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Jean-Claude Juncker: everyone loses as Europe struggles to fix a fiasco

Anonymous 0 News 6:11 AM

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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3WoavSQ1fBI/U5O4BGLYZEI/AAAAAAAAAss/MMYUcmVps7E/s1600/BELGIUM-EU-SUMMIT-FINANCE-011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3WoavSQ1fBI/U5O4BGLYZEI/AAAAAAAAAss/MMYUcmVps7E/s1600/BELGIUM-EU-SUMMIT-FINANCE-011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jean-Claude Juncker talks to Angela Merkel prior to the start of an EU summit in Brussels on 18 October 2012. Photograph: AFP.</span></div>
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	    Around the corner from Belgium's royal palace, Number 17 Rue 
Ducale is a splendid 19th-century Brussels mansion, if a bit bombastic. 
Recently refurbished, the roomy palais is the official residence of Ivan
 Rogers, David Cameron's former summit sherpa and, since November, Britain's ambassador to the EU.<br />
<br />
Rogers
 keeps a modest apartment within the larger property. And it is here 
where Cameron sleeps after the EU summits during his premiership and 
which drag on into the wee hours.<br />
<br />
On Wednesday night at midnight, after dining with Barack Obama and five other western leaders, Cameron repaired to the palais to receive an unusual visitor, the most powerful person in Europe. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany
 needed to talk to Cameron about Jean-Claude Juncker, the embodiment of a
 new crisis which has suddenly seized Europe in the wake of a tumultuous
 European parliament election.<br />
<br />
For Cameron, the chain-smoking 
Luxembourger who enjoys a G&T, personifies all that is wrong with 
Europe. For Merkel, Juncker is also a liability, a fellow Christian 
Democrat she has been outwitted into reluctantly supporting for the top 
job in Brussels later this year.<br />
<br />
Merkel left Rue Ducale after 1am,
 her powers of persuasion failing for once. There was no deal. Both 
leaders look like losers, at least for now, having blundered into a 
dispute which may well escalate into a  constitutional crisis in the EU.<br />
<br />
Shifting
 from the heart of Brussels to the estate of a Swedish government summer
 retreat, Cameron and Merkel will have another go at solving the Juncker
 puzzle tomorrow. They will spend the night outside Stockholm at the 
summer residence of Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish prime minister, 
joined by Mark Rutte, the Dutch premier.<br />
<br />
It might be a quartet of 
north European conservatives, but in Brussels the Swedish sojourn has 
already been dubbed an Anglo-German summit focused on a central question
 – what to do about Jean-Claude Juncker.<br />
They are in a quandary. 
How did we get here, to a situation where an out-of-work former prime 
minister of Luxembourg and archetypal Brussels insider has become the 
touchstone for failing European politics?<br />
<br />
In Britain, Juncker has 
become a toxic brand, leaving Cameron little climbdown scope. Among the 
national leaders of the EU, Juncker is also unpopular, but for many 
influential players in the European parliament and beyond, Juncker has 
become an improbable champion.<br />
<br />
The origins of the problem go back 
to last year when Martin Schulz, a German Social Democrat and speaker of
 the outgoing parliament, pulled a fast one. He campaigned for the 
support of Europe's centre-left in the election, proclaiming that 
whoever won the election should be entitled to put their leading 
candidate at the top of the EU executive, the European commission, in 
the autumn. Schulz succeeded (albeit without the Labour party). The 
Greens and Liberals jumped on his bandwagon, also naming frontrunners. 
That forced Europe's Christian Democrats to follow suit for fear of 
appearing "undemocratic".<br />
<br />
As head of the EU's biggest Christian 
Democratic party, Merkel did not like the idea, but at a congress in 
Dublin in March she caved in. Juncker won the nomination for the 
centre-right grouping, the European People's party.<br />
<br />
The commission
 chief has been decided by a conclave of national EU leaders. But Schulz
 and the parliamentary leaders exploited new powers in the Lisbon treaty
 which changed the rules. There would be no national vetoes in 
nominating the commission chief who would be proposed by qualified 
majority if there was no consensus, and the parliament would need to 
"elect" the nominee by an absolute majority – 376 votes – a figure that 
no grouping in the parliament comes close to. The national leaders, many
 of whom see this as a power grab, could have nipped this scheme in the 
bud months ago, before the elections. Instead, they sleepwalked into a 
trap and are scrambling to reverse a momentum that until now has been 
with Juncker.<br />
<br />
The happiest outcome for the leaders would be for 
Juncker to fall on his sword. Perhaps he will. Herman<br />
Van Rompuy, 
Europe's Mr Fixit who chairs summits and mediates between national 
leaders, is charged with finding a solution. He opposes Juncker and his 
people are spinning privately that he will do the honourable thing and 
bow out.<br />
<br />
That would be a relief to both Cameron and Merkel. Within
 two days of the election, Cameron painted himself into a corner by 
warning fellow leaders that Britain might quit the EU if Juncker 
prevails. That seemed unwise so early in the game, a repeat of a series 
of tactical errors the prime minister has made in European negotiations.
 If I don't get my way, I'm not playing any more, Cameron told 27 other 
government chiefs. They are inclined to call his bluff.<br />
<br />
But if 
Juncker does not volunteer for retirement, Merkel is also in a bind. She
 has commited to Juncker publicly and she will face charges of deception
 and betrayal if she drops him. Besides, key players in the parliament 
are stating that an alternative commission candidate will be blocked and
 will not get the absolute majority he or she needs.<br />
<br />
Juncker may 
have become the embodiment of the shambles. But it is not about Juncker 
but about power, about how you interpret democratic legitimacy and 
accountability, about who calls the shots in Brussels – the elected 
national leaders or the elected parliament.<br />
<br />
It is a classic turf 
war. If the parliament wins, gaining primacy in deciding who leads the 
commission, the outcome will change the way business is done in 
Brussels. If the national leaders win – and to do so they have to 
resolve the Juncker problem – they will face charges of emasculating the
 election two weeks ago, of campaigning on a tissue of lies.<br />

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Jean-Claude Juncker: everyone loses as Europe struggles to fix a fiasco

Jean-Claude Juncker talks to Angela Merkel prior to the start of an EU summit in Brussels on 18 October 2012. Photograph: AFP. ...

