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Monday, December 09, 2013 
FBI's search for 'Mo,' suspect in bomb threats, highlights use of malware for surveillance. The FBI's elite hacker team designed a piece of malicious software that was to be delivered secretly when Mo signed on to his Yahoo e-mail account, from any computer anywhere in the world, according to the documents. The goal of the software was to gather a range of information � Web sites he had visited and indicators of the location of the computer � that would allow investigators to find Mo and tie him to the bomb threats. 
Swiss scientist maintains Arafat 'likely poisoned' A French report ruling out poisoning in Yasser Arafat's 2004 death has a glaring inconsistency, the co-author of a Swiss probe said on Thursday, sticking by his team's conclusion that the Palestinian leader was likely killed.
Deutsche Post completes first drone flight Deutsche Post used a drone to deliver a package for the first time on Monday, flying a box from a pharmacy across the Rhine just a week after Amazon carried off a similar stunt.
Cold War treaty confirms Sweden was not neutral Sweden signed a top secret intelligence treaty with the US and other countries in 1954, forecast the 2008 Georgian war, and now routinely spies on Russia civil targets, leaked documents from US whistleblower Edward Snowden reveal
Gangster Mandela's Legacy Nelson Mandela's family are rich capitalists. His children and grandchildren are active in more than 100 companies and hold their wealth in a number of trusts.
Some of the trusts own expensive properties in Johannesburg. The Mandelas are involved in a Mandela clothing range, minerals, the controversial Aurora mine, real estate, railway engineering, medical firms, and entertainment.
Bank of America predicts Bitcoin will become a major currency Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts predict Bitcoin, a digital Internet currency that has gained popularity over the nearly five years of its existence, will become a "major means of payment for e-commerce" and a "serious competitor to traditional money transfer providers."
Tech companies call for an end to NSA online snooping Top executives from AOL, Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo published an open letter to the president and Congress in newspaper and online adverts. They called for a bold effort to make the United States a model for how governments across the world ought to handle the vast quantities of detailed, real-time data that all citizens' electronic communications leave in the hands of technology companies.
The real Mandela in his own words. "I noticed over the weekend that lists of quotes from Nelson Mandela had gone viral on the Internet. None of the lists I saw included any of these -- which say more about the man and the myth than you could have learned by reading all the reports in the international establishment press..."
Japan Press: "China-Japan War To Break Out In January" Sunday Mainichi (Dec. 15) ran an article headlined "Sino-Japanese war to break out in January." Political reporter Takao Toshikawa tells the magazine that the key to what happens next will depend on China's economy.
Spain, France say banking union possible by year's end. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy urged more unity for Europe and said a banking union for the region should be finalised this month, El PaÃs reported in an interview published on its website late yesterday (8 December).
Friday, December 06, 2013
President Obama acknowledges having lived with his uncle President Obama acknowledged on Thursday that he lived with his Kenyan uncle for a brief period in the 1980s while preparing to attend Harvard Law School, contradicting a statement more than a year ago that the White House had no record of the two ever meeting.
Patriot Act author: Obama's intel czar should be prosecuted. Rep. James Sensenbrenner Jr., the original author of the Patriot Act, says Director of National Intelligence James Clapper should be prosecuted for lying to Congress. "Lying to Congress is a federal offense, and Clapper ought to be fired and prosecuted for it," the Wisconsin Republican said in an interview with The Hill.
EU says No to Russian pipeline, as Ukraine talks resume. The EU has given Ukraine a gift on Russian gas, amid fresh talks on an EU-Ukraine treaty. The European Commission told the Kremlin in a letter on Wednesday (4 December) that its "South Stream" pipeline - designed to bypass Ukraine, costing it billions in lost transit fees - violates EU law.
Caught in South Stream trap, EU countries seek EU help. (video) Six EU countries are in "a mess" with the bilateral deals they signed with Russia to build the South Stream gas pipeline, Bulgaria being the most desperate to get EU help to sort out the legal mess it has got itself into, Commission officials told EurActiv. Marlene Holzner, spokesperson to Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger strongly denied on Friday that the EU executive has had knowledge from a long time of the intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) with the six EU countries (Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria) and with Serbia.
Thursday, December 05, 2013
Low bank wages costing the public millions, report says. Researchers say taxpayers are doling out nearly $900 million a year to supplement the wages of bank tellers, which amounts to a public subsidy for multibillion-dollar banks. The workers collect $105 million in food stamps, $250 million through the earned income tax credit and $534 million by way of Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, according to the University of California at Berkeley's Labor Center.
How Monsanto Silences Scientific Dissent. As researcher and author of "Seeds of Destruction," William Engdahl, points out in a new op-ed, "EFSA argued that Seralini had used the wrong kind of rats, not enough rats and that the statistical analysis was inadequate. By these standards, all toxicity studies on glyphosate and GMOs should be retracted because they used the same type and approximate number of rats as those in the Séralini study."
Controversial GM maize cancer link paper retracted. A highly controversial paper published last year on a genetically modified maize has been retracted by the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology (FCT) after the authors refused to voluntarily withdraw the paper. The paper, from a research group led by French molecular biologist Gilles-Eric Séralini of the University of Caen, asserted that a herbicide containing glyphosate and the glyphosate-tolerant GM maize NK603, both produced by agribusiness giant Monsanto, increases the risk of tumours and organ damage in rats.
What Really Drove 23andMe And The FDA Apart. "...Since the FDA shutdown, I've spoken with insiders at both the agency and 23andMe. I learned that there are significant philosophical differences between the two organizations. I also concluded that the break between them had as much to do with old-fashioned miscommunication as anything else..."
Morocco seeks legalization of marijuana cultivation and exports The Moroccan parliament has held a hearing into the industrial and medical benefits of marijuana use. The discussions, started by one of Morocco's main political parties are the first steps to introduce a draft law next year aimed at legalizing the plant.
Paul Walker: Murdered For Digging Too Deep? Conspiracy forums have posed an interesting theory on Paul Walker's untimely death from a car crash on Saturday, where they tie it in, and call it murder to prevent Walker, who was part of the Phillipine relief effort, from exposing "a conspiracy to supply victims of Typhoon Haiyan with a prototype permanent birth control drug hidden in medicinal supplies and food aid." Another theory is that Walker discovered dirty money in the Philippines disaster relief and that it "would make sense because he owned a company that specialized in rapid disaster relief."
EU, Turkey set for visa-free travel deal. (Euronews video) Turkish citizens have taken a step closer to visa-free travel to the EU, officials from the European Commission and the Turkish government said on Wednesday. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davuto�lu told reporters in Brussels will sign a agreement on December the 16th.
Amsterdam Has a Deal for Alcoholics - Work Paid in Beer. The program, started last year by the Rainbow Foundation, a private but mostly government-funded organization that helps the homeless, drug addicts and alcoholics get back on their feet, is so popular that there is a long waiting list of chronic alcoholics eager to join the beer-fueled cleaning teams.
Edward Snowden Stole Up To 20,000 Aussie Intelligence Files - Report Bound to cause further headache to the Tony Abbott government, already reeling under allegation of spying on Indonesia, latest reports noted U.S. Whistleblower and Former National Security Agency Contractor Edward Snowden may have accessed and leaked between 15,000 and 20,000 files containing Australian intelligence reports.
Roundtable: Talks on IP gas pipeline to restart next week Pakistan and Iran are set to re-engage in negotiations over a much-delayed gas pipeline project in Tehran next week, where Islamabad is likely to press Tehran to waive penalty for delay, cut gas price and revise construction contract
Kill team: Obama war chiefs widen drone death zones The Pentagon has loosened its guidelines on avoiding civilian casualties during drone strikes, modifying instructions from requiring military personnel to "ensure" civilians are not targeted to encouraging service members to "avoid targeting" civilians.
Wednesday, December 04, 2013
Berlusconi 'could run as a Bulgarian MEP' This time last week, the prospects for Silvio Berlusconi's political future were looking decidedly dim as senators prepared to oust him from parliament. But now speculation is mounting that he could bid to become a member of the European Parliament - for Bulgaria.
Sandy Hook 911 tapes detail response to shooting. Recordings released Wednesday of 911 calls from the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting show town dispatchers urged panicked callers to take cover, mobilized help and asked about the welfare of the children as the boom of gunfire could be heard at times in the background.
Siemens bribery case spreads to Brazilian politics. In a corruption case concerning Sao Paulo's newly-built metro, politicians of Brazil's main parties reportedly played pivotal roles. The scandal has erupted after German firm Siemens admitted to bribery and price-fixing.
South Stream bilateral deals breach EU law, Commission says. The bilateral agreements for the construction of the Gazprom-favoured South Stream gas pipeline -- concluded between Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Greece, Slovenia, Croatia and Austria -- are all in breach of EU law and need to be renegotiated from scratch, the European Commission said today (4 December).
Tuesday, December 03, 2013
Madoff's Fake Trading Was Obvious, Ex-Finance Chief Says. DiPascali, who started working for Madoff as a researcher when he was 19, is the highest-ranking former Madoff executive to testify in the first criminal trial stemming from the Ponzi scheme, which the U.S. has said began in the early 1970s and collapsed at the peak of the financial crisis.
Researchers Retract Report That Linked Bitcoin Creator and Silk Road. Two Israeli computer scientists who over the weekend published a paper describing a financial connection between the Bitcoin peer-to-peer transaction system and the operator of Silk Road, an Internet black market, have backed away from the claim after an independent security researcher took responsibility for the puzzling account that generated the transfer.
Trans-Asian Corridor Of Development: Russia's Super Canal To Unite Eurasia "...In this regards, the most geopolitically important achievement would undoubtedly be the construction of the Trans-Asian Corridor of Development, a Russian project for a super canal connecting the Kara Sea and the Persian Gulf that was presented in Tashkent during an international conference on innovative ideas in November 2008..."
German Police Develop App to Curb Neonazi Music German police have developed a Shazam-like smartphone app that allows them to identify far-right rock songs by playing just a brief sample. It could make it harder for neo-Nazis to lure under-18s with music, which is seen as a "gateway drug" into the scene.
Norway prepares to put halal reindeer meat on the market. Norway's first-ever halal reindeer meat will soon make it to the dinner tables of Muslims across Norway and places as distant as Dubai. Vilteksperten, a slaughterhouse that specialises in game meat, has slaughtered 105 reindeer according to Muslim law, in cooperation with the Islamic Council of Norway.
Edward Snowden revelations prompt UN investigation into surveillance. The UN's senior counter-terrorism official is to launch an investigation into the surveillance powers of American and British intelligence agencies following Edward Snowden's revelations that they are using secret programmes to store and analyse billions of emails, phone calls and text messages.
Guardian: We have published 1 pct of Snowden leak. The editor of the Guardian said Tuesday his newspaper has published just 1 percent of the material it received from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, and denied the paper had placed lives or national security at risk. Under questioning by lawmakers on Parliament's home affairs committee, Alan Rusbridger accused British authorities of trying to intimidate the newspaper, and warned of "national security being used as a trump card" to stifle debate.
Former China Central Television Producer Wang Qinglei Slams Censorship in Open Letter The letter was written by Wang Qinglei, a producer on well-known China Central Television news programs "24 Hours" and "Face to Face." It was a response, Mr. Wang wrote, to being fired for having posted online criticisms of CCTV's coverage of Charles Xue, a Chinese-American investor and prominent social media commentator arrested earlier this year in Beijing on charges of visiting prostitutes.
The UN and Washington condemn violence in Ukraine. (Euronews video) |
Related
Kyiv demonstrators occupy government buildings as Ukraine president appeals for calm
Yanukovych: 'bad peace better than good war' in Ukraine
The international community has turned its focus on the crisis in Ukraine. Speaking at a UN event in Lima, the organisation's Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke of his concern.
Cameron irritates Brussels by pushing EU-China trade deal. British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived in China saying he would advocate a multi-billion-dollar free trade deal between Beijing and the European Union, stoking tensions with the EU executive which condemned the move as premature.
Protestors boo Putin in Armenia. Hundreds of people marched through the capital of Armenia yesterday (2 December) to denounce visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin and protest against plans to join the Moscow-led Customs Union.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Jeremy Scahill Attacks Alex Jones. Progressive-left media icon Jeremy Scahill told a caller to C-SPAN's Book TV that Austin Texas talk show host Alex Jones is a "lunatic" and a significant detriment to "real journalism that journalists are doing."
Airlines Urged by U.S. to Give Notice to China. Even as China scrambled fighter jets to enforce its newly declared air defense zone, the Obama administration said on Friday that it was advising American commercial airlines to comply with China's demands to be notified in advance of flights through the area.
China claims victory in scrubbing Internet clean. Beijing launched the campaign this summer, arresting dozens of people for spreading rumors, creating new penalties for people who post libelous information and calling in the country's top bloggers for talks urging them to guard the national interest and uphold social order.
Eight dead in Glasgow pub helicopter crash. (Euronews video) Eight people have been confirmed dead in Friday night's helicopter crash at a pub in Glasgow city centre. Three victims were on board the police helicopter that fell from the sky as revellers watched a band play at 'The Clutha' pub on the banks of the River Clyde.
Romania, China ink nuclear cooperation agreements Romania and China on Monday signed two nuclear cooperation agreements expected to give China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) a role in Romania's sole Cernavoda plant as it builds extra reactors.
India's Nuclear Scientists Keep Dying Mysteriously. Indian nuclear scientists haven't had an easy time of it over the past decade. Not only has the scientific community been plagued by "suicides," unexplained deaths, and sabotage, but those incidents have gone mostly underreported in the country�diluting public interest and leaving the cases quickly cast off by police.
European firms size up Iran's post-deal potential. A strategically located country with massive oil and gas reserves, an urgent need to overhaul its creaking infrastructure, and a young population of 76 million is of particular interest to export champion Germany, once Iran's largest trade partner.
India accelerates Iranian port project after U.S.-Iran thaw. The port of Chabahar in southeast Iran is central to India's efforts to circumvent Pakistan and open up a route to landlocked Afghanistan where it has developed close security ties and economic interests. The port, which India is partly financing, will also be another gateway to Iran itself for Indian commerce.
Sudan: Satellites Show Sudan Offensive, Risk to Civilians. The Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP) is an initiative co-founded by actor George Clooney, and Enough! Activist John Prendergast, monitor's the security situation in Sudan's restive states, including Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile. Satellite imagery in the new report documents the clashes reported on 17 November 2013 in Abu Zabad, and shows four craters consistent with aerial bombardment, two burning buildings, and several vehicles on fire.
Canadians with mental illnesses denied U.S. entry More than a dozen Canadians have told the Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office in Toronto within the past year that they were blocked from entering the United States after their records of mental illness were shared with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
AIVD: inbreken op webfora valt binnen de wet Bij het inbreken op servers van webfora houdt de Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst (AIVD) zich aan de wet, zo laat de dienst in een reactie op een artikel van het NRC Handelsblad weten. De krant baseert zich op een document van klokkenluider Edward Snowden waaruit blijkt dat de AIVD fora hackt.
Waxinelichthoudergooier opgepakt in Den Haag. "Wij weten dat zijn aanwezigheid bij een dergelijke manifestatie met leden van het Koninklijk Huis kan leiden tot verstoring van de openbare orde", legt de woordvoerder van burgemeester Jozias van Aartsen van Den Haag uit.
Friday, November 29, 2013
Facebook use 'can reveal if you're a psychopath' Your Facebook status updates can reveal whether or not you have psychopathic personality traits, according to Swedish researchers who have analyzed entries on the popular social media site to uncover users' personality characteristics.
Swedes warn of new aggressive HIV strain Swedish scientists have identified a new variant of HIV that makes patients develop Aids almost twice as fast compared to the other variants of the virus, Lund University researchers revealed on Thursday.
Greenert confirms expanded footprint in Bahrain Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations, emphasized the importance of the Navy's Middle East presence Wednesday, telling sailors at an all-hands call that Bahrain remains the best option for operating out of the region.
Russian-Backed Free-Trade Zone May Expand Its Borders. The Customs Union took effect on Jan. 1, 2010, and most barriers went down by July 2011. A second stage of integration called the Single Economic Space followed on Jan. 1, 2012. In January 2015, it and the Customs Union will be formally combined and renamed the Eurasian Economic Union, becoming the "Soviet Union lite" of trade that all these deals have been moving toward.
Utah town gave NSA a deal on water The deal could mean savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for the NSA and federal taxpayers, but is more of a gamble for Bluffdale, which had to issue a $3.5 million bond to help pay for new water lines.
Mexican Drug Cartels Now Make Money Exporting Ore Mexican drug cartels looking to diversify their businesses long ago moved into oil theft, pirated goods, extortion and kidnapping, consuming an ever larger swath of the country's economy. This month, federal officials confirmed the cartels have even entered the country's lucrative mining industry, exporting iron ore to Chinese mills.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
The 'war and peace' of Barack Obama The Internet community is calling for US President Barack Obama to be stripped of his Nobel Peace Prize. A signature raising campaign has been launched on obamakills.org in support of a petition to the Nobel Committee to revoke Obama's Peace Prize. The website carries a chronicle of the Pentagon's war crimes worldwide.
Electronic cigarettes are addictive, dangerous to health: RIVM. Claims that electronic cigarettes are less harmful than ordinary cigarettes are untrue, according to the Dutch public health institute RIVM in Thursday's AD.
Like an ordinary cigarette, e-cigarettes are addictive and contain noxious substances, the body is quoted by the AD as saying.
High in the Sky: Pot Falls From Plane Near U.S.-Mexico Border. Bundles of pot fell from the sky over San Diego, arriving in an airdrop from a plane that originated in Mexico, federal officials said Tuesday. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized more than 260 pounds of marijuana bundled and tied to a metal cage from a field near Brown Field Airport, less than two miles north of the U.S-Mexico border.
Euthanasia for minors now on the cards. A select committee of the Belgian Senate on Wednesday backed legislation to allow minors in full possession of their cognitive faculties to request euthanasia. The legislation still needs to be approved by votes in plenary sessions of the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate before minors will be able to undergo euthanasia.
US govt caught using pirated software for military, settles for $50mn While the Obama administration's has launched efforts against intellectual property theft - including the Joint Strategic Plan run by Vice President Joe Biden that aims to curb copyright infringement - the US Army was concurrently using pirated Apptricity enterprise software that manages troop and supply movements.
New Snowden docs show U.S. spied during G20 in Toronto Top secret documents retrieved by U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden show that Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government allowed the largest American spy agency to conduct widespread surveillance in Canada during the 2010 G8 and G20 summits.
US fines Swiss oil patch firm for corruption Swiss oil services firm Weatherford International will pay more than $252 million to settle charges of corruption and violations of US sanctions against Iran, Cuba and other countries, American officials said on Tuesday.
NASA's Next Frontier: Growing Plants On The Moon A small team at NASA's Ames Research Center has set out to "boldly grow where no man has grown before" -- and they're doing it with the help of thousands of children, a robot, and a few specially customized GoPro cameras.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
George Soros: Europe needs a Roma working class. "...Roma represent more than 20% of new entrants into the labour force in the European Union's newest member states but their living conditions have actually deteriorated since many of them became EU citizens..."
Home Alone: With Keith Alexander out fighting fires, meet the woman who's really running the NSA. Fleisch helped craft the plans to keep NSA operations running when some employees were furloughed. Officials say that Inglis, who along with Alexander is planning to retire in the spring, has delegated many of his management responsibilities to Fleisch. Some sources close to the NSA's senior leadership have speculated that Fleisch could take over as the acting director next year before President Obama nominates a permanent replacement.
Acidifying Oceans Alarm Hundreds of Scientists. Climate change is causing the world's oceans to acidify at rates not seen for the last 55 million years, and the only way to moderate this danger is to reduce human emissions of carbon dioxide, conclude 540 scientists from 37 countries in a new report.
1-megawatt cold fusion power plant now available -- yours for just $1.5 million. Believe it or not, the first cold fusion power plant is now available to pre-order. The E-Cat 1MW Plant, which comes in a standard shipping container, can produce one megawatt of thermal energy, using low-energy nuclear reactions (LENR) � a process, often known as cold fusion, that fuses nickel and hydrogen into copper, producing energy 100,000 times more efficiently than combustion.
Dalai Lama tells his Facebook friends that religion "is no longer adequate". "All the world's major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can and do promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether."
