US flags burnt as Serbia marks 16 years since NATO bombed Belgrade – Video

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US flags burnt as Serbia marks 16 years since NATO bombed Belgrade
This week marks 16 years since NATO #39;s 3 month bombing campaign against Yugoslavia. Protests meet the event in Serbia where western flags were set on fire. Serbs want the alliance to pay up....

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US flags burnt as Serbia marks 16 years since NATO bombed Belgrade - Video

NATO scrambles jets after Russian military planes spotted …

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FILE - In this Friday, May 9, 2014 file photo Russian bombers Tu-22M3 fly in formation during a Victory Day Parade in Moscow commemorating the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)

STOCKHOLM The Swedish Air Force and NATO jets on Tuesday tracked four Russian combat aircraft flying with their transponders turned off over the Baltic Sea, officials said.

The Russian planes two long-range, nuclear-capable Tu-22M3 bombers and two Sukhoi Su-27 fighters were flying in international airspace, according to Sweden's Armed Forces and alliance sources.

NATO said it scrambled Danish jets and Italian jets based in Lithuania early Tuesday to identify the Russian aircraft which it said were heading to the Russian Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.

"The Russian military aircraft did not use their onboard transponder; they were not in contact with civilian Air Traffic Control and they were not on a pre-filed flight plan," a NATO military officer said on condition he not be identified by name in keeping with alliance practice.

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said it was "unacceptable" for the Russian planes to be flying with shut-off transponders that are necessary for identifying aircraft on radar, calling it violation of international aviation rules.

"This has happened now on a number of occasions and in a very challenging way," Wallstrom told reporters in Stockholm. "We are tired of always having to protest against this kind of ... breach of rules."

NATO and Sweden, which is not a member of the alliance, have reported an increase in Russian air maneuvers over the Baltic Sea in recent years.

Tuesday's sighting comes as Finnish and Swedish military aircraft are preparing to train with U.S. fighters over the Baltic Sea, and American and NATO forces continue military exercises in the Baltic countries.

The Swedish military said the threat against Sweden had not grown but that the armed forces were watching the "increased activity" in the region.

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NATO secretary general: Ukraine cease-fire fragile but largely holding

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The cease-fire agreement in Ukraine is largely holding, but international monitors are still not being provided with full access to contested zones, the new head of NATO said Wednesday.

Jens Stoltenberg, the former Norwegian prime minister who became secretary general of the alliance last fall, said NATO is focused on supporting the agreement signed last month rather than sending lethal weaponry to help Ukrainian forces defend against Russian-backed separatists there.

For the time being, I can see no better alternative than to try to ensure that the Minsk agreement is fully implemented, Stoltenberg said in an interview. While there is a long way to go, he added, at least the cease-fire has provided us with substantially less fighting. ... Its a fragile cease-fire, but it is a cease-fire.

The Obama administration is under strong pressure from Congress to supply the Ukrainian military with defensive lethal arms such as sophisticated anti-tank weaponry. U.S. officials have acknowledged that the subject is a matter of debate within the administration; President Obama has resisted calls from senior Cabinet officials and NATOs military chief, U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, to send the weapons.

U.S. officials have charged in recent days that Russia is still supplying heavy weaponry to the separatists, along with military personnel to provide training and guidance on the ground. According to monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, there has been some weapons pullback in the disputed areas in eastern Ukraine and some lessening of fighting, but the monitors have been refused entry to some sites, and separatists still control key parts of the border with Russia.

France and Germany helped negotiate the cease-fire, a reiteration of a document first signed last fall in Minsk, the Belarusan capital. Both NATO partners have said they oppose providing lethal arms, on the grounds that doing so would only escalate a conflict that Ukraine could not win against Russian forces.

Stoltenberg, in Washington for much of this week to attend a NATO seminar, will not see Obama during his visit, a fact that prompted reports that the president had snubbed him.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said that the presidents schedule is pretty full and that the notion that the president somehow, or the White House somehow, is failing to return the call to the secretary general is ridiculous.

Stoltenberg pointed out that he met Obama at NATOs summit in Wales last fall and said he would meet with him again. Our teams have been and are looking into when we can find a convenient date, he said.

Its not about that, he said. Its about the importance of NATO and the United States working closely together, and we are.

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NATO secretary general: Ukraine cease-fire fragile but largely holding

Obama reportedly snubs NATO chief as Russia makes new threats against allies – Russia's growing Latin America presence …

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President Barack Obama reportedly will not meet with NATO's new secretary general when he is in Washington this week, despite requests from the alliance chief's staff for a get-together.

Bloomberg View reported Tuesday that Jens Stoltenberg's office requested a meeting with Obama in advance of his scheduled visit, but did not receive any response from the White House. Instead, Bloomberg View reported that Stoltenberg had to settle for a last-minute meeting with Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.

The White House on Wednesday dismissed the report about the snub as inaccurate.

"Those reports are entirely false," Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.

Earnest also said the White House has been in touch with Stoltenberg's office and dismissed the assertion that Carter was a late fill-in because Obama was too busy.

Stoltenberg is scheduled to be in Washington through Thursday, primarily so he can attend a strategic brainstorming session involving military officials and experts from the U.S. and NATO.

Stoltenberg, who replaced Anders Fogh Rasmussen as head of the world's largest military alliance in October, was able to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper Monday, the day before Harper announced that Canada would expand its participation in the U.S.-led military campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

The report of Obama's snub comes amid Russia's growing willingness to test NATO's military readiness. On Tuesday, NATO jets were scrambled after four Russian military planes were spotted flying over the Baltic Sea with their transponders turned off. Over the weekend, a Danish newspaper published remarks by the Russian ambassador to Denmark in which he hinted that Russian missiles could target Danish warships if Copenhagen joins NATO's missile defense system.

