Benghazi attack: Urgent call for military help ?was denied by chain of command?

Citing ?sources who were on the ground? in Benghazi, Libya, Fox News is reporting that an urgent request for military help during last month?s terrorist attack on the US consulate there ?was denied by the CIA chain of command.?

The attack, on the anniversary of 9/11, killed US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three embassy personnel, including two former Navy SEALs working as security contractors.

Among other things reported in some detail, Fox asserts that a Special Operations team had been moved to US military facilities in Sigonella, Italy ? approximately two hours away ? but were never told to deploy.

?The fighting at the CIA annex [in Benghazi] went on for more than four hours ? enough time for any planes based in Sigonella Air base, just 480 miles away, to arrive. Fox News has also learned that two separate Tier One Special operations forces were told to wait, among them Delta Force operators.?

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This latest report comes as the Obama administration continues to fend off criticism that it misunderstood (or deliberately misled in its public statements) what was happening in Benghazi, including the extent to which al Qaeda or its affiliates were involved in the attack.

Writing last week in the conservative National Review online, former Marine Corps officer and Reagan administration senior Pentagon official Francis ?Bing? West outlined much the same scenario as Fox News, including a timeline of events in Benghazi.

?Fighter jets could have been at Benghazi in an hour; the commandos inside three hours,? Mr. West wrote. ?If the attackers were a mob, as intelligence reported, then an F-18 [Navy fighter jet] in afterburner, roaring like a lion, would unnerve them. This procedure was applied often in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Conversely, if the attackers were terrorists, then the U.S. commandos would eliminate them. But no forces were dispatched from Sigonella.?

?For our top leadership, with all the technological and military tools at their disposal, to have done nothing for seven hours was a joint civilian and military failure of initiative and nerve,? writes West, a Vietnam combat veteran who has reported extensively on US combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. ?Secretary of State Clinton has said the responsibility was hers. But there has been no assertion that the State Department overruled the Pentagon out of concern about the sovereignty of Libyan air space. Instead, it appears passive groupthink prevailed, with the assumption being that a spontaneous mob would quickly run out of steam.?

CIA and Obama administration officials have been quick to rebut such critical news reports.

CIA spokeswoman Jennifer Youngblood denied to Fox the claims that requests for support were turned down.

"We can say with confidence that the Agency reacted quickly to aid our colleagues during that terrible evening in Benghazi," she said. "Moreover, no one at any level in the CIA told anybody not to help those in need; claims to the contrary are simply inaccurate. In fact, it is important to remember how many lives were saved by courageous Americans who put their own safety at risk that night ? and that some of those selfless Americans gave their lives in the effort to rescue their comrades."

At a press conference this week, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the US military did not quickly intervene during the attack because military leaders did not have adequate intelligence information and felt they should not put American forces at risk, reports the Associated Press.

"The basic principle is that you don't deploy forces into harm's way without knowing what's going on; without having some real-time information about what's taking place," Mr. Panetta told Pentagon reporters. "And as a result of not having that kind of information, the commander who was on the ground in that area, Gen. Ham, Gen. Dempsey and I felt very strongly that we could not put forces at risk in that situation."

Panetta was referring to Gen. Carter Ham, the head of US Africa Command, and Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress are pressing their case for more information.

In a letter to President Obama Thursday, House Speaker John Boehner questioned whether the White House considered military options during or immediately after the attack, and he questioned what the president knew about the security threats in the country. He said that the national debate over the incident shows that Americans are concerned and frustrated about the administration's response to the attack.

"Can you explain what options were presented to you or your staff, and why it appears assets were not allowed to be pre-positioned, let alone utilized? If these reports are accurate, the artificial constraint on the range of options at your disposal would be deeply troubling," Rep. Boehner wrote.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/benghazi-attack-urgent-call-military-help-denied-chain-145655960.html

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Bailed-out Portugal raises $2.4B in debt auction

LISBON, Portugal (AP) ? Portugal managed to raise ?1.85 billion ($2.4 billion) in a debt auction Wednesday despite the country's bleak economic prospects and growing political tension over austerity policies.

The Public Debt Agency said it sold 3-, 6- and 12-month Treasury bills, with interest rates on the shortest and longest bills sharply lower though the 6-month rate was up on the last auction.

The coalition government forecasts a third straight year of recession next year, predicting a 1 percent economic contraction, but its draft budget for 2013 compounds the austerity program with steep tax increases that would cost many workers the equivalent of at least a month's pay and likely further stifle consumption. The jobless rate, already at a record 15.9 percent, is seen rising to 16.4 percent next year.

