WASHINGTON (BNO NEWS) — Around 100 environmental protesters, including Hollywood actress Daryl Hannah, were arrested during a protest outside the White House on Tuesday, NBC Washington reported.

Hannah, who has been arrested while advocating for environmental causes in the past, sat on the sidewalk in front of the White House with dozens of others protesting against a planned pipeline stretching from Canada through East Texas. Demonstrators refused three requests from U.S. Park Police to move.

“Sometimes it’s necessary to sacrifice your freedom for a greater freedom,” Hannah said in Lafayette Park before her arrest. ”And we want to be free from the horrible death and destruction that fossil fuels cause, and have a clean energy future.”

Tar Sands Action, the group organizing the protest, has said the Keystone pipeline is among the most important environmental decisions that confront the president. “President Obama must decide whether or not to grant a ‘presidential permit’ for a Canadian company, TransCanada, to begin construction of the Keystone XL, a 1,700 mile (2735 kilometers) pipeline from the Canadian tar sands to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico,” the organization said in a statement.

The protest to push President Obama to deny the permit for the new oil pipeline began on August 21 when more than 100 protesters were also taken away by U.S. Park Police. Sgt. David Schlosser said Park Police made the arrests for the violation of White House demonstration rules, as reported by NBC.  

According to Tar Sands Action, over 500 Americans, including top climate scientists and religious leaders, have been arrested since the protest began. The protest is expected to continue until September 3.

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BOSTON (BNO NEWS) — A Massachusetts man has pleaded guilty to a charge of foreign economic espionage for exchanging sensitive information with a person who he believed was an Israeli spy, officials said on Tuesday. The man worked for Akamai when he committed the crimes.

Elliot Doxer, 43, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper to a charge of providing trade secrets over an 18-month period from the finance department of Akamai Technologies to an undercover federal agent posing as an Israeli intelligence officer.

In 2006, Doxer sent an email to the Israeli consulate in Boston stating that he worked in the finance department of Akamai Technologies and was willing to provide any information that might help Israel. His main desire “was to help our homeland and our war against our enemies,” Doxer said in later communications.

From October 2007 to March 2009, Doxer exchanged information with a federal agent posing as an undercover Israeli intelligence officer. Among this information was an extensive list of Akamai’s customers, its contracts, as well as a list of the company’s employees, including their contact information.

The former Akamai worker also described the company’s security systems and said he could travel to Israel or support special and sensitive operations in his local area if needed. The information was never in real danger of actual exposure because it was disclosed only to an undercover agent.

U.S. District Judge Casper has scheduled the sentencing for November 30 when Doxer could face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release and a $500,000 fine. Doxer’s prosecution is the first in Massachusetts for foreign economic espionage and only the eighth in the United States.

Akamai Technologies is a content delivery network which provides cloud-based services to optimize web and mobile content applications, including HD video and secure e-commerce. It had a revenue of just over a billion U.S. dollars in 2010.

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FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS (BNO NEWS) — Police confirmed on Tuesday that an uncle of U.S. President Barack Obama was arrested in Massachusetts last week, allegedly for driving under the influence of alcohol.

According to a Framingham police report, Onyango Obama was stopped on August 24 after a sport utility vehicle he was driving failed to make a proper stop at an intersection. The arresting officer, Val Krishtal, said the man had red and glassy eyes, slurred speech and appeared unsteady on his feet.

Police said Obama, 67, failed several field sobriety tests and blew a reading of 0.14 percent on a blood-alcohol breath test, which is above the maximum blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent when driving in Massachusetts.

News reports said Obama – who is originally from Kenya – is staying in the United States illegally and had an earlier removal order against him. He is now being held without bail at the request of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

According to the police report, Obama was offered a phone call after he had been arrested and charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and failure to yield the right way. “I think I will call the White House,” he said, although it was not known if he actually made the call and if so who he spoke to.

Onyango Obama is the half-brother of President Barack Obama’s father, Barack Obama, Sr.

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NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) — The three major airports serving New York City are set to reopen on Monday after Hurricane Irene made its way along the U.S. East Coast, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) confirmed on late Sunday.

John F. Kennedy (JFK) International, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia airports were closed on Saturday afternoon in preparation for Hurricane Irene, which moved into Canada on late Sunday after it weakened to a post-tropical storm.

PANYNJ said both JFK and Newark are scheduled to open to arriving flights at 6 a.m. local time on Monday, with departures set to resume at noon. LaGuardia Airport will reopen to both arrivals and departures at 7 a.m. Monday.

“Given the complexities of resuming flights, travelers are urged to contact their airlines before coming to the airport to learn about potential delays and cancellations,” a PANYNJ spokesperson said. “Additionally, due to limited mass-transit options tomorrow, arriving and departing passengers should make sure they will be able to get to and from the airports via alternative means if necessary.”