France sends 1,000 troops to Central African Rep. France will send 1,000 troops to Central African Republic under an expected U.N.-backed mission to keep growing chaos at bay, the defense minister said Tuesday � boosting the French military presence in Africa for the second time this year.
Brussels nervous on public reaction to EU-US trade talks. The European Commission last week discussed with member states how best to go about communicating a EU-US trade deal to the public and national media. The meeting took place on Friday (22 November) and was attended by national officials in charge of dealing with media relations.
Cameron: 'Free movement in EU needs to be less free'. David Cameron will announce a crackdown on European Union immigration rules, vowing to deport vagrants, restrict the right of foreign nationals to social benefits and call for new rules to stop "vast migrations" of Romanians and Bulgarians, the UK premier wrote in the Financial Times wrote today (27 November).
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
N.S.A. May Have Hit Internet Companies at a Weak Spot. People knowledgeable about Google and Yahoo’s infrastructure say they believe that government spies bypassed the big Internet companies and hit them at a weak spot — the fiber-optic cables that connect data centers around the world that are owned by companies like Verizon Communications, the BT Group, the Vodafone Group and Level 3 Communications.
Uproar over French plan to extend online spying Google and other internet giants have reacted angrily to the French government's plans to extend its surveillance of emails, phone calls and online behaviour, as the National Assembly met on Tuesday to discuss the proposal.
New Snowden leaks reveal US, Australia's Asian allies. Singapore and South Korea are playing key roles helping the United States and Australia tap undersea telecommunications links across Asia, according to top secret documents leaked by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.
UN: Central African Republic Needs Peacekeeping Operation. A U.N. peacekeeping operation will be needed in the Central African Republic, which is descending into "complete chaos" that may lead to religious and ethnic conflict with "mass atrocities" and even civil war, the U.N. deputy secretary-general said Monday.
French Megabank -- "Germany Should Leave The Eurozone" "....Suddenly, there's the next solution. This one is attractively presented with graphs and in simple economic terms that even a politician might understand. It's seemingly well-reasoned and has no visible partisanship attached to it. And it came from one of the largest megabanks in France, Groupe BPCE, that hardly anyone knows...."
Hillary Clinton reaps $450,000 fee for speech "...Sneed hears rumbles that Hillary may have outstripped her loquacious hubby Bill in the speech department by taking home a hefty $450,000 fee for addressing the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's Global Financial Leadership Conference last week in Naples, Fla...."
Serbia hosts South Stream 'first welding' ceremony. Serbia hosted a ceremony symbolically marking the beginning of work on South Stream, the Gazprom-favoured planned pipeline project, designed to bring Russian gas to the Balkans and to the EU, bypassing Ukraine. EurActiv Serbia reports
Monday, November 25, 2013
Bill Gates to star in Secret Millionaires Club. Secret Millionaires Club was created by Warren Buffet and Genius Brands International to help teach kids about the world they live in, as the show's protagonists run in to the likes of Shaq O'Neal, Jay Z and Bill Gates.
Google mulled ditching US after NSA scandal. Google, the giant of the Internet, thought about moving its servers out of the U.S. after the NSA debacle, said Eric Schmidt, the company's chairman, on Friday at the Paley International Council Summit in New York.
NSA Director Offered to Resign After Snowden Leak. The director of the National Security Agency offered to resign after Edward Snowden admitted to leaking details of the agency's top-secret phone and Internet surveillance program, The Wall Street Journal reports. According to an unnamed senior U.S. official, the Obama administration rejected Gen. Keith Alexander's offer.
Bitcoin creator may have ties to Silk Road founder The founder of the online black market Silk Road and the creator of virtual currency Bitcoin might be close colleagues. That's according to a pair of Israeli computer researchers who have discovered strong connections between two of the cyber world's most mysterious figures.
'Apple weigert app met foto's Zwarte Pieten in App Store' Apple heeft een applicatie afgewezen waarin kinderen op de foto konden met Sinterklaas en Zwarte Pieten, claimen de makers van de app. Het softwarebedrijf uit Cupertino zou de zwartgeschminkte personages in de app 'aanstootgevend' vinden.
1 in 10 U.S. Children Now Has ADHD, CDC Says - One in every 10 U.S. children has been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but the steady rise in cases has started to slow, a new government survey shows.
Being Racist Could Get Easier in Australia. The Racial Discrimination Act of 1975 was put in place to stamp out racism and has enjoyed varying degrees of success. 40-odd years later, the Attorney-General of Australia, George Brandis, has said he wants to overhaul the act so that Australians can stop being worried about saying the wrong thing.
Police in Norway arrest racist tweeter Police in Norway have arrested a man for making racist comments on the micro-blogging service Twitter under the account name "@Negerjeger", or "Nigger hunter".
German universities use Pentagon research cash German universities are breaking ethics rules by taking millions of euros from the US military for research projects into munitions, environmentally-friendly explosives and drone software, critics claim.
UK, China and Russia 'tapped Merkel's phone' It was not just the US - Britain, Russia, China and North Korea were also tapping Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone, German security services believe, according to magazine reports.
Pentagon makes costly foray into biodefense drug business Despite intense pressure to hold down federal spending, the Defense Department is launching a high-priced effort to create its own production pipeline for vaccines and biodefense drugs — an initiative that defies the advice of government-hired experts and duplicates what another agency is doing.
Animals Were Harmed: Hollywood's Nightmare of Death, Injury, and Secrecy Exposed. "...A THR investigation has found that, unbeknownst to the public, these incidents on Hollywood's most prominent productions are but two of the troubling cases of animal injury and death that directly call into question the 136-year-old Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit's assertion that "No Animals Were Harmed" on productions it monitors...."
Report Due on Sandy Hook Shooting Investigation The report expected Monday afternoon will not include the full evidence file of Connecticut State Police, which is believed to total thousands of pages. The decision to continue withholding the bulk of the evidence is stirring new criticism of the secrecy surrounding the investigation.
French Planned to Assassinate UK Muslim Extremist French intelligence services planned to assassinate a leading Islamist cleric in Britain and disguise their operation as a neo-Nazi attack, according to an explosive report by anti-extremism group Hope Not Hate
European Central Bank concerned over mobile payments security. The ever growing innovation on the mobile payments market, from contactless cards to digital wallets, has attracted the attention of the European Central Bank (ECB), which has launched a public consultation on mobile payments security for all involved stakeholders. EurActiv France reports.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Iran deal shipping insurance element may help oil sales Iran's nuclear deal with the West is not intended to let more of its oil into the market, the White House said, but an easing of the ban on European shipping insurance may help smooth crude exports to its big Asian customers.
Swiss reject plans to rein in executive pay. (Euronews video) Swiss voters have rejected moves to curb executive pay. Amid anger over income inequality, they were asked if bosses' salaries should be capped at 12 times that of their lowest-paid employee. But the government and industry leaders warned the measure could harm the country's economy and deter foreign investment.
'Nederlandse inlichtingendiensten bewonderen NSA' Bij de Nederlandse inlichtingendiensten wordt met waardering en bewondering over de NSA gesproken, aldus het NRC Handelsblad vandaag. De krant sprak met mensen van de Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst (AIVD) en Militaire Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst (MIVD). Die stellen dat de spionagepraktijken van de NSA tot het "allerhoogste technische niveau" behoren.
Ex-British Soldiers Arrested In India The British former soldiers were aboard the MV Seaman Guard Ohio, within Indian waters, when they were detained on 12 October 2013. The ship is operated by AdvanFort an American firm specialising in 'security' and 'intelligence operations'.
Photographers Protest White House Restrictions. A mutiny has erupted among photographers who cover President Obama over what they say is the White House's increasing practice of excluding them from events involving the president and then releasing its own photos or video.
Fed Minutes Reveal a Dangerous Power Grab by New York Fed. "...The Associated Press explained the action as follows: "Six of the world's leading central banks, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, say they will provide each other with ready supplies of their currencies on a standing basis, extending arrangements set up to steady the global financial system during post-2007 turbulence." In other words, without public deliberations, an action that was adopted as a temporary, emergency operation, now had become a permanent part of world finance -- on the basis of minutes and details yet to be seen by Congress or the general public..."
Real News: Fortune Teller Says He Can See Your Future in Your Poop. (video) "Scatomancy" is the ancient art of reading people's fortunes by analyzing their fecal matter. Though it's long since been replaced by less disgusting ways to supposedly see into the future, there are still some practicing "scatomancers" that will dig your waste out of a toilet and intently analyze it as a way to predict your life's path. S. S. Singh is one of these people.
Venezuela asks to block black market dollar tweets Venezuela wants Twitter to block users who post black market dollar rates. The country has had strict currency control since 2003. Unofficial exchange rates are ten times the official rate, and undermine government efforts to curb 50 percent inflation.
Lavabit Strikes Back at Feds in Key Internet Privacy Case. Lawyers for secure email provider Lavabit just filed the reply brief in a case that will determine whether an internet company can be compelled to turn over the master encryption keys for its entire system to facilitate court-approved surveillance on a single user.
The US Renounces the Monroe Doctrine? The announcement came in a speech Secretary of State John Kerry made to the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, D.C. on Monday. Kerry began the speech by noting that since President James Monroe's famous State of the Union Address, the U.S. has "asserted our authority to step in and oppose the influence of European powers in Latin America. And throughout our nation's history, successive presidents have reinforced that doctrine and made a similar choice."
Insight: Kim Jong Un, North Korea's master builder. North Korea's Kim Jong Un has rattled the United States with his nuclear threats and bemused the world with his penchant for funfairs, Disney and Dennis Rodman. Partly out of the public eye, however, the young leader has presided over a construction boom since he took office two years ago with the aid of funds from China, the North's major backer, and Russia, a former Cold War ally.
TPP: Secretive trade pact called 'most harmful ever' for affordable medicine. "...According to the leaked document, the United States is pushing to extend monopoly protection by stretching drug patent terms from 20 years to at least 25 years. The proposal would also allowing pharmaceutical companies to patent new formulations of existing medicines, a process called "evergreening," which draws out the number of years a company maintains exclusive rights to a drug...."
Sweden prepared to offer swine flu jab apology Sweden's Minister of Social Affairs Göran Hägglund has said he is prepared to make a public apology to the people, most young adults and children, who suffered from narcolepsy following vaccination against swine flu.
German politicians to get encrypted phones Germany's two main parties have agreed on measures to keep their internal communications safe -- including all politicians using encrypted mobile phones, it emerged on Thursday.
Newtown official calls for release of 911 tapes The state's Freedom of Information Commission ruled in September that the recordings from Dec. 14 should be provided to The Associated Press, but a prosecutor asked for a stay while he appeals that order. A Superior Court judge said Nov. 8 he wants to hear the 911 recordings before ruling whether they can remain secret.
Iran Gets $4.2 Billion in Last Minute Deal on Nukes. Iran and six world powers reached a breakthrough deal early on Sunday to curb Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for limited sanctions relief, in what could be the first sign of an emerging rapprochement between the Islamic state and the West.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Reagan's role in NSA's hack of Google and Yahoo Back when Yahoo was something hollered at a rodeo and no one could conceive of Googling anything, President Ronald Reagan signed an executive order that extended the power of U.S. intelligence agencies overseas, allowing broader surveillance of non-U.S. suspects. At the time, no one imagined he was granting authority to spy on what became known as Silicon Valley.
Fed's Tarullo details plans to counter bank runs. Global regulators need more policy tools to counter the risk of devastating bank runs and should have powers over a wide array of market participants, U.S. Federal Reserve Governor Dan Tarullo said on Friday.
White House orders review of 5 million security clearances Officials in the Obama administration have demanded that federal government agencies evaluate how a total of five million Americans have been granted classified information security clearances and, of those, how many truly require it.
US spied on Netherlands from 1946 to 1968. The United States spied on the Netherlands from 1946 to 1968, the Dutch NRC newspaper quoted Snowden documents as showing on Saturday. It was not clear who was bugged, when it was or with what intentions. Whether the spying stopped after 1968 was unclear either, according to documents of the US National Security Agency (NSA) leaked by former contractor Edward Snowden
Sudan: Clooney - Sudan Offensive Caught By Satellites, Civilians Now in Danger. George Clooney, Satellite Sentinel Project co-founder observed: "Last month, our satellites detected the first signs of this Sudanese government offensive. Now, with these latest shots, we have proof of its destructive impact. We're going to keep watching and reporting to keep the spotlight on as bombs drop from the sky and villages burn once again."
Someone Just Made A $147 Million Bitcoin Transaction. A transfer worth about $147 million was made Friday around 1 p.m. ET, making it the largest single Bitcoin transaction by value. Because the transaction is anonymous, it's unknown who's behind the transfer of 194,993.5 Bitcoins.
N.S.A. Report Outlined Goals for More Power. Officials at the National Security Agency, intent on maintaining its dominance in intelligence collection, pledged last year to push to expand its surveillance powers, according to a top-secret strategy document.
Document Snowden: Nederland al sinds 1946 doelwit van NSA In het document staat ook dat de Amerikaanse inlichtingendienst NSA verborgen wil houden dat Nederland is afgeluisterd. Offici�«le documenten die aantonen dat Nederland een doelwit is, mogen niet worden gepubliceerd omdat Amerika vreest dat publicatie de relatie met de bevriende natie Nederland in gevaar brengt.
Lara Logan's Mystery Man While Davies was the central on-camera personality in that report, the most interesting figure in this mystery was never on screen, nor listed as a contributor to the piece. It is Logan's husband, Joseph W. Burkett, a former Army sergeant and onetime employee of a private intelligence outfit hired by the Pentagon to plant pro-U.S. stories in the Iraqi media in 2005.
Son of Mexican cartel leader arrested at US border Zambada's father is Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, who survived decades of turf wars and rose to the top of Mexico's underworld through savvy deal-brokering. Ismael Zambada is considered the strategist of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, more involved in daily operations than his better-known boss, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
Raided marijuana shops suspected to have Colombian drug cartel connections. 9Wants to Know has learned federal investigators believe Colombian drug cartels have taken root within Colorado's medical marijuana industry. On Thursday, federal agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency and Internal Revenue Service executed search warrants on several medical marijuana shops in Denver and Boulder.
Subcontractor working on Obamacare site under FBI investigation. Client Network Services Incorporated (CNSI) became a sub-contractor on the Obamacare website in 2012, working hand in hand with QSSI, according to its website. QSSI was one of several contractors hauled before Congress to address the sites troubled rollout in October.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Alleged Dread Pirate Roberts Murder Target Led Massive Bitcoin Scam On Silk Road On Thursday, a judge denied Ross Ulbricht bail after a prosecutor for the U.S. attorney's office accused the alleged Silk Road mastermind with attempting to hire hitmen to kill six people. One of those targets led the biggest scam in the anonymous online drug market's two-and-a-half year long history, conning users out of thousands of dollars on a day informally celebrated as a marijuana holiday.
Thousands protest in Japan against new state secrets bill Thousands of people protested in Tokyo against a bill that would see whistleblowing civil servants jailed for up to 10 years. Activists claim the law would help the government to cover up scandals, and damage the country's constitution and democracy
'Fat Cat' Backlash: Swiss Executive Pay Debate Gets Ugly Switzerland votes this weekend on whether to limit executives' pay at twelve times that of their lowest-paid worker. In the run up to the referendum, the issue has become a national talking point, with both sides stoking public resentments and fears.
Survey: 1 in 6 writers have self-censored because of NSA surveillance. In the survey, which was conducted online by the public opinion research firm the FDR Group, writers expressed wariness about researching and writing on national security, the Middle East, the drug wars, liberal organizing like the Occupy movement, and child abuse and child pornography. Sixteen percent of survey respondents said they refrained from conducting Internet searches or visiting websites on topics that may be considered controversial or suspect.
Credit agency warns over weak Spanish banks International credit rating agency Moody's warned on Thursday that Spain's banks still face significant challenges despite nearly completing a �41-billion ($55 billion) eurozone-financed bailout.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
On Capitol Hill, Yemenis Tell of Drone Terror (video) A Yemeni delegation of family members of drone strike victims and human rights activists brought their story directly to member of Congress. At a congressional briefing, one Yemeni man described how his brother-in-law, an outspoken critic of Al Qaeda, was killed in a U.S. drone attack
US assassination drone kills 6 in Pakistan. Six people have been killed in a US assassination drone attack that targeted Pakistan's northwestern tribal region. The attack was carried out during the early hours of Thursday, when the unmanned aerial vehicle struck a seminary in Hangu District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
Sun's flipping poles could mean lights out for U.S. A vulnerability test by the electric-power industry of the national electrical grid shows the system would fail during certain catastrophes -- and would fail even if only some of the impacts of certain catastrophes were experienced.
Marc Faber Fears "The End Of The Capitalist Economic System As We Know It". "We already live in a financial economy in which the debt and capital markets exceed the value of the real economy by far," Marc Faber explains to Germany's Finanzen100, "and that's before the current formation of bubbles." His most ominous warning, and one that fits perfectly with the seeming insanity of Federal Reserve (and all developed market central banks) is that "the next time a bubble bursts, then the capitalist economic system as we know will falter."
Mish Fined 8,000 Euros for Quoting French Blog. "...A few days ago I learned, via a French blog, that I was fined 8,000 euros for quoting a French blogger. I would have known earlier, but the letter notifying me of the fine was sent in French...."
Someone Forced World Internet Traffic Through Belarus and Iceland In network security circles, this is what's known as a Man-In-The-Middle attack. And for years it has been understood to be possible in theory, but never seen in practice. That changed earlier this year when someone it's unclear who diverted Internet traffic from some 150 cities around the world through networks in Belarus and Iceland.
Bill Gates condom challenge 'to be met' by graphene scientists. Safer condoms will be one of the first products developed at the new National Graphene Institute in Manchester. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded scientists $100,000 (£60,000) to create stronger, thinner condoms from the new "wonder material".
Ikea dumps lesbians due to Russia anti-gay law Swedish furniture giant Ikea has been slammed for removing an interview with a lesbian couple from the Russian edition of a customer magazine, citing Russia's law prohibiting "gay propaganda".
Nobel head calls for international spy law The head of the Nobel Peace Prize committee has called for a new set of international laws to protect people's privacy, after leaks from Edward Snowden, a contractor with the US's National Security Agency, highlighted the scope of surveillance.
AIVD bespioneerde op illegale wijze politici op Bonaire De inlichtingendienst AIVD bespioneerde tussen 2005 en 2010 politici op Bonaire die met het Nederlandse kabinet onderhandelden over aansluiting bij Nederland. Het betrof een illegale operatie die verborgen gehouden werd voor het toenmalige Antilliaanse kabinet. Dat blijkt uit onderzoek van NRC Handelsblad.
Germany to introduce minimum wage Germany is set to introduce a national minimum wage, conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday, relenting on a key demand of her likely future centre-left governing partners.
Listening Sector: Berlin Makes Easy Target for Spie The center of Berlin has become a playground for spies. Phone calls in the dense German government district can be monitored with basic equipment and even by allies. German counter-espionage agents are alarmed.
Pirate Party Gets Observer Status at World Trade Organization. Pirate Parties International (PPI), the international umbrella organization for dozens of Pirate Parties worldwide, has been granted observer status by the World Trade Organization. PPI will join a host of major international players during the upcoming conference in Bali next month
Casual sex linked to depression and suicidal thoughts. Casual sex can make you depressed and can even lead to thoughts of suicide, a new study suggests. Researchers interviewed around 10,000 people and found that teenagers with depressive symptoms were more likely to engage in casual sex.
Mom fined $10 by daycare for packing 'unhealthy' lunch. Kristin Barkiw of Rossburn, Manitoba, Canada brought two of her children home from Little Cub's Den daycare when she saw that her kids were sent home with a note. As reported by CTV, the message told the mom she had failed to provide a nutritionally balanced lunch for her children, 5-year-old Logan and 3-year-old Natalie.
Service providers don't want anti-theft cell phone 'kill switch'. Samsung Electronics, the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, has proposed installing a built-in anti-theft measure known as a "kill switch" that would render stolen or lost phones inoperable, but San Francisco's top prosecutor says the nation's biggest carriers have rejected the idea.
Stuxnet's Secret Twin The real program to sabotage Iran's nuclear facilities was far more sophisticated than anyone realized.
