Yeshiva World News

A group of computer hackers claims to have breached NATO security and accessed hordes of restricted material.

The group called Anonymous says it would be “irresponsible” to publish most of the material it stole from NATO but that it is sitting on about 1 gigabyte of data.

Anonymous posted a PDF file Thursday, and broadcast a link to it from its Twitter page, showing what appeared to be a document headed “NATO Restricted.”

A second link tweeted out later by the group — which returns an error message — the group claimed was to another restricted NATO document on “outsourcing CIS in Kosovo (2008).”

Anonymous is a loosely organized group of hackers sympathetic to WikiLeaks. It has claimed responsibility for attacks against corporate and government websites worldwide.

The group also claims credit for disrupting the websites of Visa and MasterCard in December when the credit card companies stopped processing donations to WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange.

(Source: Fox News)

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday had an outburst in court as he was testifying in the corruption trial against him. “It’s not me that traveled to lectures to get money,” he said angrily.

Responding to inquiries by Attorney Uri Korev in the Rishon Tours double-billing affair, Olmert said: “I’m not the person who never uttered a word without getting money. There were those who traveled against the law, but not me.”

Olmert was likely referring to the ‘Bibi-tours’ affair. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is suspected of using funds from conference organizers to finance vacations for his family.

The allegations are currently being checked by the Attorney General and the State Comptroller.

READ MORE: YNET

A Texas inmate was executed Wednesday night for going on a shooting rampage that he said was in retaliation for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Mark Anthony Stroman, 41, was lethally injected at a state prison in Huntsville shortly after his final court appeal was rejected and even as a shooting victim campaigned against his execution.

Stroman targeted three separate convenience stories in Dallas beginning on Sept. 15, 2001, killing two men and injuring a third. He shot at people he thought were Middle Eastern –viewing their deaths as “patriotic” — though all three victims were from South Asia.

Rais Bhuiyan, a man from Bangladesh who survived despite being blinded in the left eye, tried to stop Stroman’s death. He said his Muslim beliefs told him to forgive Stroman.

“Killing him is not the solution,” Bhuiyan said. “He’s learning from his mistake. If he’s given a chance, he’s able to reach out to others and spread that message to others.”

From inside the death chamber, Stroman looked at five friends watching him through a window.

“Even though I lay on this gurney, seconds away from my death, I am at total peace,” he said. He later called himself “still a proud American, Texas loud, Texas proud.”

He continued, “God bless America. God bless everyone,” he added, then turned to the warden and said: “Let’s do this damn thing.”

He blamed the shootings on the loss of a sister in the collapse of one of the World Trade Center towers, although there is no evidence she ever existed, prosecutors argued.

“I wanted those Arabs to feel the same sense of vulnerability and uncertainty on American soil much like the mindset of chaos and bedlam that they were already accustomed to in their home country,” he said on a website devoted to his case.

But he said he had made a “terrible mistake” out of “pure anger and stupidity.”

(Source: NY Daily News)

A cop who told investigators he was unfairly transferred for arresting a troubled Bronx prosecutor has gotten a favorable transfer closer to home, sources said.

Elliot Zinstein, who was shipped out of the 44th Precinct in the Bronx after arresting Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Troiano, was transferred Monday to the 33rd Precinct in Washington Heights, sources said.

Zinstein believed his original transfer to Brooklyn’s 94th Precinct in January was punishment for not cutting Troiano a break during her Aug. 26 drunken-driving bust, sources said.

After Zinstein made his gripe clear to Internal Affairs investigators, a Personnel Bureau lieutenant told him the NYPD wanted to make amends – and would transfer him to the precinct of his choice to make up for the slight, sources said. Monday’s transfer means Zinstein will be working closer to home, sources said.

Zinstein, an Orthodox Jew, was told the transfer happened because his new patrol area in Greenpoint needed more Jewish cops. He didn’t buy that explanation because the Jewish population is much higher in the neighboring 90th Precinct in Williamsburg, sources said.

