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/ Archive
Military
- 
Auto- Airplane
- "Corps
pays $100K for retooled jeep." ... "The Marine Corps
is paying $100,000 apiece for a revamped Vietnam-era jeep as part of its
program to outfit the hybrid airplane-helicopter V-22 Osprey, Pentagon
records show." ... "That's seven times what a deluxe commercial version
of the vehicle costs. It's also three times what U.S. Export-Import Bank
records show the Dominican Republic paid four years ago for a military
version of the vehicle, called the Growler, a recycled version of the M151
jeep." -By Steven Komarow
-USATODAY
Travel
- 
Terrorism
- 
Law
Enforcement - "Airport
security changes create little noise: Guidelines
that now allow small scissors, sharp objects have little effect on travelers."
... "New airport security guidelines that allow passengers to carry small
scissors and other sharp objects were implemented Thursday at airports
nationwide, including Houston." ... "Security personnel will now focus
on detecting explosives rather than confiscating small sharp objects."
-By Armando Villafranca -HoustonChronicle.com
Florida
- 
Business
- Disaster
- 
Water
- Divers-
"Chalk's
grounds fleet for inspection after fatal crash off Miami Beach."
... "An airline voluntarily grounded its fleet Wednesday for inspection
after investigators said cracks in the support beam of a wing apparently
caused it to fall off a seaplane that then crashed, killing all 20 people
aboard." ... "Chalk's Ocean Airways operates four other seaplanes, all
the same model that crashed. The grounding came the same day federal investigators
said they were trying to determine why the airline had apparently not discovered
the cracks." ... "Salvage crews and divers worked for a second day Wednesday
to haul up the plane's wreckage from about 35 feet of water in a channel
off the southern tip of Miami Beach [Florida], where it went down Monday."
-By Curt Anderson -Sun-Sentinel
via -Newsday.com
Illinois
- Transportation
- Disaster
- "Southwest
plane slides off Chicago runway, 1 dead." ... "A
Southwest Airlines plane landing in a snowstorm in Chicago slid off a runway
on Thursday and crashed through a fence and onto a busy road, colliding
with two cars. A boy in one of them was killed." ... "The Boeing 737, which
had flown to Midway Airport from Baltimore with 98 passengers and five
crew, ended up in an intersection with its nose on the ground after the
front gear collapsed, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said."
(1, 2)
-By Andrew Stern -Reuters
Florida
- Airline
- Terrorism
- "Man
who threatened to blow up bomb killed by federal marshal."
... "As dozens of passengers exited from an American Airlines flight at
[Florida's] Miami International Airport this afternoon, one male passenger
who threatened to blow up a bomb in the gateway was shot and killed by
a federal air marshal, a government official said." ... "The 44-year-old
U.S. citizen, whose name was not immediately released, claimed he had the
bomb in a carry-on bag and tried to run away from a team of federal air
marshals after they ordered him to the ground, according to the Transportation
Security Administration." ... "One of the air marshals opened fire as the
man reached into the bag." -AP
-MercuryNews
Iran
- Military
- Disaster
- "More
than 100 killed in Tehran plane crash." ... "At least
110 are dead after an Iranian military aircraft crashed into a 10-storey
building in a densely populated district of Tehran [Iran] on Tuesday."
... "According to reports, the C-130 transport plane crashed into the building
while trying to make an emergency landing at Mehrabad international airport
and exploded in a ball of fire." -CTV.ca
US
- 
Pakistan
- 
Egypt
- Terrorism
- 
Intelligence
- Aircraft
- 
Robots
- "Drone
said to have killed Al Qaeda's No. 3: If true, Abu
Hamza Rabia would be the third to hold the post and be taken out." ...
"In the dead of night, the US Predator aircraft swooped in over the [Pakistan]
hamlet of Haisori, locking in on an abandoned house five travelers had
quietly entered just hours before, according to neighbors. Then, they say,
the drone fired on the stone and mud dwelling for about eight minutes,
reducing it to rubble." ... "Pakistani officials say the airstrike, which
took place last Thursday in tribal region of North Waziristan, killed five
people, including Al Qaeda's No. 3 man, Egyptian Abu Hamza Rabia. Conflicting
reports cast some uncertainty on Mr. Rabia's death and his exact rank,
however." ... "If Islamabad's account holds true it would represent the
third Al Qaeda "No. 3" to be killed or captured in as many years. Taking
out the terrorist network's operations manager represents an intelligence
victory with obvious short-term gains in disrupting terrorist planning,
but also points to Al Qaeda's ability to bounce back from these losses
in the past, say analysts." -By Gretchen Peters -CSMonitor
Pakistan
- 
Earthquake
- Disaster
- Flying
- "Pakistan
Earthquake Aid Flights Interrupted by Winter Storms."