Italian police clash with anti-train protesters Protesters seeking to block a high-speed rail link between France and Italy that they call a waste of public money clashed with police on Wednesday in Rome, where the two countries' leaders were meeting.
Philippine Aid Scandal One of the reasons for the Philippine government's delayed delivery of food supplies was that international aid packages ... were being .... repackaged....
FBI secretly spied on 'David Frost Show'. J. Edgar Hoover's FBI secretly monitored David Frost's US program to keep tabs on his left-wing guests -- and once even planted an undercover agent in his New York studio audience, according to the famed Brit talk show host's FBI file, obtained by The Post.
Austria should pay 40,000 euros a day for green law breach-Commission. Austria should pay a daily fine of more than 40,000 euros ($54,000) for breaking EU policy on renewable energy, the European Commission said on Wednesday. The Commission, the EU executive, has asked the Court of Justice of the European Union to approve the fine and said it might also bring similar cases against other member states.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Healthcare.gov Crashes in Front of Kathleen Sebelius. (video) The White House hopes to have the Affordable Care Act federal exchange website, better known as Healthcare.gov, up to 80% capacity by November 1st. Unfortunately for Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, it ain't there yet, as the website crashed while she was watching a couple try to use it at Miami's North Shore Hospital on Tuesday.
NHTSA May Mandate That New Cars Broadcast Location, Direction and Speed. Before the end of this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will decide whether or not to begin the rulemaking process to mandate that newly manufactured cars include what is being called "vehicle-to-vehicle" (V2V) communications technology that constantly broadcasts via radio wave the car's location, direction, speed and, possibly, even the number of passengers it is carrying.
U.S. Military Considers a Mission to Train Libyan Security Forces. The United States military is considering a mission to train Libyan security personnel with the goal of creating a force of 5,000 to 7,000 conventional soldiers and a separate, smaller unit for specialized counterterrorism missions, according to the top officer at the United States Special Operations Command.
40,000 NATO troops to stage massive European war games The exercises, set to start in 2015, will involve 40,000 troops deployed in Spain and Portugal. NATO land forces commander U.S. Army Lieutenant-General Frederick Hodges told Reuters that "this kind of exercise, this sort of complexity, is going to be the norm," so the exercises are just the first in a series.
Angry French farmers set to blockade Paris French farmers are set to bring traffic in the capital to a standstill on Thursday, as their frustration at rising taxes reaches breaking point. Their announcement comes amid widespread protests and an "explosive" social atmosphere in France.
Cheap But Imperfect: Can Geoengineering Slow Climate Change? Canadian environmental scientist David Keith wants to change the world's climate by creating a type of sun filter in the sky to halt global warming. In an interview, he argues the technology is effective and inexpensive, but critics liken it to a nuclear bomb.
Germans Worried as Low ECB Interest Rates Hit Savings As the European Central Bank pushes interest rates to a new low, Germans are growing increasingly concerned about their savings. The money in their accounts is losing value and life insurance policies are yielding lower returns. Investors and central bankers feel trapped.
ESEA to pay $1m after caught spying on their users and farming bitcoins with their machines. Last April the ESEA updated their anti-cheat software with code that had their users computers collectively begin creating bitcoins. According to a release issued by the New Jersey attorney general, that the software affected 14,000 machines. The code was only active for two weeks but in that time it generated $3,500 worth of the digital currency. The code also monitored computers with ESEA anti-cheat client installed, even when they weren't logged into the ESEA servers.
Seven EU states create military drone 'club'. Seven EU countries have formed what France calls a "club" to produce military drones from 2020 onward. The scheme was agreed in Brussels on Tuesday (19 November) at a meeting of the European Defence Agency (EDA), the EU's defence think tank, by France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain.
Alcoholics paid in beer for cleaning streets in Amsterdam. A group of alcoholics in Amsterdam that was causing a public nuisance has been put to work cleaning the city's streets. The group of men suffering from a chronic level of addiction usually find it impossible to hold down a job but have been persuaded to work under an imaginative scheme that sees them paid in beer and cigarettes.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
DOJ Announces $13 Billion "Largest Ever" Settlement With JP Morgan. "...The Justice Department, along with federal and state partners, today announced a $13 billion settlement with JPMorgan - the largest settlement with a single entity in American history - to resolve federal and state civil claims arising out of the packaging, marketing, sale and issuance of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) by JPMorgan, Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual prior to Jan. 1, 2009...."
Homeland Security: Silk Road Vendor Sent Obama Ricin Letter. A former vendor on the now-defunct online black market bazaar known as Silk Road sent a letter laced with the poison Ricin to U.S. President Barack Obama, according to a letter submitted by an official at the Department of Homeland Security.
Company Linked to Terrorism Gets U.S. Contract Work. It is not known how much ZMTL was paid for its work. According to SIGAR, at the time the Department of Defense (DoD) terminated the contract with prime contractor CLC Construction Company in June 2013, CLC had been paid $396,000. It is also not known if ZMTL or its affiliates are currently working on other U.S.- or coalition-funded reconstruction contracts.
LG Smart TVs logging USB filenames and viewing info to LG servers. "...So how can we prevent this from happening? I haven't read the T&Cs but one thing I am sure about is that I own my router and have absolute jurisdiction of any traffic that I allow to pass, so I have compiled an initial list of internet domains that you can block to stop spying and advertising on TVs that we, as customers have actually paid for..."
Netherlands Orders Israeli Spy System ahead of Legal Change The Dutch intelligence services have ordered systems to enable them to receive and process telephone and Internet traffic on a large scale, even though this is currently largely illegal.The project, code-named ArgoII, is intended to process information from communications channels for intelligence from 2014. The new equipment will be used by both the AIVD domestic security service and the MIVD military service.
Fisa court order that allowed NSA surveillance is revealed for first time. A secret court order that authorised a massive trawl by the National Security Agency of Americans' email and internet data was published for the first time on Monday night, among a trove of documents that also revealed a judge's concern that the NSA "continuously" and "systematically" violated the limits placed on the program
Scores Killed in Tribal Clashes in Darfur. Nearly 200 members of two Arab tribes that signed a peace treaty in July were killed in fighting in southwest Darfur over the past three weeks, a local tribal chief said.
�600K fines for Spain's illegal protests: draft bill Unauthorized protesters outside the Spanish Parliament could soon be hit with fines of up to �600,000 ($810,000) while those selling drugs or offering sexual services in front of minors could face a penalty of up to �30,000.
Intel agency seeks direct access to Swedes' data The Swedish Security Service, Säpo, wants telecom providers to automatically disclose information about individuals' telephony and e-mail to the police and other agencies, although companies remain sceptical about the plans.
2012: Brittany Murphy's Dad: "Her Case Deserves More Than a Superficial Glance" The untimely death of Brittany Murphy at the age of 32 is another one of these strange celebrity death cases where "investigations" simply do not provide satisfactory answers. Like many other cases, Brittany appeared in symbolic images alluding to occult societies and mind control before her death. Here are some examples.
Was Brittany Murphy murdered? Actress Brittany Murphy may have been murdered, a new toxicology report suggests. Murphy, 32, of Clueless fame, was found dead by her mother in her home in California on December 20, 2009. The Los Angeles Coroner originally attributed her death to pneumonia and anaemia.
U.S. opens Tesla battery fire probe. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday it is opening a formal investigation into 13,100 Tesla Motors Model S electric vehicles for battery fires — one month after it declined to do so.
Census 'faked' 2012 election jobs report. In the home stretch of the 2012 presidential campaign, from August to September, the unemployment rate fell sharply � raising eyebrows from Wall Street to Washington. The decline from 8.1 percent in August to 7.8 percent in September might not have been all it seemed. The numbers, according to a reliable source, were manipulated.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Sint tijdens intocht beveiligd door 'arrestatiepieten' Sinterklaas en zijn Zwarte Pieten zijn zaterdag tijdens de landelijke intocht beveiligd door een Arrestatie Eenheid van de Groninger politie. De eenheid is gespecialiseerd in het optreden bij verstoring van de openbare orde. Het was n van de extra veiligheidsmaatregelen uit angst voor ongeregeldheden. Dat hebben bronnen tegenover RTV Noord bevestigd.
U.N. talks on new carbon markets break down. International negotiations on how to set up new carbon markets to cut greenhouse gas levels broke down over the weekend in Warsaw, sources said, after developing nations refused to progress the issue before rich nations increase efforts to cut their own emissions.
Calling time on Black Pete fun in the Netherlands. (BBC video) It is one of the most popular Dutch traditions but according to the UN, part of it is racist and should be abolished. The iconic figure of Black Pete has been arriving in towns and cities throughout the Netherlands. It is a curtain-raiser for the festive season and features a white person made up, wearing black face-paint and a curly Afro wig. Calls to ban it have caused outrage. Why is it so important in a country famous for promoting equality?
Merkel says US-Europe ties put to test by spy claims. (Euronews video) The German Chancellor has said that reports of US spying are straining transatlantic relations and putting a US-EU trade deal to the test. Angela Merkel, whose mobile phone was allegedly bugged, told a special parliamentary debate on surveillance by the US National Security Agency that all light must be shed on the matter.
New York State considers licensing Bitcoin traders. On Friday, the New York State Department of Financial Services announced it will be holding a public hearing on virtual currency regulation, specifically considering whether a certification called "BitLicense" might help manage the spread of online currencies like Bitcoin
"World Toilet Day" No Joke for Billions Without Sanitation. "....The United Nations has a longstanding tradition of commemorating political milestones – like the abolition of the slave trade – or sustaining day-long vigils on controversial issues such as a ban on nuclear tests.....So last July, the 193-member U.N. General Assemby (UNGA) adopted a resolution, initiated by Singapore, to declare Nov. 19 “World Toilet Day,” the first-ever in the 68-year history of the United Nations...."
ECB still has options even if interest rate at zero: Praet The European Central Bank has policy options even if the benchmark interest rate were to fall to zero, ECB Executive Board Member Peter Praet said in a newspaper interview. "We have enough room for measures; there is no 'last bullet'," Praet told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung in an interview when asked whether the central bank would rule out any steps, such as asset purchases, to counter falling prices.
Interview with a Phantom: Cornelius Gurlitt Shares His Secrets Cornelius Gurlitt hoarded art treasures his father obtained under dubious circumstances in the Nazi era. The reclusive 80-year-old has given SPIEGEL the first interview since news of their discovery broke two weeks ago. He says the pictures are the love of his life and must be returned.
Legal Issues Complicate Munich Art Treasure Trove Find There is much consternation among investigators, politicians and academics about how to handle the trove of artworks found in Munich this month. Criticism by Jewish groups abroad is growing, but complex provenance questions could take years to resolve.
Women to spearhead next 'Green Revolution'. Nearly one billion people suffer from chronic hunger worldwide. To sustainably feed a growing world population, the United Nations, farmers' organisations and numerous NGOs are calling for a new 'Green Revolution' that would empower small farmers -- especially women.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Industry Leader Censors Stories Written by Dental News Reporters Dentsply International, one of the world's largest manufacturers of mercury-based dental products, has pressured mainstream dental industry publications to remove articles about mercury's toxicity and questions about the company's plans to dump these products in the poorer countries in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia.
Iceland MP accuses UK of spying. An Icelandic member of parliament has alleged the UK spied on Iceland at the height of the country's financial crisis. Representative Birgitta Jónsdóttir said that Julian Assange warned her that British spy agencies were monitoring e-mail messages exchanged by an Icelandic negotiations team.
Swiss to take on exec pay at the polls How much more should a company boss earn than the person who empties his wastebin? The issue is being hotly debated in Switzerland ahead of a popular vote seeking to dramatically rein in executive salaries.
Anonymous to release Blackout OS "....In part two of a longer interview with Anonymous it is revealed that the group will soon be releasing a new operating system that is super secure as well as open source...."
GCHQ Monitors Hotel Reservations to Track Diplomats Britain's GCHQ intelligence service monitors diplomats' travels using a sophisticated automated system that tracks hotel bookings. Once a room has been identified, it opens the door to a variety of spying options.
A Russian GPS Using U.S. Soil Stirs Spy Fears. In recent months, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Pentagon have been quietly waging a campaign to stop the State Department from allowing Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, to build about half a dozen of these structures, known as monitor stations, on United States soil, several American officials said.
Hollande and Netanyahu to consider forming a joint French-Israeli-Arab front against Iran. French President Francois Holland and Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius arrive in Jerusalem Sunday, Nov. 17. Their talks with Israel's leaders are likely to determine how France, Israel and Saudi Arabia respond to the Obama administration's current Middle East moves, with critical effect on the next round of nuclear talks taking place in Geneva Wednesday, Nov. 20 between six world powers and Iran.
South Sudan and its partners initiate gun-free campaign The campaign, a joint initiative by the country's Community Security and Small Arms Control (CSSAC) Bureau and United Nation Development Programme's (UNDP) Community Security and Arms Control (CSAC) project, is implemented with financial support from the European Union, Japan and United Kingdom governments.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
New Xbox Can See Through Your Clothes Like TSA Scanners. If the successes of its past game console launches are any indicator, sales of Microsoft's latest effort -- set to hit the market November 22 -- can be expected to be strong. However, this console, which seeks to be your living room's all-in-one home entertainment unit, is immensely different from the rest
Van Rompuy warns against rising nationalism in EU. EU President Herman van Rompuy has defended the bloc's policy of freedom of movement and warned against growing nationalism on the continent. He also urged member nations to do more for asylum seekers.
Bonds Backed by Solar Power Payments Get Nod. Over the decades, Wall Street has used many assets to back up the bonds it sells, including car loans, life insurance policies and future royalties on David Bowie's music. Now, in a milestone of sorts for the emerging solar industry, the finance wizards are embracing a new kind of security, this one backed by solar electricity payments.
Gates secures more vaccine funding. Microsoft founder Bill Gates, one of the wealthiest men in the world, was back in Oslo on Friday to meet Norway's new government leaders and secure more money for the vaccination program and GAVI fund he started up several years ago to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and polio.
Guy Builds a Bomb Just With Stuff You Can Buy After Airport Security (video) Just in case you were still being fooled into thinking that the TSA is good for, well, anything, follow along with You Tube contributor Terminal Cornucopia as he constructs a home-made "FRAGGuccino" from stuff you can buy from airport terminal kiosks, you know the ones you can enter after passing through security.
Fined For Posting a Negative Review Online. (video) For Christmas several years ago, Jen Palmer's husband ordered her a number of trinkets from the website kleargear.com. But for 30 days, Kleargear.com never sent the products so the transaction was automatically cancelled by Paypal, Jen said. Wanting an explanation, Jen says she tried to call the company but could never reach anyone. So frustrated, she turned to the internet writing a negative review on ripoffreport.com.
The Biggest Little CIA Shop You've Never Heard Of The CIA's main business is sending operatives abroad to recruit spies and, especially since 9/11, chasing down terrorists for its target-hungry drone pilots. But NR, as it's known, is the agency's stay-at-home division.
David Miranda Is Nobody's Errand Boy. When Glenn Greenwald's 28-year-old Brazilian partner was detained in London this summer while transporting documents related to the bombshell Edward Snowden story, many assumed he was unfairly roped into a situation he didn't understand. That couldn't be further from the truth.
France and Saudi Arabia in joint military drill near Mecca. France and Saudi Arabia have held a joint military exercise near the holy city of Mecca as the two nations draw closer to one another following France's strong stance against Saudi Arabia's rival state Iran in last week's P5+1 meetings.
Amazon hints at details on its CIA Franken-cloud Amazon Web Services recently won a reported $600 million contract to build the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) a cloud. But that cloud will not look like any other cloud on the planet.
EU finalises trade deal with western African states. The European Union could finalise a trade agreement with West Africa's 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) within the next three months, EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said yesterday (14 November).
ShotSpotter Has Started Marketing Itself to Schools An unnamed Oakland charter school will be the first one in the country to use the ShotSpotter SiteSecure system, which is capable of detecting that a gun has been fired and where it was fired by using a network of microphones, then communicating that information to law enforcement.
Speech Isn't Free When Terrorism Is Involved. The Supreme Court's Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project decision, the most important free-speech case in 20 years, has had its first test in the appellate courts, and the results are remarkable. The 2010 case held that peaceful speech in the U.S. can be criminalized if it is "coordinated" to support a foreign terrorist organization named by Congress. Yesterday the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit upheld the conviction of Tarek Mehanna, whose alleged crimes included translating pro-jihadi material from Arabic into English at his desk outside Boston and uploading it to the Web.
US offers $10m reward over Benghazi attack The US State Department has admitted it is offering a reward of up to $10m for information leading to the arrest of anyone involved in last year's attack on a US diplomatic compound in Libya.
Russia will Return to Naval Base in Vietnam. The Navy of Russia will place a maintenance base in the Vietnamese port of Camran, in accordance with the stipulated agreements during President Vladimir Putin''s recent visit to that Asian country, reported the local press today.
U.S. designates Nigeria’s Boko Haram a foreign terrorist group The State Department on Wednesday designated the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organization. The designation makes it possible for the United States to freeze the assets of the organization and its leaders and members, impose travel bans on members of the group, and prohibit Americans from offering material support to the organization
Belgium: "Take DNA from babies to battle crime". The Antwerp Attorney-General Yves Liégeois has suggested the idea of collecting DNA data from newly-born babies. He sees it as an extra instrument in the fight against crime, he told Het Nieuwsblad and De Standaard.
UN intervenes as Taubira slurs continue. (Euronews video) The UN has spoken out against racism in French politics as yet another questionable image of the French Justice Minister is published. In the image Christiane Taubira appears to imitate a black man in an old advert for the popular powdered chocolate drink Banania.
Swedish paint firm accused of racism. A teenager from Sweden has labelled a paint producer as racist for its insensitive naming of one of its products. The 14-year-old, named only as Thyra, says that by marketing beige as skin-colour the paint manufacturer has committed a blatant act of racism.
Pentagon seeks Q fever vaccine. Decades after it stopped using the animal-borne virus that causes the disease Q fever as a biological weapon, the Pentagon is still trying to develop a vaccine to protect troops from the highly infectious disease
EPA proposes reducing biofuel mandate. The Obama administration on Friday proposed to reduce the amount of ethanol in the nation's fuel supply for the first time, acknowledging that the biofuel law championed by both parties in 2007 is not working as well as expected.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Official: NSA doesn't know when it spies on Americans. Though the NSA ensures that its targets aren't U.S. persons, it doesn't keep track of the nationalities of the people that targets communicate with, Robert Litt, general counsel at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, told the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy.
Germany opposes rescuing ailing banks with EU money. Germany challenged a central plank of plans to forge a banking union in the eurozone yesterday (14 November), arguing against the use of the currency bloc's funds to help lenders exposed as dangerously weak by health checks next year.
'What's it like working with Mexican drug cartels?' Banking giant JPMorgan cancels Twitter Q&A after thousands of abusive tweets Banking giant JPMorgan Chase was forced into a humiliating climbdown over its plans to hold a question-and-answer session on Twitter today after receiving a barrage of abusive tweets. The bank had arranged an event where top executive Jimmy Lee would field questions from users in what it hoped would be a positive public relations stunt. But the company said it had scrapped the session after being flooded with insults, confirming the decision with the matter-of-fact tweet: 'Tomorrow's Q&A is cancelled. Bad Idea. Back to the drawing board.'
California lawmaker says he was asked to wear wire Embattled state Sen. Ron Calderon says federal authorities wanted him to wear a wire and record conversations with the Senate leader and another lawmaker, and after he refused they tried to ruin his reputation by raiding his offices and leaking an FBI affidavit alleging he took money in return for promoting bills.
Gazprom warns EU of winter 'catastrophe'. Gazprom has warned that Ukraine might not have enough gas to feed EU transit customers in the coming winter. The deputy chairman of the Russian firm, Vitaly Markelov, told press in an emailed statement on Thursday (14 November) that Ukraine should have stored 21.5 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas in its underground vats, but that it is likely to have just 14 bcm by the time winter bites.
Former Norway PM joins global climate group Former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is joining a global commission set up to push the economic case for tackling climate change ahead of negotiations over a new global treaty in 2015.
The woman who wants Sweden's gender rating at a cinema near you Thomsgård, 36, founded Equalisters (Rättviseförmedlingen) in 2010. The idea was simple: men get too much space in the public arena. They talk, they comment, they pontificate left, right, and centre, and despite an abundance of equally eloquent and competent women, men continue do dominate the screens, pages, and stages of Swedish public debate. Are female experts somehow considered less "expert"?