(Source: NY Daily News)

After 30 years of spaceflight, NASA’s iconic space shuttles will fly no more.

The space agency’s storied shuttle program ended today (July 21) when the shuttle Atlantis soared down from a predawn sky to a picture-perfect touchdown, ending a nearly flawless last mission and the shuttle era at the same time. Atlantis landed for the final time at 5:57 a.m. EDT (0957 GMT).

The mood was electric, both sad and triumphant, as a vehicle that had been hurtling through space a little more than an hour earlier rolled to a graceful stop here at the Kennedy Space Center.

“Mission complete, Houston,” Atlantis’ commander Chris Ferguson radioed to Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. “After serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle found its place in history, and it’s come to a final stop.”

“We copy your wheels stop and we’ll take this opportunity to congratulate you, Atlantis, as well as the thousands of passionate individuals across this great spacefaring nation who truly empowered this incredible spacecraft, which for three decades has inspired millions around the globe,” capcom Barry “Butch” Wilmore said from Mission Control. “Job well done, America.”

It was the 33rd voyage for Atlantis, and the 135th for NASA’s reusable winged spaceships. The 30-year space shuttle program, which began with the launch of Columbia on April 12, 1981, is at a close.

“The space shuttle changed the way we viewed the world, and it changed the way we view our universe,” he said. “There’s a lot of emotion today, but one thing is indisputable: America is not going to stop exploring. Thank you Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Endeavour, and our ship Atlantis. Thank you for protecting us and bringing this program to such a fitting end. God bless all of you. God bless the United States of America.”

Ferguson led a veteran crew of four on this last mission, including pilot Doug Hurley and mission specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim. They were the last of 355 spaceflyers to ride aboard the space shuttle over the years.

The astronauts launched July 8 on a 13-day trip to the International Space Station.

READ MORE: SPACE.COM

A lengthy, blistering heat wave that is blanketing the eastern half of the United States is putting significant stress on the nation’s power grid as homeowners and businesses crank up their air conditioners.

Utilities say they’re ready for high power demand and widespread electricity shortages or outages are unlikely. Lines and equipment are not fully taxed and there is more generating and transmission capacity available than usual because of the weak economy. Also, not many major storms are in the forecast, meaning fewer downed power lines.

The heat wave began a week ago in the Plains states and is expected to spread east through the weekend. It is lasting longer than most heat waves and is spread over an unusually wide area.

To meet demand, utilities are firing up special power plants used only a few days a year, delaying scheduled maintenance in order to keep all equipment on line and testing heat-sensitive switches and other equipment with high-tech devices like thermographers that can gauge temperatures to one-tenth of a degree.

READ MORE

Sabotage by an insider at a major utility facility, including a chemical or oil refinery, could provide al Qaeda with its best opportunity for the kind of massive Sept. 11 anniversary attack Osama bin Laden was planning, according to U.S. officials.

A new intelligence report from the Department of Homeland Security issued Tuesday, titled Insider Threat to Utilities, warns “violent extremists have, in fact, obtained insider positions,” and that “outsiders have attempted to solicit utility-sector employees” for damaging physical and cyber attacks.

“Based on the reliable reporting of previous incidents, we have high confidence in our judgment that insiders and their actions pose a significant threat to the infrastructure and information systems of U.S. facilities,” the bulletin reads in part. “Past events and reporting also provide high confidence in our judgment that insider information on sites, infrastructure, networks, and personnel is valuable to our adversaries and may increase the impact of any attack on the utilities infrastructure.”

In the materials recovered after the Navy SEAL operation that killed Osama bin Laden in May, officials found evidence bin Laden sought to repeat the carnage of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on or around its ten year anniversary.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement there was no specific threat.