... "Winter storms in Pakistan's mountainous Kashmir region forced relief
organizations to interrupt helicopter flights bringing aid to more than
3 million people left homeless by last month's earthquake." ... "Flights
carrying supplies to villages above 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) were suspended
over two days beginning on Nov. 26, the International Organization for
Migration said in an e-mailed statement late yesterday from Pakistan's
capital, Islamabad. More bad weather is forecast for the rest of this week,
it said." -By Khalid Qayum and Paul Tighe -Bloomberg
Hawaii
- Military
- Flying
- Intelligence
- "Stealth
engineer facing federal indictment." ... "A federal
grand jury in Honolulu has returned a six-count indictment against a B-Two
stealth bomber engineer already accused of selling U-S military secrets
to foreign countries." -AP
via KPUA
Florida
- Airline
- Hurricane
Wilma - "Most
of South Florida without power." ... "Power failures
caused by Hurricane Wilma left 6 million people across Florida without
electricity Tuesday and disrupted airline traffic at the third-busiest
U.S. airport for international traffic. Officials said some areas could
be in the dark for several weeks." ... "Florida Power & Light, which
provides electricity for almost all of South Florida, said Wilma had affected
more of its customers than any other natural disaster in FPL's history.
It said one in three Florida residents were without power." -By
Tony Bertuca and Wendy Koch with contributions by Donna Leinwand
-USATODAY
- 
- Hurricane
Katrina - "Delta,
Northwest Airlines File for Bankruptcy." ... "The
nation's airline crisis took a stunning turn for the worse today when Delta
Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp. both filed for bankruptcy in
the face of massive losses, meaning that four of the seven largest U.S.
carriers are now flying in Chapter 11 bankruptcy." ... "Delta and Northwest,
the third- and fourth-largest airlines respectively by passenger traffic,
joined United Airlines and its parent UAL Corp., along with US Airways
Group Inc., in seeking protection from its creditors in Bankruptcy Court."
... "The price of fuel — an airline's second-biggest expense after labor
— surged above $2.30 a gallon after Hurricane Katrina disrupted the Gulf
Coast's refining operations, and it helped push Delta and Northwest into
bankruptcy. Before the storm, fuel cost less than $1.90 a gallon." -By
James F. Peltz
-LAtimes
Religion
-
- "Air
Force Bans Leaders' Promotion of Religion." ... "The
Air Force issued new religion guidelines to its commanders yesterday that
caution against promoting any particular faith - or even "the idea of religion
over nonreligion" - in official communications or functions like meetings,
sports events and ceremonies." ... "The guidelines discourage public prayers
at official Air Force events or meetings other than worship services, one
of the most contentious issues for many commanders. But they allow for
"a brief nonsectarian prayer" at special ceremonies like those honoring
promotions, or in "extraordinary circumstances" like "mass casualties,
preparation for imminent combat and natural disasters."" -By
Laurie Goodstein -NYTimes
PA
- IL
- Tennessee
-
- - 
- "3
states suing Pentagon to stop Air Guard relocations."
... "Pentagon proposals to relocate some Air National Guard aircraft have
infuriated governors who say the federal government cannot reassign Guard
units without their permission." ... "Among the states that object, Pennsylvania,
Illinois and Tennessee have sued in federal court to stop the Pentagon
from moving aircraft and personnel to other states. The Base Realignment
and Closure Commission has gotten legal opinions, including one from the
Justice Department, saying it can take the action, although its own general
counsel says it cannot." -By Martha T. Moore
-USATODAY
- "Sudan
launches Garang crash probe: A Sudanese committee
has been formed to investigate the death of vice-president and southern
rebel leader John Garang, the government says." ... "President Omar al-Bashir
has asked for an initial report by the start of September, says Sudan's
news agency." ... "The committee includes aviation experts, government
officials and members of Mr Garang's former rebel SPLM group, the agency
says." -BBC
/News
- Uzbekistan
-
- "U.S.
Evicted From Air Base In Uzbekistan." ... "Uzbekistan
formally evicted the United States yesterday from a military base that
has served as a hub for combat and humanitarian missions to Afghanistan
since shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Pentagon and State Department
officials said yesterday." ... "In a highly unusual move, the notice of
eviction from Karshi-Khanabad air base, known as K2, was delivered by a
courier from the Uzbek Foreign Ministry to the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent,
said a senior U.S. administration official involved in Central Asia policy.
The message did not give a reason. Uzbekistan will give the United States
180 days to move aircraft, personnel and equipment, U.S. officials said."
-By Robin Wright and Ann Scott Tyson-WashingtonPost
Gordon
Smith - Corporate
- Politics
- 
Sports
- 
Vacations
- Jets
- 
Accounting
- 
Telecommunications
- Energy
- 
Lawmakers
- 
Ore
- 
Nev
- 
Ind
- Fla
- 
Mich
- 
Ky
- 
Va
- 
- 
- 
- 
- "Amid
much scrutiny, mixing pleasure and politics goes on."