A broad outcry over the budget proposal has strained relations between the senior and junior parties in the center-right coalition, respectively the Social Democratic Party and the Popular Party.

The Social Democrats insisted their governing partner endorsed the budget plan. But the Popular Party's vice president, Jose Manuel Rodrigues, said his party's members of government didn't give their blessing to the tax hikes and would try to change them during discussions in Parliament ahead of a vote later this month. Without its partner, the Social Democratic Party doesn't have enough votes to approve its proposal.

Portugal was close to bankruptcy when it was engulfed by the eurozone's financial crisis and asked for a ?78 billion rescue last year following a decade of feeble growth and mounting debt.

To get the bailout money, which is delivered in batches, Portugal must abide by promised deficit cuts and economic reforms.

Finance Minister Vitor Gaspar said earlier this week his budget proposal was necessary to cut the deficit to its 4.5 percent target in 2013. In 2010 the deficit was 10.1 percent.

In the bond auction, the debt agency said there was demand for eight times the amount of 3-month bills offered. It sold ?250 million of those bills at a rate of 1.366 percent ? down from the 3.845 percent in a similar sale in February.

The rate on the 12-month bills also fell, to 2.101 percent from 3.5 percent in July, and the agency sold ?770 million of those bills.

The 6-month bills sold at a rate of 1.839 percent for ?830 million. That was up from the 1.7 percent Portugal paid last month.

"There was no negative impact from the current political and budget circumstances," said Filipe Silva, debt manager of Lisbon-based financial group Banco Carregosa. He attributed the mostly lower rates to the possibility of European Central Bank help for debt-heavy eurozone countries, which has recently helped drive down loan rates for Spain and Italy.

The interest rate Portugal pays on its 10-year bonds, viewed as a benchmark of investor confidence, has fallen over this year. The rate was around 8 percent Wednesday, down from more than 17 percent in January.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bailed-portugal-raises-2-4b-debt-auction-111254143--finance.html

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Karadzic denies Bosnia war crimes as he starts defense

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, accused of some of the worst atrocities in Europe since World War Two, told judges he should be praised for promoting peace, not charged with war crimes, an assertion hotly denied by victims watching the trial.

Beginning his defense, Karadzic accused Bosnian Muslims of deliberately staging some of the atrocities against their own people to win international support, drawing gasps of disbelief from Muslim survivors in the gallery of the court on Tuesday.

Karadzic is one of three Serb leaders brought to trial in The Hague for war crimes during the violent break-up of multi-ethnic Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1999, in which more than 100,000 people were killed and millions were displaced.

Now 67 and still recognizable by his shock of white hair, he is defending against himself charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, and cross-examined witnesses himself.

Looking resigned but relaxed and reading from a pre-written speech, he said Muslims had faked the circumstances of two shellings of a marketplace in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo during a siege by Serb forces. More than 100 people were killed.

"Sarajevo is my city, and any story that we would shell Sarajevo without any reason is untrue," he said, reiterating long-standing allegations by the Serb side which have already been refuted by the Hague tribunal in an earlier case.

Prosecutors at the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia say Karadzic was jointly responsible for the shelling of Sarajevo when Bosnian Serb forces besieged it from 1992-6.

He is also charged with being behind the massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995.

"Instead of being accused, I should have been rewarded for all the good things I have done," he told the court. "I did everything in human power to avoid the war. I succeeded in reducing the suffering of all civilians."

Some of the victims expressed disgust at his words.

"It is difficult to even describe how I felt when I heard him saying this," Kada Hotic, who lost 56 male family members in Srebrenica, told Reuters in Sarajevo.

"I lost so many family members only because they were Muslims in a territory that Karadzic desired to turn into exclusively Serb land. Is that peacemaking?" she said.

MARKET SHELLING

Karadzic said two separate shellings of a Sarajevo market place, in February 1994 and August 1995, in which a total of 105 people were killed and 234 injured, had been orchestrated.

During the trial of Dragomir Milosevic, chief of staff to the commander of the forces besieging Sarajevo, the court found Bosnian Serb forces were responsible for the 1995 shelling.

Karadzic also said a famous press photograph of an emaciated man standing behind barbed wire in what was apparently a concentration camp had been staged.

Fikret Alic, the detainee who appeared in that picture, was watching Karadzic's statements from the gallery on Tuesday.

"It was a humiliation for me that even today he is maintaining that this story was made up," he said.

Tribunal judges established in the trial of local leader Milomir Stakic, who was sentenced to 40 years' imprisonment, that detainees were beaten and tortured in camps including Trnopolje, where Alic was detained.