AirTrain JFK is expected to be back in service at 4 a.m. Monday with AirTrain Newark scheduled to resume operations about two hours later, at 6 a.m. PANYNJ said it is coordinating the reopenings with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other agencies.

Stewart International Airport, which is located about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Midtown Manhattan, is also scheduled to resume operations on Monday, but no time was immediately given. “Travelers should check status with individual carriers,” PANYNJ said.

Teterboro Airport, which is about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from Midtown Manhattan, will remain closed until further notice after it experienced flooding during the storm. “The Port Authority will announce re-opening plans at this airport when they are finalized,” the agency said.

Bus, subway, and regional rail service in New York City are also expected to partly resume operations on Monday, but widespread cancellations and delays are expected. Irene killed at least 21 people across eight states, including two in New York.

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NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) — Hurricane Irene is estimated to have caused between $200 million and $400 million in insured losses in the Carolinas, catastrophe modeling company EQECAT reported on Sunday. More serious damage is expected in other areas along the U.S. East Coast.

The center of Irene made landfall on Saturday at about 7.30 a.m. local time near Cape Lookout on the Atlantic coast of North Carolina. It had maximum sustained winds near 85 miles (140 kilometers) per hour, and higher gusts, making it a category one hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity.

EQECAT, in a preliminary assessment, estimated that insured losses in North and South Carolina are expected to range from $200 million to $400 million. “Although Irene was a Category 1 hurricane at landfall, the sheer size of this storm has caused severe damage from storm surge and flooding,” the company said.

Hundreds of thousands of people lost power in North Carolina due to damaged distribution lines, primarily caused by fallen trees and debris. Irene also produced heavier than initially expected rain totals, and coastal areas experienced 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 meters) in storm surge.

“The estimated insured loss from this event for South Carolina and North Carolina is expected to range from $200 [million] to $400 million USD, with the bulk of the losses in North Carolina,” EQECAT said in its preliminary assessment. “Strong winds and rain are expected to continue causing damage to Virginia and states further north.”

EQECAT warned that, even though the system weakened to a tropical storm on Sunday morning, Irene remains a very dangerous storm which has ‘significant’ potential to cause damage and injuries. The catastrophe modeling company expects damage in New York City and New England’s urban area to be more severe than in the Carolinas.

“The speed and size of Irene translates to extended durations of strong winds and debris; experience from Hurricane Ike (2008) reminds us that high-rise buildings pose significant vulnerability to damage from wind and debris, and the New England urban area has a large population of high-rise buildings that will be exposed to very strong winds,” the company said. “It is very likely that a landfall of Tropical Storm Irene in New York will result in larger damages and losses than those seen in North Carolina.”

It added: “The coincidence of a new moon (stronger tidal variation) during Irene will exacerbate flood and surge, and water heights may be 5 to 8 feet (1.5 to 2.4 meters) higher than normal close to New York City.”

In addition to damage, Irene also resulted in the deaths of at least four people in North Carolina alone, including a 15-year-old girl. The total death toll along the U.S. East Coast as of Sunday morning was nine.

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MIAMI (BNO NEWS) — The center of Hurricane Irene made landfall in North Carolina on early Saturday morning, forecasters said. Three storm-related fatalities have so far been reported.

Irene made landfall at about 7.30 a.m. local time near Cape Lookout on the Atlantic coast of North Carolina with maximum sustained winds around 85 miles (140 kilometers) per hour, and higher gusts. Despite its interaction with land, Irene maintained its strength as it moves towards the north-northeast.

As of 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT), the center of Irene was located about 45 miles (70 kilometers) west-northwest of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina. “Irene should continue to move north-northeastward between a mid-level ridge over the east-central Atlantic and a trough passing over the Great Lakes Region,” said Daniel Brown, a senior hurricane specialist at the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC).

“Irene is forecast to gradually weaken as it moves along the East Coast of the United States due to land interaction, dry air entrainment, and increasing southwesterly shear,” Brown said. Irene is expected to approach New York on early Sunday morning, and Maine by SUnday evening.

“If the center of Irene moves more over land than forecast during the next 12 to 24 hours, it could be slightly weaker than predicted,” Brown said. “Whether Irene is a strong tropical storm or hurricane over New England will make little difference in the expected impacts of damaging winds, a dangerous storm surge, and flooding rains.”

As of Saturday afternoon, officials in North Carolina reported that three storm-related fatalities had been reported in the state. One person died on Friday evening of a heart attack as he was trying to board up his home. Two others were killed on Saturday, one in a road accident and another when a tree crushed him to death.