... "Even if lawmakers are more sensitive these days about teeing up [golfing]
with lobbyists at posh resorts, one would never know it by witnessing a
scene at Dulles International Airport on Sunday night when lobbyists returned
from the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, a high-end course in southwestern Oregon.
One lobbyist from Accenture, an accounting firm, even disembarked sporting
a long-sleeve Bandon Dunes polo shirt." ... "[Oregon Republican Senator]
Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.[Republican-Oregon]) held the fundraiser, an annual
event for his political action committee Impact America. A score of telecommunications,
financial-services and energy lobbyists paid $3,000 to $5,000 apiece to
join him for the promise of unfettered access for a weekend with the second-term
Oregonian and member of the Finance and Commerce, Science and Transportation
committees." ... "Smith paid Bandon Dunes $14,472 last year to reserve
the resort for his guests, according to disclosure reports filed with the
Federal Election Commission (FEC). Bandon Dunes charges $175 per person
for a round of golf and at least $300 for rooms during the peak season,
from May to October." ... "Smith, the heir of a frozen-foods fortune, seems
to have no qualms about his close ties to the business community. He readily
admitted that he flew to the event on FedEx’s corporate jet and returned
via Union Pacific’s plane." ... "[Nevada] Republican [Senator] Sen. John
Ensign (R-Nev.[Republican-Nevada]) also flew out for the event, as did
[Indiana Republican Representative] Reps. Chris Chocola (Ind.[Indiana]),
[Florida Republican Representative] Ander Crenshaw (Fla.[Florida]) and
[Indiana Republican Representative] Steve Buyer (Ind.[Indiana])." ... "[Michigan
Republican Representative] Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.[Republican-Michigan])
is hosting a golf tournament in July at the Oakland Hills Country Club
[in Michigan], the home of the 2004 Ryder Cup matches and the 2008 PGA
Championship. [Kentucky Republican Representative] Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Ky.[Republican-Kentucky]),
a cardinal on the Appropriations Committee, will hold an event in August
at Pebble Beach, the world-famous coastal golf course in California." ...
"In the winter, several lawmakers including [Virginia Republican Representative]
Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.[Republican-Virginia]), hosted trips
to exclusive skiing resorts in Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming." ... "“You
wonder how long Republicans can bifurcate their message to mainstream America
with this gross display of wealth,” the lobbyist said." -By
Jonathan E. Kaplan -TheHill.com
- 
-
-
- "17
Aboard Downed U.S. Copter Feared Dead." ... "U.S.
military officials said Wednesday they feared all 17 troops aboard a special
operations helicopter were dead after hostile fire downed the craft and
it slid or rolled into a rugged mountain ravine in eastern Afghanistan."
... "Stormy weather hampered rescue efforts after the MH-47 helicopter
crashed Tuesday while ferrying in reinforcements for troops already on
the ground pursuing al-Qaida militants near the border with Pakistan."
... "On May 31, U.S.-led coalition soldiers gave the 8,000-strong NATO
force responsibility for security in much of western Afghanistan. The International
Security Assistance Force, currently under NATO command, already maintains
security in the capital, Kabul, and other parts of the nation."
-AP via -SFGate.com
-
-
-
- "Fighting
Prevents U.S. From Learning Fate of 17 on Copter."
... "Nine helicopters have been lost to various causes in Afghanistan since
the Taliban were ousted from control of Kabul, the capital, in 2001." ...
"The helicopter was the second Chinook to go down in Afghanistan this year.
Fifteen American military personnel and three civilians were killed in
April when their helicopter crashed in a sandstorm while returning to the
airbase at Bagram. So far this year, 38 members of the American military
have died in Afghanistan, including 13 in combat, according to Pentagon
figures put out before the latest crash. In all of 2004, 52 Americans died
in Afghanistan." ... "Kunar, the area where the chopper went down on Tuesday,
borders Pakistan and for the last three years has been one of the provinces
most troubled by insurgent activity." -By Carlotta
Gall -NYTimes
- 
- Memorial
Day
-
- Florida
- Nevada
- New
York
- "Holiday
Exodus In Full Stride." ... "Anyone who took an early
flight for a Memorial Day getaway has already gotten a taste of what summer
air travel will be like: full planes, crowded airports and weather delays."
... "Airlines said they carried more passengers than usual Thursday, the
kickoff of the summer season." ... "Despite rising prices, the travel industry
predicts Americans will be traveling in record numbers this summer with
Florida, California, Nevada and New York the top preferred destinations."