World Cup 2014: parties and protests on the streets of Brazil

Anonymous 0 News 6:07 AM

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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Fans cheer before the international friendly match between Brazil and Serbia. Photograph: Nacho Doce/Reuters</span></div>
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On a flaking, whitewashed wall in central Rio, street artist 
Williams Aurelino is adding the final touches to a mural of the 
Brazilian football team.<br />
<br />
The caricatures of the players are 
finished – a rakish Neymar, David Luiz with a frizzy mane, a 
green-skinned Hulk and, of course, the impressively unimpressed manager,
 Luiz Felipe Scolari. All that remains to be painted is the blue 
background and the shorts, socks and boots.<br />
<br />
"It will be ready in 
time for the opening game," says the artist. "We'll have a party here, a
 big screen, a barbecue, lots of people. It's going to be fun." That 
will be music to the ears of the World Cup's
 organisers who – after years of bad publicity about stadium delays, 
deaths of construction workers and cost overruns – are hoping Thursday's
 kick-off will switch the focus to football.<br />
<br />
The 
lower-middle-class neighbourhood of Gloria – where the mural is found – 
is certainly doing its bit. Here, the residents are gearing up for the 
football fiesta in traditional style. Bunting crisscrosses the street, 
flags adorn windows, and the stairs up the hill are painted green and 
yellow. But the enthusiasm is far from universal. Ten minutes' walk 
away, artists have painted two very different wall murals that highlight
 the problems of inequality, dangerous working conditions and forced 
relocations that have plagued the World Cup.<br />
<br />
The first is of a 
giant, tarnished trophy made up of a slave straining on bended knee 
beneath the weight of an oversized football. The second depicts a 
football bulldozer pushing shanty-town homes aside to make way for a red
 carpet.<br />
<br />
"We wanted to create a channel of expression for all the 
victims of the brutal evictions. We want to give these people and their 
sad stories a place in history and society," said B. Shanti, the artist 
who painted the mural. Meanwhile, the independent journalist collective 
Mídia Ninja, which has also been highly critical of the World Cup 
preparations, is launching a new online platform in Rocinha, the biggest
 favela in Rio. Huge images and slogans on to side of it which will be 
visible from many parts of Rio.<br />
<br />
The images reflect the conflicted mood in Brazil towards a tournament that carries more than the usual weight of expectation and frustration.<br />
<br />
Support
 for the Brazilian national team remains fanatical in this 
football-obsessed nation. The home fans are hoping a sixth trophy will 
lay to rest the ghosts of the 1950 defeat against Uruguay at the 
Maracanã. The government aims to show how far Brazil has developed 
economically, and President Dilma Rousseff will be hoping for success to
 set the scene for re-election in October.<br />
<br />
But ever since mass 
protests during the Confederations Cup last year, public awareness of 
the social and economic costs of the tournament have made many uneasy 
about displays of enthusiasm. As compared with previous World Cups, 
public support is low. A poll by the Pew Research Centre suggests that 
61% of the public feel that hosting the World Cup was a bad idea, 
because it diverts resources that could be better spent on public 
services such as healthcare.<br />
<br />
Everyone from Pelé and Romário to the
 Catholic church has criticised the expense and delays. The 
footballer-turned-congressman Romário has described the impact on state 
funds as "the biggest heist in the history of Brazil". Last week the 
bishops' conference issued a "red card" to the organisers for 
squandering public funds and evicting people for stadium construction.<br />
<br />
"The
 church wants to contribute to the public debate and express its concern
 with ... the inversion of priorities in the use of public money that 
should go to health, education, basic sanitation, transportation and 
security," it said.<br />
<br />
Although there has been no recent repeat of 
the mass protests seen last year, small-scale demonstrations against 
Fifa corruption and police brutality continue.Opposition and cynicism 
are also evident on city walls and social networks. Another graffiti 
image that depicts a hungry black child sitting at a table with only a football to eat has
 gone viral. Other images mock unfinished infrastructure projects 
promised for the World Cup. Such criticism is not the only reason street
 decorations are not what they once were. The UOL website reported that 
few shops and petrol stations were putting up bunting in São Paulo 
because they were worried it might make them the target of anti-World 
Cup protesters. Meanwhile, the city has been gridlocked by a transport 
strike.<br />
<br />
Fears of transport chaos throughout the tournament abound,
 despite government plans to give schools early holidays to ease 
congestion. Some are fleeing the host cities. "I'm happy to leave Rio 
during the World Cup. It will be messy, crowded and expensive. Prices 
are going up now that everyone is starting to arrive here. And traffic 
is certainly getting worse," says Marina Faissal, a yoga instructor.<br />
<br />
But
 those who remain are getting in the mood. Each day there are more 
decorations on the streets, flags on cars and people walking around in 
the yellow shirts of the <i>Seleção</i>One of the community organisers
 in Gloria, Valter Peixoto, acknowledges that elsewhere in Brazil the 
mood is not as joyful as before previous tournaments, but says the 
residents plan their own celebrations, come what may.<br />
<br />
"There is 
much less decoration than in the past. People are confused. The 
government is stealing from the people through corruption. But what we 
are doing has nothing to do with them. It's for us. It's for the 
players," he says.<br />
<br />
<i>Additional reporting by Luke Bainbridge, Karina Vieira and Anna Kaiser</i>

World Cup 2014: parties and protests on the streets of Brazil

Fans cheer before the international friendly match between Brazil and Serbia. Photograph: Nacho Doce/Reuters On a flaking, white...

Flooding in Afghanistan kills 50 people and leaves thousands homeless

Anonymous 0 News 6:07 AM

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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GReO6Dr-TCI/U5O3GLwf36I/AAAAAAAAAsg/NqdQrjsQm9Y/s1600/Afghan-victims-of-flash-f-011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GReO6Dr-TCI/U5O3GLwf36I/AAAAAAAAAsg/NqdQrjsQm9Y/s1600/Afghan-victims-of-flash-f-011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Afghan
 villagers transport the body of a victim after a flashflood landslide 
in Baghlan province on 7 June 2014. Photograph: Zekria 
Nasirestr/AFP/Getty Images</span></div>
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	    Flooding in a remote part of northern Afghanistan has killed more than 50 people and forced thousands to flee their homes, officials have said.<br />
<br />
It
 was the latest in a string of deadly flash floods, landslides and 
avalanches in Afghanistan's rugged northern mountains, where roads are 
poor and many villages are virtually cut off from the rest of the 
country.<br />
<br />
Lt Fazel Rahman, the police chief in the Guzirga i-Nur 
district of the north-eastern Baghlan province, said on Saturday that 54
 bodies have been recovered, including the remains of women and 
children, but many others are still missing. He said the death toll 
could climb to 100 and called for emergency assistance from the central 
government.<br />
<br />
"So far no one has come to help us. People are trying 
to find their missing family members," Rahman said, adding that the 
district's police force was overstretched by the scale of the disaster.<br />
<br />
An
 exact death toll remained unclear. A statement from President Hamid 
Karzai's office said 58 people had been killed, while others put the 
toll higher.<br />
<br />
General Mohammad Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the 
Afghan defence ministry, said two army helicopters had been sent to the 
area to provide assistance.<br />
<br />
The Afghanistan natural disaster 
management authority began shipping out stockpiles of food and other 
supplies in Baghlan province to the affected area, said Mohammad Aslim 
Sayas, deputy director of the agency.<br />
<br />
He said a delegation was sent to the affected villages to assess their needs.<br />
<br />
Guzirga i-Nur district is located more than 85 miles (140km) north of the provincial capital, Puli Khumri.<br />
Jawed
 Basharat, the spokesman for the Baghlan provincial police, said they 
were aware of the flooding, but that it would take eight to nine hours 
for them to reach the area by road.<br />
<br />
Afghans living in the northern
 mountains have largely been spared from the country's decades of war, 
but are no strangers to natural disasters.<br />
<br />
Last month, a landslide
 triggered by heavy rain buried large sections of a remote north-eastern
 village in the Badakhshan province which borders China, displacing some
 700 families. Authorities have yet to provide an exact figure on the 
number of dead from the 2 May landslide, and estimates have ranged from 
250 to 2,700.<br />
<br />
Officials say it will be impossible to dig up all the 
bodies.<br />
<br />
A landslide in Baghlan province in 2012 killed 71 people. 
After days of digging unearthed only five bodies, authorities decided to
 halt the recovery effort and turn the area into a memorial for the 
dead.<br />

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Flooding in Afghanistan kills 50 people and leaves thousands homeless

Afghan villagers transport the body of a victim after a flashflood landslide in Baghlan province on 7 June 2014. Photograph: Zekria...

Cycling authorities ask for two-day extension

Anonymous 0 Sports 5:58 AM

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<br />
<br />
<strong><strong>KARACHI: </strong> </strong><br />
<br />
<strong>The Pakistan Cycling Federation 
(PCF) has asked for a two-day extension in the deadline for submitting 
the names of two cyclists and a coach for training in South Korea.</strong><br />
<br />

The last day for sending the names was Friday, but the PCF was unable
 to meet the requirements – set by their Korean counterparts – on time.<br />
<br />

“The Korea Cycling Federation (KCF) wanted to train U17 players for 
track, and we have good riders for road only,” a top official told <i>The Express Tribune</i>. “Our track ones are not up to the mark to be trained there, but we are attempting to work out an alternative.<br />
<br />

“We have sent an e-mail to the KCF, explaining our dilemma and 
requesting for an extension in the deadline. In the meantime, we will 
try to groom our track cyclists to come up to the mark so that we can 
send them to Korea.”<br />
<br />

The official added that the PCF also wants to send a coach who would 
be able to understand the presentations and technicalities that will be 
taught by the foreign country’s federation.<br />
<br />

<strong>Special discount on dope tests</strong><br />
<br />

On another note, the official said that during the Asian 
Championships, they had a verbal agreement with the Cycling Federation 
of India for conducting dope tests of Pakistani riders on special 
discounts.<br />
<br />

“The lab charges around Rs45,000 per test, but we will pay around 
Rs25,000 per test after the agreement. We will send the samples of our 
riders whenever we feel it necessary, so that no one can violate rules.”

Cycling authorities ask for two-day extension

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cycling Federation (PCF) has asked for a two-day extension in the deadline for submitting the names of two ...