"This trial has turned into a mockery of both the court and the victims," said Zumra Sehomerovic, who lost her husband and son at Srebrenica.

Karadzic was warned by a judge that reading lengthy summaries of witness depositions would eat into the 300 hours he had been allocated to defend himself.

HARD TO HIDE

The tribunal has indicted Croats, Muslims, Serbs and Albanians on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the former Yugoslavia.

The majority were ethnic Serbs, including the former head of state, army chief of staff, defense minister and speaker of the parliament, and many Serbs consider the tribunal to be biased.

For years, it had seemed the main war crimes suspects would stay out of the tribunal's reach, until political changes in the region made it more difficult for them to hide.

A former psychiatrist, Karadzic was arrested in 2008 in Belgrade, where he had been living in disguise as a new age health guru.

Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic went on trial in The Hague this year, after 16 years on the run. Former Yugoslav and Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic died in 2006 before the end of his trial.

As Karadzic opened his defense, the tribunal also began the separate trial of its last suspect, the final chapter for an institution that has broken new ground in the investigation of conflicts and paved the way for a permanent war crimes court.

Goran Hadzic, the last of 161 suspects still alive and at large after the Yugoslav wars, is accused of murder, torture and forcible deportation at the very outset of those wars.

Prosecutors say Hadzic, president of the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina from 1992-94, was responsible for killings and forced deportations of minority ethnic Croats from the region after Croatia broke away from Yugoslavia in 1991.

Already sentenced in his absence to a total of 40 years in prison by Croatian courts in the mid-1990s, Hadzic was finally detained by Serbian authorities in 2011.

(Additional reporting by Maja Zuvela in Sarajevo, Ivana Sekularac in Amsterdam; writing by Sara Webb; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/karadzic-denies-bosnia-war-crimes-starts-defense-082119620.html

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Watch @ Home: October 16, 2012

Madagascar 3: Europe?s Most Wanted (Blu-ray) Criticize This! Pick of the Week ? As a parent of a 5-year-old son I?ve watched a lot of animated films over the last few years. Some, such as Animals United or Open Season, get one or two viewings before being forgotten for good. A select few, however, get watched over and over again. Some of these include Cars, Rango, and the Madagascar films. And while I know the kid loves them, I personally find Madagascar and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa both very entertaining films that are just as much for adults as they are for kids. Madagascar 3: Europe?s Most Wanted continues this trend and is the best of the bunch when it comes to the fun factor. Even after seeing it once in the theatre and a few times at home already, the film continues to please not only my son, but the whole family. Featuring the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Schwimmer, and Martin Short. The Blu-ray features an outstanding 1080p image that truly highlights the gorgeous animation. The 7.1 Dolby TrueHD surround mix is also spectacular and will give your home theatre a nice workout. Special features include deleted scenes, audio commentary with directors Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath, and Conrad Vernon, a roundtable interview with some of the actors, a trivia track, and more. A regular DVD and digital copy are also included. Film **** Blu-ray **** (out of 5 stars).

Moonrise Kingdom (Blu-ray) ? I was highly anticipating Wes Anderson?s Moonrise Kingdom and expected to fully love it. And while there is much to like about it, compared to Rushmore or The Royal Tenenbaums, two of my favourite Anderson films, it doesn?t come close to being as good or memorable. The film follows two young lovers as they run away together causing everyone in the small New England town they live to panic. It?s a quirky story that gets old fast, but thanks to some great performances from newcomers Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman, as well as Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, and Frances McDormand, the film is very watchable and if you?re an Anderson fan you?ll most likely get something out of it. Whether I?d ever watch it again is something I can?t imagine happening though. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great, but is not required viewing. Special features include a set tour with Bill Murray, making-of featurettes, and more. A regular DVD is also included. Film *** Blu-ray *** (out of 5 stars).

The Santa Clause Trilogy (Blu-ray) ? I don?t remember hearing anyone ever say ?When will The Santa Clause trilogy be out on Blu-ray?? I guess there was some demand for it as Disney has put together a nice little box set of the three ridiculous films. Don?t get me wrong, I actually enjoy the first two films. Yeah, they?re juvenile and Tim Allen gets a bit annoying at times, but they succeed at putting me in the Christmas spirit and are decent, family-oriented flicks. The third is something else altogether as it adds Jack Frost (Martin Short) and just becomes extremely stupid and irritating (and might be the reason they ended the series after it). So, yeah, the box set is nice and the films all look and sound great on Blu-ray. Not something you need to run out and buy, but if you don?t own them and want them on your shelf, you might as well pick this set up in time for Christmas. Each film is loaded with multiple special features to keep you busy all winter long. Box set *** (out of 5 stars).