More than 160,000 power outages have been reported in North Carolina, and that number is expected to increase throughout Saturday as the storm moves through. “Today the threat is wind, rain and storm surge. Tomorrow and Monday we have potential for flooding along some of our inland rivers,” said North Carolina governor Bev Perdue.

In North Carolina, 81 shelters are open in 29 counties housing approximately 7,500 evacuees. Many others have evacuated and went to friends or family.

In Virginia, Norfolk Fire-Rescue swimmers rescued two people and a cat after their 30-foot (9-meter) sailing vessel ran aground off Ocean View Beach. There were no injuries.

In preparation for the storm, U.S. President Barack Obama previously signed emergency declarations for North Carolina, New York, Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Maryland.

Irene is the ninth named storm and the first hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season. It was followed by Tropical Depression Ten which remains active in the far eastern Atlantic, but poses no threat to land.

According to figures released earlier this month, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is expecting an above-normal hurricane season in the Atlantic this year. The outlook calls for 14 to 19 named storms, with seven to ten becoming hurricanes and three to five expected to become a major hurricane (category 3 or higher).

An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 11 named storms, with six becoming hurricanes and two becoming major hurricanes. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, with peak activity in September.

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NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) — Bus, subway, and regional rail service in New York City as well as area airports will be shut down on Saturday afternoon as Hurricane Irene moves along the U.S. East Coast, officials said.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said it has decided to close its five airports – John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, Stewart International, LaGuardia and Teterboro airports – to all arriving passenger flights beginning at noon local time on Saturday.

“The Port Authority is taking this measure to avoid stranding passengers at its airports when the region’s mass transit systems suspend service tomorrow due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Irene,” a Port Authority spokesperson said. “Many weekend departures already have been cancelled at all of the airports, so travelers are urged to contact their carriers prior to leaving for the airport.”

The Port Authority said the five airports will remain open for departing flights ‘until further notice’, but gave no indication whether or not it would completely shut down when the storm reaches New York City.

The decision to shut down the region’s airports was made after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) decided to begin an orderly shutdown at around noon on Saturday. MTA provides local and express bus, subway, and regional rail service in Greater New York.

“These actions are consistent with the MTA’s Hurricane Plan, designed to protect the safety of customers, employees and equipment, and ensure the fastest and safest possible restoration of service after the storm,” MTA said in a statement. It also added that certain fares and tolls have been suspended to facilitate evacuations.

As of 5 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT) on Saturday morning, the center of Irene was located about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Cape Lookout in North Carolina. The storm has maximum sustained winds near 90 miles (150 kilometers) per hour, with higher gusts, making it a category one hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity.

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MIAMI (BNO NEWS) — Hurricane Irene weakened slightly on early Friday morning as it marched toward North Carolina, forecasters said, while further hurricane warnings have been issued for the U.S. East Coast.

Irene formed east of the Leeward Islands last week and since then moved through the Caribbean as it strengthened into a category three storm. It is currently west of Florida and heading towards North Carolina, where hundreds of thousands of people are being evacuated.

As of 5 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT) on Friday, the center of Irene was located about 420 miles (675 kilometers) south-southwest of Cape Hatteras, a cape on the coast of North Carolina. It is moving toward the north at a speed near 14 miles (22 kilometers) per hour.

“Reports from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter Aircraft indicate that the intensity of Irene is not quite at major hurricane status,” said Jack Beven, a senior hurricane specialist at the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC). Maximum winds of Irene are now at 110 miles (175 kilometers) per hour, with higher gusts, making it a category two hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity.

“Water vapor imagery and analyses from [Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS)] at the University of Wisconsin suggest that Irene is encountering light to moderate southwesterly vertical wind shear,” Beven said. “This, along with the current cyclone structure and dry air advecting toward the hurricane in water vapor imagery, argue against significant strengthening, and indeed the intensity guidance shows little change in strength before landfall.”

However, Beven explained it is still possible that there will still be some strengthening. “The eyewall convection is currently strong, and the sea surface temperatures along the forecast track are 28 to 29 Celsius (82.4 to 84.2 degrees Fahrenheit),” he said. “This suggest some modest strengthening is possible.”

Irene is currently forecast to make landfall along the North Carolina Outer Banks on early Saturday morning as a strong category two or weak category three hurricane, after which it will slowly weaken. “After moving into New England, Irene should weaken quickly as it undergoes extratropical transition,” Beven added.

As Irene is closing in on North Carolina, hurricane warnings are now in effect for Little River Inlet in North Carolina northward to Sandy Hook in New Jersey, including the Pamlico, Albemarle, and Currituck Sounds, Delaware Bay, and Chesapeake Bay south of Smith Point. A hurricane warning also remains in effect for the Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas.