England include debutants in Test squad

Anonymous 0 Sports 5:56 AM

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<br />
<strong><strong>LONDON: </strong></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><strong> </strong>Australia-born Sam Robson was in 
line to make his England debut after the Middlesex opener was named 
Thursday in the squad to play Sri Lanka in next week’s first Test at 
Lord’s.</strong><br />
<br />

Robson was one of three uncapped players named by national selector 
James Whitaker in a 12-man group along with Barbados-born all-rounder 
Chris Jordan, who impressed during the recent 3-2 ODI series defeat by 
Sri Lanka, and Moeen Ali, who provides England with their lone spin 
option.<br />
<br />

Meanwhile, Yorkshire seamer Liam Plunkett, capable of hitting the 
90mph mark, was recalled — having last played Test cricket seven years 
ago.<br />
<br />

Matt Prior, who has been struggling with an Achilles injury, was passed fit to keep wicket.<br />

And that meant there was no place for Jos Buttler, who made a 
blistering century for England against Sri Lanka in the fourth ODI or 
Jonny Bairstow, the man who replaced Prior during England’s 5-0 Ashes 
series loss in Australia.<br />
<br />

England national selector James Whitaker said, “We believe that this 
group of emerging talent will be very well complimented by the 
established core of experienced players that have been selected.”<br />
<br />

Robson is set to open alongside England captain Alastair Cook after 
Michael Carberry was dropped in what was Peter Moores’s first Test squad
 since he returned to the job of England coach.<br />
<br />

He impressed on recent England second-string tours of Australia and 
Sri Lanka, making five hundreds in six matches during those trips while 
his coach at Middlesex, Angus Fraser, is now a Test selector.<br />
<br />

“The winter form (showed) his (Robson’s) excellence — he made five 
hundreds, and he showed some great characteristics,” Whitaker told Sky 
Sports.

England include debutants in Test squad

LONDON: Australia-born Sam Robson was in line to make his England debut after the Middlesex opener was named Thursday in the squa...

Van Persie injury scare taints Dutch victory

Anonymous 0 Sports 5:52 AM

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<br />
<strong><strong>AMSTERDAM: </strong> </strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Robin van Persie handed the 
Netherlands a fitness worry ahead of the World Cup after the Manchester 
United striker picked up a groin problem in Wednesday’s 2-0 friendly win
 over Wales in Amsterdam.</strong><br />
<br />

Van Persie appeared to be in pain and left the pitch at half-time 
with Dutch coach Louis van Gaal taking no risks over the fitness of his 
star striker as the 30-year-old was immediately replaced by Jeremain 
Lens.<br />
<br />

However, Van Gaal, whose 23-man squad fly out to Rio de Janiero on 
Thursday, is hopeful that the problem will be nothing serious.<br />
<br />

“It looks a slight injury, but it is not for nothing that you go off,” said the coach.<br />
<br />

“He has to wait until the doctor sees him. It was better that you 
don’t risk a bigger injury by playing him in the second half as it was 
not the most important match.<br />
<br />

“I hope he is okay for [the opening World Cup game on June 13 
against] Spain. His action for the assist for the first goal was 
fantastic.”<br />
<br />

In another scare, England winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain faces a 
nervous World Cup wait for scan results after picking up a knee injury 
in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Ecuador.<br />
<br />

Oxlade-Chamberlain limped off in the 63rd minute of the warm-up 
friendly when he was kicked during a challenge from Carlos Gruezo, who 
then tumbled on to him.<br />
<br />

Meanwhile, Italy were stunned by a late goal from minnows Luxembourg 
on Wednesday as they were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw in Perugia in 
their final friendly before the World Cup.<br />
<br />

For Friday’s friendlies, Germany host Armenia in their final World 
Cup warm-up match before flying to Brazil with question marks over the 
fitness of captain Philipp Lahm and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, and Japan 
face Zambia in their final tune-up mach.

Van Persie injury scare taints Dutch victory

AMSTERDAM: Robin van Persie handed the Netherlands a fitness worry ahead of the World Cup after the Manchester United striker pick...

Vladimir Putin in D-day peace talks with Ukraine president

Anonymous 0 News 5:42 AM

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<span style="font-size: x-small;">German
 chancellor Angela Merkel with Petro Poreshenko (centre) and Vladimir 
Putin at the D-day events in France. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters</span></div>
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     Vladimir Putin spoke face-to-face with Ukraine's
 incoming president about ending the violence in the former Soviet 
state, and Kiev's new leader said talks could begin in earnest as soon 
as Sunday in a diplomatic breakthrough played out along the battlefield 
beaches of Normandy.<br />
<br />
Friday's 15-minute meeting was followed by a brief exchange between Putin and Barack Obama,
 who had been keeping the Russian at arm's length over the Ukrainian 
crisis. Tensions between the two were played out on giant televisions on
 Ouistreham's Sword beach, with Putin and Obama shown divided by a split
 screens as they commemorated the 70th anniversary of D-day.<br />
<br />
Speaking after his meeting with Petro Poroshenko,
 who is to be sworn in Saturday as Ukraine's president, Putin called for
 an immediate cease-fire in eastern Ukraine before any further talks, 
and said he expected Poroshenko to show "state wisdom" and "good will." 
Poroshenko later said talks could begin in earnest on his first full day
 in office.<br />
<br />
"All the questions were difficult," Poroshenko said in
 a statement before returning to Ukraine, "but we will make every effort
 to achieve the goals we have set ourselves and begin negotiations on 
Sunday."<br />
<br />
Putin said he welcomed Poroshenko's call for an end to 
the bloodshed and liked his approach to settling the crisis but wanted 
to wait until the Ukrainian leader could deliver it in detail to the 
nation.<br />
<br />
"If it continues like that, then conditions will be 
created for developing our relations in other areas, including the 
economy," Putin said. He specified that Moscow is ready to lower gas 
price for Ukraine if it pays off its debt for previous supplies, easing 
fears of a gas shutdown to Europe dependent upon gas pipelines that cross Ukraine.<br />
<br />
French
 President Francois Hollande, who orchestrated the meeting along with 
the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said Putin and Poroshenko also 
discussed how Russia could recognise the Ukrainian elections as well as measures to de-escalate the fighting.<br />
<br />
"It didn't last a long time but long enough for the message to be passed on," Hollande told the French network TF1.<br />
<br />
Putin's
 spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin and Poroshenko also "confirmed 
that there is no alternative to settling the situation by peaceful 
political means."<br />
<br />
Frozen out of G7 talks on Thursday in Brussels, 
Putin appeared to be moving incrementally back into the fold of the west
 following his first direct talks with Poroshenko since the billionaire 
was elected to lead Ukraine. The previous pro-Kremlin president, Viktor 
Yanukovych, was ousted in what Putin said was a coup.<br />
<br />
Russia, 
which had recalled its ambassador from Ukraine, said he will return to 
Kiev to attend Poroshenko's inauguration. That appeared to be a 
recognition of Ukraine's election, Hollande said.<br />
<br />
Outside the 
building where world leaders met for lunch, reporters saw another 
animated conversation between Putin and Poroshenko lasting about a 
minute. That conversation also included Merkel, who at a much more 
public commemoration at Sword beach appeared to shuttle between the men.<br />
<br />
A
 senior US administration official, who was not authorised to discuss 
the meeting on the record, said the possibility of arranging a meeting 
between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders gained traction at the G7 
meeting with the objective for Russia to hear the same message from "all
 of the allies."<br />
<br />
The official said Russia also bore responsibilities in any cease-fire.<br />
<br />
"It
 would have to be mutual. It's not on one party to have a ceasefire. It 
takes not just Ukraine, but also Russia," the official said.<br />

</div>

Vladimir Putin in D-day peace talks with Ukraine president

German chancellor Angela Merkel with Petro Poreshenko (centre) and Vladimir Putin at the D-day events in France. Photograph: Kevin ...