“DHS routinely shares information with its state and local partners on a wide-range of potential threats, and as part of this responsibility, DHS issued an intelligence note to its federal, state, local, tribal and private sector partners on July 19 regarding potential threats to private sector utilities. While DHS has no specific, credible intelligence of an imminent threat posed to the private sector utilities, several recent incidents highlight the on-going threat to infrastructure in the utility sectors from insiders and outsiders seeking facility-specific information that might be exploited in an attack,” DHS press secretary Matt Chandler said. “We will continue to work closely with our state and local partners, including our partners in the utility sector, to take steps to best protect from potential threats – including protecting our nation’s infrastructure. This includes sharing information as well as best practices.”

READ MORE: ABC NEWS

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli announced yesterday that New York took in nearly $800 million more than expected during the first three months of the new fiscal year — but he warned that storm clouds lay ahead.

“Revenue collections in the first quarter were strong, but our fiscal health is tenuous,” said DiNapoli, noting that the state got its last federal stimulus funding in June and that the “millionaire’s tax” on those earning over $200,000 a year expires Dec 31.

DiNapoli said the increased revenues resulted from unexpectedly “robust” increases in personal-income and business taxes as the state weathered the recession better than forecast during April, May and June.

(Source: NY Post)

Various countries have sent secret messages to Israel informing Jerusalem that they are aware that Mossad agents are using their passports in overseas operations, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.

The countries, all friends of Israel, demanded to halt all use of such passports in messages to Israeli embassies and as part of the consular discourse.

The protest had caused considerable embarrassment to Israel in several cases. In other cases, Israel could not respond to the claims as they did not include names and details of the alleged Mossad agents.

The protest grew following the assassination of Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai in February 2010. Dubai’s police distributed photos and names of 33 individuals suspected of entering the country using European passports.

A diplomatic crisis between Israel and the UK ensued and culminated with the expulsion of an Israeli diplomat from London. Australia and Ireland followed suit, while France and Germany demanded clarifications from Jerusalem.

However, recent demands regarding the use of foreign passports came from countries which were not involved in the Mabhouh affair, including Asian, African and East European nations. It is unclear whether the messages are based on solid information or suspicions alone.

One of the foreign diplomats who conveyed one such message said: “You have a bad reputation when it comes to other countries’ passports.”

READ MORE: YNET

A Los Angeles lawmaker is pushing legislation that would bar cities and counties from banning male circumcision – a proposal aimed squarely at San Francisco.

A San Francisco initiative seeks a ban on circumcision. If ultimately approved by local voters, it would impose a $1,000 fine and a year in jail, or both, on violators.

Gatto’s AB 768  would prevent any local legislation attempting to regulate or ban male circumcision. The bill originally dealt with providing incentives for using bio-fuels, and it passed the Assembly in that form and was set to reach a Senate committee.

But it was rewritten to address circumcision on July 7 – a maneuver known in the Capitol as a hijack or a gut-and-amend. It is set to return to the Senate committee in the altered form and face its first major policy test.

The bill is a response to recent proposed bans on circumcision.

READ MORE: CAPITOL WEEKLY

The city Health Department is warning swimmers and kayakers to stay out of the Hudson River after a four-alarm fire shut down a Harlem waste treatment plant Wednesday – causing the city to pump raw sewage into the water, officials said.

“It would take at least 48 hours of continuous discharge before there was any significant impact on water quality for New York City beaches,” said Farrel Sklerov, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Protection.

If the facility is shut down more than 96 hours, some city beaches may need to be closed, Sklerov said.

“Our guys are going into the building assessing the damage, seeing what has to be done to put the plant back on line,” Sklerov said.

Untreated city sewage is routinely discharged during heavy rains, which dilutes it.

The plant was opened in 1986 and treats up to 170 million gallons of wastewater a day.

“People were running out,” said a plant employee, who declined to give his name. People just wanted to get out.”

Riverbank State Park, which is on the roof of the plant, was evacuated as 168 firefighters worked in 90-plus degree temperatures to control the fire.

