were already investigating Halloran when they got wind of the alleged ballot-manipulating plan in November, the sources said. Smith met with his alleged co-conspirators as recently as February."
Smith became the fifth member of the Independent Democratic Conference in December, just days before the IDC publicly joined with the Senate Republicans to take charge of Albany's upper house. Sen. David Valesky, D-Oneida, is also a member of the IDC. The coalition left traditional Democrats -- who would have controlled the Senate if the IDC had not broken away -- in the minority.
Smith's trouble would not upset the current coalition configuration, at least by the numbers. Currently, there are 31 Republicans, 27 Democrats (including one who caucuses with the GOP) and the five breakaway Democrats. It takes 32 members to control the Senate.

SEOUL ( United States places warship off Korean coast as a shield for missile attack )

SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States has positioned a warship off the Korean coast as a shield against ballistic missile attack as South Korea's new president vowed swift retaliation against a North Korean strike amid soaring tensions on the peninsula.
But Washington also said it had seen no worrisome mobilization of armed forces by the North Koreans despite bellicose rhetoric over a ramping up of international sanctions against Pyongyang over nuclear weapons tests.

"If there is any provocation against South Korea and its people, there should be a strong response in initial combat without any political considerations," South Korean President Park Geun-hye told the defense minister and senior officials.

North Korea says the region is on the brink of a nuclear war in the wake of U.N. sanctions in response to its February nuclear test and a series of joint U.S. and South Korean military drills that have included a rare U.S. show of aerial power.

In Washington, the White House has said the United States takes seriously North Korea's war threats. But White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Monday: "I would note that despite the harsh rhetoric we are hearing from Pyongyang, we are not seeing changes to the North Korean military posture, such as large-scale mobilizations and positioning of forces."

Iran News ( Blogger beaten and tortured in prison- denied medical attention )

March 2013

Prison officials continue to block ailing blogger Pourshajari from receiving medical aid

Keywords : Political Prisoners

Committee of Human Rights Reporters - Imprisoned blogger Pourshajari who is in serious need of medical care, continues to be deprived of medical furlough. His daughter said to Kaleme: “They lied to my father and told him to get ready to be taken to a doctor, but instead they transferred him to Ghazal Hesar prison. The physicians have advised that he must undergo surgery yet the prison officials say they will not allow him to leave even for one hour.”

As reported earlier by CHRR, three physicians at the prison facility by the names of Amjadi, Nejadbahram and Gholizadeh made requests for this political prisoner to be transferred to a medical facility outside the prison. They revealed that the prisoner has blocked arteries, which could result in cardiac arrest and his sudden death.

Mitra Pourshajari, daughter of this blogger in Ghezel Hesar prison said to Kaleme: “When I asked the prison official why he refuses to sign off father’s release papers when he is so sick, he responded that he would not put himself in any danger and would not even grant a one hour furlough. I asked why. He said with the crimes that he committed, your father is a danger to the nation. We are not going to jeopardize ourselves with this type of dossier. If the judiciary wanted to grant furlough they would have done so themselves instead of sending the file to us.”

Mohammad Reza Pourshajari is a 53-year-old political prisoner and blogger who wrote under the pen name Siamak Mehr. On September 12, 2010 he was detained at his home in Karaj and transferred to the Security Ward of the IRGC in Rajai Shahr prison. He was eventually tried in Branch 109 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Gholam Sarabi who handed him a 4-year prison sentence. He endured 7 months in solitary confinement during his “temporary detention” and was subjected to brutal psychological and physical torture. He was beaten with electric rods, and tortured with mock executions prompting him to attempt suicide by cutting his wrists with his glasses, leaving scars.

After spending close to a year at Rajai Shahr, he was inflicted with several illnesses that required him to undergo medical care under supervision outside of prison. But rather than provide him with the necessary medical care, the prison authorities transferred him to his present location at Ghezel Hesar prison, a substandard facility that is reserved for dangerous criminals.

Mohammad Reza Pourshajari has compared the conditions in the prison to an unkempt zoo. His daughter said to Kaleme: “With the price hike that has hit the country for all goods, the same has happened inside prisons. The price for necessary merchandise sold in prisons is a few times higher than it was before. Most prisoners can no longer afford cleaning products to keep their cells clean and this has caused sanitary issues. Warm water and showers are provided only a few hours a week.