Deutsche Telekom to follow Vodafone in revealing surveillance

Anonymous 0 News 5:39 AM

<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8btk1368ZEY/U5JfMDI44jI/AAAAAAAAArM/GkgRki6sGXo/s1600/deutsche-telekom-009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8btk1368ZEY/U5JfMDI44jI/AAAAAAAAArM/GkgRki6sGXo/s1600/deutsche-telekom-009.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
</span></div>
<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Deutsche
 Telekom has 140 million customers, and has confirmed it will follow 
Vodafone in revealing surveillance data.  Photograph: Hermann J 
Knippertz/AP</span></div>
<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
 </div>
<div id="article-body-blocks">
     Germany's biggest telecoms company is to follow Vodafone in disclosing for the first time the number of surveillance requests it receives from governments around the world.<br />
<br />
Deutsche
 Telekom, which owns half of Britain's EE mobile network and operates in
 14 countries including the US, Spain and Poland, has already published 
surveillance data for its home nation – one of the countries that have 
reacted most angrily to the Edward Snowden revelations. In the wake of Vodafone's disclosures,
 first published in the Guardian on Friday, it announced that it would 
extend its disclosures to every other market where it operates and where
 it is legal.<br />
<br />
A spokeswoman for Deutsche Telekom, which has 140 
million customers worldwide, said: "Deutsche Telekom has initially 
focused on Germany when it comes to disclosure of government requests. 
We are currently checking if and to what extent our national companies 
can disclose information. We intend to publish something similar to 
Vodafone."<br />
<br />
Bosses of the world's biggest mobile networks, many of which have headquarters in Europe,
 are gathering for an industry conference in Shanghai this weekend, and 
the debate is expected to centre on whether they should join Deutsche 
and Vodafone in using transparency to push back against the use of their
 technology for government surveillance.<br />
<br />
Mobile companies, unlike 
social networks, cannot operate without a government-issued licence, and
 have previously been reluctant to discuss the extent of their 
cooperation with national security and law enforcement agencies.<br />
<br />
But
 Vodafone broke cover on Friday  by confirming that in around half a 
dozen of the markets in which it operates, governments in Europe and 
outside have installed their own secret listening equipment on its 
network and those of other operators.<br />
<br />
Under this direct access 
system, wires suck up traffic at key points in the network, allowing 
unfettered access to the content of phone conversations and text 
messages, and in some cases delivering live data about the location of 
customers.<br />
<br />
They allow surveillance without the usual warrants, and
 it means the phone company cannot know how many people are being 
targeted and what the justification is for any snooping.<br />
<br />
Vodafone will formally table its <a href="http://www.vodafone.com/content/sustainabilityreport/2014/index/operating_responsibly/privacy_and_security/law_enforcement.html#eocp" title="">Law Enforcement Disclosure report</a>,
 which sets out country by country the laws that oblige it to help 
governments spy on citizens, at the GSMA industry group conference in 
Shanghai.<br />
Disclosure may pose a dilemma for Orange, formerly 
France Telecom. Like Deutsche it is still partially state-owned, and 
French newspaper <a href="http://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2014/03/20/dgse-orange-des-liaisons-incestueuses_4386264_3210.html" title="">Le Monde</a> reported this year that the company had deep links with its domestic intelligence agency.<br />
<br />
A
 spokesperson for Orange said: "Orange respects the laws and regulations
 of every country in which it is present. Naturally, this means that the
 group rigorously adheres to the legal framework with regards to all 
surveillance requests emanating from state authorities across its 
footprint."<br />
<br />
The newspaper confirmed, using files obtained by 
Snowden, that Orange had collaborated with the Direction Générale de la 
Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE) to break encryption codes, and that the 
agency was allowed free and total access to all traffic on its network.<br />
<br />
Campaign
 group Access asked Orange at its annual meeting this year to begin 
publishing data on warrant numbers, and has called on all operators to 
do so. The biggest European companies, including Spain's Telefónica, 
Portugal Telecom and Telecom Italia, operate in many of the same markets
 for which Vodafone has published its numbers.<br />
<br />
"Working together, 
operators can make a clear stand against unfettered surveillance," said 
Access policy counsel Peter Micek. "Competition on transparency is 
something we would welcome. It's not going to happen overnight, but I 
think Vodafone has made a great headstart for the sector and it is 
incumbent on the rest of the field to follow up quickly."<br />
<br />
"Europe 
has a strong charter of fundamental rights, and those rights apply 
online as they do offline. There is a strong basis for Europe to act in a
 concernted manner to end practices like direct access."<br />

</div>

Deutsche Telekom to follow Vodafone in revealing surveillance

Deutsche Telekom has 140 million customers, and has confirmed it will follow Vodafone in revealing surveillance data. Photograph: ...

Rising seas wash Japanese war dead from Marshall Islands graves

Anonymous 0 News 5:36 AM

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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSZVrQlN1VU/U5Jef-iv0xI/AAAAAAAAArE/EQxWxI75ffY/s1600/Marshall-Islands-011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSZVrQlN1VU/U5Jef-iv0xI/AAAAAAAAArE/EQxWxI75ffY/s1600/Marshall-Islands-011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
Marshall
 Islands. A UN report said changes in winds and currents meant Pacific 
sea levels had risen faster than the world average since the 1990s. 
Photograph: Alamy</div>
<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
 </div>
<div id="article-body-blocks">
     Rising sea levels have washed the remains of at least 26 Japanese second world war soldiers from their graves on a low-lying Pacific archipelago, the foreign minister of the Marshall Islands has said.<br />
<br />
"There
 are coffins and dead people being washed away from graves. It's that 
serious," Tony de Brum told reporters on the sidelines of United Nations
 climate change talks in Germany.<br />
<br />
Putting
 the blame on climate change, which threatens the existence of the 
islands, which are only 2 metres (6ft) above sea level at their highest,
 De Brum said: "Even the dead are affected".<br />
<br />
Twenty-six skeletons 
had been found on Santo Island after high tides battered the archipelago
 from February to April, he said, adding that more may be found.<br />
<br />
"We
 think they are Japanese soldiers. We had the exhumed skeletons sampled 
by the US Navy in Pearl Harbour [in Hawaii] and they helped identify 
where they are from, to assist in the repatriation efforts."<br />
Unexploded bombs and other military equipment had also washed up in recent months.<br />
<br />
Climate
 scientists say global warming has raised average world sea levels by 
about 19cm (8in) in the past century, aggravating the impact of storm 
surges and tides. Glaciers and ice caps are melting and water also 
expands as it warms.<br />
<br />
A UN report said on Thursday that changes in 
Pacific winds and currents meant sea levels in the region had risen 
faster than the world average since the 1990s.<br />
<br />
De Brum said many 
of the 170 nations meeting in Bonn were slowly understanding the extent 
of threats faced by island states. Rising tides washed salt water on to 
the land, often ruining vegetation and crops, such as breadfruit and 
coconuts.<br />
<br />
"We think they are [getting the message], but not 
quickly enough to climate-proof some of our more vulnerable 
communities," he said. Climate-proofing measures included raising homes 
on stilts, rebuilding roads and docks, and even the abandonment of some 
atolls.<br />

</div>

Rising seas wash Japanese war dead from Marshall Islands graves

Marshall Islands. A UN report said changes in winds and currents meant Pacific sea levels had risen faster than the world average s...