(1, 2)
-AP /
-CBSNews
-
- "America
West, US Air tie the knot: America West CEO to run
carrier called US Airways." ... "America West Holdings and bankrupt US
Airways Group teamed up Thursday, announcing a merger that the two carriers
say gives them a better shot at surviving brutally high jet-fuel prices
and cutthroat competition in the overcrowded field." ... "The new airline
will operate as US Airways but will be run by America West Chief Executive
Officer Doug Parker. He will be at the helm of a Tempe, Ariz.-based nationwide
carrier capable of earning a profit even with oil prices above $50 a barrel,
the companies said in announcing the merger." -By
August Cole -MarketWatch
- 
- 
-
-
- "U.S.
Arrests Cuban Exile Accused in Deadly '76 Airline Bombing."
... "Immigration officials arrested Luis Posada Carriles, a Cuban exile
suspected in a deadly airplane bombing and other attacks, on Tuesday, weeks
after he slipped into the United States and shortly after he withdrew an
application for political asylum." ... "The Bush administration, which
had been mostly silent about Mr. Posada's presence and until Tuesday denied
knowing if he was even in the country, faced growing pressure from Cuba
and its ally Venezuela to extradite him. Critics had questioned why the
United States would not root out a suspected terrorist, even one hailed
by Cuban exiles as a freedom fighter against Fidel Castro." (1, 2)
-By Abby Goodnough with contributions by Tim Weiner
and Terry Aguayo -NYTimes
-
- "Carrier
looking for help: Brazil airline in talks to sell
up to 20% stake." ... "Brazilian flagship airline Varig is negotiating
terms of a rescue plan with Portugal's state-owned airline to prevent the
South American carrier from getting crushed by debt, the companies said
Monday." -AP
via -HoustonChronicle.com
- North
Carolina - 
-
-
- 
- "D.C.
Scare Puts Alert System to the Test: Washington's
Terror Alert System Put to the Test by Plane Scare; Ridge Praises Quick
Response." ... "The terror alert system in the nation's capital was put
to the test by a small plane that flew within three miles of the White
House [Wednesday, May 11th], leading to the frantic evacuation of government
buildings." ... "Alert levels at the White House and Capitol were raised
to their highest state Wednesday when the Cessna 152 crossed into restricted
air space and failed to respond to a Homeland Security helicopter scrambled
to stop it. Military jets fired four warning flares at the single-engine
aircraft, which was carrying a pilot and a student pilot flying from Pennsylvania
to North Carolina, before it turned away from the national landmarks."
(1, 2,
3)
-By Lara Jakes Jordan, Mark Scolforo, Erin Gartner
and Mark Sherman -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
-
- 
- 
- "Judge
clears United Airlines pension takeover." ... "A
federal judge ruled Tuesday in Chicago that United Airlines can walk away
from 6.6 bln usd worth of retirement obligations to 119,000 current and
former union employees, handing the program over to the government in a
move the company argues is essential to getting out of bankruptcy." ...
"The ruling also paves the way for the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty
Corp's biggest retirement plan takeover yet and will result in lower benefits
for thousands of workers. The PBGC caps annual payouts at 45,600 usd a
year." -AFXNews
via -Forbes
-
- "Japan
Airlines Boss Quits." ... "Japan Airlines said Monday
its chairman is resigning, an announcement that came a day after a drop
in cabin pressure forced a JAL flight from New York to Tokyo with 355 people
aboard to make an emergency landing." ... "Isao Kaneko, will resign at
the end of the month to take responsibility for a string of safety lapses
at Japan's largest carrier, company spokesman Teiji Murayama said."
-AP via -CBSNews
- 
- "Airbus
A380 lands after making aviation history." ... "The
world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, completed its maiden
flight Wednesday, a milestone for aviation and for the European aircraft-maker's
battle with American rival Boeing Co." ... "The flight capped 11 years
of preparation and $13 billion in spending. Spectators camped out by the
airport to be there for what some said was Europe's biggest aviation event
since the first flight of the supersonic Concorde in 1969."
-AP via -USATODAY
- "America
West and US Airways in merger talks." ... "America
West, the low-cost airline, is in advanced talks to merge with US Airways,
the bankrupt carrier." ... "A deal would combine the eighth and sixth-largest
US domestic carriers to create the fourth-largest airline in the US. The
two carriers would be a good fit US Airways' operations are on the east
coast, while America West is based in the south and west although the combined
entity could remain financially feeble. Both airlines are loss-making and
have weak balance sheets." -By Caroline Daniel
-FT.com
-
- Robots
- "Robot
Space Mission Fails In Orbit." ... "A mishap ended
the mission of a computer-controlled NASA robotic spacecraft prematurely
after it came within 300 feet of a Pentagon satellite, officials said Saturday."
... "The DART spacecraft — short for Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous
Technology — was mounted and launched from an aircraft Friday morning."