Even though my father was already sick, the substandard conditions of this facility, the extreme dirtiness, no peace of mind has worsened my father’s physical condition to a very worrisome level. The physicians who had earlier tested him recommended that he receive surgery but the prison doctors have not even prescribed some medication to give him some temporary relief. My father is held in an uncertain situation while his health is deteriorating day by day.”

In a letter provided to CHRR in February, Mohammad Reza Pourshajari wrote from prison:

I Mohammad Reza Pourshajari, aka Siyamak Mehr, blogger for the blog “Gozareshe Khake Iran,” hereby request from honorable lawmakers and attorneys, to accept my gratitude for their efforts if circumstances permit to represent me in court. I give them my power of attorney to lodge a lawsuit on my behalf against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the judiciary of this regime in any suitable court of law in the United States, for my illegal arrest and severe torture, my 4-year prison sentence on baseless and ridiculous charges such as “propaganda against the regime,” and “insult” to an absurd concept called “Supreme Leader.”

The lawsuit is to condemn the opinions issued in the Islamic courts and to demand compensation from Iranian officials for my emotional duress and physical complications along with the losses endured during my prison term. In hopes that this action will condemn the oppressive regime of Iran and encourage other Iranians sentenced in the courts of the oppressive Islamic regime and victims of clergy crimes to also step forward and in this manner of lodging complaints in the courts of the United States of America, make a loud case that can be heard in the rest of the world.

Mexico ( 2 man executed -Found hanging from bridge - disturbing photo) The Killing fields

Borderland Beat 3-31 2013

The bodies of two men were found hanging Saturday morning from an overpass located between Ignacio Zaragoza Boulevard and Lechería-Chamapa Highway, in the neighborhood of Las Torres de Atizapán, Mexico State.

The men, between 20 and 30 years old, apparently were shot and then hung with ropes from the bridge.

On the road they found several shell casings and a narcomensaje, which is not, as of yet, being shared.

One of the victims was wearing gray sweatshirt and dark green pants, while the other wore blue sweatshirt and blue pants.

Prosecution personnel of Atizapán were made aware of the matter. Municipal, state police and municipal Civil Protection arrived on the scene.

Following the discovery, an officer from the Special Police secured the perimeter of about 50 meters from the bridge Ignacio Zaragoza, so that the railways towards the City were closed to traffic.

At about 7:05 and with the help of a ladder, fire personnel released the bodies to the Forensic Medical Service.

To 8:00 traffic was restored in both directions and retired emergency services.

This is the second time that the bodies of dead people were found hanging from bridges in the state of Mexico. the first was on Paseo de Interlomas, Huixquilucan on August 11, 2011 where a decapitated man was hung from a bridge with a message from La Mano con Ojos. On November 17 2011, a body of another male was found hanging from the bridge Valle del Júcar, in the neighborhood Valle de Aragón, Ecatepec.

Syria ( 7 yr old boy - smokes cigarette - AK-47 slung on his shoulder ) Neighborhood watch SAD

Bashar Assad, Syria, Save The Children, Syria Violence, Syria War Crimes, Syrian Refugees, War Child, Child Soldiers, Children's Rights, Free Syrian Army, Samantha Cameron, Syrian Rebels, UK NEWS, UK News

Puffing on a cigarette, with an AK-47 rifle slung casually on his shoulders, this seven-year-old Syrian boy’s childhood appears well and truly over.
The stark shots show Ahmed, the son of a rebel fighter, standing guard in the neighbourhood of Salahadeen, one of Aleppo’s front lines.
The image comes as the British Prime Minister’s wife was moved to claim innocent childhoods were being “smashed to pieces” by the civil war in Syria.

Seven-year-old Ahmed, the son of a Syrian rebel fighter puffs on a cigarette while cradling an AK-47
Samantha Cameron was this week visiting refugees fleeing the conflict in neighbouring Lebanon in her role as an ambassador for Save the Children.
During a trip to a clinic for new mothers and pregnant refugees, she said: "As a mother, it is horrifying to hear the harrowing stories from the children I met today. No child should ever experience what they have.
"With every day that passes, more children and parents are being killed, more innocent childhoods are being smashed to pieces."