Pakistani TV news channel ordered off air after criticising spy agency

Anonymous 0 News 5:35 AM

<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3eT9DwgIOI4/U5Jd9bRTLmI/AAAAAAAAAq8/e-FdSXT6Drg/s1600/GEO-News-building-011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3eT9DwgIOI4/U5Jd9bRTLmI/AAAAAAAAAq8/e-FdSXT6Drg/s1600/GEO-News-building-011.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
</span></div>
<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Pakistani police officers outside the GEO News television office building in Islamabad. Photograph: B.K. Bangash/AP</span></div>
<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
 </div>
<div id="article-body-blocks">
     A leading TV news station which dared to criticise Pakistan's
 feared spy agency has been ordered off the air after a standoff which 
has further soured relations between the country's military and 
politicians.<br />
<br />
Pakistan's broadcast media regulator suspended Geo 
News's operating licence for 15 days and fined it £60,000 for defaming 
the head of the military's Inter-Services Intelligence directorate 
(ISI), General Zaheer-ul-Islam.<br />
<br />
The channel's president, Imran 
Aslam, condemned the decision, saying the "forces of might have 
prevailed" in the seven-week row, which many analysts fear has cowed the
 private media, setting back efforts to curb army power.<br />
<br />
"It seems that justice has bowed down to forces that are above the law," Aslam said.<br />
<br />
Amnesty
 International said it was a serious attack on press freedom in the 
country. "It is the latest act in an organised campaign of harassment 
and intimidation targeting the network on account of its perceived bias 
against the military," Amnesty said.<br />
<br />
The row began on 19 April 
when Geo's coverage of an attempt to kill Hamid Mir, the channel's 
best-known journalist, enraged the military.<br />
<br />
Geo gave prominence 
to claims by Mir's brother that the ISI was behind the gun attack, which
 left the journalist seriously wounded. He claimed the hit had been 
ordered by Zaheer-ul-Islam, and the channel aired photographs and video 
of the otherwise little-seen spy chief.<br />
<br />
The hours of coverage, 
delivered in the tabloid style that made Geo the country's most watched 
private channel, represented an unprecedented public assault on the ISI –
 an institution described by critics as an all-powerful state within a 
state.<br />
<br />
It sparked a furious effort to close down a TV channel 
which in the 12 years since the start of Pakistan's electronic media 
boom has emerged as one of the most powerful institutions in the 
country.<br />
<br />
Geo picked fights with the government and felt 
secure enough to question core beliefs of the military establishment, 
including the ruthless tactics used to crush separatist rebels in 
Balochistan and opposition to a rapid normalisation of relations with 
arch-enemy India.<br />
<br />
Immediately after the attack, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/23/pakistan-army-demands-tv-station-closure-assassination" title="">the military lodged a formal request to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) for Geo to be shut down</a> because it had damaged an important state institution.<br />
<br />
An informal campaign against the station became increasingly serious as the weeks passed.<br />
Rightwing
 religious militants demonstrated in favour of the ISI, pressure was put
 on cable operations to drop Geo from its lineup and an incendiary claim
 was made that the channel had broadcast blasphemous material in a light
 entertainment morning show.<br />
<br />
Geo's outside broadcasting vans were 
attacked and vehicles used for delivering the company's newspapers were 
torched. Spotting an opportunity to bring down a competitor that utterly
 dominates Pakistan's private television market Geo's commercial rivals 
also joined in, attacking the company for being "anti-state".<br />
<br />
Aslam
 said the company had been financially crippled and his staff "harassed,
 intimidated and physically assaulted by shadowy forces".<br />
<br />
On 
Friday, before the Pemra announcement, the firm announced it was suing 
the regulator, the ISI and the army for "defaming and maligning the 
group by accusing it of working on an anti-Pakistan agenda". It demanded
 compensation of more than £300m.<br />
<br />
Throughout the crisis, the group has shifted from angry defiance to efforts to defuse the row, even printing front page apologies on its newspapers.
 The affair has wider implications than just the future of the company, 
which is owned by the reclusive media mogul Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, who 
micro-manages editorial decisions from his base in Dubai.<br />
<br />
The 
government has supported Geo in its fight with the army, with prime 
minister Nawaz Sharif visiting Hamid Mir in hospital after the attack. 
Sharif has told confidants he would rather be ousted from power than 
agree to let Geo be closed down.<br />
<br />
Sharif was the victim of a military coup in 1999 and his relations with the army are fraught.<br />
<br />
In
 his latest stint in power, the two sides have clashed over the treason 
trial of former military leader Pervez Musharraf and whether operations 
should be launched against Taliban sanctuaries in North Waziristan.<br />

</div>

Pakistani TV news channel ordered off air after criticising spy agency

Pakistani police officers outside the GEO News television office building in Islamabad. Photograph: B.K. Bangash/AP A lead...

Afghan election front-runner Abdullah escapes assassination attempt

Anonymous 0 News 5:29 AM

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              <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3srd101rw04/U5JcjSlgMUI/AAAAAAAAAqw/wnBuMQNJV6E/s1600/53918204e238b.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3srd101rw04/U5JcjSlgMUI/AAAAAAAAAqw/wnBuMQNJV6E/s1600/53918204e238b.gif" width="320" /></a></strong></div>
<br />
<strong>KABUL: </strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Afghan presidential election 
front-runner Abdullah Abdullah said he had escaped an assassination 
attempt Friday when an explosion hit his campaign motorcade in Kabul, 
just days ahead of a hotly-contested run-off election.</strong><br />
<br />
“A
 few minutes ago, when we left a campaign rally our convoy was hit by a 
mine,” he told another election rally in quotes broadcast on Afghan 
television.<br />
<br />
He added that some of his guards were mildly wounded, while he was unhurt.<br />
The
 attempt came ahead of the second-round presidential election on June 
14, with Taliban insurgents threatening to disrupt the polls.<br />
<br />
No one has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.<br />
<br />
Abdullah
 fell short of the 50 per cent threshold needed for an outright victory 
in the April first round and will face former World Bank economist 
Ashraf Ghani in the run-off.<br />
<br />
“We condemn the attack on respected presidential candidate Dr. Abdullah Abdullah,” Ghani said on Twitter.<br />
“This is the act of the enemies of Afghanistan to disrupt the democratic process in the country. “<br />
<br />
President
 Barack Obama recently outlined the US strategy to end America's longest
 war, saying that the 32,000-strong US deployment in Afghanistan would 
be scaled back to around 9,800 by the start of 2015.<br />
<br />
Those forces
 would be halved by the end of 2015 before eventually being reduced to a
 normal embassy presence with a security assistance component by the end
 of 2016.<br />
<br />
But it relies on Afghanistan signing a long-delayed 
Bilateral Security Agreement laying out the terms of the US military 
presence in the country after this year.<br />
<br />
The outgoing Karzai refuses to sign the pact, but both Afghan presidential candidates have vowed to sign it if elected.<br />
            </div>

Afghan election front-runner Abdullah escapes assassination attempt

KABUL: Afghan presidential election front-runner Abdullah Abdullah said he had escaped an assassination attempt Frid...

Three al-Jazeera journalists could be jailed for up to 15 years

Anonymous 0 News 5:51 AM

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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Idt8aDK6kT8/U5EQShM3-UI/AAAAAAAAAps/g10yo5w0Gbk/s1600/Al-Jazeera-journalists-on-011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Idt8aDK6kT8/U5EQShM3-UI/AAAAAAAAAps/g10yo5w0Gbk/s1600/Al-Jazeera-journalists-on-011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</span></div>
<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Journalists
 Peter Greste (left) and Mohamed Baher stand in the defendants’ cage 
during their trial for allegedly supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and 
doctoring footage.  Photograph: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images</span></div>
<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
 </div>
<div id="article-body-blocks">
     Prosecutors sought the highest possible jail terms for three <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/al-jazeera" title="More from the Guardian on Al-Jazeera">al-Jazeera</a> English journalists on trial in <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/egypt" title="More from the Guardian on Egypt">Egypt</a>, after accusing them, in their closing statements on Thursday, of making "a devilish pact" with the ousted Muslim Brotherhood.<br />
<br />
Mohamed
 Fahmy, Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed now face prison sentences worth 
15, seven and 15 years, after being held since December on <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/19/peter-greste-and-fellow-journalists-to-finally-appear-in-egyptian-court" title="">charges of smearing Egypt's reputation</a>, aiding the Brotherhood, and doctoring footage.<br />
<br />
In
 the trial's 11th session, the prosecution finally closed its case, 
claiming that the three journalists had collected material from the 
Muslim Brotherhood and edited it to imply that Egypt was engaged in a 
civil war. The lead prosecutor, Mohamed Barakat, said al-Jazeera's 
reports on sexual assaults and street protests were among those aimed at
 smearing Egypt's reputation in the outside world.<br />
<br />
"Freedom of expression does not mean the freedom to lie and spread false information," said Barakat.<br />
The
 prosecution did not specify which raw footage or news packages had been
 doctored. In previous sessions, its evidence has included footage of horses taken from Sky News Arabia,
 a BBC documentary about Somalia and a press conference from Kenya. It 
also included dozens of raw videos of al-Jazeera interviews with figures
 from all sides of Egypt's spectrum – including the Muslim Brotherhood, 
the group that led Egypt until last July, but which has since been 
banned.<br />
<br />
Al-Jazeera and, particularly, its Arabic wing is hated by 
pro-government Egyptians for its perceived bias in favour of the 
Brotherhood and for giving a voice to its supporters.<br />
<br />
But in his 
defence on Thursday, Fahmy's lawyer, Khaled Abou Bakr, stressed that it 
was a reporter's job to interview activists of all political stripes – 
and to prosecute them for doing so was essentially to place journalism 
itself on trial.<br />
<br />
"This is not a trial of these defendants alone – this is a trial of all journalists," said Abou Bakr.<br />
<br />
"If you go and film someone saying: 'Down with the president,' that doesn't mean that you agree with it."<br />
Shouting
 from the defendants' cage during a recess, Fahmy himself said that his 
trial was an affront to any journalist working in Egypt. "If we're in 
jail because we called [Egypt's 2013 regime change] a coup, why aren't 
CNN and the BBC in the cage?" he said. "Why isn't every journalist in 
the cage?"<br />
<br />
In a detailed defence, Abou Bakr said the prosecution's case was severely flawed because its key witnesses had admitted in court
 that they were not qualified to judge whether the journalists had 
endangered Egypt – contradicting the central claims of the written 
testimonies they had supplied in the run-up to the trial.<br />
<br />
Abou 
Bakr also highlighted a string of procedural flaws in the prosecution's 
case, ranging from the failure to allow defence lawyers access to all 
the prosecution's evidence; an inability to pinpoint any specific video 
that proved the accusations; and the uncertainty about which of the 
defendants' equipment belonged to whom.<br />
<br />
Following a brief speech 
by Greste and Mohamed's lawyer, Yusri Sayed Sami, who repeated many of 
Abou Bakr's points, the trial was adjourned until 16 June – when the 
lawyers of several students indicted alongside the three journalists 
will be allowed to make their defence.<br />
<br />
This raises the prospect of
 a verdict by the end of June, which was welcomed by Greste's younger 
brother, Mike, who has flown from Greste's home in Australia to attend 
the trial. "With any luck we're on the home straight, and with two more 
sessions we could be finished," said the younger Greste at the end of 
Thursday's proceedings. "But it's the judge that needs to be convinced 
of their innocence."<br />
<br />
A fourth al-Jazeera journalist, Abdullah 
Elshamy, has been under arrest without charge in a separate case since 
August. To raise awareness for his case, Elshamy has been on hunger 
strike for more than 130 days. As punishment, he was recently moved to 
solitary confinement.<br />
<br />
He and his three colleagues are among 16 journalists jailed in Egypt, according to the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists.<br />