What Could be Bigger than Shale -- How about LENR? One of the remarkable aspects of E-Cat Technology is that the raw materials used in the reactor -- nickel powder and ordinary hydrogen -- are cheap, abundant and readily available. The LENR process in the E-Cat is not one of combustion where fuel is burned, but some kind of nuclear reaction, the exact nature of which is still mysterious.
The Government Plans To Track Us And Those We Are Related To Using Our DNA. The Department of Homeland Security is soliciting information from potential contractors for a new program that the DHS hopes will enable it to use DNA tests to identify criminal suspects and track their family relationships. Down the road, the goal is to make the use of DNA identification as common as the use of fingerprint identification is today.
Cisco's disastrous quarter shows how NSA spying could freeze US companies out of a trillion-dollar opportunity Cisco announced two important things in today's earnings report: The first is that the company is aggressively moving into the Internet of Things�the effort to connect just about every object on earth to the internet�by rolling out new technologies. The second is that Cisco has seen a huge drop-off in demand for its hardware in emerging markets, which the company blames on fears about the NSA using American hardware to spy on the rest of the world.
C.I.A. Collecting Data on International Money Transfers, Officials Say. The Central Intelligence Agency is secretly collecting bulk records of international money transfers handled by companies like Western Union � including transactions into and out of the United States � under the same law that the National Security Agency uses for its huge database of Americans' phone records, according to current and former government officials.
Herpes virus in 'Fifty Shades of Grey'. 'What can we do that has never been done before?' our colleague Stijn Van de Voorde must have thought when he struggled to fill his programme. The programme maker then instructed two university professors to examine the ten most borrowed books at the Antwerp lending library. The findings were pretty surprising.
"Terreurverdachte wilde vandaag toeslaan in Brussel" De man die gisterenavond in Sint-Niklaas werd opgepakt omdat hij een aanslag wilde plegen op de VRT, wilde vandaag toeslaan op Koningsdag. Dat is vernomen uit goede bron. Het parket van Dendermonde zegt dat de man een aanslag wilde plegen op de VRT en "bepaalde gestelde lichamen in Brussel", maar kan niet bevestigen of de verdachte het koningshuis viseerde.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
New Chinese Agency to 'Manage' Social Unrest. The ruling Chinese Communist Party on Tuesday said it would establish an agency to "manage" growing social unrest, as part of a set of reforms largely focusing on the economy. The new "state security committee" will tackle social instability and unify other agencies in charge of increasing security challenges, both foreign and domestic, the party's Central Committee said in a statement after a four-day plenary meeting in the nation's capital ended Tuesday.
Bill would outlaw U.S. dollar in Russia Predicting the imminent collapse of the U.S. dollar, a Russian lawmaker submitted a bill to the country's parliament on Wednesday that would ban the use or possession of the American currency.
National grid in mock power emergency drill today and tomorrow The exercise, known as GridEx II, is the second emergency response exercise conducted by North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) intended to task North American electric utility companies with reviewing their security and crisis response strategies.
How the NSA and GCHQ Spied on OPEC America's NSA and Britain's GCHQ are both spying on the OPEC oil cartel, documents from whistleblower Edward Snowden reveal. The security of the global energy supply is one of the most important issues for the intelligence agencies.
House Votes to Protect Citigroup if It Gambles and Loses One of the nation's leading banks wants Congress to amend federal law adopted in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis so it and other Wall Street institutions can go back to gambling with risky investments and have taxpayers cover the losses again if they bet wrong.
Facebook Patented Making NSA Data Handoffs Easier "In June, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg blasted 'outrageous press reports' about the PRISM surveillance program, denying that Facebook was ever 'part of any program to give the U.S. or any other government direct access to our servers.' What Zuckerberg didn't mention, and what the press overlooked, is that the USPTO granted Facebook a patent in May for its Automated Writ Response System.
'Mountain of synthetic cannabis' hits Norway Norwegian customs officials are calling for increased funding after a surge in the quantity of synthetic cannabis coming into the country - most of it bought on the internet and delivered by post.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange turns hand to new Twitter song. He's gained his controversial reputation by blowing the whistle on governments' secrets. But now Wikileaks founder Julian Assange -- still holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London -- has turned his hand to something new. He has collaborated with Puerto Rico band Calle 13 on their new single, which features Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.
US Caused Typhoon To Get Bases In Philippines? On 5 November 2013, it was reported that the USA and the Philippines are in disagreement about the USA's wish for a much increased military presence in the Philippines. In October 2013, US Secretary of State John Kerry cancelled a visit to the Philippines. The USA wants access to Philippine military bases and wants to bring in aircraft, ships and other equipment to the Philippines.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
US pushes Chevron's bid for TAPI pipeline project The United States may press Pakistan to award the multi-billion-dollar contract for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan and India (TAPI) gas pipeline project to its energy giant Chevron, in a bid to shelve the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project.
Report on climate change depicts a planet in peril The warnings came in a report drafted by the United Nations-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The 29-page summary, leaked and posted on a blog critical of the panel, has been distributed to governments around the world for review. It could change before it is released in March.
Overheid spoort onlinekopers zwaar vuurwerk op (video) De Taskforce Opsporing Vuurwerkbommenmakers spoort de bestellers van zwaar, illegaal vuurwerk op om ze te waarschuwen. Hoe die kopers worden opgespoord, is niet duidelijk, maar volgens de taskforce wordt er in ieder geval niets onderschept of afgetapt.
Spain's solar police to kick in your door The latest nail in the coffin for Spain's solar energy producers is an Energy Law amendment which allows inspectors to enter private properties without a court order. It's a move lawyers believe could set a worrying precedent.
Renault will remotely lock down electric cars When you buy a Renault Zoe, the battery isn't included. Instead, you sign a rental contract for the battery with the car maker. In a Zoe owner's forum, user Franko30 reports that the contract contains a clause giving Renault the right to prevent your battery from charging at the end of the rental period. According to an article in Der Spiegel, the company may also do this when you fall behind on paying the rent for the battery. This means that Renault has some way of remotely controlling the battery charging process.
Chipjekind.nl. "....Iedere ouder kent het knagende gevoel: waar is mijn kind? Steeds vaker hoor je angstwekkende verhalen over vermissing en de droevige noodzaak om AmberAlert in te zetten. KidChip wil dit voorkomen. KidChip begrijpt de bezorgdheid die bij liefhebbende ouders kan ontstaan, en biedt een gemakkelijk oplossing. Geef uw kind een chip en zie waar het is, vierentwintig uur per dag, zeven dagen per week. Lees verder om er achter te komen hoe het werkt...."
Chinese to become optional Dutch school subject. Nine schools took part in the pilot project, which started in 2010. Forty schools have expressed an interest in offering Chinese as an alternative foreign language, news agency ANP quotes the minister as saying.
Brussels to up pressure on Berlin for weak domestic demand. The European Commission will decide this week whether to scrutinise Germany's trade surplus for economic imbalances, which would undermine the nascent eurozone recovery, Olli Rehn wrote in an op-ed in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
US spying station exposed in Brasilia. The Brazilian Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper has recently reported that the two rooms in the capital city of Brasilia rented by the US embassy could be an intelligence station for surveillance.
White House relying more on insurance carriers to help fix HealthCare.gov. The Obama administration's broader cooperation with insurers is a tacit acknowledgment that the federal insurance exchange � fraught with software and hardware flaws that have frustrated many Americans trying to buy coverage � might not be working smoothly by the target date of Nov. 30, according to several health experts familiar with the administration's thinking.
ABBA mulls possible reunion: report The legendary Swedish pop group ABBA is mulling a possible reunion next year, singer Agnetha Faltskog said in a German newspaper interview Sunday.
iPad Air EXPLODES leading to mobile phone shop evacuation. A brand new iPad Air exploded in flames in an Australian mobile phone store. The explosion and fire were so severe that the fire brigade had to be called in to fight the smoke and sparks that were continuing to burst out from the device.
White House considers civilian for NSA chief. The White House is considering whether to name a civilian to lead the National Security Agency for the first time ever. No decision has been made yet, but officials have drafted a list of possible civilian candidates for the post, a former administration official told The Hill last week.
Liberal Dark Money Dominating 2014 Elections Nobody really thought that election-related spending by outside groups -- which totaled $1 billion in the 2012 election cycle, not counting party spending -- would do anything but grow in future elections. But the increase so far in 2013 is surprising even so: Super PACs and politically active nonprofits have spent more than three times their outlays at the same point in the last election -- $20.6 million, up from $6.3 million.
Saturday, November 09, 2013
European Parliament Members Explore Decriminalizing File-Sharing. Frustrated by the lack of copyright reform in Europe, several Members of European Parliament have started a coordinated platform to urge the European Commission to update its outdated policy. The MEPs are looking for a more flexible copyright system which benefits European citizens and businesses, including the decriminalization of file-sharing for personal use.
Nederland gaat reisgegevens opslaan. De Nederlandse regering wil onze reisgegevens gaan vastleggen. Als u Nederland verlaat of binnenkomt, wordt dat in toekomst geregistreerd en bewaard. Dat zegt de Nationaal Coördinator Terrorismebestrijding en Veiligheid tegen RTL Nieuws.
$1.1 million bitcoins stolen from Aussie site Aussie Bitcoin wallet site Inputs.io was left unable to pay an undisclosed number of user balances after the service was hacked on Thursday and relieved of $1.1 million in Bitcoins.
Friggin' in the Riggin': Traders Claim Oil Price Manipulation. The traders allege that supermajors Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Statoil, along with trading houses Morgan Stanley, Vitol, Trafigure Beheer, Trafigure and Phibro Trading joined forces to manipulate Brent crude oil prices and Brent futures contracts traded on NYMEX between February 2011 and September 2012.
Merck & Co to file new HPV jab this year. Merck & Co's new human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine could be on the market as early as next year, offering broader protection against the cancer-causing infection than its own Gardasil jab.
WHO: Vaccine Approved for Brain Fever. The low-cost vaccine, approved last month, is the first authorized by the agency for children and the first Chinese-made vaccine it has approved. It is made by China National Biotec Group and was tested by PATH, a nonprofit group in Seattle with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Chantix Doesn’t Appear to Cause Psychiatric Events "People who smoke have more pronounced aggressive and impulsive traitsâ��smoking is associated with suicidal behavior and mood changeâ��[and] sometimes the side effects or adverse effects reported are due to nicotine withdrawal or the loss of the cognitive-enhancing effects of nicotine."
German parties reach deal on banking union - sources. Angela Merkel's conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD) have struck a deal on the contours of a European banking union under which a body attached to European finance ministers, not the European Commission, would decide when to close failing banks.
CNN To Ditch News Programming. Network officials confirmed that the switch would cut into profits, indicating this move is more out of necessity than a genuine desire to eschew hard news coverage.
Maduro government 'occupies' Venezuela electronics chain. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered the military "occupation" of a chain of electronic goods stores in a crackdown on what the socialist government views as price-gouging hobbling the country's economy. Various managers of the five-store, 500-employee Daka chain have been arrested, and the company will now be forced to sell products at "fair prices," Maduro said late on Friday.
Why 140,000 Chinese people want to kick out CNN. More than 140,000 web users have signed an online petition to kick CNN out of China after it published a commentary questioning whether a vehicle deliberately crashed into Beijing's Tiananmen Square that killed five and injured 40 counted as a terrorist attack.
China: GMOs certain to enter food chain, but when? Sino Grain, keeper of the nation's strategic grain supplies, hoped no one would notice that more than 1,400 tons of vegetable oil in the provinces of Hunan and Hubei was cut with genetically modified corn. The revelation sparked national outrage that ended in the sacking of several managers and a pledge by Sino Grain to dispose of the oil and toughen its oversight.
Study: Tax Change Could Bring $1 Trillion Back to U.S. The report by former Clinton administration economist Laura Tyson and two co-authors was sponsored by a group of U.S. firms, the Alliance for Competitive Taxation, which is pushing for the U.S. to adopt the kind of tax system already in use in most other developed countries.
DHS testing face recognition biometrics DHS is exploring the capabilities of facial recognition programs, and the technology's implication for government and first responders. Initial stages of the project will begin by comparing video footage of people moving throughout the Toyota Center in Kennewick, Washington with combined mock profiles of volunteers
EU to ban chocolate cigarettes (translation) Even sweets are now on the EU ban list. Chocolate in the form of cigarettes may not be sold in the future. Chocolate cigarettes are dangerous gateway drugs according to the EU Parliament.
Vigilante ranchers, fruit growers kick out brutal drug cartel in western Mexican state. For lime grower Hipolito Mora, it was time to organize and pick up arms when a packing company controlled by a brutal drug cartel refused to buy his fruit. For Bishop Miguel Patino Velazquez, it was seeing civilians forced to fight back with their own guns that made him speak out. For Leticia, a lime picker too afraid of retribution to give her last name, it was the day she saw a taxi driver kidnapped in front of his two young children that convinced her to join those taking the law into their own hands.
Bitcoin at Record, Senate Seeks to Discuss Virtual Money. The hearing, titled "Beyond Silk Road: Potential Risks, Threats, and Promises of Virtual Currencies," will invite witnesses to testify about the challenges facing law enforcement and regulatory agencies, and include views from "non-governmental entities who can discuss the promises of virtual currency for the American and global economies."
The United States has More People in Jail than High Scool Teachers and Engineers. America has become a gigantic gulag over the past few decades and most of its citizens don't know, or just don't care. One of the primary causes of the over incarceration in the U.S. is the absurd, tragic failure that is the "war on drugs", and indeed nearly half of the folks in prison are there for drug related offenses.
Bloomberg News Is Said to Curb Articles That Might Anger China. The decision came in an early evening call to four journalists huddled in a Hong Kong conference room. On the line 12 time zones away in New York was their boss, Matthew Winkler, the longtime editor in chief of Bloomberg News. And they were frustrated by what he was telling them.
Climate Summit: Don't turn farmers into 'climate smart' carbon traders Farmers produce food, not carbon. Yet, if some of the governments and corporate lobbies negotiating at the UN climate change conference to be held in Warsaw from 11-22 November have their way, farmland could soon be considered as a carbon sink that polluting corporations can buy into to compensate for their harmful emissions.
Pesticide exposure linked to increased endometriosis risk Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is one of the most well-known organochlorines, and it was "heavily applied in agricultural regions," says the USGS. Although these types of pesticides are no longer used in the US, the organization notes that they are still present in the environment.
Judge To Listen To Newtown 911 Tapes Before Decision A Superior Court judge said Friday he will listen to recordings of 911 calls made from Sandy Hook Elementary School � "as little as I may want to do that" � before deciding whether the calls should remain secret pending an appeal of an order to make the tapes public.
EU in new push to revive the carbon market. EU diplomats today (8 November) agreed to begin talks on a legal text to slash permit supply and prop up carbon prices in the bloc's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), marking a big step forward for the divisive proposal.
Nederland bestelt een nog verboden spionagesysteem De Nederlandse inlichtingendiensten hebben systemen besteld om net als de Amerikaanse NSA grootschalig telefoon- en internetverkeer op te kunnen vangen en verwerken, hoewel dat nog grotendeels onwettig is. Volgens de toezichthouder op de diensten, de CTIVD, is de wet achterhaald
Friday, November 08, 2013
Belgium: Will helicopters be checking your speed soon? Police are considering deploying helicopters to clamp down on speeding motorists at places like the Vilvoorde Viaduct (fly-over), where it's not possible to install speed cameras along the road. In Spain, this has become daily routine.
Why Forbes Magazine Is Awed By A Mexican Drug Kingpin Guzmán has the honor of featuring among the world's top leaders, financiers and captains of industry by virtue of leading the Sinaloa Cartel â�� a decidedly non-philanthropic organization Forbes says imports 25% of all the drugs entering the United States. That has made him, since the death of Osama bin Laden, the man most wanted by U.S. security agencies, which are offering a $7 million reward for his capture.
President Putin ends Russia/NATO ABM cooperation "....In another powerful and significant move for peace, the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has cancelled a presidential order which in 2011, had set up an interdepartmental working group under the authority of the Russian Presidential Administration designed to develop ways to establish cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the sphere of 'missile defense'..."
More evidence e-cigs may help in quitting tobacco. A few small studies have found that e-cigarettes seemed to help smokers quit using tobacco or at least to smoke fewer traditional cigarettes. But there have been no long-term studies of how people actually use e-cigarettes, so experts are still unsure.
Cops force man to rap for his freedom: suit. It was rhyme and punishment. A Brooklyn man says he was forced to rap for a crew of NYPD cops to get out of handcuffs � and warned that if his rhymes weren't "hot'' enough, they wouldn't free him.
Google Takes Its Tracking Into The Real World. Google is beta-testing a program that uses smartphone location data to determine when consumers visit stores, according to agency executives briefed on the program by Google employees. Google then connects these store visits to Google searches conducted on smartphones in an attempt to prove that its mobile ads do, in fact, work.
Obama's tech expert too busy fixing website to testify. The chief technology officer for the White House is willing to testify to a powerful oversight committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, but Todd Park is still too busy trying to fix the glitch-ridden Obamacare website to appear, the White House said on Thursday.
Swedes 'not afraid' of internet surveillance As world leaders fret about the extent of NSA eavesdropping revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden, Swedish MPs grilled the country's own spy agency, while a new survey reveals that most Swedes aren't all that concerned about online snooping.
Norway warns of 'peeping tom' drones Norway's privacy watchdog has warned that high-tech 'peeping Toms' are starting to use drones to peer through peoples' upstairs windows, raising new privacy issues.
'Film Schatjes! is kinderporno' Iedereen die thuis de filmklassieker Schatjes! in de kast heeft liggen, zou vervolgd kunnen worden voor het in het bezit hebben van kinderporno en daarmee een boete van 78.000 euro of een gevangenisstraf van vier jaar riskeren. Dat zegt advocaat Gerard Spong vrijdagavond in de uitzending van Veronica Film over de komedie uit 1984, meldt De Telegraaf.
Spy chiefs appear before MPs in unprecedented hearing. The heads of Britain's spy services have appeared before a committee of senior MPs and peers for an unprecedented televised hearing. They said terrorists had been rubbing their hands with glee, following intelligence leaks by Edward Snowden, and that suspects under surveillance had changed their behaviour.
U.S. loses its UNESCO voting right. The United States has lost its voting rights at UNESCO after an official said it missed a crucial deadline, two years after halting its dues payments to protest the decision to make Palestine a member.
Dad 'unfit parent for refusing son McDonald's'. Attorney David Schorr slapped a court-appointed shrink with a defamation lawsuit for telling the judge deciding a custody battle with his estranged wife that he was an unfit parent � for refusing to take his son to the fast food joint for dinner.
Tesla reports third fire involving Model S electric car. The Tennessee Highway Patrol said the 2013 model sedan ran over a tow hitch that hit the undercarriage of the vehicle, causing an electrical fire on Interstate 24 on Wednesday. A highway patrol dispatcher called the damage to the car "extensive."
Marc Faber Warns "Karl Marx Was Right". "....So it would seem to me that Karl Marx might prove to have been right in his contention that crises become more and more destructive as the capitalistic system matures (and as the "financial economy" referred to earlier grows like a cancer) and that the ultimate breakdown will occur in a final crisis that will be so disastrous as to set fire to the framework of our capitalistic society...."
Thursday, November 07, 2013
Greece: Let them eat wood. Priced out of the heating oil market, some cold citizens may face a ban on burning wood for home heating
Finnish Police want web snooping powers. Finnish police would like to be able to screen both data traffic within Finland and that which passes through Finnish cables. At present they can only intercept data once a crime is suspected and an investigation in progress
Trans-Pacific Partnership: "We Will Not Obey"; Building a Global Resistance Movement. The Obama administration has made it a priority to have the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) completed by the end of the year. The TPP is the largest trade agreement negotiated since the World Trade Organization (WTO). It covers 12 countries so far and includes provisions that reach beyond issues of trade. The full contents of the TPP are unknown because it has been negotiated with unprecedented secrecy
Huge Crazy Meteor Blows Up Over Western U.S. An enormous fireball (or alien spaceship) reportedly exploded over the skies of California, Nevada and Arizona around 8 p.m. Pacific time, according to hundreds of eyewitness reports on Twitter.