The blaze burned for more than three hours, officials said, after fuel under pressure created a 30-foot plume of fire at 11:46a.m. in the engine room of the North River wastewater treatment plant on W.135thSt.

(Source: NY Daily News)

The following is a WCBSTV Exclusive:

There were charges Wednesday that the FDNY is stretched so thin that response times to a fire at an historic Upper East Side synagogue were agonizingly long and well above normal response times.

The voice of a child is heard on home video of the recent fire at the Kehilith Jeshurun synagogue, asking the question Mayor Michael Bloomberg should be asking himself:

“Where’s the fire department, mom?”

Despite clouds of billowing black smoke the first fire engine didn’t arrive for 6 minutes, 55 seconds. The average response time for Manhattan fires is 4:08.

“It’s a warning to the mayor,” Al Hagan, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, told CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer. “We’re as thin as we can get and effectively provide protection for the people of this city.”

Response time was delayed because the neighborhood fire company was fighting another fire, the replacement engine was 35 blocks away and the ladder company had to come from the West Side. Also, the battalion chief got to the fire four minutes before the fire engine, but was left with the frustration of calling and calling for help.

Hagan said in a city like New York there are always multiple fires – something Bloomberg should take into account before moving to close fire companies.

“If they decide to cut more fire houses it will be civic insanity,” Hagan said. “It’s morally bankrupt. It’s morally bankrupt.”

Sources told Kramer that City Hall has signaled its intention to try to close fire houses again next year, but a mayoral spokesman Marc Lavorgna said that’s just speculation.

“We have achieved all-time record levels of fire safety during this administration,” Lavorgna said, “and we will continue to do all we can to continue the record of success in protecting New Yorkers.”

READ MORE: WCBSTV

4:54PM EST: [UPDATES IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] Highly credible sources tell YWN that Levi Aron, the man who confessed to kidnapping and murdering Leiby Kletzky A”H, is being charged with an eight-count indictment. The main charge is first degree murder, followed by felony kidnapping.

He is facing life in jail without the possibility of parole.

Further details will be announced by the Kings County DA at the press conference, and will be published on YWN.

UPDATE FROM WCBSTV AT 5:35PM EST: A grand jury has indicted Levi Aron and charged him with two counts of first-degree murder in the case of Leiby Kletzky.

Aron faces up to life in prison without possibility of parole if convicted, Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes announced moments ago. Aron’s arraignment is scheduled for July 28.

Leiby’s cause of death, according to the Medical Examiner, was intoxication followed by smothering.  Hynes said that Kletzky was given Cyclobenzaprine, a muscle relaxant; quetiapine, an anti-psychotic drug; and hydrocodone before Aron killed him.

Kletzky’s death has officially been ruled a homicide.

UPDATE 6:00PM EST (PRESS RELEASE FROM D.A.): Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today announced the indictment of Levi Aron, charged with killing eight-year-old Leiby Kletzky.
 
Aron, 35, is charged with two counts of Murder in the First Degree, three counts of Murder in the Second Degree, two counts of  Kidnapping in the First Degree and one count of Kidnapping in the Second Degree. If convicted, he faces a maximum of life in prison without parole.

The indictment charges that on July 11, Aron abducted Keltzky from the vicinity of 18th Avenue and Dahill Road, in Brooklyn. Aron then took the child to Aron’s apartment, at 466 East 2nd St., also in Brooklyn, where Aron killed him, according to the indictment.

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.

The case is being prosecuted by Counsel to the Homicide Bureau Julie Rendelman and Unit Chief in the Sex Crimes/Crimes Against Children Division Linda Weinman. Kenneth Taub is Chief of the Homicide Bureau. Rhonnie Jaus is Chief of the Sex Crimes/Crimes Against Children Division.

(Dov Gordon – YWN)

Falling mail volume and soaring red ink may soon doom Saturday mail delivery and prompt three-day-a-week delivery within 15 years, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe warns.