But the most far-reaching example of Russianbelligerence came Tuesday, when Britain's Daily Telegraph reported that Moscow was preparing to lease 12 long-range bombers to Argentina in exchange for shipments of beef and wheat. The report comes after a round of rhetoric from Russian officials questioning Britain's claim to the Falkland Islands.

The Telegraph reports that Russia's ambassador to Britain, Alexander Yakovenko, compared a 2013 referendum in which 99.8 percent of Falklands inhabitants voted to remain part of the U.K. to last year's vote which formalized Crimea's annexation by Russia. Britain, along with the U.S. and NATO, denounced the Crimea referendum as a sham orchestrated by Moscow.

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Obama reportedly snubs NATO chief as Russia makes new threats against allies - Russia's growing Latin America presence ...

Top NATO military commander in Europe says alliance needs to improve intelligence-sharing

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NATO's top commander in Europe U.S. Gen. Philip Breedlove gestures when addressing a conference in Soest, central Netherlands, Wednesday March 25, 2015. NATO defense ministers agreed last month to create a quick-reaction force of 5,000 troops to meet challenges from Russia and Islamic extremists, Breedlove said that alliance nations must be willing to share their intelligence faster if its new rapid reaction force is to be effective in countering threats. (AP Photo/Mike Corder)(The Associated Press)

NATO's top commander in Europe U.S. Gen. Philip Breedlove gestures when addressing a conference in Soest, central Netherlands, Wednesday March 25, 2015. NATO defense ministers agreed last month to create a quick-reaction force of 5,000 troops to meet challenges from Russia and Islamic extremists, Breedlove said that alliance nations must be willing to share their intelligence faster if its new rapid reaction force is to be effective in countering threats. (AP Photo/Mike Corder)(The Associated Press)

SOEST, Netherlands NATO's top commander in Europe says that alliance nations must be willing to share their intelligence faster if its new rapid-reaction force is to be effective in countering threats.

U.S. Gen. Philip Breedlove says that "we need to change our culture of intelligence-sharing." He adds that NATO nations have a tendency to only share intelligence well "when we are scared."

NATO defense ministers agreed last month to create a quick-reaction force of 5,000 troops to meet challenges from Russia and Islamic extremists.

But Breedlove told a conference in the Netherlands on Wednesday that the troops can only be quickly and effectively deployed "if we have an indications and warning apparatus that tells us when we need its high readiness."

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Top NATO military commander in Europe says alliance needs to improve intelligence-sharing

NSA to Halt Telephone Data Program If Congress Doesn't Act

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By Dow Jones Business News, March 25, 2015, 10:25:00 AM EDT

The National Security Agency will cease collecting bulk telephone metadata if Congress doesn't reauthorize or replace parts of a federal law that expires at the end of May, a White House spokesman said Wednesday.

President Barack Obama has called for replacing the existing program, first revealed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, with a more narrowly targeted system that he says would better safeguard privacy but allow law-enforcement and intelligence agencies to collect certain data they believe necessary for national security.

The provision that would expire is Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act.

"Allowing Section 215 to sunset would result in the loss, going forward, of a critical national security tool that is used in a variety of additional contexts that don't involve the collection of bulk data," White House spokesman Ned Price said. "That is why we have underscored the imperative of congressional action in the coming weeks, and we welcome the opportunity to work with lawmakers on such legislation."

There had been speculation that the White House might nevertheless continue the bulk telephone data collection even if the law were allowed to sunset.

The White House's position was first reported by Reuters.

The program has allowed the NSA to collect telephone data for millions of Americans, primarily records of who calls whom, and the length of each call.

Congress is split over whether to allow the program to continue. Many Republicans want the program reauthorized, as they say it helps intelligence agencies detect threats against the U.S. But many Democrats and a number of Republicans say it raises constitutional and privacy concerns, particularly as data is collected for people who haven't been accused of wrongdoing.

House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R., Calif.) told reporters Tuesday he supported the extension of the program, and complained that there was a misunderstanding about how the program worked and how it prevented terror attacks.

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NSA to Halt Telephone Data Program If Congress Doesn't Act

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Police: OUI suspect unsure of what school he went to

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LEOMINSTER -- A city man suspected of driving under the influence reportedly attempted to invoke the Fifth Amendment when being questioned by a police officer during a traffic stop Saturday.

Andres F. Romero, 25, of 47 Princeton St., Apt. 300, was pulled over on suspicion of speeding on Route 12 northbound at 2:50 a.m. According to a police report, Romero smelled of alcohol, and his speech was slurred.

When the officer who pulled Romero over asked if he had been drinking, Romero did not respond for 15 to 20 seconds. The officer repeated the question, and another 15 to 20 seconds passed without a response from Romero, according to the police report.

When the officer asked for a third time, Romero mumbled: "I'm gonna take the Fifth on that." The officer asked what the Fifth was, and Romero said it was something he had learned in school.

The officer also asked Romero what his level of education is.

"Mount Wachusett," Romero answered, according to the police report.

"Oh, you went to college?" the officer asked.

"No, the Mount. Mount Wachusett Community College," Romero said.

The officer informed Romero that the Mount is a college.

"No, Monty Tech. I went to Monty Tech," Romero said.

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Police: OUI suspect unsure of what school he went to

My first Police CHP recording wwith immature cop and his light beam in my face – Video

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My first Police CHP recording wwith immature cop and his light beam in my face
I noticed 3 patrol cars in a MacDonald s parking lot and decided to film them under my first Amendment lo and behold i get a immature cop who happens to think its funny shining light in peoples...

By: Cheapcomputerrepair

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My first Police CHP recording wwith immature cop and his light beam in my face - Video