In addition, a hurricane watch is in effect for north of Sandy Hook to the mouth of the Merrimack River, including Long Island, Long Island Sound, Block Island, Marthas Vineyard, and Nantucket. A tropical storm warning is in effect for north of Edisto Beach in South Carolina to Little River Inlet, as well as Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point northward and the Tidal Potomac.

Irene is the ninth named storm and the first hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season. It was followed by Tropical Depression Ten which remains active in the far eastern Atlantic, but poses no threat to land.

According to figures released earlier this month, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is expecting an above-normal hurricane season in the Atlantic this year. The outlook calls for 14 to 19 named storms, with seven to ten becoming hurricanes and three to five expected to become a major hurricane (category 3 or higher).

An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 11 named storms, with six becoming hurricanes and two becoming major hurricanes. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, with peak activity in September.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) — Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney reveals in a new memoir book some of the most controversial decisions of the Bush administration regarding its tactics abroad, The New York Times reported on Thursday.

Dick Cheney, who served as Vice President of the United States from 2001 to 2009, has written an autobiography entitled “In my time: A personal and political memoir” which is due to be published by Simon & Schuster next week.

In his book, Cheney says he urged President George W. Bush to bomb a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor site in June 2007. But, he wrote, Bush opted for a diplomatic approach after other advisers expressed misgivings about taking U.S. military action against the reactor. In September 2007, the Israelis bombed the site.

According to The New York Times review, the book is often pugnacious in tone and expresses little regret about many of the most controversial decisions of the Bush administration. It also portrays Cheney as an outlier among top advisers with whom he often disagreed on national security issues.

In the memoir book, Cheney defends the use of “tough interrogations” such as water boarding on captured terrorism suspects, saying it helped extract information that saved lives. Former Vice president, who consistently defended Iraq’s invasion, further rejects portrayals of such techniques as “torture.”

The book also includes an account of Cheney’s experiences during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when he essentially commanded the initial government’s response while Bush played a peripheral role. Cheney wrote that he did not make any formal statement to the nation that day because “it would undermine the president, and that would be bad for him and for the country.”

In regard to President Obama’s military decisions, Cheney says he criticized the planned withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan but was “happy to note” that he has failed to close the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as he had pledged.

The book’s recurring theme is Cheney’s long struggle with heart disease. He reveals that he wrote a resignation letter in March 2001 in the event he had a health problem which would leave him incapacitated. However, Cheney never used the letter and he served two terms as vice president, leaving office alongside Bush in January 2009.

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MIAMI (BNO NEWS) — The governors of the U.S. states of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey on Thursday declared a state of emergency ahead of major category three hurricane Irene.

As of 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT), hurricane specialists at the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the center of Irene was located about 610 miles (980 kilometers) south of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina. Irene is moving toward the north-northwest, but forecasters expect the hurricane will turn toward the north-northeast on early Friday morning.

If Irene continues as forecast, the center of the intense hurricane will make landfall on the eastern coast of North Carolina on Saturday. It will then proceed into parts of Virginia, Maryland and Delaware before continuing into New Jersey and likely New York.

As of early Thursday afternoon, as it moved through the Bahamas, Irene had maximum sustained winds near 115 miles (185 kilometers) per hour, making it a category three hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity.

North Carolina is forecast to be the worst hit area, with maximum sustained winds around 115 miles (185 kilometers) per hour when Irene makes landfall on Saturday. Gusts are forecast to exceed 138 miles (222 kilometers) per hour.

As a result, North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue declared a state of emergency for counties east of Interstate 95. He also requested President Barack Obama to declare a pre-landfall emergency declaration to provide federal assistance for response efforts.

“Hurricane Irene poses a significant threat to our state, and we need to take appropriate action to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors, along with property and infrastructure along our coast,” Perdue said.

Perdue’s proclamation authorizes officials to respond more effectively to the emergency by authorizing additional state government resources to assist county and municipal governments. Under the proclamation, the governor has expanded powers to address all aspects of the emergency, including the authority to use state resources needed to respond to the situation.

Evacuations already began on Wednesday with the evacuation of tourists from Ocracoke Island. On Thursday, mandatory evacuation orders were issued for everyone in Dare County, Ocracoke and Hyde County. Currituck County has issued a mandatory evacuation order for all visitors.

In Virginia, Governor Bob McDonnell also declared a state of emergency. “At this time, I encourage all Virginians to gather items they may need this weekend in case of power outages and disruptions in public services and to make sure their family members and friends are also prepared for this storm,” the governor said.

In addition, the state has also activated the Virginia Evacuation Coordination Team for Operational Response while other state agencies are on alert. The Virginia National Guard has been authorized to bring personnel on state active duty and begin propositioning resources.

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie both also declared state of emergencies ahead of Irene.

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