Wednesday, November 06, 2013
'Scrap ecotax by noon': Brittany protestors The French government has rejected an ultimatum by angry workers in Brittany, who have threatened further protests if a controversial "ecotax" on transport is not officially abandoned by noon on Wednesday
The student loan bubble is starting to burst. The largest bank in the United States will stop making student loans in a few weeks. JPMorgan Chase has sent a memorandum to colleges notifying them that the bank will stop making new student loans in October, according to Reuters.
Dutch government faces lawsuit for collaboration with NSA. Those bringing the lawsuit include investigative journalist Brenno de Winter and hacker Rop Gonggrijp � who is under investigation by US authorities for his involvement with Wikileaks � and they say they want the NSA to stop eavesdropping and handing over information to Dutch intelligence.
Barroso urges Germany to act on euro imbalances. European Commission President José Manuel Barroso urged Germany on Tuesday (5 October) to do more to address economic imbalances in the eurozone by opening up its services market and allowing wages to rise at a faster pace.
China Makes Nuclear Threat Against US Mainland. According to the Washington Times, Chinese state-run media was apparently out in full-force last week, promoting the idea that the Chinese naval fleet of nuclear submarines is fully capable of conducting a full-scale nuclear attack against American cities in a future apocalyptic WWII scenario.
Turkey, Iraqi Kurdistan clinch major energy pipeline deals. Iraqi Kurdistan has finalised a comprehensive package of deals with Turkey to build multi-billion dollar oil and gas pipelines to ship the autonomous region's rich hydrocarbon reserves to world markets, sources involved in talks said on Wednesday.
Evidence That Tech Sector Is In A Bubble The stock market is at an all-time high. Tech startups with no revenue have billion-dollar valuations. And engineers are demanding Tesla sports cars just to show up at work. Here's the evidence that we're in a new tech bubble, heading for a crash, just like the dot com bust of 1999
Google reads all emails, Microsoft warns. Microsoft has declared war on Google in a series of high profile criticisms about the way the firm scans the contents of every email its users send to target ads at them
Flaw In Bitcoin Algorithm. Most security analysts don't regard the Bitcoin algorithm as particularly sophisticated, but until a new paper was published there was no explicit flaw. However, the problem that has been uncovered is more to do with game theory than cryptography.
Plasterk voor de rechter vanwege NSA. Een aantal burgers, Stichting Privacy First, de Internet Society, de Vereniging van Strafrechtadvocaten, de Nederlandse Vereniging van Journalisten en ThePostOnline-columnist Brenno de Winter hebben gezamenlijk woensdag minister Ronald Plasterk (PvdA) van Binnenlandse Zaken voor de rechter gedaagd. De groep wordt vertegenwoordigd door advocaat Christiaan Alberdingk Thijm. Op woensdag 27 november moet Plasterk bij de rechtbank Den Haag verschijnen om zijn beleid te verdedigen.
US Blacklists Popular Russian Crooner Over Links to Mob. Russian singer Grigory Lepsveridze, aka Grigory Leps, is accused of couriering money on behalf of Vladislav Leontyev, blacklisted last year for being "a key member of the Brothers' Circle" and for involvement "in various criminal activities, including narcotics trafficking," the US Treasury said.
Cannibalism In Syria Causes An Extremely Rare Disease. Its called Kuru, an extremely rare disease which virtually became extinct after extinguishing cannibalism in Papua New Guinea. Amazingly Kuru has now been found in 8 to 20 people, out of all places, in war-torn Syria, and the only way it could have come about, doctors confirmed, is through cannibalism and the consumption of human brain
Liberation Power What do women need? Better energy. "....Bringing women into energy discussions can also help the planet. While men dominate the professional energy sector, women are the primary decision-makers in both the developed and developing worlds when it comes to household energy. To become more efficient and less wasteful, the solution is clear: We must engage and educate more women in energy..."
Turkey's Zorlu Group Fights for Israel Pipeline. While talks between Israel and Turkey over a joint pipeline have been quietly proceeding for some time, Turkish conglomerate Zorlu Energy for the first time last week told reporters it was seeking to purchase 3 billion cubic meters per year of natural gas from Israel's Leviathan field.
How we know the NSA had access to internal Google and Yahoo cloud data. The Washington Post reported last Wednesday that the National Security Agency has been tapping into the private links that connect Google and Yahoo data centers around the world. Today we offer additional background, with new evidence from the source documents and interviews with confidential sources, demonstrating that the NSA accessed data traveling between those centers.
Apple takes strong privacy stance in new report, publishes rare "warrant canary". Apple has become one of the first big-name tech companies to use a novel legal tactic to indicate whether the government has requested user information in conjunction with a gag order. Known as a "warrant canary," this language is encapsulated on Apple's fifth page of its new transparency report (PDF), which was published on Tuesday.
Colleges incorporate homeland security into their curriculum The establishment of the Department of Homeland Security(DHS) in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks has made "homeland security" a common phrase and a flourishing industry in the United States. Service providers and manufacturers have benefited by introducing devices and offerings to protect, detect, and react to natural and man-made disasters. Colleges and universities have also begun to incorporate homeland security into their curriculum.
DHS to Hire "Top Secret" Domestic Security Force The Department of Homeland Security is to spend $19 million dollars on a private security force in Wisconsin and Minnesota, an armed unit that must have a "Top Secret" security clearance according to an official solicitation.
U.S. Is Losing Advantage in Spying, Report Says. An unclassified version of the report, based on two years of work by independent experts and two officials from inside the agencies, concludes that the United States is losing its technological superiority over its rivals, which are gaining "asymmetric advantages" by making their own investments in such efforts and, in some cases, stealing American inventions.
2003: Brazilian Rocket Explodes On Pad: Many Dead. The explosion was triggered when one of the rocket's four main thrust engines was unintentionally fired up. The 36-meter(118-foot) platform where the technicians were working disintegrated, officials said
Brazilian Intelligence Monitored French Agents in Maranhao Following an accident at the Alcântara satellite launch pad in 2003, in the state of Maranhão, Brazilian intelligence services investigated the possibility that the incident may have occurred as the result of sabotage by French secret service agents.
'West may offer Iran cash for halting nuclear program'. Robert Einhorn, former special adviser on nonproliferation to Hillary Clinton, told the London Times that the idea of giving the cash to Tehran could be seen as a "one-time effort at providing some benefit to Iran while leaving the architecture of the sanctions regime in place."
Tuesday, November 05, 2013
Revealed: Britain's 'secret listening post in the heart of Berlin' Documents leaked by the US National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden show that GCHQ is, together with the US and other key partners, operating a network of electronic spy posts from diplomatic buildings around the world, which intercept data in host nations.
Amnesty International Explains Why It Won't Oppose All Drone Murders. "...On this show, Shah explained that Amnesty International cannot oppose all drone strikes in an illegal war, because Amnesty International has never opposed a war, because doing so would make it look biased, and A.I. wants to appear to be an unbiased enforcer of the law...."
Sweden planned spy satellite with France Sweden and France spent eighteen months working on a project to develop a joint spy satellite system only for the Swedes to pull out due to the projected costs, according to a media report on Tuesday.
Italians invited to snitch on the mafia A group of Italian computer boffins have launched a new website, Mafialeaks, aimed at encouraging victims of organised crime and former gangsters to spill the beans.
Monday, November 04, 2013
New FDA warnings on Cipro may tie into Gulf War illness. It's been well documented that the Defense Department stockpiled 30 million doses of Cipro during the Gulf War, and 150,000 troops received anthrax vaccines to prevent infection. But less well known is that during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, some troops actually took Cipro in anticipation of an anthrax attack.
Benghazi Whistleblower Says He Was Smeared A leaked memo appears to undermine significant details in a new book from a witness to the embassy attacks. But its alleged author tells The Daily Beast he didn't write it.
Swisscom builds 'Swiss Cloud' as spying storm rages wisscom is building a "Swiss Cloud" that could loosen the grip of U.S. technology giants and attract foreign companies looking for a way to shield sensitive data from the prying eyes of foreign intelligence services.
Sunday, November 03, 2013
Hillary Clinton introduces 'No Ceilings' push The program, run through the Clinton Foundation, is aimed at bolstering "full participation for women and girls in the 21st century," according to the organization's website, which Clinton linked to in a tweet. "The full participation of women and girls is critical to global progress, development, and security."
Top Generals Reveal Obama's Secret High Level Military Purge In other words, the mass purge of military officials was never truly intended to meet the public eye. But even in the face of government secrecy surrounding the issue, numerous news organizations and media figures have now come out and highlighted the purge of top nuke commanders and others
Geoengineers are free to legally hack the climate THE idea of artificially cooling the climate may have come in from the cold, but the laws governing trials of the technology are still all at sea. Many people think such trials are illegal, but this is not the case, according to an analysis of environmental treaties.
'US, Germany to ink no-spy deal' Germany and the United States are to strike a two-way deal not to spy on each other in the wake of the diplomatic furore sparked by the Edward Snowden revelations, a German newspaper reported.
Blackstone and Goldman Come to Spain's Rescue, Sort Of. Over the last two years, private equity firms, hedge funds and real estate investment trusts have bought, renovated and rented out tens of thousands of foreclosed properties in places such as Atlanta, Phoenix and California's Inland Empire. The strategy has been extraordinarily profitable, which explains why, according to Bloomberg News, Blackstone, Goldman Sachs and others are taking it on the road to Spain.
Saturday, November 02, 2013
A Gas Pipeline Across Afghanistan? It will probably be a Taliban territory again when the United States and allies retreat from Afghanistan in 2014. Supported by Pakistan, the Islamic fundamentalists are the only force capable of establishing some sort of law and order in the country regardless of likes and dislikes by the rest of the world.
Edward Snowden is supervised by Russian intelligence. "...Even as Edward Snowden's disclosures of U.S. spying continue to create global waves, it's becoming clear that the American's life is supervised by Russian intelligence agents. "He's actually surrounded by these people," Andrei Soldatov, an investigative journalist who co-authored a history of the Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), told Steven Lee Meyers of the New York Times..."
AP editors: Obama relies on staged propaganda photos. Editors of The Associated Press condemned the White House's refusal to give photojournalists real access to President Obama, who prefers to circulate press release-style pictures taken by his own paid photographers
LAX Shooting: Police trained for 'exact scenario' 3 weeks ago. The rapid police response to today's deadly shooting at a terminal in the Los Angeles Int'l Airport (LAX) was no accident, according to LAX Police Chief Patrick Gannon, because his officers prepared for an event identical to the shooting weeks in advance.
Belgium: Americans incepted nationalist MP's email. An email sent by the Flemish nationalist federal MP Karolien Grosemans has been intercepted by US military intelligence. The mail that Ms Grosemans had sent to an IT specialist was opened by staff at a military base in the American state of Arizona.
Climate Change Seen Posing Risk to Food Supplies. Climate change will pose sharp risks to the world's food supply in coming decades, potentially undermining crop production and driving up prices at a time when the demand for food is expected to soar, scientists have found.
Two members of Greece's Golden Dawn shot dead. Two members of Greece's far-right Golden Dawn have been killed and a third wounded in a drive-by shooting outside the party's offices in an Athens suburb, police say. The dead men, aged 22 and 27, were guarding the office.
Germany looks at keeping its Internet, e-mail traffic inside its borders. The news that the National Security Agency has its eye on much of the world's electronic communications has shocked Germans, who have memories of Nazi and Cold War-era spying. Now, an alliance of German phone and Internet companies claims it has a solution: German e-mail and Internet transmitted within German borders.
President Obama, off the record "In addition to giving press conferences and interviews, the President meets on occasion with groups of reporters and columnists for off-the-record discussions," said Eric Schultz, the White House Deputy Press Secretary. "We don't provide lists of participants."
'National Knitting Evening' -- Norway's Slow TV Trend Continues. Slow TV started in 2009 when NRK was working on documentaries to celebrate the 100th birthday of the national train line and "an idea came up at lunch one day." The result was Bergensbanen, a 7.5-hour continuous program that showed every minute of a train journey from Bergen to Oslo.
Friday, November 01, 2013
Intersex Activists Call for Ban on Surgical Operations on Children A new law in Germany allows parents to leave their child's gender blank on birth certificates. Intersex activists are pleased, but want to go further. Often themselves scarred by invasive operations performed at birth, some want to prohibit sex reassignment surgeries on children.
Toyota Develops New Fuel-Cell Car Toyota has developed a new long-range electric vehicle powered entirely by a cutting-edge fuel cell. The project represents a dramatic departure from the goal of developing a mass-produced, effective, battery-driven electric car. But what does it mean for our future?
Exposed: Australia's Asia spy network. Australian embassies are being secretly used to intercept phone calls and data across Asia as part of a US-led global spying network, according to whistleblower Edward Snowden and a former Australian intelligence officer.
Dutch soldiers to join UN mission in Mali. The Dutch will send 70 military analysts to join the unit gathering intelligence from headquarters in the capital Bamako and the northern city of Gao, and a reconnaisance unit of 90 special forces and 60 soldiers with four Apache helicopters to be stationed in Gao.
Snowden seeks the world's help against US charges Snowden said he would like to testify before the U.S. Congress about National Security Agency surveillance and may be willing to help German officials investigate alleged U.S. spying in Germany, Hans-Christian Stroebele, a lawmaker with Germany's opposition Greens, told a press conference.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
aangirfan: Terror In Tunisia As US Seeks Base In March 2013, US General Carter F Ham visited Tunisia. "Some media and social networks said that the visit ... falls in line with discussions regarding the setting up of a US military base in Tunisia."
Massive Oil Discovery Is Deathblow For Saudis It is 6 times larger than the Bakken, 17 times the size of the Marcellus formation, and 80 times larger than the Eagle Ford shale. All told the recent discovery outside a sleepy Australian town contains more black gold than in all of Iran, Iraq, Canada, or Venezuela.
Europe a proxy for projecting US force -- General Breedlove The NATO Supreme Allied Commander for Europe and commander of US European Command, US Air Force General Philip Breedlove recently spoke with reporters from the American mass media in the Pentagon in what appears to be an attempt to assuage fears spreading in the US military industrial complex over a loss of US influence in Europe.
Human Rights Attorneys Have Been Working with German Politicians on Asylum for Snowden. Human rights attorneys have been discussing the possibility of asylum for former NSA contractor Edward Snowden with left-wing politicians in Germany. The plan being developed involves giving testimony in an official government setting on recent revelations, such as the fact that the United States spied on Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone. In return, he would be given asylum.
US drone strike kill 3 suspected militants in North Waziristan According to reports, at least three suspected militants were killed following a US drone strike in Waziristan tribal region of Pakistan. This was the first airstrike conducted a week after Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif visited United States and urged Washington to stop drone strikes
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Private US firms 'spying in Germany' Private American companies play a major role in US spying in Germany, with at least 90 firms helping to feed classified information to Washington, German news weekly Stern reported on Wednesday.
Hillary Clinton's Lucrative Goldman Sachs Speaking Gigs. Hillary Clinton spoke at two separate Goldman Sachs events on the evenings of Thursday, October 24 and Tuesday, October 29. As both Politico and the New York Times report, Clinton's fee is about $200,000 per speech, meaning she likely netted around $400,000 for her paid gigs at Goldman over the course of six days.
Is The Hague making a mockery of justice so the CIA and MI6 can save face? "...There's a spot of skulduggery going on in the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague. Not to put too fine a point upon it, a lot of questions are being asked about why the worshipful judges have, at least publicly, demanded a trial in Europe for Saif el-Islam al-Gaddafi -- son of the late Muammar -- but have blithely accepted that the dictator's ruthless security boss, Abdullah al-Senussi, should be tried in the militia-haunted chaos of Libya..."
Jose Manuel Barroso warns over xenophobia and racism ahead of European Parliament poll. "What we don't like is the discourse that is sometimes behind anti-European slogans, a discourse that is promoting what I call negative values, things like narrow nationalism, protectionism and xenophobia. That is a concern. We should not forget that in Europe, not so many decades ago, we had very, very worrying developments of xenophobia and racism and intolerance. So I think everybody that has European principles should be worried about some of these movements."
Adobe hack: At least 38 million accounts breached. Adobe has confirmed that a recent cyber-attack compromised many more customer accounts than first reported. The software-maker said that it now believed usernames and encrypted passwords had been stolen from about 38 million of its active users.
"US spying on our neighbours through embassies" A top secret map lists 90 surveillance facilities worldwide, including communications intelligence facilities at embassies in Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Phnom Penh and Yangon. Dated August 13, 2010, the map shows no such facilities are located in Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Japan and Singapore -- the US's closest allies.
U.S. Promises to 'Review' Snooping on Korean Embassy. The U.S. government promised Korea to "review intelligence activities" after Seoul asked whether the National Security Agency wiretapped the Korean Embassy in Washington. This is seen as tantamount to an admission that it did.
Attackers in Mexico blow up nine electrical plants Assailants early Sunday blew up at least nine electrical power plants in one of Mexico's largest states, triggering blackouts that gunmen then used as cover to torch gasoline stations, residents and authorities said.
Iran likely to drop IP gas pipeline project. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namadar Zanganeh has announced that that the country is likely to give up on the US$ 7.5 billion pipeline project, which was due to take gas reserves to energy hungry Pakistan. Zanganeh told reporters, "The contract for supplying gas to Pakistan is likely to be annulled.
U.S.A. Warns 'Homeland Stupidity' Parodist The Department of Homeland Security and National Security Agency threatened to sue a novelty store owner who sells "Department of Homeland Stupidity" coffee cups and T-shirts with the slogan: "The NSA: The only part of government that actually listens."
Congress To Eliminate The Debt By Not Counting It Anymore... "....You know the old rule of thumb about laws--The more high-sounding the legislation, the more destructive its consequences. Case in point, HR 3293-- the recently introduced Debt Limit Reform Act. Sounds great, right? After all, reforming the debt seems like a terrific idea. Except that's not what the bill really does. They're not reforming anything. HR 3293�s real purpose is to authorize the government to simply stop counting a massive portion of the US national debt...."
Sinopec Limited to enter Mongolia's mining sector. Sinopec Limited, also known as the China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Mining to build a brown coal gasification plant in Mongolia. Once the plant launches operations, Mongolia will not only be able to produce enough gas fuel to meet domestic demands, but also to export it
US agencies spied from Geneva mission: report American spies used high-performance antennas hidden behind a false facade on the roof of the US Mission to the United Nations in Geneva to intercept mobile phone calls and internet messages from foreign diplomats, according to a report published on Tuesday by German magazine Der Spiegel.
Is the NSA Eavesdropping on President Obama? The latest hot controversy launched by Citizen Snowden's revelations involves the National Security Agency's listening to the personal cellphone of Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany. Embarrassment all around and the White House now says it is "reviewing" what other foreign leaders the NSA may be eavesdroping on. But here Is a more explosive question that needs an answer: Is the NSA eavesdropping on Barack Obama?
Canadians Seek Dick Cheney's Arrest For War Crimes During Upcoming Visit. Lawyers Against the War argued in a letter dated Sunday that Toronto Police Chief William Blair and Ontario Attorney General John Gerretsen have a duty to arrest Cheney "as a person suspected on reasonable grounds of authorizing, counseling, aiding, abetting and failing to prevent torture."
Clapper: Obama was aware of NSA spying efforts. Despite US President Barack Obama rejecting the idea that he was aware of Washington's spying on world leaders, the nation's top spymaster said Tuesday that the president had been informed about the surveillance activities.
Sandy Hook shooting details released amid criticism The new details of the massacre were provided to The Hartford Courant by an unnamed source, and some officials and victims' family members criticized the slow drip of information, saying it was creating more pain than would the release of the official police report.
Derivatives dispute harming EU-US free trade talks. Ambitious plans for an EU-US free-trade agreement may be put in jeopardy by Washington's failure to finalise a deal coordinating rules in the �460 trillion derivatives market, the EU's financial markets chief has warned.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Feds report $9.7B loss on GM shares. The U.S. Treasury has booked a $9.7 billion loss on its $49.5 billion bailout of General Motors Co. on the sale of nearly all of its shares it received as part of its $49.5 billion bailout.