</div>

Three al-Jazeera journalists could be jailed for up to 15 years

Journalists Peter Greste (left) and Mohamed Baher stand in the defendants’ cage during their trial for allegedly supporting the...

Canadian police continue hunt for gunman who shot dead three mounties

Anonymous 0 News 5:45 AM

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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ufGlk0yh5AU/U5EO6pgz59I/AAAAAAAAApg/O-Y_INJ_iFw/s1600/Justin-Bourque-009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ufGlk0yh5AU/U5EO6pgz59I/AAAAAAAAApg/O-Y_INJ_iFw/s1600/Justin-Bourque-009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
A
 heavily armed man that police have identified as Justin Bourque walks 
the streets of Moncton, New Brunswick, after the shooting of three 
mounties. Photograph: Viktor Pivovarov/AP</div>
<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
 </div>
<div id="article-body-blocks">
     <span class="inline wide" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
                
                   <span class="caption" style="width: 460px;"> </span></span><span class="inline wide" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
            </span>Canada
  has been left in shock after a gunman who walked through a quiet 
suburban neighbourhood dressed in camouflage, a black headband and 
carrying two high-powered rifles and a bow shot dead three members of 
the mounted police.<br />
<br />
The small east coast city of Moncton, New 
Brunswick, went into lockdown on Thursday as police searched for the 
suspect, named by the force as 24-year-old Justin Bourque. Bourque was 
spotted three times early on Thursday morning, police said, but officers
 were unable to apprehend him and admitted they did not know where he 
was.<br />
<br />
The shootings began on Wednesday evening. "It was really warm
 in the house, so we opened up the windows in the family room and there 
he was going across through the back with this rifle on his shoulder," 
local politician Joan MacAlpine-Stiles told CBC Radio. "And it looked 
like a bow he had with him. And I mean – he was just through our 
backyard."<br />
<br />
The multiple shootings – one of the police force's 
worst ever losses of life – have shocked a nation whose gun laws are 
strict relative to the US. Canada prohibits ownership of certain 
firearms and requires that restricted weapons be registered.<br />
<br />
The 
shootings – in which two other Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) 
officers, known as mounties, were wounded – were the first homicides in 
Moncton, a usually quiet city of 70,000, since 2012. City councillor 
Dawn Arnold said it had received notes of support from cities throughout
 north America. "We are not alone," she said. "This will not define us. 
While it is a temporary challenge, this will not break us. We will 
recover and we will be stronger."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/6/5/1401984664232/5b4ab4f2-4036-4980-96c2-40c81f62b661-460x276.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Roger Brown, commanding officer for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in New Brunswick, wipes his eye at a press conference in Moncton." border="0" data-pin-description="Roger Brown, commanding officer for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in New Brunswick, wipes his eye at a press conference in Moncton. Photograph: Marc Grandmaison/AP" height="276" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/6/5/1401984664232/5b4ab4f2-4036-4980-96c2-40c81f62b661-460x276.jpeg" width="460" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span class="inline wide"><span class="caption" style="width: 460px;">Roger
 Brown, commanding officer for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in New 
Brunswick, wipes his eye at a press conference in Moncton. Photograph: 
Marc Grandmaison/AP </span></span></span><br />
<br />
    
New Brunswick's top RCMP officer, Roger Brown, described it as the "darkest day" in the provincial force's history.<br />
<br />
The Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper, said in a statement the deaths of the officers would be honoured and remembered.<br />
<br />
As
 the manhunt for the 24-year-old continued on Thursday morning, the 
streets of Moncton were quiet and the mood at workplaces sombre. Schools
 were closed for the day. Many businesses were closed and public 
transport was shut down because of the "potential risk from this 
person". "Naturally there's a very high degree of concern and anxiety 
over this," Mayor George LeBlanc said.<br />
<br />
The hunt for Bourque began 
at 7.20pm on Wednesday after the RCMP received a call about a heavily 
armed man walking through the suburban neighbourhood.<br />
<br />
One 
resident, Vanessa Bernatchez, posted a video on Facebook she filmed from
 her living room window at the moment the gunman opened fire. From where
 she stood, Bernatchez said it appeared the mountie did not see the 
shooter until he fired.<br />
<br />
Soon after, more police and a tactical 
team arrived on the scene. Mounties scoured the area looking for the 
shooter while warning residents to stay in their homes, lock their doors
 and even go to their basements as a precaution.<br />
<br />
    </div>
<div id="article-body-blocks">
<span class="inline wide"><span class="caption" style="width: 460px;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/6/5/1401991212895/The-aftermath-of-the-scen-009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The aftermath of the scene of the shootout in Moncton" border="0" data-pin-description="The aftermath of the scene of the shootout in Moncton. Photograph: Matt Arsenault/Barcroft USA" height="276" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/6/5/1401991212895/The-aftermath-of-the-scen-009.jpg" width="460" /></a></div>
<div id="article-body-blocks">
<span class="inline wide"><span class="caption" style="width: 460px;"> </span></span></div>
<div id="article-body-blocks">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="inline wide"><span class="caption" style="width: 460px;">The aftermath of the scene of the shootout in Moncton. Photograph: Matt Arsenault/Barcroft USA </span></span></span><span class="inline wide"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></div>
<div id="article-body-blocks">
<span class="inline wide"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="caption" style="width: 460px;"></span></span> </span>Resident Colleen Maguire said she had hurried home to be with her 
teenage daughter Kate, and, after reading on social media that the 
suspect had been spotted nearby, grabbed blankets and pillows and headed
 to their basement. "What a way to spend a night, hiding from a madman,"
 she said.<br />
<br />
On Thursday morning, mother and daughter remained in 
their apartment. A graphic designer, Maguire said she was afraid to work
 at home because her computer was next to a window. "I'm so paranoid to 
walk through the house, there's so many windows. I know that seems 
excessive but apparently there are some people still hiding in their 
basements."<br />
<br />
Just before the shootings began, residents received 
what appeared to be an ominous warning from Bourque himself. The last 
post on his Facebook page displays the lyrics of a song by the heavy 
metal band Megadeth describing a "little man with a big eraser, changing
 history".<br />
<br />
There was a sense among residents on Thursday that Moncton will be forever changed by this event.<br />
"We will never feel the same about our safe neighbourhoods," city councillor Brian Hicks said.<br />
<br />
"[I'm]
 at a loss for words this morning." fellow councillor Paul Pellerin 
said. "As a representative of Moncton, I would have never would have 
imagined such a tragedy happening here."<br />
<br />
For some the shootings 
brought back the horror of another ruthless murder that rocked the city 
40 years ago, when two officers, Corporal Aurèle Bourgeois and Constable
 Michael O'Leary, were abducted and handcuffed to a tree as two open 
graves were dug then each shot in the head.  "I remember the absolute 
dark pall it put over the city," wrote local blogger and columnist Brian
 Cormier. "Tonight has eclipsed that horror."<br />
<br />
As the hunt for 
Bourque stretched into a second day, additional police resources from 
across New Brunswick and the neighbouring province of Prince Edward 
Island were in Moncton to assist the RCMP.<br />
<br />
In an emotional 
interview with media, RCMP Constable Damien Theriault broke down as he 
spoke of the loss of "three friends". Despite the tragedy, Theriault 
said Moncton officers were focused on capturing their killer. "We need 
to pull together and locate this individual as quickly as possible to 
ensure everyone's safety. We are professionals and we have a job to do 
right now. We will have time to grieve after."<br />
<br />
Four RCMP officers 
were killed in March 2005 by a gunman on a farm in Mayerthorpe, Alberta –
 the RCMP's worst single-day loss of life in more than 100 years.<br />