The child was pictured neighbourhood of Salahadeen, one of Aleppo’s front lines
Save the Children chief executive Justin Forsyth, who accompanied her on the visit, said: "Samantha Cameron's support... helps draw attention to the plight of children caught up in this terrifying conflict.

Union N.J ( 4 yr old boy found in apartment with mother who died )

Associated PressWed Mar 27, 2013 3:15 PM

UNION, N.J. — A naked, malnourished 4-year-old boy found inside an apartment with the body of his mother, dead for days, had resorted to eating from a bag of sugar and weighed only 26 pounds, well below normal, police said Wednesday as adoption offers poured in from around the world.

The boy’s first request after being examined, police said, was a grilled cheese sandwich and a juice.

His mother, identified Wednesday as Kiana Workman, 38, of New York City’s Brooklyn borough, was discovered dead Tuesday on the floor of her bedroom after maintenance workers at the apartment complex in northern New Jersey reported a foul odor. Because the chain lock was on, police said, the toddler couldn’t get out.

 

Officer Joseph Sauer said the boy was naked but coherent and not crying when he kicked in the door and his partner lifted the youngster up by the arms and pulled him out of the overheated apartment.

“The only way to describe the little boy was it was like a scene from World War II, from a concentration camp, he was that skinny. I mean, you could see all his bones,” Sauer told The Associated Press.

The apartment in this city 15 miles west of New York belongs to Workman’s mother, who is recuperating from surgery at a nursing center, said police, who could not track down any other relatives.

The boy, now in state custody, remained in a hospital where he was being treated for malnourishment and dehydration, police said.

“Physically, he’s fine. Whether there are any mental problems later on … I’m not a child expert,” Police Director Daniel Zieser said.

The boy was not strong enough to open the refrigerator and was unable to open a can of soup. Police said he told them he had been eating from a bag of sugar.

The boy could not say how long his mother had been dead.

Police said he put lotion on his mother, leaving behind handprints, in an attempt to help her.

Officer Sylvia Dimenna, who traveled in the ambulance with the boy and stayed with him at the hospital, said he was very bright and articulate but tired.

“He said he missed his mommy,” she said.

 

Police initially estimated she had been dead five days before the discovery was made, but Zieser said Wednesday it may have been two to three. Nobody had talked to her for about a week.

The boy weighed 26 pounds, but at the age of 4½ should have weighed 40 pounds or more, Zieser said.

“It’s possible he was improperly cared for before the mother’s death; we just don’t know yet,” Zieser said.

Autopsy results that would help them better determine the time of death were pending. Police said they did not suspect foul play.

Police said they were getting calls from around the world from people offering to adopt the child or donate money or toys.

“It’s overwhelming,” Zieser said.

“I just hope everything works out for the child,” the police director said. “We’re just going to take it one step at a time and do the best that we can for the child.”

Police said they were trying to find someone in the family capable of taking care of the boy, including a brother of Workman believed to live out West. But he said it would be up to the state’s child welfare agency to determine where the child is placed.

Zieser described the apartment complex as a well-maintained property with few problems.

But he said everyone there “basically stays to themselves.”

North Korea ( Photo's show San Diego as a target on the attack map of Kim Jong un )

San Diego is a Target on North Korea's Attack Map

North Korean threatens to strike the United States - San Diego may be on the list.

0

Bobby Bray, March 30, 2013

On Friday March 29th national and international news agencies reported on North Korea's public threat to attack US cities as well as military bases in Hawaii, Guam, and South Korea.
North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, signed an order allegedly approving the potential strikes in-part as a response to the United States recently flying two stealth bombers in South Korea.
Photos from the signing event include maps of America in the background showing a few cities as targets. Several news agencies refer to NK New's analysis of the photos.
"A composite overlay appears to show San Diego, Washington D.C., Hawaii and possibly Austin as being primary targets in a North Korean attack plan," according to NK News.
A BBC report lays out a recent timeline leading North Korea to it's declaration of war on South Korea, an ally of the United States. The report also includes a map of what is thought to be North Korea's missile ranges. San Diego does not appear to be in range. However, Guam which is home to an important United States bomber base is in range.
There does not seem to be any government agencies warning San Diegians to be in a heightened state of awareness, but if nothing else North Korea's threat serves as a reminder that San Diego is indeed a strategic military target - if America was to be attacked that is.