-AP
via -CBSNews
- 
- Robots
- Connecticut
- "Robot
misses contest after being banned from plane." ...
"Students from the University of Evansville [Indiana] were unable to compete
in a contest in Connecticut because airline security refused to let them
board a plane with a small robot they built." ... "Students Bruce Rahman
and Chris Miller and engineering professor James Reising had planned to
fly to Hartford, Conn., on Saturday for the Trinity College Firefighting
Home Robot Contest, an annual competition with more than 100 teams from
several countries."-AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
Tom
DeLay -
-
- 
-
-
- 
- "DeLay
under fire: What's at stake." ... "DeLay has been
admonished more by the House Ethics Committee than any sitting member of
Congress." ... "Last year, the bipartisan panel — the only House committee
with equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats — unanimously criticized
DeLay for three things. It said a golf fundraiser with executives of an
energy company created the appearance that he was giving donors special
access. It said he improperly tried to have the Federal Aviation Administration
find Texas legislators who were hiding in Oklahoma to thwart action on
his plan to redraw the state's congressional districts. And it said he
promised a retiring House Republican he would endorse the man's son to
succeed him if he voted for Bush's Medicare drug plan." ... "In 1999, the
committee warned DeLay after he threatened the Electronic Industries Alliance,
a trade group, for hiring a former Democratic congressman as its president.
And it cautioned him in 1997 about creating the impression that campaign
contributions would bring "official action or access."" ... "In addition,
two investigations — one in Texas, the other in Washington— are targeting
close DeLay allies." -By Kathy Kiely and Jim Drinkard
with contributions by Jill Lawrence -USATODAY
-
-
- "Death
Toll in U.S. Afghan Helicopter Crash Likely 18."
... "A U.S. military helicopter crash in Afghanistan on Wednesday is likely
to have killed 18 people, a U.S. military spokeswoman said on Thursday
as hopes of finding two missing servicemen alive faded." -Reuters
-
-
- Robots
- "Robot
aircraft to take videocam into battle: A flying video
camera could soon be part of a soldier's field gear--just the sort of thing
you need if you want to know whether there's someone around the corner
with a grenade launcher." ... "Electronics giant Honeywell is testing the
Micro Air Vehicle, a flying robot with two cameras that deliver live video
feeds to soldiers on the ground. Designed for the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency, it stands about 17 inches tall on its landing gear and
can be carried in a backpack." -By Michael Kanellos
-CNETNews via -ZDNetNews
- 
-
-
- "[U.S.]
Troops in Kyrgyzstan Focus on Afghanistan." ... "When
revolution hit the capital of Kyrgyzstan, U.S. soldiers at this nearby
air base hunkered down and got on with their jobs -- focusing on another
troubled Central Asian country, Afghanistan" ... "For the 800 U.S. troops
providing support to planes and troops going in and out of Afghanistan,
it was impossible to completely ignore the chaos that broke out in Kyrgyzstan
after last week's forced ouster of its longtime leader." ... "Ganci Air
Base is only 19 miles northwest of the capital, Bishkek, where throngs
of protesters stormed the presidential headquarters Thursday and forced
longtime leader Askar Akayev to flee." -By Mara D.
Bellaby -AP
via -Newsday
-
-
-
- "DeLay
at center of political storm." ... "In September,
three political fund-raisers tied to DeLay were indicted by a Texas grand
jury in a case involving a political committee that DeLay helped create.
The committee is accused of illegally using corporate donations for political
purposes. Documents in a related civil trial suggest DeLay played a substantial
role in the group's corporate fund raising." ... "Then the House ethics
committee admonished DeLay for pressuring a congressman to vote for a Medicare
bill by promising to support his son's run for Congress." ... "A week later,
the panel again rebuked him for enlisting the Federal Aviation Administration
in a search for Texas Democratic lawmakers during a battle over a redistricting
plan he engineered. He was also admonished for creating the appearance
of favoritism when he discussed pending energy legislation with lobbyists
at his fund-raising golf outing." -AP
via -CNN
- "More
than one billion U.S. air travelers forecasted for 2015."
... "More than 1 billion people a year will be boarding planes in the United
States within a decade, nearly half again as many as those now using an
aviation system showing signs of being overburdened." ... "The Federal
Aviation Administration, which released the forecast Thursday, faces spending
cuts for runways, air traffic control equipment and buildings."
-AP via -USATODAY
-
- "Lufthansa
Negotiating to Take Over Swiss International Air Lines."