</div>

Canadian police continue hunt for gunman who shot dead three mounties

A heavily armed man that police have identified as Justin Bourque walks the streets of Moncton, New Brunswick, after the shooting o...

Juncker: I won't beg UK to back my bid for European commission presidency

Anonymous 0 News 5:37 AM

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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5m0H0QoIbI/U5ENGSqgyuI/AAAAAAAAApU/P-zcjb_6QoE/s1600/Jean-Claude-Juncker-009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5m0H0QoIbI/U5ENGSqgyuI/AAAAAAAAApU/P-zcjb_6QoE/s1600/Jean-Claude-Juncker-009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</span></div>
<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">'I
 will not be forced toi get on my knees before the British,' Jean-Claude
 Juncker told a closed meeting of the European people's party in 
Brussels. Photograph: Francois Lenoir/Reuters</span></div>
<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
 </div>
<div id="article-body-blocks">
     Jean-Claude Juncker, the embattled frontrunner to head a new EU 
executive, delivered a bitter attack on Britain on Thursday, vowing he 
would not get on his knees to secure backing as next president of the European commission. He also strongly criticised European leaders, complaining he was being ignored after the grouping of Europe's centre-right parties won the European election.<br />
<br />
Strongly opposed by David Cameron
 in his ambition to become the next president of the commission, Juncker
 declared he would not genuflect before the British, lambasted what he 
described as a British press campaign against his candidacy, and warned 
that he was running out of time to secure the most powerful post in 
Brussels.<br />
<br />
The European People's party (EPP), which groups together
 the EU's Christian democrats, won the European parliament elections 
almost two weeks ago, with Juncker their candidate to become the new 
commission chief in the autumn. The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is
 Europe's most powerful Christian democrat.<br />
<br />
But Juncker's claim on
 the post has unleashed an increasingly vicious power struggle between 
the parliament and the EU's national leaders, as well as between Britain
 and other EU countries, with Cameron reported to have played his 
last-resort weapon: a warning that the UK could quit the EU if the Juncker candidacy succeeded.
 "It is wrong if we give in to the British here," Juncker told a closed 
meeting of the EPP in the parliament in Brussels on Thursday. "I will 
not be forced to get on my knees before the British."<br />
<br />
Juncker's remarks to his party colleagues behind closed doors were made available to the Guardian.<br />
"What
 bothers me is the gathering British press campaign. The tabloid press 
has occupied my house, photographers are harassing my neighbours, they 
are asking neighbours about family stories," the former prime minister 
of Luxembourg said. "You had better be ready for a lot more dirt."<br />
<br />
Merkel
 endorsed Juncker's commission bid at an EPP congress in Dublin in 
March, although she and several other national leaders are unhappy with 
the parliament's attempts to call the shots on who should be the next 
commission chief – a decision that has always been made by the heads of 
government in the EU.<br />
<br />
She emphasised twice this week that she 
wanted Juncker to replace José Manuel Barroso as commission president. 
But she also stressed she wanted to find a consensus that would 
accommodate Cameron.<br />
<br />
Around midnight on Wednesday Merkel went to 
see Cameron at the 19th-century Brussels residence of the British 
ambassador – believed to be the first time she had been there – to try 
to hammer out a compromise. She stayed until after 1am. Downing Street said the talks were "candid and constructive", if inconclusive.<br />
<br />
UK
 officials underlined their hostility to Juncker, described by Cameron 
as "a face from the past". "The fundamental issue is that for the next 
five years the commission has to play a different role. That means 
getting the right personality in the job," said a British official. 
"We're going to need to be more ruthless in what the EU does and does 
not do, that means getting the policies and the personalities right."<br />
<br />
After
 a G7 summit in Brussels, Cameron said: "It's important that we have 
people running institutions of Europe who understand the need for 
change, the need for reform." While Cameron has raised the prospect of a
 British exit from the EU, Barack Obama, standing alongside the prime 
minister, weighed in on the opposite side of the argument. "It's always 
encouraging for us to know that Great Britain has a seat at the table in
 the larger European project," he said.<br />
<br />
Referring to Friday's 
D-day commemorations, Obama added: "It was the steadfastness of Great 
Britain that in part allows us to be here in Brussels, in the seat of a 
unified and extraordinarily prosperous Europe. And it's hard for me to 
imagine that project going well in the absence of Great Britain, and I 
think it's also hard for me to imagine that it would be advantageous for
 Great Britain to be excluded from political decisions that have an 
enormous impact on its economic and political life."<br />
<br />
The EU's leaders held a summit in Brussels on Tuesday last week to consider the impact of a tumultuous election that returned a record number of anti-EU MEPs on the hard left and far right
 and left many national leaders licking their wounds. It was at that 
summit that Cameron registered his utter opposition to Juncker.<br />
<br />
Judging
 by Juncker's private remarks, Europe's Christian democratic government 
chiefs are paying lip service to his candidacy. The Luxembourger sounded
 aggrieved and abandoned. But he vowed to fight on, seeking to mobilise a
 broad coalition in the parliament in his support.<br />
<br />
"With the 
exception of two heads of government, I have heard nothing from Herman 
Van Rompuy or the others [26 heads of government]," Juncker complained. 
"If the heads are not capable of making proposals, I have decided to 
march through the [parliamentary] caucuses. I will try to negotiate 
informally what might turn into a working programme for the commission."<br />
<br />
It
 appeared from his remarks that Juncker enjoys only lukewarm support 
from his own centre-right and that he will try to muster a bigger 
majority by winning the backing of the centre-left, liberals and Greens.
 But with the election delivering a backlash against the austerity and 
spending cuts that were the principal policy response to four years of 
euro crisis, Juncker jeopardised his chances by stating he would make no
 concessions to the centre-left governments of France and Italy, heavily
 indebted and seeking a loosening of German-prescribed fiscal rigour.<br />
<br />
"I
 will now start negotiations with the socialists," said Juncker. "I 
would happily extend them to other democratic parties, talk to the 
Greens and the liberals."<br />
<br />
A "grand coalition" of Christian and 
social democrats, said Juncker, would deliver about 400 of the 751 
parliamentary seats. "That's not enough. If I knew that all the EPP 
parties were behind me, the negotiations would be easier."<br />
<br />
While 
stressing that growth and jobs had to be the priorities in Europe for 
the new commission, Juncker also said he would not relax the single 
currency rules for Matteo Renzi and François Hollande, the centre-left 
leaders of Italy and France.<br />
<br />
Speaking in German he said: "The 
crisis is not yet over. If we now give a signal that we're going in a 
totally different direction that would be the wrong signal. Budget 
policy must remain as it is."<br />
<br />
Switching to English, he said: "Otherwise we would fuck our own credibility."<br />

</div>

Juncker: I won't beg UK to back my bid for European commission presidency

'I will not be forced toi get on my knees before the British,' Jean-Claude Juncker told a closed meeting of the European pe...

