US President Barack Obama make a press conference in Sweden.

Obama stated that he was not required to submit proposals for military action to Congress for approval, but also said that not doing so was no empty exercise, a "real strong message” to Assad must be sent to ‘degrade’ his ability to use chemical weapons again, the President added.

US Senate draft resolution approves military force in Syria sets a 60-day deadline, with one 30-day extension possible

The resolution was drafted by Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the chairman and ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee. The resolution needs 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster by opponents.
The draft follows Tuesday’s hearing on Syria featuring testimony from US Secretary of State John Kerry, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on Security Council

UN inspectors are working “around the clock” after a recent investigation of an alleged chemical weapons attack near Damascus that the US and allies have attributed to the Syrian government. Once analyses of the site samples are completed, Ban will share the report’s results with the 193-member Member States and the 15-member Security Council.  

“I take note of the argument for action to prevent future uses of chemical weapons,” Ban said from UN headquarters in New York. “At the same time, we must consider the impact of any punitive measure on efforts to prevent further bloodshed and facilitate a political resolution of the conflict.”

Two separate draft resolutions on potential US military action in Syria

The resolution would require a summary of “attempts to build a coalition; a ‘detailed plan for military action in Syria, including specific goals and military objectives;’ what would qualify as degrading the chemical weapons supply; an explanation how a limited military strike would encourage regime change, prevent terrorists from taking control of power or weapons, secure the chemical weapons and deter their future use; how a strike would prevent Iran and Russia from keeping Assad in power; information about Al Qaeda’s access to weapons; an explanation of whether weapons from Libya are being used by the Syrian opposition and an estimation of the cost.”

The other resolution, offered by Democrats Rep. Gerry Connolly (Va.) and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), is also supportive of a Syria attack but seeks to narrow the scope of any such action. Their resolution bars use of ground forces, limits attacks to 60 days while prohibiting a second series of attacks -- unless the Obama administration has proof Assad used chemical weapons again -- and says an attack on Syria can only happen to prevent use, not stockpiling, of chemical weapons. 

US House of Representatives

A new US Senate draft resolution for authorizing use of military force in Syria sets a 60-day deadline, with one 30-day extension possible, while barring ground forces.

The resolution was drafted by Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the chairman and ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee. The resolution needs 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster by opponents.

The draft follows Tuesday’s hearing on Syria featuring testimony from US Secretary of State John Kerry, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.

Radiation readings at Fukushima plant hit new high

The readings taken by the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) just above the ground near tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi plant showed as much as 2,200 millisieverts (mSv) present, surpassing the previous high measure of 1,800 mSv found just four days prior. Both levels are potent enough to kill an unprotected human within hours.

NRA officials say the area of strong radiation is highly concentrated and can be easily shielded. The tanks holding the contaminated water sit on a hill above the Pacific Ocean. Last week, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) disclosed that at least one of the 1,060 temporary tanks sprang a leak, discharging as much as 300 tons of radioactive liquid containing large amounts of cesium.

Following the incident, the NRA raised the rating of the water leak to Level 3, a "serious incident" on the international scale of radioactivity. The severity of the leak was previously classified as Level 1, an “anomaly.”

source rt.com

Manning officially submits presidential pardon request

Chelsea Manning, the former Army private sentenced to 35 years in prison for the largest data leak in US history, has formally submitted a pardon request to President Obama.

 A presidential pardon could allow Manning to leave Fort Leavenworth prison in Kansas and re-enter society as a civilian. The president has the ability to grant a full and unconditional pardon, to commute a sentence, or to rescind a fine. 

Manning’s attorney, David Coombs, announced the news on Twitter earlier Tuesday. Coombs previously announced that he would seek a pardon for Manning and planned to include a personal plea from Manning to Obama.  

source rt.com