... "Lufthansa of Germany is in negotiations to take over Swiss International
Air Lines in a deal that would mark a step toward consolidation among European
carriers that are still largely organized along national lines." ... "The
purchase of Swiss, which was valued at 547.8 million Swiss francs, or $476.4
million, at the close of business on Friday, would complete the transformation
of Switzerland's lone major carrier, which as Swissair went bankrupt in
2001 before being reborn as Swiss the following year." -By
Carter Dougherty -IHT.com
via -NYTimes
-
- "Discount
airline Jetsgo seeks bankruptcy." ... "Discount Canadian
airline Jetsgo sought bankruptcy court protection and abruptly canceled
all its flights Friday, stranding an estimated 17,000 passengers, many
of whom were heading out on spring break."
-AP via -USATODAY
- "Boeing
Fires CEO for Affair With Exec: Boeing Fires CEO
Stonecipher for Violating Code of Business Conduct Via Relationship With
Exec." ... "Boeing Co. CEO Harry Stonecipher, brought back from retirement
15 months ago to boost the aerospace manufacturer's tainted image, has
been forced out because of a new ethics scandal involving an affair he
had this year with a female company executive." ... "Chairman Lew Platt
said the affair by itself did not violate the code of business conduct
at the company, where a string of defense scandals has raised questions
about the way Boeing obtains its lucrative contracts. But an internal investigation
that started because of an employee's complaint discovered "some issues
of poor judgment" involving Stonecipher, who is married." (1, 2,
3)
-By Dave Carpenter -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
- "CIA
Jets Fly the War on Terror: Rendition Program Ships
Suspects Abroad." ... "It is supposed to be top secret, but ABC News found
plenty of people who said they knew the true purpose of the airplane hangars
at the end of a private two-lane road in rural North Carolina." ... ""That's
the CIA hangar," said one airport maintenance worker, pointing out one
of the two operating bases in North Carolina for the executive jets used
by the CIA to move dozens of suspected terrorists over the last few years
to countries well-known for using brutality and torture." ... "The two
jets, one a Gulfstream V and the other a Boeing 737, have been spotted
at airports around the world, and flight logs shown to ABC News show trips
to Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, and
Uzbekistan." ... "The CIA would not officially comment on its operation,
known as "extraordinary rendition." The program began under an executive
order signed by President George H.W. Bush in December 1992. Former senior
government officials say the program initially involved only a select few
terror suspects, but was vastly expanded after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks."
(1, 2)
-By Brian Ross with contributions by David Scott,
Vic Walter and Hoda Osman -ABCNEWS.com
-
- 
-
-
- "U.S.
Uses Drones to Probe Iran For Arms: Surveillance
Flights Are Sent From Iraq." ... "The Bush administration has been flying
surveillance drones over Iran for nearly a year to seek evidence of nuclear
weapons programs and detect weaknesses in air defenses, according to three
U.S. officials with detailed knowledge of the secret effort." ... "The
small, pilotless planes, penetrating Iranian airspace from U.S. military
facilities in Iraq, use radar, video, still photography and air filters
designed to pick up traces of nuclear activity to gather information that
is not accessible by satellites, the officials said. The aerial espionage
is standard in military preparations for an eventual air attack and is
also employed as a tool for intimidation." -By Dafna
Linzer-WashingtonPost
-
-
- "UK
court to review EU flight delay rule: Airline trade
association IATA asked Britain's High Court to review pending EU rules
that would force carriers to reimburse passengers for delays, even if caused
by security measures or snowstorms." ... "The rules set a baseline of between
two and four hours for permissible delays, depending on the length of journey,
with anything above that forcing carriers to reimburse passengers."-Reuters
via -CNN
-
- "Cubans
Sentenced in Miami for Plane Hijacking."... "A U.S.
judge sentenced six Cuban men to prison terms of 20 years or more on Wednesday
for hijacking a Cuban airliner in the Communist Caribbean nation last year."...
"The Cubans were convicted in December of air piracy for commandeering
a 1940s-era Aerotaxi DC-3 after it took off from Cuba's Isle of Youth and
forcing it to Key West on Florida's southern tip on March 19, 2003. The
incident was the first in a series of hijackings in Cuba last year." -By
Jim Loney -Reuters
-
-
- "Senator:
Flight cancellations necessary." ... " A key member
of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Sunday the United States has
no defense against threats to release biological weapons inside airplanes
except to cancel suspect flights." ... "Asked about reports that a biological
or chemical agent might be used in an attack on a U.S.-bound airline, Sen.
Jay Rockefeller, D-West Virginia, said the United States would have no
way to counter such moves." -CNN
- "9/11
panel hears crew member's call: Calm voice told how
hijackers terrorized flight." ... "The tape of Betty Ong's voice yesterday,
urgent yet amazingly calm, describing through the background buzz how a
group of hijackers had stabbed two of her fellow flight attendants and
taken over the first plane that slammed in the World Trade Center, silenced
the congressional hearing room." ... ""The cockpit is not answering the
phone. Someone's coming. Another one got stabbed. Our first class gal's
stabbed, our purser has been stabbed. We can't get inside the cockpit,"
Ong, 45, who lived in Andover, told an American reservations specialist
in a call from the rear phone aboard American Airlines Flight 11." -By
Laura Sullivan -BaltimoreSun
via -Boston/Globe
-
- "Two
U.S. pilots die when chopper comes down in northern Iraq."