New York to Create Nation's First State-Based Strategic Gasoline Reserve. "....The second part of the state of New York's plan to protect against fuel supply disruptions in the future, is to store 3 million gallons of fuel in an emergency reserve. On Saturday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that his government would start a $10 million pilot program to create a Strategic Gasoline Reserve to be stored in tanks on Long Island. It will be the first ever state-based fuel reserve in the US...."
Security hole found in Obamacare website Until the Department of Health fixed the security hole last week, anyone could easily reset your Healthcare.gov password without your knowledge and potentially hijack your account.
Antigua's New Website Will Offer the World America's Copyrighted Content for Free. The tiny Caribbean island of Antigua is finally getting some economic revenge on the US, which derailed its booming gambling industry 10 years ago. That's good news for Antiguans, but it could also be very big news for the rest of us�because the country's long-awaited compensation includes the right to launch a platform that offers open access to copyright-protected TV, movies, books, and software to anyone in the world.
Europe Mulls Sanctions Against US Over Spying German Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger said Monday she believed the Americans were using the information to gather economic intelligence apart from terrorism and that the deal, popularly known as the SWIFT agreement, should be suspended
Appearances and Reality: Merkel Balks at EU Privacy Push Chancellor Merkel has put on a good show of being outraged by American spying. But, at the same time, she has impeded efforts to strengthen data security. Does she really want more privacy, or is she more interested in being accepted into the exclusive group of info-sharing countries known as the 'Five Eyes' club?
Take a Tour of Robocoin, the World's First Bitcoin ATM. Meet the Robocoin: the world's first bitcoin ATM. It went live last night, after an afternoon of tinkering and testing at the downtown cafe that's now its home. The Robocoin isn't like other ATMs. It doesn't take debit or credit cards. It's a cash-only machine. You put your money in, and it gives you numbers , addresses that link to bitcoins, the world's most popular digital currency.
British MP says payout after Baby P case 'looks like rewarding failure'. A baby, Peter Connelly, died in 2007 after months of physical abuse. Three people, including the baby's mother, were later jailed. Sharon Shoesmith, head of Haringey children's services in 2007, was dismissed after a damming report emerged about the baby's death. But the Court of Appeal later ruled her sacking had been unjust and she had been "unfairly scapegoated" Now an MP has hit out after the BBC reported the payout for the unfair dismissal could be as much as £600,000 (�700,000).
French women sue Lagerfeld over 'fat' slurs A French group representing full-figured women has launched legal action against outspoken fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld over comments he made, in which he blamed France's welfare deficit on "fat people" adding that "nobody wants to see round women on the catwalk."
NSA stores data to target any citizen at any time - Greenwald The current revelations on the NSA's spying are just the tip of the iceberg and affect "almost every country in the world," said Glenn Greenwald. He stressed the NSA stores data for "as long as it can," so they can target a citizen whenever they want.
Obama administration knew millions could not keep their health insurance President Obama repeatedly assured Americans that after the Affordable Care Act became law, people who liked their health insurance would be able to keep it. But millions of Americans are getting or are about to get cancellation letters for their health insurance under Obamacare, say experts, and the Obama administration has known that for at least three years.
Monday, October 28, 2013
NSA tracked 46mln Italian phone calls - report The NSA bugged 46 million phone calls in Italy in a month, according to digital library host Cryptome. The report is the latest in the revelations that the agency tapped hundreds of millions of phone lines across Europe.
Another Tesla Model S Caught Fire After A Crash In Mexico. When a Tesla Model S caught fire after crashing into some road debris in Washington State earlier this month, company officials stressed that it was the first and only known Model S fire on a public road. But after a crash in Mexico, we can add one more to that list
Was Beijing crash a planned attack? "...A vehicle plowed through dozens of pedestrians and policemen near Tiananmen Square at lunchtime Monday, then crashed in front of Tiananmen Gate and burst into flame....An official investigation is underway, reported Xinhua, the state news agency. The unusual nature of the incident, and the way the vehicle had been driven some distance along the sidewalk, injuring and scattering pedestrians, quickly led to speculation online that the vehicle was used in a deliberate attack..."
Embassy Espionage: The NSA's Secret Spy Hub in Berlin According to SPIEGEL research, United States intelligence agencies have not only targeted Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone, but they have also used the American Embassy in Berlin as a listening station. The revelations now pose a serious threat to German-American relations.
China: Private banks to start on trial basis China will allow the establishment of private banks and other financial institutions funded by private investment on a trial basis. The government made the announcement after the State Council formulated policies to support economic restructuring, transformation and upgrading.
David Cameron makes veiled threat to media over NSA and GCHQ leaks. David Cameron has called on the Guardian and other newspapers to show "social responsibility" in the reporting of the leaked NSA files to avoid high court injunctions or the use of D notices to prevent the publication of information that could damage national security.
Former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley Joins CBS News as a Contributor As Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama, Daley was involved in all aspects of the administration. He was instrumental in developing the American Jobs Act, and he played a central role in passing historic trade agreements. Prior to that, Daley was an executive at JPMorgan Chase, serving as Vice Chair, Chairman of the Midwest Region and head of the Office of Corporate Responsibility. Previously he was President of SBC Communications.
Data center glitch is latest problem in 'Obamacare' rollout. A data center critical for allowing uninsured Americans to buy health coverage under President Barack Obama's healthcare law went down on Sunday, halting online enrollment for all 50 states in the latest problem to hit the program's troubled rollout.
Spain summons U.S. ambassador over spying. Spain summoned the U.S. ambassador on Monday to discuss allegations of spying on Spanish citizens that it said could break the climate of trust between the two countries if proved true.
E-cig adverts at stake in landmark French case A tobacco-seller in south-western France took a rival electronic cigarette vendor to court on Monday, in a landmark case which could ultimately put an end to the "unfair edge" e-cigarettes get from being legally allowed to advertise freely, while their conventional competitors cannot.
Germans want to interrogate Snowden German politicians said on Monday they wanted to call whistleblower Edward Snowden as a witness in a parliamentary investigation into US spying - and possibly grant him asylum at the same time.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
NSA fallout: Swiss cabinet to tighten phone security In the wake of revelations that the National Security Agency (NSA) spied on European politicians through their mobile phones, Swiss President Ueli Maurer has said that new phone security measures will be soon introduced for the cabinet.
9/11 Lawyers Ask Obama to Expose Interrogations Earlier this week, lawyers for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-professed "mastermind" of the attacks, and his four alleged accomplices challenged an order that prevents them from probing their clients' treatment in secret CIA prisons. They said the rule violates the Convention Against Torture, a treaty the United States ratified in 1994.
Tanker train explodes in Canada. Another freight train transporting crude oil has derailed and exploded in Canada, only a couple of months after the deadly train derailment in Lac-Mégantic
China creates 50 bln tonnes of rain annually. The report said a total of 2,266 counties in the country use weather modification, with artificial rain used across an area covering 5 million square kilometers, about half of China's land area.
Chemicals found in nine in ten children's jeans Traces of different chemicals have been found in nine out of ten children's jeans bought in Sweden, newspaper Dagens Nyheter reports. Most of the chemicals found are harmful to the environment, but some may be hormone disturbant, according to Swedish Radio News.
NSA Director Gen. Alexander and Cybersecurity (video) "...Jessica L. Tozer sits down with NSA Director and CYCOM Commander General Keith Alexander to get the story straight about the National Security Agency's most criticized foreign intelligence and cybersecurity programs...."
Government Gave Zero Dark Thirty Filmmakers Classified Info The alleged intentional leak of classified information to Zero Dark Thirty filmmakers has come back to haunt the government during the war crimes trial of a Guantanamo Bay detainee. The defense of Ammar al Baluchi, the detainee whose torture experiences supposedly served as the model for the popular film, is now requesting classified information about the treatment of his client that was provided to filmmakers but is still currently withheld by the prosecution.
Puzzling moose deaths hint at climate shock to forests Moose in the northern US are dying in what could be the start of a huge climate shock to the world's boreal forests. The die-off is most dire in Minnesota, where ecologists say moose could be gone within a decade. But it extends across the southern edge of the animal's global range -- populations are falling as far away as Sweden.
More legal trouble for Affordable Care Act. If computer glitches are not enough of a problem, President Obama's healthcare law also has a legal glitch that critics say could cause it to unravel in more than half the nation.
Iran sanctions force historic plant closure for Peugeot. (PressTV video) With European auto sales near a 20-year low, it's unthinkable that an automaker would willingly cut ties with its largest foreign client. But in February 2012 Peugeot did just that by severing ties with Iran. The move was forced by its new partner, General Motors, which had just been bailed out by the US government.
aangirfan: Russell Brand Is Russell Brand controlled by the spooks? On MTV, a day after 9/11, Russell Brand dressed up like Osama Bin Laden . In 2004, Brand achieved fame as the host of a spin-off of the spooky Big Brother.
Terrorist trial to use NSA data. The U.S. Justice Department says for the first time it plans to use information gained from one of the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance programs against an accused terrorist, setting the stage for a likely Supreme Court test of the Obama administration's approach to national security.
Legislation Curtailing NSA Domestic Spying to Be Introduced Tuesday. "....The United and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ending Eavesdropping, Dragnet Collection, and Online Monitoring Act, or USA FREEDOM Act, is somewhat of a step beyond the controversial "Amash Amendment" that narrowly failed to pass the House in July that would have stripped funding for NSA programs collecting the telephone records of those in the United States...."
Saturday, October 26, 2013
FBI makes record $28 million Bitcoin bust US authorities have reported their largest-ever Bitcoin bust amounting to $28 million of the digital currency. It was seized from the owner of the controversial Silk Road website, which was shut down three weeks ago.
Hillary Clinton defends surveillance tactics. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended U.S. surveillance tactics on Friday, saying recent allegations of National Security Agency spying on German, French and other foreign leaders illustrates the need for a broader conversation.
From England, one man feeds Western media on Syria. The bald, bespectacled 42-year-old operates the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights from his house in the cathedral city of Coventry � and a review of recent media coverage suggests its running tally of killings and clashes is the most frequently cited individual source of information on Syria's civil war for the world's leading news organizations.
NSA revelations: Spain also a victim of US espionage. The US administration's National Security Agency (NSA) not only combed the telephone conversations, text messages and emails of millions of Spaniards, but it also spied on members of the Spanish government and politicians, according to sources who have knowledge of the secret documents in the possession of whistleblower and former NSA analyst Edward Snowden
Spain to call in US ambassador in spy row Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Friday he would call in the US ambassador to Madrid to explain reports of US spying on the country, a close ally of Washington.
France mulls scented candles and incense ban After recent health-driven moves to tax or restrict the use of energy drinks, artificial sweeteners and electronic cigarettes, French health authorities have now set their sights on cracking down on scented candles and incense, because their aroma could be masking toxic fumes.
French accused US of cyber attack on Sarkozy More spying revelations hit the headlines on Friday after Le Monde published a leaked US document showing how French intelligence services believed their American counterparts were responsible for a cyber attack against its president's communications network.
IKEA Shelters House Somali Refugees in Ethiopia The Swedish furniture giant IKEA has sent self-assembly huts to the savanna of Ethiopia to house Somali refugees. If the test case proves successful, they soon could be used as alternatives to tents in other parts of the world.
100 Women: Should mothers get living wage? (BBC video) Carers should receive a living wage and a separate budget should be created for girls' education; those are two of the suggestions made by writer and activist Selma James and Fawzia Koofi MP, Deputy Speaker in the Afghan National Parliament, in a session dedicated to big ideas at the BBC's 100 Women conference.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Germany gets its way on reform 'contracts'. German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday (25 October) said fellow EU leaders during a summit in Brussels have "accepted the principle" of binding reform contracts that will transfer further sovereignty from a national level to the European Commission.
Greenland votes to allow uranium, rare earths mining. Greenland's parliament voted on Thursday (24 October) to end a decades-long prohibition on mining for radioactive materials like uranium, further opening up the country to investors from Australia and China eager to tap its vast mineral resources.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Britain and US also spied on Italy: report Britain and the United States spied on Italy too, including on the government but with the consent of secret services, the Italian weekly L'Espresso reported in its edition due out on Friday. The weekly said the espionage concentrated on three underwater fibre optic cables with terminals in Italy: the SeaMeWe3 and the SeaMeWe4 in Sicily and the Flag Europe Asia crossing the country.
'Cheap' corpses used as crash test dummies Engineers at a research centre in northern Spain have admitted using human bodies for their accident simulations because they can't afford the �150,000 ($207,000) a crash test dummy costs.
Americans spend less now than in '73, report says. Even with the added cost of smartphones and other technology, American families spend less of their total income today than 40 years ago, according to new research. But people aren't saving that extra money.
The Japanese men who prefer virtual girlfriends to sex. They are a generation of geeks who have grown up through 20 years of economic stagnation and have chosen to tune out and immerse themselves in their own fantasy worlds. Kunio Kitamara, of the Japan Family Planning Association, describes many young Japanese men as "herbivores" - passive and lacking carnal desir
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Wie is Verene Shepherd eigenlijk? Er is in Nederland gisterend woedend gereageerd op uitspraken van VN-rapporteur Verene Shepherd. Zij zei namelijk dat Zwarte Piet inherent racistisch is en dat het aan premier Rutte is om daar nu al iets aan te doen; Zwarte Piet moet worden afgeschaft. Let wel, die uitspraken komen dus voordat de VN zijn onderzoek naar Zwarte Piet heeft afgerond. We weten dus al wat de uiteindelijke conclusie zal zijn.
Al Gore enters NSW bushfire climate debate. In light of the NSW bushfire disaster, the former US vice president says the prime minister's comment that bushfires are a function of life in Australia and nothing to do with climate change reminds him of politicians in the US who received support from tobacco companies, and who then publicly argued the companies' cause.
Germany: US may have targeted Merkel's cellphone German Chancellor Angela Merkel complained to President Barack Obama on Wednesday after learning that U.S. intelligence may have targeted her mobile phone, and said that would be "a serious breach of trust" if confirmed, her government announced.
Greeks are 40 pct poorer than in 2008 Greeks are on average almost 40 percent poorer than they were in 2008, according to data, laying bare the impact of a brutal recession and austerity measures the government may be forced to extend into next year.
Indexology: High Yield Munis Burnt by Tobacco Bonds Tobacco settlement bonds tracked by the S&P Municipal Bond Tobacco Index are down nearly 9% year to date as yields have risen by over 255bps as the credit risk of these long duration bonds is questioned.
Tobacco-settlement bonds: Unlucky strike. It is not just the quitters who are experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Investors who bought the rights to compensation payments from tobacco firms following a king-size legal settlement are also feeling irritable.
First Lavabit, now CryptoSeal pulls the plug: VPN service axed VPN service CryptoSeal has followed Lavabit's example and shuttered its consumer service, saying its CryptoSeal Privacy service architecture would make it impossible to comply with a government order without handing over the crypto keys to its entire system
Dead Boston marathon suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev tied to 2011 killings Slain Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was named as a participant in an earlier triple homicide by a man who was subsequently shot to death while being questioned by authorities, according to a filing made by federal prosecutors in the case against his brother, surviving bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. According to the filing made Monday, Ibragim Todashev told investigators Tamerlan Tsarnaev participated in a triple slaying in Waltham on Sept. 11, 2011.
Holy Logic: Computer Scientists 'Prove' God Exists Two scientists have formalized a theorem regarding the existence of God penned by mathematician Kurt Gödel. But the God angle is somewhat of a red herring -- the real step forward is the example it sets of how computers can make scientific progress simpler.
Teens smoking more flavored cigars. Health officials say sweet flavoring can mask the harsh taste of tobacco and make smoking more palatable. "The so-called small cigars look like cigarettes, addict as much as cigarettes and they kill like cigarettes," said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden.
Chinese, European firms win Brazil oil auction. China's CNOOC and CNPC, Anglo-Dutch giant Royal Dutch Shell and France's Total joined Brazilian state operator Petrobras yesterday in winning production rights to the huge "Libra" Atlantic oilfield. The five firms won 35-year concessions, with Petrobras taking a 40 percent stake, more than the minimum required by the terms of Brazil's offer, which has been controversial at home.
Scientists Identify First Drug To Suppress Negative Memories. Through analysis of the human genome, Basel scientists have identified molecules and compounds that are related to human memory. In a subsequent pharmacological study with one of the identified compounds, the scientists found a drug-induced reduction of aversive memory.
Mountain mirrors to bring light to dark Norwegian town. (Reuters video) Three giant mirrors have been erected on a mountainside in Norway, to bring much needed sunlight to residents of a small town. The town is situated at the bottom of a narrow valley where the sun doesn't shine during the long Nordic winter, but its hoped the mirrors will change all that and bring its residents out of the shade and into the light.
Bill Gates deal boosts Spain's building sector US software billionaire Bill Gates has given Spain's ailing construction industry a boost by investing a small share of his �50 billion ($67 billion) fortune in Barcelona-based company Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC).
Global climate investment flatlines. The world invested almost a billion dollars a day in limiting global warming last year, but the total figure - $359 billion - was slightly down on last year, and barely half the $700 billion per year that the World Economic Forum has said is needed to tackle climate change.
Security Check Now Starts Long Before You Fly. The Transportation Security Administration is expanding its screening of passengers before they arrive at the airport by searching a wide array of government and private databases that can include records like car registrations and employment information.
VP Biden to Attend Mental Health Forum in Mass. Vice President Joe Biden planned to join Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy for a forum on policies that affect people with mental illness, intellectual disabilities or addiction.
Call Yourself A Hacker, Lose Your 4th Amendment Rights. The US District Court for the State of Idaho ruled that an ICS product developer's computer could be seized without him being notified or even heard from in court primarily because he states on his web site "we like hacking things and don't want to stop".
Jay Carney Walk Out (video) Press Secretary Jay Carney walks out on reporters asking questions about the healthcare.gov website on 10/22/2013
EU to resume membership talks with Turkey. European Union governments agreed on Tuesday (22 October) to hold a new round of accession talks with Turkey on 5 November, after Germany dropped its opposition voiced after Ankara's crackdown on anti-government protests earlier this year.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Spain ponders time zone switch Spanish lawmakers want to shift the country back a time zone and impose more healthy, family-friendly working hours: a tricky job in a land known for siestas and late-night partying.
Germany: Dogs overdose on drug-user poop Drug-users' excrement is making dogs in Berlin high. Vets in the capital are warning about an increase in the number of pets falling ill and being unable to walk properly after eating the faeces in the city's parks.
US spy agency targets French firms. Documents seen by French daily Le Monde say the US intelligence agency, the NSA, obtained over 70 million telephone records of French citizens within a 30-day period.
Smog Shuts Down Chinese City Of 11 Million Choking smog all but shut down one of northeastern China's largest cities on Monday, forcing schools to suspended classes, snarling traffic and closing the airport, in the country's first major air pollution crisis of the winter.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Mexico Tries Taxes to Combat Obesity Congress's lower house of Congress passed late Thursday a special tax on junk food that is seen as potentially the broadest of its kind, part of an ambitious Mexican government effort to contain runaway rates of obesity and diabetes.
Researcher: Finland needs a robotics policy. Finland should prepare for the effect robots will have on working life, say some experts in the field. They want to see a new policy on robotics and more emphasis on technology in schools.
Kenyan mall attack 'deception' continues as new terror suspect is revealed. After the initial wave to cover-up the suspicious activities surrounding the Kenyan mall siege last month , CNN in all its light shedding news, continues the fear campaign with new CCTV footage allegedly depicting Al-Shabab militiamen on a violent rampage throughout the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya... but what do you really see in the CNN London report on YouTube below?
Egypt: clashes as Mursi supporters barred from Cairo protest site. Security forces in Egypt have clashed with supporters of deposed Islamist President Mursi who were trying to reach the site of a former protest camp in Cairo. Many demonstrators were students from Al-Azhar University, which is in the same suburb as a mosque that was the scene of a pro-Mursi protest camp crushed by security forces in August.
Clinton sought Nawaz help to avert al Qaeda attack: document The US sought Pakistan's help in 1998 to prevent Osama bin Laden from launching an al Qaeda attack against it, with then President Bill Clinton asking Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to personally use his influence to prevail over the Taliban in averting the imminent strike.
Thousands protest in Romania against shale gas, gold mine. Thousands of Romanians protested on Saturday against plans by U.S. energy group Chevron to explore for shale gas in a poor eastern region and a Canadian company's project to set up Europe's biggest open cast gold mine in a Carpathian town.