Chernobyl Diaries (Blu-ray) ? My tolerance for shaky-cam horror movies is pretty high and I?ll give most a fair chance. Chernobyl Diaries was just a downright waste of time and space and all copies should be dumped in nuclear waste and wiped from the face of the Earth for good. Avoid this film at all cost and you?ll be better off for it. Releasing this junk on Blu-ray is even more useless than making the film in the first place. Special features include an alternate ending, additional scene, and more. A regular DVD and digital copy are included as well. Film * Blu-ray * (out of 5 stars).

Also available to Watch @ Home this week is?That?s My Boy, starring Adam Sandler, Red Lights, starring Cillian Murphy, Robert De Niro, and Sigourney Weaver, and Pete?s Dragon comes to Blu-ray for the first time.

Top image: A scene from Madagascar 3: Europe?s Most Wanted. Courtesy Paramount Home Entertainment.

Source: http://www.criticizethis.ca/2012/10/watch-home-october-16-2012.html

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Israel sets election date, Netanyahu seen easy victor

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's Parliament on Tuesday set a January 22 date for a national election and opinion polls predict an easy win for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in balloting expected to focus on his tough policies on Iran's nuclear program and economics.

Source: http://www.damonvickers.com/articles/world-market-wrap/israel-sets-election-date-netanyahu-seen-easy-victor

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Fort Mill Scouts, church team up to stop hunger

FORT MILL --?

A couple of really good popcorn-selling years, a small surplus of funds, a group of dedicated Boy Scouts and the local church who loves them turned into a recipe for success last week at Grace Presbyterian Church in Fort Mill.

Cub Scout Pack 250, Boy Scout Troop 250 and Venturing Crew 250 teamed up Oct. 8 with the Global Missions Team and congregation of Grace Presbyterian and the humanitarian organization Stop Hunger Now to prepare 12,000 meals for people in need.

?It?s a great educational opportunity and a mission opportunity to do something with a global impact locally. We thought it would be a unique opportunity for the congregation and the Scout units to interact a little bit,? said mission team member and Scout liaison Ray Scott.

Grace Presbyterian is home to a congregation of about 400. The church charters several Scouting groups comprised of roughly 225 students and more than 75 adults.

Scouts and congregation members lined up assembly-line style and measured, mixed, weighed and sealed bags of food. The smallest Scouts counted finished product and pushed the bags into shipping boxes. Older Scouts refilled bins from 100-pound bags of rice and loaded finished cases into the truck that would take them to Stop Hunger Now?s south Charlotte warehouse, where they will be shipped worldwide as needed for crisis relief and school feeding programs.

By providing a hot meal to children at school, school feeding programs give impoverished parents an additional incentive to send their children to school. Stop Hunger Now hopes that supporting education through feeding programs will help break the cycle of poverty for these families.

Troop treasurer and committee member Paul Smith is credited with the original idea for the food packing project at Grace Presbyterian.

?I?ve done it before in other places. We enjoyed it. It?s something all ages can do, and it?s a lot of fun. You can have fun and help people at the same time,? he said.

Fort Mill resident Mark Barnes recently began working for Stop Hunger Now and helped to coordinate the packing event Monday evening, bringing family members along to volunteer as well. Barnes estimates that one billion of the planet?s seven billion residents suffer from hunger, and 25,000 die daily due to hunger-related causes.

?We?re going to do some significant damage today in the war against poverty and the war against hunger,? he said.

Stop Hunger Now is an international relief organization founded in 1998 in Raleigh, N.C., with offices and a warehouse in south Charlotte. The organization coordinates volunteer groups to raise funds ? approximately 25 cents per meal ? and assemble shelf-stable, easily transportable food packages for use in school feeding programs and crisis relief in the United States and internationally.

Each food package serves six and consists of a vitamin and mineral-fortified flavoring mix along with dehydrated rice, soy and vegetables. More than 250,000 volunteers have assembled over 30 million meals since Stop Hunger Now?s meal packaging program began in 2005.

Barnes says Stop Hunger Now is averaging three to four food packing events weekly, resulting in nearly 10 container loads of food being shipped annually from the organization?s south Charlotte warehouse.

For information on Stop Hunger Now, go to stophungernow.org.

Source: http://www.fortmilltimes.com/2012/10/15/2265510/fort-mill-scouts-church-team-up.html

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