... "A statement said the Kiowa helicopter came down at about 8:30 p.m.
(1730 GMT) northwest of Qayara, but that the cause of the crash was not
known and an accompanying helicopter did not mention any hostile activity."
-Reuters
- "Military
Copter Crash Kills 4 in Calif." ... "A military helicopter
crashed during a training mission at this [Camp Pendleton] base north of
San Diego, killing all four people aboard, officials said." ... "The UH-1
Huey, a cargo-type helicopter, crashed about 7 p.m. Thursday, Maj. T.V.
Johnson said." -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
-
- 
- Civil
Liberties -
"Airport
color-coding called 'illusory security': Privacy
groups outraged at anti-terror move." ... "Travelers would be classified
into one of three groups: green for good to go, yellow for investigate
further and red for stop from flying." ... "The Transportation Security
Administration, part of the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed
a Washington Post report Monday that the data-mining plan will start this
summer after a testing period within the next few months. While the government
says the plan will improve screening for potential terrorists, organizations
such as the American Civil Liberties Union denounced it as "dragnet profiling"
that would discriminate against minorities and the poor." ... "The plan,
called Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System, or CAPPS II, would
require all airline travelers to provide full names, home addresses, phone
numbers and dates of birth when they book flights." -By
Carolyn Said with contributions by Charlie Goodyear and Steve Rubenstein
-SFGate.com
-
- "U.S.
helicopter goes down near Fallujah; nine killed."
... "A U.S. Black Hawk medivac helicopter crashed Thursday near a stronghold
of the anti-American insurgency, killing all nine soldiers aboard, the
U.S. military said." ... "Also Thursday, a U.S. soldier died of injuries
suffered in a mortar attack a day earlier that wounded 33 other troops
and a civilian west of Baghdad." -AP
via -USATODAY
- Egypt- Water
- "Crews
Find 'Black Box' From Egypt Plane Crash, Says Item Is Too Deep for Immediate
Retrieval." ... "[French] Rear Adm. Jacques Mazars
told reporters at the popular resort [city of Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt] that
more advanced equipment was needed to retrieve the box, which was believed
to be 1,970 to 2,620 feet below the sea's surface." ... "A robot submarine
sent by the French can operate no deeper than 1,320 feet. The seabed in
the area drops at one point to about 3,300 feet."
-AP via -ABCNEWS.com
Egypt
- "148
die as plane crashes in Red Sea: Terrorism discounted;
mechanical failure cited." ... "An Egyptian charter plane carrying French
tourists plunged into the Red Sea yesterday, killing all 148 people on
board, in a crash officials in Cairo attributed to a mechanical failure."
... "The Boeing 737 took off from the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheik
at 5 a.m. in clear weather and went down a few minutes later. Egyptian
officials said the pilot tried to turn the plane around when he sensed
something was wrong but did not send a distress signal." -By
Dan Ephron -Boston/Globe
-
- "Ridge:
U.S. tightens security for New Year's." ... "With
New Year's on the way, security efforts across the United States have been
"ramped up in an unprecedented way" through the end of the week, Homeland
Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Tuesday." ... "The U.S. government will
keep the terror threat alert level at orange -- the second-highest on the
five-tiered, color-coded scale -- for the rest of the week as officials
remain concerned about airline security, Ridge said."
-CNN
-
-
-
- "US
expands air marshal plan abroad: Foreign flights
must comply if request issued." ... "The Department of Homeland Security
announced yesterday that it will require all foreign air carriers to place
an armed guard on any flight over United States airspace if counterterrorism
officials ask them to do so." ... "The move, described as an "emergency"
rules change that is effective immediately, reflects growing concern that
the Al Qaeda terrorist network may try to exploit foreign carriers as a
gap in US air security by hijacking their planes and flying them into populated
areas or high-risk industrial sites." -By Charlie
Savage -Boston/Globe
-
- "Groups
Around the Nation Re-enact the Wright Brothers' First Flight."