New DHS Sec Johnson Signifies Push For a Civilian Army "There is risk in permitting and expecting the U.S. military to extend its powerful reach into areas traditionally reserved for civilian law enforcement in this country. The military should not and cannot be the only answer."
Housing protesters stay camped out in Rome Hundreds of people said Sunday they would stay camped out in central Rome in an unsanctioned protest to call for an end to austerity and evictions and for more affordable housing.
Why have young people in Japan stopped having sex? Japan's under-40s appear to be losing interest in conventional relationships. Millions aren't even dating, and increasing numbers can't be bothered with sex. For their government, "celibacy syndrome" is part of a looming national catastrophe.
Geoengineering of Our Oceans Now Legal With Purchase of Permit The amendments, adopted on Friday (18 October) by Parties to the 1996 Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, 1972, which states that "Contracting Parties shall not allow the placement of matter into the sea from vessels, aircraft, platforms or other man-made structures at sea for marine geoengineering activities listed in Annex 4, unless the listing provides that the activity or the sub-category of an activity may be authorized under a permit"
Tunisia: Rappers 'form trade union'. Rappers in Tunisia have formed a union in the face of a crackdown on using lyrics that criticise the authorities, it's reported.The National Rap Union will be linked to the General Confederation of Tunisian Workers, according to the US-government funded news site Magharebia.
NSA Hacked Email Account of Mexican President The NSA has been systematically eavesdropping on the Mexican government for years. It hacked into the president's public email account and gained deep insight into policymaking and the political system. The news is likely to hurt ties between the US and Mexico.
Slides reveal Canada's powerful espionage tool Security experts say that Canadian intelligence has developed a powerful spying tool to scope out and target specific phones and computers so as to better set up hacking and bugging operations. The outlines of the technology are contained in the slides of a PowerPoint presentation made to allied security agencies in June, 2012.
Libya could become an oil 'paradise': CEO In Libya , "everyone is going to be wealthy," says Eni CEO Paolo Scaroni. The multinational oil and gas company, headquartered in Italy, has more operations in Libya than any other driller in the world. Scaroni cites compelling statistics of what could be: "Five million people and 2 million barrels of oil (per day), which means that this country can be a paradise, and I am doubtful that Libyans will not catch this opportunity of becoming the new Abu Dhabi, or the new Qatar or the new Kuwait."
US quietly releases $1.6 bn in aid to Pakistan. The U.S. has quietly decided to release more than $1.6 billion in military and economic aid to Pakistan that was suspended when relations between the two countries disintegrated over the covert raid that killed Osama bin Laden and deadly U.S. airstrikes against Pakistani soldiers.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
4 in 5 in USA face near-poverty, no work. Four out of 5 U.S. adults struggle with joblessness, near-poverty or reliance on welfare for at least parts of their lives, a sign of deteriorating economic security and an elusive American dream.
Draghi asked EU to keep state aid rules for banks flexible. Banks that are still viable but need state aid to boost their capital base should be allowed to receive help without inflicting losses on their junior bondholders, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi told the European Commission.
Snowden Says He Took No Secret Files to Russia. Mr. Snowden said he gave all of the classified documents he had obtained to journalists he met in Hong Kong, before flying to Moscow, and did not keep any copies for himself. He did not take the files to Russia "because it wouldn't serve the public interest," he said.
Global hunt for parents of mystery girl found in Greece. (Euronews video) Greek police have launched an international search to establish the identity of a little girl found living with a Roma couple who are not her parents. They hope Interpol can help solve the mystery of the girl, aged around four, who was discovered in central Greece. Suspicions were aroused as she bore no resemblance to the two adults.
A plan to turn every lightbulb into an ultra-fast alternative to Wi-Fi Current wireless networks have a problem: The more popular they become, the slower they are. Researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai have just become the latest to demonstrate a technology that transmits data as light instead of radio waves, which gets around the congestion issue and could be ten times faster than traditional Wi-Fi.
Mexico Bans GMO Corn, Effective Immediately. After years of deliberation, a Mexico judge has placed an indefinite ban on genetically-engineered corn. Effective immediately, companies like Monsanto and DuPont/Pioneer will no longer be allowed to plant or sell their corn within the country's borders.
Electrical Grid Is Called Vulnerable to Power Shutdown. Over the past few months, the discoveries of two engineers have led to a steady trickle of alarms from the Department of Homeland Security concerning a threat to the nation's power grid. Yet hardly anyone has noticed. The advisories concern vulnerabilities in the communication protocol used by power and water utilities to remotely monitor control stations around the country. Using those vulnerabilities, an attacker at a single, unmanned power substation could inflict a widespread power outage.
U.K. Court Blocks WSJ Story on Rate Rigging. The publisher of the Wall Street Journal has pledged to fight an injunction preventing publication of the names of traders who may be implicated in the rate-rigging case involving the London interbank offered rate, or LIBOR.
EU hails 'landmark' Canada trade deal. EU and Canadian leaders have signed up to a trade agreement worth over �25 billion per year, in a deal seen by Brussels as the forerunner to a successful trade accord with the US.
Feds Sued for Hiding NSA Spying From Terror Defendants. "...The reason federal prosecutors are keeping mum, and perhaps violating federal rules requiring the government to tell defendants where evidence was obtained, is because such a concession would pave the way for a challenge to the constitutionality of the surveillance tactics, which Congress approved in 2008 and then again in December...."
Europe Moves to Shield Citizens' Data. Lawmakers here have introduced a measure in the European Parliament that could require American companies like Google and Yahoo to seek clearance from European officials before complying with United States warrants seeking private data.
Barroso pelted with eggs in Belgian debate. Commission President José Manuel Barroso was pelted with eggs by youths who blamed him for austerity policies and the death of migrants in Lampedusa, during a debate on Europe's future in Liège, Belgium.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Game changer: Swiss banks ditch secrecy Switzerland, the world's largest offshore wealth center, worth an estimated $2.2 trillion in assets, has signed an agreement to share financial information with nearly 60 other countries, which could completely change the country's financial landscape.
Documents reveal NSA's extensive involvement in targeted killing program. "....The U.S. government has never publicly acknowledged killing Ghul. But documents provided to The Washington Post by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden confirm his demise in October 2012 and reveal the agency's extensive involvement in the targeted killing program that has served as a centerpiece of President Obama's counterterrorism strategy...."
Chinese agency downgrades US credit rating A Chinese ratings agency downgraded its US sovereign credit rating Thursday despite Washington's resolution of the debt ceiling deadlock, warning that fundamentals for a potential default remained "unchanged".
Government Efforts to Keep Use of Surveillance Secret from Drug Defendants Challenged. It was reported a couple months ago that the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had a secret unit, which was collecting information from informants, intercepts, wiretaps and a huge database of phone records and sending the information to authorities in the country for criminal investigations. However, law enforcement were given instructions on how to conceal how the investigations were started.
ATF's prescription for leaking secrets: A firing squad? After months of anguished debate over mass shootings, gun control and Second Amendment rights, the Justice Department finds itself on the defensive after a training manual surfaced that suggests federal agents could face a firing squad for leaking government secrets.
U.S. military sets up Italian base network for African action The U.S. deployment of 200 Marines to a naval base in Sicily for possible operations in Libya, a short hop across the Mediterranean, underlines how the Americans have been building a network of bases in Italy as launch pads for military interventions in Africa and the Mideast.
Putin Builds North Korea Rail to Circumvent Suez Canal. Russia last month completed the first land link that North Korea’s Stalinist regime has allowed to the outside world since 2003. Running between Khasan in Russia’s southeastern corner and North Korea’s rebuilt port of Rajin, the 54-kilometer rail link is part of a project President Putin is pushing that would reunite the railway systems of the two Koreas and tie them to the Trans-Siberian Railway.
Parkinson's drug 'caused' pensioner's gambling Marchetti was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2005 and prescribed the drug, which affects nerves in the brain. The UK's National Health Service (NHS) says that one in every 100 people that take Mirapexin, which is produced by German firm Boehringer Ingelheim, can experience behavioural changes, including an urge to gambling.
Dutch internet users are becoming more choosy. While social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are still attracting more users, there is a corresponding rise in inactive users as well, the research showed. Only Facebook is being actively used more in 2013 than last year.
Fingerprints in European passports legal – EU court The European Union's highest court rejected on Thursday a German man's challenge to the inclusion of his fingerprints in his passport, saying such data helped to prevent identity fraud and to curb illegal immigration.
Chantix Does Not Increase Depression Risk? A Pfizer Study Says Yes. Faced with declining sales of its controversial Chantix quit-smoking pill, Pfizer has undertaken various educational and promotional efforts to revive its fortunes. And as part of the plan, the drugmaker funded a study that found people with a history of depression were no more likely to become depressed or have suicidal thoughts than those given a placebo
2009: Negative Reactions Mystify Electronic Cigarette Owners. "...ASH, one of the loudest opponents to electronic cigarettes and often a source of exaggerated or false propaganda, reportedly receives huge contributions from Pfizer Inc., the maker of numerous nicotine replacement drugs designed to assist smokers with quitting cigarettes. One of their products is Chantix, already known by the FDA to have been related to 78 deaths, 28 of which were suicides. Yet, the FDA has not banned that particular smoking cessation product and is going after electronic cigarettes, which have thus far not had any reported adverse effects or related deaths..."
2001: MAPS/NORML Study Shows Vaporizers Reduce Toxins in Marijuana Smoke. Medical marijuana patients may be able to protect themselves from harmful toxins in marijuana smoke by inhaling their medicine using an electric vaporizer, according to initial results of a study by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and California NORML. Research expenditures to date are roughly $50,000.
Chase Bank Limits Cash Withdrawals, Bans International Wire Transfers Chase Bank has moved to limit cash withdrawals while banning business customers from sending international wire transfers from November 17 onwards, prompting speculation that the bank is preparing for a looming financial crisis in the United States by imposing capital controls.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
France to increase troops in Central African Republic. France will boost its troop presence in the Central African Republic by the end of the year under a forthcoming U.N. resolution to help prevent the country from spiralling out of control, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Sunday.
How the banks plan to crash: the brutal rampage of all time (translation) On Tuesday, the EU finance ministers will decide on the next steps for a banking union. The way is clear for the large self-destruction of the world financial system. The international banks will benefit from the crash in unimaginable ways. Everything is paid by the bank customers and taxpayers. The incredible here is that the far-reaching expropriation will be completely legal.
Fukushima braces for strongest typhoon in 10 years. According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency, typhoon WItha, which has an atmospheric pressure of 945 hectopascals at its center, will bring strong winds and periods of rain that will drop up to 400 millimeters of rain in various parts of the country.
Greenwald Claims Threats from US and UK. Glenn Greenwald hinted to the fact that he's been threatened by the United States and United Kingdom during an interview for Radio France Internationale (RFI). The journalist also shared several other important tidbits about the upcoming reports, such as the fact that the scope of the NSA's spying practices in France are enormous, and that the French government is actually complicit.
Hollywood Ponders Movie on Book About Snowden. For more than a week, Hollywood has been exploring what could be one of the most difficult nonfiction projects it has ever tried: a proposed film based on the journalist Glenn Greenwald's planned book about Edward J. Snowden, the fugitive whistle-blower.
EU leaders start looking for the next Barroso. Unlike in previous years, this time around leaders will have to hold "appropriate consultations" with the European Parliament on the nomination and take into account the result of the May 2014 EU elections.
Public access barred at Newtown school demolition Contractors demolishing Sandy Hook Elementary School are being required to sign confidentiality agreements forbidding public discussion of the site, photographs or disclosure of any information about the building where 26 people were fatally shot last December.
"De helft van alle winkels draait met verlies" Bijna de helft (48 procent) van de winkeliers maakt op dit moment verlies. Vooral bedrijven die zich richten op andere producten dan voedsel hebben het zwaar. Dat schrijft De Telegraaf op basis van berekeningen van Alfa Accountants. Zowel zelfstandige ondernemers als winkelketens zitten vaak in de rode cijfers
Sinaloa Cartel Runs The Chicago Drug Game Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the kingpin of the Sinaloa Cartel, owns the Chicago-area drug game. Sinaloa members have embedded themselves in the city's robust Hispanic population, employing tens of thousands of local gang members to push all kinds of drugs in the streets.
NSA collects millions of e-mail address books globally. The National Security Agency is harvesting hundreds of millions of contact lists from personal e-mail and instant messaging accounts around the world, many of them belonging to Americans, according to senior intelligence officials and top-secret documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Comms giant pushes anti-spy network Germany's biggest communications company, Deutsche Telekom, has put forward plans for the country to use German only connections in a bid to combat the threat of foreign spy agencies and hackers.
Russian authorities to green light bank cards. In order to reduce the volume of cash payments, the Russian Ministry of Finance has drafted a bill requiring retailers with more than 60 million rubles ($1.8 million) in annual sales to install POS terminals equipped to process bank cards.
Brazil whacks PRISM with secure email plan A week after joining a consortium calling for the USA's currently cold, dead, fingers to be pried off the internet's internal machinery, Brazil has announced that it will develop a secure e-mail system to try and protect its government-level communications against American spying.
Paris Autolib' electric cars go up in smoke Two vehicles from Paris's flagship fleet of electric cars were reduced to ashes in the middle of the street on Monday after one exploded as it was charging. Luckily no one was in the cars at the time. The dramatic explosion was caught on camera
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Sweden 'worked with USA on FRA law' British investigative journalist Duncan Campbell has claimed Sweden collaborated with the USA on the internet monitoring FRA law and that the country is on the same level of surveillance as Israel.
Everyone The U.S. Government Owes Money To, In One Graph If Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling soon, the U.S. government won't be able to pay its debts. Here's who the government owes money to � all the holders of U.S. Treasury debt, broken down by category and by how much government debt they hold.
Denver floats new rules that could make even the odor of pot a crime The ordinance, being introduced at a committee meeting Monday in advance of the legalization of retail pot sales in January, would specifically ban marijuana from parks and the 16th Street Mall. It also would prohibit smoking on private property if it is visible to the public, such as on a front porch or in a car, or if the odor of pot could be detected from a neighboring property
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Brunei is America's East Pacific Cash Cow and Military Base Although Obama always enjoys visiting Indonesia, the country of his childhood, it was the cancellation of Obama's planned trip to the oil-rich Sultanate of Brunei that not only prevented Obama from being hosted by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the world's wealthiest men, but prevented him from cementing ties with a nation that enjoys a special relationship with the United States, particularly the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency...
A world with endless energy resources? Possibly Is it possible to live in a world with endless energy resources. Science says - yes. For the first time, self-sustaining nuclear fusion may be one step closer to reality as scientist have created more fusion energy than consumed by the fuel to drive the process.
Why the FBI Can't Get Its Hands on Silk Road Kingpin's $80 Million Hoard. So why can't the FBI get its hands on the money? The reason has to do with the design of bitcoins themselves. A bitcoin cannot be transferred from one user to another without the first users "private key," or password to verify the transaction. Unless Ulbricht hands over his password, the FBI will be unable take possession of the money.
Another quake jolts Balochistan An earthquake was felt in several areas of Balochistan on Saturday. The epicenter of the 5.1 earthquake was 80 kilometres southwest of Khuzdar.
Soros: Merkel to Blame For Golden Dawn. Among other issues, he stated that "The consequences of the German politics is the emergence of far-right parties like Golden Dawn in Greece ... the situation arisen from the European crisis is neither stable nor tolerated." That buttressed the opinion of analysts who said that harsh austerity measures imposed in Greece, with Germany's insistence, created the conditions that allowed the neo-Nazi party to rise.
Syrian rebels accused of killing hundreds of civilians. Syrian rebels killed at least 190 civilians and took more than 200 hostage during an offensive in Latakia province in August, Human Rights Watch said on Friday, in what it calls the first evidence of crimes against humanity by opposition forces.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Google Chrome's cache makes data easy to steal. The flaw comes into play anytime you type personal information into webforms at trusted websites or directly into the Chrome browser address bar. Researchers found that Chrome's caching mechanism routinely stores names, e-mail addresses, street addresses, phone numbers, bank account numbers, social security numbers and credit card numbers directly onto your hard drive in plain text -- without your knowledge or consent.
Several top websites use device fingerprinting to secretly track users. A new study by KU Leuven-iMinds researchers has uncovered that 145 of the Internet's 10,000 top websites track users without their knowledge or consent. The websites use hidden scripts to extract a device fingerprint from users' browsers. Device fingerprinting circumvents legal restrictions imposed on the use of cookies and ignores the Do Not Track HTTP header. The findings suggest that secret tracking is more widespread than previously thought.
Inside Silk Road's drug market: U.S. pot and cocaine are cheap Last week, the FBI busted the Silk Road website, a massive black market that specialized in the anonymous sale of drugs. But a month before the feds shut down the highly secretive network, a computer savvy Australian startup called The Price Geek harvested data on the two most popular items for sale on Silk Road: cocaine and marijuana.
C.I.A. Warning on Snowden in '09 Said to Slip Through the Cracks. Just as Edward J. Snowden was preparing to leave Geneva and a job as a C.I.A. technician in 2009, his supervisor wrote a derogatory report in his personnel file, noting a distinct change in the young man's behavior and work habits, as well as a troubling suspicion.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Could Silk Road have been a legal website? Silk Road's marketplace clearly dealt in illicit goods, but we'd be kidding ourselves if we believed executives running perfectly legal digital services weren't aware that their services can be � and are � used for illegal activity. But that still doesn't make anyone liable.
Hollywood A-listers join Sir Elton John in honoring Hillary Clinton. What unites the glitterati is one Hillary Rodham Clinton. These stars and dozens more have come together with Sir Elton John to host a black-tie benefit next week for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, where the former secretary of state and possible future president will be feted with the foundation's first ever Founder's Award.
Glenn Greenwald to publish Snowden leaks on France and Spain. Brazil-based US reporter Glenn Greenwald said Wednesday he would publish documents from intelligence leaker Edward Snowden focused on France and Spain. Greenwald, a Rio-based correspondent for Britain's Guardian newspaper, also said that if Brazil wanted more data on alleged US snooping into its affairs it should offer Snowden asylum.
Germans are poorer than Italians and French Germans are poorer than Italians and the French, despite living in Europe's biggest economy and bailing out struggling southern European countries. The average wealth of German households is lower than both French and Italian ones, a report released on Wednesday by bank Credit Suisse said.
aangirfan: Miriam Carey - Gladio Terror Operation "Tony Ryals (wolfblitzzer0) relates that the alleged father of Miriam Carey's baby is Eric Francis, aged 54. Tony writes: "As for as I can see every wild rumor about Miriam emanates from him... He has a 'business' in Connecticut called hoodct.com that claims to sell 'kitchen hoods' ... Miriam was listed as 'sales manager' at the hoodct.com even though the mass media blocks that out of their coverage. And hoodct.com seems to have given $57,000 or so to the Travon Martin Foundation - one of Barack Obama's favorite causes aside from Sandy Hook..."
$2 Billion NSA Spy Center is Going Up in Flames. Technical glitches have sparked fiery explosions within the NSA's newest and largest data storage facility in Utah, destroying hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, and delaying the facility's opening by one year.
Hedegaard: More 2030 climate targets would be 'wise'. The EU's climate commissioner, Connie Hedegaard, has delivered a robust defence of EU climate policy and the need for ambitions to be raised higher than just one carbon dioxide emissions reduction target for 2030.
Wednesday, October 09, 2013
Brazil's Second Largest Oil Company On Verge Of Latin America's Biggest Corporate Bankruptcy Filing. "...When on October 1, fallen billionaire Eike Batista's OGX Petroleo & Gas, missed a $45 million bond coupon payment, some were surprised but most had seen the writing on the wall. After all, Brazil's second largest oil company after Petrobras, and the crowning jewel of Batista's EBX Group, had been under the microscope of investors and certainly creditors (and if it wasn't it certainly should have been) after oil deposits that Batista had valued at $1 trillion turned out to be commercial failures. And so the countdown to the inevitable bankruptcy filing began..."
Last Hours for Humanity? "...Internationally syndicated talk show host and bestselling author Thom Hartmann released a devastatingly powerful new film, Last Hours. A jolting wake-up call for humanity, this 10-minute film describes a terrifying science-based scenario where runaway climate change is triggered by massive releases of frozen methane. Here's the devastating part: The melting of these trillions of tons of carbon is already underway..."