Vodafone reveals existence of secret wires that allow state surveillance

Anonymous 0 News 5:29 AM

<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5eNp1Ki5Gos/U5ELJkDORxI/AAAAAAAAApI/YpRHFCXO3-w/s1600/vodafone-surveillance-009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5eNp1Ki5Gos/U5ELJkDORxI/AAAAAAAAApI/YpRHFCXO3-w/s1600/vodafone-surveillance-009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
Vodafone has revealed the secret wires are widely used in the 29 countries it operates in.  Photograph: Carl Court/AFP</div>
<div class="caption" itemprop="caption">
 </div>
<div id="article-body-blocks">
     Vodafone,
 one of the world's largest mobile phone groups, has revealed the 
existence of secret wires that allow government agencies to listen to 
all conversations on its networks, saying they are widely used in some 
of the 29 countries in which it operates in Europe and beyond.<br />
<br />
The company has broken its silence on government surveillance
 in order to push back against the increasingly widespread use of phone 
and broadband networks to spy on citizens, and will publish its first 
Law Enforcement Disclosure Report on Friday . At 40,000 words, it is the
 most comprehensive survey yet of how governments monitor the 
conversations and whereabouts of their people.<br />
<br />
The company said 
wires had been connected directly to its network and those of other 
telecoms groups, allowing agencies to listen to or record live 
conversations and, in certain cases, track the whereabouts of a 
customer. Privacy campaigners said the revelations were a "nightmare scenario" that confirmed their worst fears on the extent of snooping.<br />
<br />
In
 Albania, Egypt, Hungary, India, Malta, Qatar, Romania, South Africa and
 Turkey, it is unlawful to disclose any information related to 
wiretapping or interception of the content of phone calls and messages 
including whether such capabilities exist.<br />
<br />
"For governments to 
access phone calls at the flick of a switch is unprecedented and 
terrifying," said the Liberty director, Shami Chakrabarti. "[Edward] 
Snowden revealed the internet was already treated as fair game. Bluster 
that all is well is wearing pretty thin – our analogue laws need a 
digital overhaul."<br />
<br />
In about six of the countries in which Vodafone
 operates, the law either obliges telecoms operators to install direct 
access pipes, or allows governments to do so. The company, which owns 
mobile and fixed broadband networks, including the former Cable & 
Wireless business, has not named the countries involved because certain 
regimes could retaliate by imprisoning its staff.<br />
<br />
    
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/6/5/1401998957701/vodafone_graphic460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="vodafone graphic" border="0" height="1041" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/6/5/1401998957701/vodafone_graphic460.jpg" width="460" /></a></div>
Direct-access systems do not require warrants, and companies have no 
information about the identity or the number of customers targeted. Mass
 surveillance can happen on any telecoms network without agencies having
 to justify their intrusion to the companies involved.<br />
<br />
Industry 
sources say that in some cases, the direct-access wire, or pipe, is 
essentially equipment in a locked room in a network's central data 
centre or in one of its local exchanges or "switches".<br />
<br />
The staff 
working in that room can be employed by the telecoms firm, but have 
state security clearance and are usually unable to discuss any aspect of
 their work with the rest of the company. Vodafone says it requires all 
employees to follow its code of conduct, but secrecy means that it 
cannot always verify that they do so.<br />
<br />
Government agencies can also
 intercept traffic on its way into a data centre, combing through 
conversations before routing them on to the operator.<br />
<br />
"These are 
the nightmare scenarios that we were imagining," said Gus Hosein, 
executive director of Privacy International, which has brought legal 
action against the British government over mass surveillance.<br />
<br />
"I 
never thought the telcos [telecommunications companies] would be so 
complicit. It's a brave step by Vodafone and hopefully the other telcos 
will become more brave with disclosure, but what we need is for them to 
be braver about fighting back against the illegal requests and the laws 
themselves."<br />
<br />
Vodafone's group privacy officer, Stephen Deadman, said: "These pipes exist, the direct access model exists.<br />
"We
 are making a call to end direct access as a means of government 
agencies obtaining people's communication data. Without an official 
warrant, there is no external visibility. If we receive a demand we can 
push back against the agency. The fact that a government has to issue a 
piece of paper is an important constraint on how powers are used."<br />
<br />
Vodafone
 is calling for all direct-access pipes to be disconnected, and for the 
laws that make them legal to be amended. It says governments should 
"discourage agencies and authorities from seeking direct access to an 
operator's communications infrastructure without a lawful mandate".<br />
<br />
All
 states should publish annual data on the number of warrants issued, the
 company argues. There are two types – those for the content of calls 
and messages, and those for the metadata, which can cover the location 
of a target's device, the times and dates of communications, and the 
people with whom they communicated.<br />
<br />
For brevity, the Guardian has 
also used the term metadata to cover warrants for customer information 
such as name and address. The information published in our table covers 
2013 or the most recent year available.<br />
 A single warrant can target 
hundreds of individuals and devices, and several warrants can target 
just one individual. Governments count warrants in different ways and 
New Zealand, for example, excludes those concerning national security. 
While software companies like Apple and Microsoft have jumped to publish
 the number of warrants they receive since the activities of America's NSA and Britain's GCHQ came to light, telecoms companies, which need government licences to operate, have been slower to respond.<br />
<br />
In America, Verizon and AT&T have published data, but only on their domestic operations. Deutsche Telekom in Germany and Telstra in Australia have also broken ground at home. Vodafone is the first to produce a global survey.<br />
<br />
It
 shows that Malta is one of the most spied on nations in Europe. The 
former British protectorate has a tiny population of 420,000, but last 
year Vodafone alone processed 3,773 requests for metadata.<br />
<br />
In 
Italy, where the mafia's presence requires a high level of police 
intrusion, Vodafone received 606,000 metadata requests, more than any 
other country in which it runs networks. The number of warrants across 
all operators is potentially many times that number, but the government 
does not publish a national figure for metadata.<br />
<br />
Italy's 
parliament does disclose content warrants, however, and it issued 
141,000 in 2012, compared with just 2,760 in the United Kingdom. In 
contrast to the UK, terrorism concerns mean Ireland does not allow any 
information on the number of content warrants to be made public.<br />
  <br />
Spain,
 which has suffered terrorist strikes from Islamists and Basque 
separatists, allowed Vodafone to disclose that it had received over 
24,000 content warrants. Agencies in the Czech Republic made nearly 
8,000 content requests from the network. After Italy, the Czech Republic
 is the biggest user of metadata, issuing 196,000 warrants nationally in
 the most recent year for which information has been published.<br />
<br />
Tanzania, one of several African countries in which Vodafone operates, 
made 99,000 metadata requests from the company.<br />
<br />
Peter Micek, 
policy counsel at the campaign group Access, said: "In a sector that has
 historically been quiet about how it facilitates government access to 
user data, Vodafone has for the first time shone a bright light on the 
challenges of a global telecom giant, giving users a greater 
understanding of the demands governments make of telcos. Vodafone's 
report also highlights how few governments issue any transparency 
reports, with little to no information about the number of wiretaps, 
cell site tower dumps, and other invasive surveillance practices."<br />
<br />
On
 the question of whether the UK uses direct-access pipes, Vodafone's 
Deadman said such a system would be illegal because Britain did not 
permit agencies to obtain information without a warrant. The law does, 
however, allow indiscriminate collection of information on an 
unidentified number of targets. "We need to debate how we are balancing 
the needs of law enforcement with the fundamental rights and freedoms of
 the citizens. The ideal is we get a much more informed debate going, 
and we do all of that without putting our colleagues in danger."<br />
<br />
Snowden,
 the National Security Agency whistleblower, joined Google, Reddit, 
Mozilla and other tech firms and privacy groups on Thursday to call for a
 strengthening of privacy rights online in a "Reset the net" campaign.<br />
  <br />
Twelve
 months after revelations about the scale of the US government's 
surveillance programs were first published in the Guardian and the 
Washington Post, Snowden said: "One year ago, we learned that the 
internet is under surveillance, and our activities are being monitored 
to create permanent records of our private lives – no matter how 
innocent or ordinary those lives might be. Today, we can begin the work 
of effectively shutting down the collection of our online 
communications, even if the US Congress fails to do the same."<br />

</div>

Vodafone reveals existence of secret wires that allow state surveillance

Vodafone has revealed the secret wires are widely used in the 29 countries it operates in. Photograph: Carl Court/AFP Vod...

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