... "One hundred years ago, a telegram arrived in Dayton, Ohio, at the
home of the Rev. Milton Wright." ... ""Success four flights thursday [sic]
morning all against twenty one mile wind," it began. "longest 57 seconds
inform Press home Christmas." It was signed with the misspelled name of
Orville Wright." ... "It makes history's first airplane flight sound almost
easy — as if the Wright Flyer had leapt into the air. But in fact, the
Wrights crept forward. The first flight was only 120 feet, and the plane
broke several struts when it landed." -By Ned Potter
-ABCNEWS.com
- "US
Airways pilots union wants CEO, CFO out." ... "Pilots
union leaders at US Airways on Tuesday called for the removal of airline
CEO David Siegel and Chief Financial Officer Neal Cohen. Management's "failed
business strategies," not high labor costs, are behind the airline's continued
losses since emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, union leaders
charged." -By Daniel Reed
-USATODAY
-
-
-
-
-
- "EU
Agrees to Share Airline Passenger Data." ... "The
European Union has agreed to share information about its airline passengers
with the United States, in a deal announced yesterday that ends year-long
negotiations over a new U.S. law intended to fight terrorism." ... "International
airlines will turn over data about their U.S.-bound passengers, such as
a traveler's name, e-mail address, telephone number and credit card number
to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection
unit." -By Sara Kehaulani Goo
-WashingtonPost
- 
- "U.S.
Airstrike Kills Nine Afghan Kids: U.S. Plane Mistakenly
Kills 9 Afghan Children in Airstrike Targeting Wanted Taliban Commander."
... "Children's hats and shoes littered a bloody field cratered by gunfire
Sunday after a U.S. airstrike, aimed at a wanted Taliban commander, mistakenly
killed nine children in an Afghan mountain village." ... "The American
warplane was targeting Mullah Wazir, once a local commander for the hard-line
Islamic militia. U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and a U.S. military official
said Wazir was killed in the attack, but residents and local officials
said Wazir escaped or was not in the village at all." -By
Stephen Graham -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
-
-
- "Passing
on the lessons from Pearl Harbor: Those who lived
through the attack and WWII reflect on impact of war." ... "On Dec. 7,
1941, six Japanese aircraft carriers positioned 200 miles north of Oahu
launched 181 attack planes toward the slowly waking port of Pearl Harbor
and at U.S. military airfields elsewhere on the island. The two- stage
attack killed 2,403 Americans, including 68 civilians -- men, women and
children." ... "The attack destroyed or damaged 21 ships of the U.S. Pacific
fleet and 347 airplanes. The Japanese lost 29 planes." -By
Matthew B. Stannard -SFGate.com
-
- "Pentagon
freezes Boeing contract: The US military has put
an $18bn deal to buy Boeing tanker aircraft on hold." ... "The Defence
Department said the deal would be frozen pending an inquiry into Boeing's
links with a former Pentagon procurement official." ... "The official,
Darleen Druyun, discussed a possible job with Boeing before she had disqualified
herself from government service." ... "Ms Druyun was involved in the Pentagon's
decision to award the tanker contract to Boeing."
-BBC/News
-
- "Boeing
CEO Condit resigns From Staff and wire reports."
... "Boeing (BA)
Chairman and CEO Phil Condit resigned unexpectedly only days after the
huge aerospace manufacturer fired two other Boeing officials for an alleged
ethics breach." ... "The departure of Condit, 62, follows last week's firing
of Chief Financial Officer Michael Sears for discussing job possibilities
with Darleen Druyun while Druyun was still working as a top Air Force procurement
official and was helping Boeing win support for a major Air Force contract."
-USATODAY
- Paul
Wellstone -
"Pilot
error caused Wellstone crash." ... "Pilots flying
too slowly on a landing approach caused the charter-plane crash that killed
Sen. Paul Wellstone, the pilots and five others last year, the National
Transportation Safety Board concluded Tuesday." ... "By voice vote, the
five-member board also adopted staff findings that the pilots lacked proper
training in crew coordination and were probably so inattentive or distracted
that they didn't react to the speed drop until too late." ... "Mild icing
from a light snowfall did not affect the descent of the twin-prop King
Air A100 before it crashed on Oct. 25, 2002, 2 miles southeast of the Eveleth-Virginia
Municipal Airport, in northern Minnesota, the panel concluded." -By
Greg Gordon -StarTribune.com
-
- "17
soldiers die as 2 US helicopters crash in Iraq."
... "Two US Black Hawk helicopters collided in the Iraqi city of Mosul
yesterday, killing at least 17 soldiers and injuring five in in the military's
deadliest disaster since the war began." ... "One US officer at the scene
said that one of the helicopters had been struck in its tail by a rocket-propelled
grenade, and witnesses said they collided and then went down. If that report
is confirmed, the aircraft would be the fourth and fifth US helicopters
to have been shot down in Iraq in three weeks." -By
Robert Schlesinger -Boston/Globe
-
- "U.S. probes
deadly helicopter crash." ... "The U.S. military
on Sunday was investigating whether insurgent groundfire caused the crash
of two U.S. helicopters, killing 17 American soldiers, the worst single
loss of U.S. life since the start of the Iraq war." ... "All the casualties
were from the 101st Airborne Division, which controls northern Iraq. Five
soldiers were injured." -AP
via -