Privacy in 2013: Politie aan de deur na WhatsApp-bericht. Een man uit Sittard kreeg de politie aan de deur nadat hij in een WhatsApp-bericht aan zijn vader het woord bom had gebruikt in combinatie met een voetbalwedstrijd van Fortuna-MVV. Hij werd vorige week opgewacht door de politie toe hij thuiskwam.
Norway study promises Alzheimer's cure Norwegian and British researchers believe they have made a major breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimer's, after a study showed that high doses of B vitamins can reduce brain shrinkage by up to 90 percent.
White House, IRS exchanged confidential taxpayer info. Top Internal Revenue Service Obamacare official Sarah Hall Ingram discussed confidential taxpayer information with senior Obama White House officials, according to 2012 emails obtained by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and provided to The Daily Caller.
Has Big Brother arrived in Belgium? A new royal decree is courting controversy after it became clear that it will oblige telecom operators to stock all kinds of details of our telephone, internet and email traffic. Belgian cabinet ministers concede that the decree goes further than the relevant Euro law, but insist that they are determined to provide Belgian police and judges with the instruments to do a proper job.
Chocolate Meltdown: The world will run out of cocoa by 2020 The world will run out of cocoa - the basic ingredient of chocolate - within the next seven years due to pressures of rising global demand, experts have warned. Industry experts who met at the British Library in London last week have even predicted the exact date of the impending meltdown - October 2, 2020
UK: Passenger lands plane at Humberside Airport after pilot falls ill. A passenger has landed an aeroplane at Humberside Airport after the pilot fell ill at the controls. Police, fire and ambulance crews were called to the airport after the pilot collapsed and a distress call was made from the light aircraft. Two flying instructors were called in to advise the passenger how to bring the plane down.
aangirfan: Miriam Carey - MK Ultra The security services were carrying out a drill at the time of this 3 October 2013 shooting. "Capital Shield 2014 is a joint training exercise in the National Capital Region that runs from Sept. 30 thru Oct. 3, 2013, and is hosted by the Joint Force Headquarters - National Capital Region."
Van Rompuy flags two million buildings efficiency jobs by 2020. The president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, will today (9 October) call for a strategy to provide long-term emissions-cutting and money-saving deep renovations to Europe's ageing building stock, saying that it could create two million jobs.
Zapping the Brain Makes People Obey Social Norms. From dress codes to anti-incest laws, all human societies have social norms that specify how people should behave in various situations. Scientists have now shown that a zap of electricity to the brain can influence whether people choose to comply with these norms or not.
Tuesday, October 08, 2013
Chevron May Get to Finance TAPI Pipeline American energy major Chevron may lead a consortium that will finance and run the transnational TAPI pipeline, according to a report published in Pakistani newspaper Express Tribune.
Nuclear fusion milestone passed at US lab. Harnessing fusion - the process that powers the Sun - could provide an unlimited and cheap source of energy. But to be viable, fusion power plants would have to produce more energy than they consume, which has proven elusive. Now, a breakthrough by scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) could boost hopes of scaling up fusion.
U.S. credit rating again in danger of downgrade. The three main credit rating agencies have all warned, in varying degrees, the United States rating could be cut should it hit an expected October 17 deadline when Washington is set to run out of cash, endangering its ability to pay its debt.
FBI Accused of Using No-Fly List to Recruit Informants Is this the beginning of the end for the federal government's no-fly list? Just weeks after federal Judge Anna J. Brown of Portland, Oregon, refused to dismiss an ACLU suit against the list because there is "a constitutionally-protected liberty interest in traveling internationally by air which is affected by being placed on the list," a separate lawsuit alleges that the FBI has been placing Muslims on the list "in retaliation for their refusal to work as informants against their communities and submit to questioning."
New Air Force Planes Go Directly to 'Boneyard'. New cargo planes on order for the U.S. Air Force are being delivered straight into storage in the Arizona desert because the military has no use for them, a Dayton Daily News investigation found.
Russia to Grab Pension Money, Temporarily Russia's government is temporarily seizing $7.6 billion in savings from non-state pension funds while it carries out inspections, a move critics say looks like a "confiscation" aimed at plugging a hole in next year's state budget.
EU legal services call for rethink of banking union blueprint. A proposed agency with sweeping powers to close failing banks in the European Union would violate the bloc's founding treaties and must have its authority narrowed or shared with a core EU institution, according to a legal opinion from the EU Council of Ministers dated 7 October.
Europe warned: Climate change will bring more Lampedusas. Voices from across the developing world are warning EU leaders that a failure to reduce CO2 emissions and respect funding commitments for projects to mitigate and adapt to global warming will lead to more climate refugees, and more tragedies like the one in Lampedusa.
Monday, October 07, 2013
Former Greek defence minister found guilty of corruption. (Euronews video) The court heard that Tsochatzopoulos, who held the defence portfolio in the PASOK government between 1996 and 2001 set up a complex money laundering scheme. It was used to cover a trail of millions of euros in bribes for government defence procurement including the purchase of German submarines and Russian anti-aircraft systems.H
Google Patents Method For Splitting Restaurant Bill & Other Shared Expenses "When the group incurs a bill, typically one of the group members will pay the bill out of convenience and expects to be paid back by the other group members," the inventors, Google employees, explain in the patent. "However, some group members may not pay back their entire share of the bill or may forget and not pay back their share at all. This is unfair for the group member that paid the bill. Thus, there is a need in the art for an efficient way to track group expenditures and settle balances between group members."
Pharmaceutical firms paid to attend meetings of panel that advises FDA, e-mails show. A scientific panel that shaped the federal government's policy for testing the safety and effectiveness of painkillers was funded by major pharmaceutical companies that paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for the chance to affect the thinking of the Food and Drug Administration, according to hundreds of e-mails obtained by a public records request.
Greece: Labor Ministry contemplates confiscations The Labor and Social Insurance Ministry is seriously considering drastic measures in order to obtain the social security contributions owed by enterprises and to avoid having to slash pensions and benefits. The ministry is planning to force companies to pay up or face having their assets seized, so that the 14 billion euros of contributions due can be recouped.
Families hoard cash 5 years after crisis. An Associated Press analysis of households in the 10 biggest economies shows that families continue to spend cautiously and have pulled hundreds of billions of dollars out of stocks, cut borrowing for the first time in decades and poured money into savings and bonds that offer puny interest payments, often too low to keep up with inflation.
Sunday, October 06, 2013
Global Emissions Plan for Airlines Gets First UN Approval. The International Civil Aviation Organization's assembly of nations from the U.S. to Russia and the European Union today agreed to complete a plan in the next three years for a market to start in 2020. The accord for airlines, responsible for 2 percent of pollution worldwide, is unprecedented for a single global industry.
Bigfoot is real, research teams claim. (video) A team of Sasquatch researchers screened what it called "never before seen HD video" of Bigfoot on Tuesday. During a news conference, they played several short clips that purported to show various human-like, hairy figures moving about in wooded areas in Kentucky.
Alleged 'Anonymous' members charged in cyberhacking conspiracy. Thirteen alleged members of the cyberhacking group "Anonymous" have been indicted by a federal grand jury in suburban Washington, accused of targeting governmental entities, trade associations, individuals, law firms, and financial institutions starting in 2010.
Elon Musk Writes A Letter To Customers Explaining How That Tesla Caught On Fire ".....The nationwide driving statistics make this very clear: there are 150,000 car fires per year according to the National Fire Protection Association, and Americans drive about 3 trillion miles per year according to the Department of Transportation. That equates to 1 vehicle fire for every 20 million miles driven, compared to 1 fire in over 100 million miles for Tesla. This means you are 5 times more likely to experience a fire in a conventional gasoline car than a Tesla!.."
Al-Libi Captured Anas Al-Libi was a top Al-Qaeda commander who lived in Manchester in the UK from 1995-2000.
Hedge Funds Used Obscure Bond Bet to Win in GM Bankruptcy. General Motors Corp. (GM)'s bankruptcy, which wiped out shareholders and left taxpayers on the hook for billions of dollars, is generating a new wave of profit for hedge funds that supersized their claim by betting on an obscure pool of GM debt issued in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
Gates Foundation biggest donor in US Giving in the United States by private and community foundations reached an estimated $50.9 billion in 2012, growing just ahead of inflation, a report released on Tuesday by the Foundation Center showed.
China pays 2 million to monitor Internet China is employing two million people to keep tabs on people's Internet use, according to state media, in a rare glimpse into the secret world of Beijing's vast online surveillance operation.
Saturday, October 05, 2013
UN aviation body reaches consensus on emissions deal. The UN's civil aviation body reached consensus on 3 October for a roadmap to decide to create a market-based scheme curbing aviation emissions by 2020, but rejected an EU proposal allowing it to apply its Emissions Trading System (ETS) to foreign airlines in the interim.
DOJ Hasn't Actually Found Silk Road Founder's Bitcoin Yet. Instead, they're actually from Silk Road's users. In other words, these were Bitcoins stored with user accounts on Silk Road. Ulbricht's actual wallet is separate from that, and was apparently encrypted, so it would appear that the FBI does not have them, nor does it have any way of getting at them just yet.
ESM Chief Regling: Greece Will Need Third Bailout Package Greece might need a third aid package as soon as next year, Klaus Regling told a German paper Friday. But the head of the ESM permanent bailout fund is much more optimistic about the situation in Portugal and elsewhere in the euro zone.
NSA using Firefox flaw to snoop on Tor users An NSA presentation released by Edward Snowden contains mixed news for Tor users. The anonymizing service itself appears to have foxed US and UK government snoops, but instead they are using a zero-day flaw in the Firefox browser bundled with Tor to track users.
German intelligence service is as bad as the NSA. The German intelligence service – the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) – to name an example close to home, does exactly the same thing as the NSA abroad and it does so within a similar legal framework.
Singles ontmoeten elkaar naakt in nieuwe datingshow "....Volgens directeur Reinout Oerlemans is het datingprogramma een niets verhullend experiment, ontdaan van alle materialistische zaken. "In een tijd waarin iedereen zich het liefst verbergt achter een masker van stoere status-updates, geven de singles in 'Adam zkt. Eva' zich juist letterlijk bloot. Meer back-to-basic dan dit wordt een eerste date niet."
US shutdown puts free trade talks with EU in impasse The United States has no choice but to delay negotiations over a major free trade deal with countries in the European Union because of the partial federal government shutdown, the Obama administration has said
Lavabit's Levison's Really Bad Call. "How as a small business do you hire the lawyers to appeal this and change public opinion to get the laws changed when Congress doesn't even know what is going on?"
The Woman Who Knows the NSA's Secrets Long before Edward Snowden leaked documents showing that the government was collecting every American's phone records, Marcy Wheeler knew something fishy was going on. She was one of just a handful of people who in 2009 suspected that the government was using the USA Patriot Act to collect Americans' personal records in bulk. On June 5, 2013, Snowden proved her right.
Apple drops trademark case against family cafe Electronics giant Apple has dropped its case against an independent café in west Germany in a row over using the fruit as a logo. It gave no reason for suddenly ending the pursuit of Bonn-based cafe Apfelkind.
Friday, October 04, 2013
NSA and GCHQ target Tor network that protects anonymity of web users. Top-secret NSA documents, disclosed by whistleblower Edward Snowden, reveal that the agency's current successes against Tor rely on identifying users and then attacking vulnerable software on their computers. One technique developed by the agency targeted the Firefox web browser used with Tor, giving the agency full control over targets' computers, including access to files, all keystrokes and all online activity.
US Banks Stuffing ATMs With 20-30% More Cash In Case Of Panicked Withdrawals. The FT reports that "two of the country's 10 biggest banks said they were putting into place a "playbook" used in August 2011 when the government last came close to breaching the debt ceiling. One senior executive said his bank was delivering 20-30 per cent more cash than usual in case panicked customers tried to withdraw funds en masse.
Snowden's Father and U.S. Lawyer Part Ways. U.S. lawyer Bruce Fein dropped Lon Snowden for "continually forfeiting the attorney-client privilege in communication, which Mr. Fein believes jeopardized Ed [Snowden] and his case," said Mattie Fein, Bruce Fein's wife and partner in their law firm.
Israel and GCC states reported mulling anti-Iran pact Israel, alarmed at the prospect of a U.S.-Iranian rapprochement, is reported to be discussing the possibility of an anti-Iran alliance with longtime Arab adversaries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, a project that could have immense ramifications in the Middle East.
Pentagon spent $5.5bn only hours before govt shutdown As clocks at the Pentagon approached midnight late Monday evening and inched America towards a government shutdown, the United States Department of Defense spent $5.5 billion dollars on an arsenal of items ordered at the last minute by Uncle Sam.
Gouda verplicht 5-jarigen thuis de afwas te doen Kinderen vanaf 5 jaar moeten in de gemeente Gouda verplicht hun zorgbehoevende ouders helpen in de huishouding. Mensen met thuiswonende kinderen komen niet meer in aanmerking voor hulp in de huishouding, meldt het AD.
Switzerland to Launch 'Janitor' Satellite to Collect 370,000 Pieces of Space Junk From Earth's Orbit. Space junk is an ongoing problem for the world's space administrations as decades worth of satellite launches and space missions have filled the Earth's orbit with trash such as fuel tanks, lost tools and parts of derelict satellites. In order to combat this growing hazard and to avoid potentially devastating collisions, the Swiss Space Center at EPFL has launched CleanSpace One, a project to develop and build the first installment of satellites designed specifically to clean up space debris.
Turkey highly likely to sign Chinese missile deal. Turkey is likely to sign a $3.4 billion missile defence deal with a Chinese firm under U.S. sanctions, a senior official said on Thursday, a proposal that is already straining relations with Washington.
John McAfee On Obamacare: "This Is A Hacker's Wet Dream". (video) ...So, I will predict that the loss of income for the millions of Americans who are going to lose their identities -- I mean, you can imagine some retired lady in Utah, who has $75,000 dollars in the bank, saving her whole life, having it wiped out one day because she signed up for Obamacare. And believe me, this is going to happen millions of times..."
In Test Project, N.S.A. Tracked Cellphone Locations. The National Security Agency conducted a secret pilot project in 2010 and 2011 to test the collection of bulk data about the location of Americans' cellphones, but the agency never moved ahead with such a program, according to intelligence officials.
Pakistan may face sanctions over gas pipeline with Iran: US Pakistan could face tough US sanctions if it goes ahead with the multi-billion Iran-Pak gas pipeline, a top American diplomat has said. The Obama Administration is having discussions in this regard with Pakistan, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Windy Sherman told lawmakers at a Congressional hearing.
EU launches anti-trust case against Gazprom. Speaking at an event to mark European Competition Day in Lithuanian capital Vilnius, EU competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia confirmed that the EU executive had started to draw up a formal charge sheet against the firm.
Federalists table 'Treaty of Bozar'. The federalist Spinelli Group and German think tank Bertelsmann Stiftung launched yesterday (3 October) a proposal for a reform of the Treaty of Lisbon in the form of a draft treaty called 'A Fundamental Law of the European Union'.
Fracking Wastewater Radioactive and Contaminated, Study Finds. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, extracts oil and gas from deep underground by injecting water into the ground and breaking the rocks in which the valuable hydrocarbons are trapped. But it also produces wastewater high in certain contaminants � and which may be radioactive.
Wednesday, October 02, 2013
McCain scolds Holder for meeting with JPMorgan chief In a letter on Monday, McCain expressed his concern about last week's meeting and urged Holder to act swiftly to hold individuals at the bank accountable for its handling of mortgage-backed securities ahead of the 2008 financial crisis.
Data Broker Hackers Also Compromised NW3C The same miscreants responsible for breaking into the networks of America's top consumer and business data brokers appear to have also infiltrated and stolen huge amounts of data from the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), a congressionally-funded non-profit organization that provides training, investigative support and research to agencies and entities involved in the prevention, investigation and prosecution of cybercrime.
De NSA weet dankzij TomTom precies waar je bent We wisten dat er recentelijk al verkeersinformatie van TomTom werd doorgespeeld aan de Nederlandse politie, maar dat de NSA ook door de routegegevens van TomTom-gebruikers wereldwijd kan grasduinen is nieuw.
Iranian Hackers infiltrated US Navy computers The Wall Street Journal reported that Iranian hackers have successfully penetrated unclassified US Navy computers, the allegations were made by US officials that consider the attacks a serious intrusion within the Government network.
BitTorrent trialling P2P secure messaging BitTorrent wants to (a) take another step towards either respectability, or (b) take itself further outside the mainstream by defying Uncle Sam (take your pick), announcing that it's trialling a secure, serverless messaging application.
FBI shuts alleged online drug marketplace Silk Road. U.S. law enforcement authorities have shut down Silk Road, the web marketplace for illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine as well as criminal activities including murder for hire, and arrested its alleged owner, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Wednesday.
'France is treating wine makers like drug dealers' A French government plan to include reinforced health warnings for wine has gone down the wrong way with the country's wine industry chiefs. The head of the Bordeaux wine association tells The Local why the government's plan is akin to treating them like "drug dealers".
Google Glass warned to look out for Japan. Seiko Epson is creating a new form of wearable computer technology -- similar to that under development by Google Glass -- but which will be 'far superior' to the US-based multinational company's product, the Japanese corporation's president told EurActiv in an interview.
Tuesday, October 01, 2013
US-led airstrike hits east Afghanistan. An Afghan army source said "the warplanes of the NATO-led coalition forces pounded a militant hideout in Koh-Band area of Muqur District" during the early hours of Monday
Training people to fight terrorism at grassroots Secretary of State John Kerry, in a Friday speech to the Global Counterterrorism Ministerial Forum, unveiled a new U.S. initiative to address the root causes of violent extremism. The United States will increase its contribution to the Global Counterterrorism Forum, and create two training centers to help train people in fighting terror attacks: one center � the Center for Excellence in Countering Violent Extremism -- is already open in Abu Dhabi, and a second, called the International Institute of Justice and the Rule of Law, will open in Malta next year.
Israel arrests Belgian citizen for 'spying for Iran'. A Belgian citizen has been arrested in Israel on suspicion of spying on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The man, Alex Mans, was arrested two weeks ago, but the Israeli government kept the incident under wraps until Sunday.
Obama waives ban on aiding regimes that use child soldiers. President Obama determined that it is once again in the national interest of the United States to waive a provision of a law against aiding regimes that use child soldiers to provide non-lethal assistance and peace-keeping support to several African countries.
Venezuela expels top U.S. diplomat for fomenting 'sabotage'. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday he was expelling the top U.S. diplomat in the South American nation and two others, accusing them of meeting with opposition leaders and encouraging "acts of sabotage" against his country.
Swiss military simulates French attack The Swiss army carried out a military exercise in August based on the premise of an attack by a fractured, financially stricken France, according to a Lausanne-based daily.
Public Figures Nominate Putin for 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. Russian activists and lawmakers announced Tuesday that they plan to nominate Russian President Vladimir Putin for the Nobel Peace Prize. Supporters of the initiative say they want to see the Russian leader recognized for his efforts in mediating the ongoing civil war in Syria.
EU opens case against Spain over 'sun tax' plans Spain's controversial new energy laws have prompted Brussels to open a case against it for failing to explain how it intends to meet its 2020 target of generating 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources.
Norway to air five-hour 'slow TV' knitting show It will certainly have more than enough of twists and turns, but it may not make much of a thriller. Norway's state television channel is to broadcast an evening-long programme featuring a group of eight people knitting.
France's positive jobs data was down to a 'bug' When France released figures last week revealing the number of jobless people had fallen for the first time in two years in August, they were met with a certain amount of scepticism. It turns out the sceptics were right all along
People must pay the full cost of water, says EEA. As the UN marks the anniversary of the decision to make the right to water legally binding, the European Environment Agency has called for governments to charge the full price for water, to cut down waste.
Caribbean states seek slavery reparations from Europe. Fourteen Caribbean nations are seeking reparations from Britain, France and the Netherlands for over 400 years of slavery brought to their islands by the former colonial powers. Caribbean leaders made their case at the United Nations' general assembly last week.
FDA approves a new antidepressant: Brintellix The Food and Drug Administration late Monday approved a new antidepressant medication that is a novel variant on the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, that have become the mainstay of depression treatment.
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