Donahoe’s forecast is based on a projected $8.3 billion loss this year as the drift from paper to electronic communication hammers the Postal Service. “On Sept. 30,” he told the USA TODAY editorial board Tuesday, “I won’t be able to pay my bills.”

Chief among them: a $5.5 billion payment due Sept. 30 to cover future retirees’ health benefits.

Mail carriers have been making rounds six days a week since the 19th century. After postmasters started talking about cutting back, Congress mandated the six-day delivery in 1983.

Donahoe wasn’t specific about how soon he would like to reduce service but said he thinks Congress, struggling with the federal budget, will be more open to the idea now. He said a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll last year helped move the discussion along. More than half of those polled had no problem with losing Saturday mail.

The Postal Service estimates the move would save $3.1 billion a year.

Donahoe said the idea has “a much better chance today than a year ago. I don’t know if I’d say ‘likely’ yet.”

Asked about the long term, Donahoe said, “At some point, we’ll have to move to three” days a week of mail delivery, possibly in 15 years.

READ MORE: USA TODAY

The father of a man who plotted in 2009 to set off homemade bombs in Manhattan subway cars tried to thwart investigators by destroying evidence and misleading a grand jury, a relative testified on Tuesday.

The testimony, in Federal District Court in Brooklyn, came during the trial of Mohammed Wali Zazi, who is charged with obstructing justice and conspiring to obstruct justice while federal agents were investigating his son, Najibullah Zazi.

Mohammed Wali Zazi was among five people who planned to dispose of bomb-making materials, including bleach and nail-polish remover, his brother-in-law Naqib Jaji said in court. Najibullah Zazi had stored the materials in Mr. Jaji’s garage in Colorado, at one point claiming they were ingredients for a fertility potion, Mr. Jaji added.

“He told me he was making medicine to have a baby,” Mr. Jaji said. “If I knew he was making a bomb, I would have called the government.”

Mr. Jaji also testified that Mohammed Wali Zazi asked him to tell a grand jury falsely that Amanullah Zazi, his nephew, was actually an adopted son. Mohammed Wali Zazi told the same lie on immigration forms in 1997, according to federal prosecutors in Manhattan, where he has been indicted on visa fraud.

Mr. Jaji acknowledged lying to a grand jury and to federal investigators about Najibullah Zazi. He said he pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to obstruct justice and signed a cooperation agreement with the government. Amanullah Zazi, who testified on Monday that he destroyed evidence at Mohammed Wali Zazi’s direction, had also pleaded guilty — to charges that included lying to a grand jury — and had signed a similar agreement.

READ MORE: NY TIMES

The death toll for police officers, including those fatally shot in the line of duty, is on pace to rise for the second straight year, despite a sustained decline in violent crime across the country, USA TODAY’s Kevin Johnson reports.

Johnson says that a mid-year report by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, which closely tracks law enforcement fatalities, finds that overall officer deaths are up 14% so far in 2011, while deadly shootings have increased by 33%.

If fatal shootings continue at the current rate, gun-fire related deaths would represent the primary cause of officer fatalities this year. For the past 13 years, traffic accidents have accounted for the largest number of officer deaths.

According to the police organization, deadly shootings reached a 20-year high in the first half of this year, with 40 officers killed by gunfire, up from 30 in 2010.

More than a quarter of the fatal shootings occurred in January — the deadliest month so far this year — when 11 were killed. In one 24-hour period in January, 11 officers were shot, resulting in three deaths.

(Source: USA Today)

With the mercury rising into the 90s for the fifth day in a row, the city is once again opening its 450 cooling centers.

An excessive heat watch is in effect for Thursday afternoon through Friday evening.

So far, Con Ed has managed to keep up with the increased power demand during the heatwave.

Just a handful of scattered outages are being reported.

The utility is urging customers to conserve wherever possible.

Extra workers are on hand to quickly respond to any outages.

For more tips on how to stay cool, or to find a cooling center near you, call 311 or visit nyc.gov/oem.

(Source: NY1)