Friday, January 17, 2014

World News Briefs -- January 17, 2014 (Evening Edition)



Obama Orders NSA Phone Data Limits, Tighter Restrictions For Spying On International Leaders -- FOX News

Trying to strike a balance between the government’s surveillance policies and the public’s civil liberties, President Obama announced a series of steps Friday that would end the National Security Agency’s ability to store phone data collected from millions of Americans.

However, Obama, speaking at the Justice Department, did not say the program would end -- only that the information collected would no longer be held by the NSA.

He also announced tighter restrictions on spying on international leaders.

Read more ....

MIDDLE EAST

Kerry urges all sides to attend Syria talks.

Kerry insists no place for Assad in Syria's future.

Syria conflict: Government offers prisoner exchange.

Syria ready for ceasefire in Aleppo.

Several die in rocket strike on Lebanon town.

Iraq army presses Anbar assault as unrest kills six.

Six killed in clashes between militants and army in Yemen.

U.N. inspectors to visit Iran uranium mine on January 29: Iran TV.

Iran has $100 billion abroad, can draw $4.2 billion: U.S. official.

White House releases summary of Iran nuclear deal.

Hariri assassination trial enters second day.

ASIA

Rohingya deaths denied by Myanmar government.

Thousands of Afghans face cold, hungry winter as aid goes missing.

NATO strike kills 2 civilians, 10 insurgents in Afghanistan.

Suicide bomber targets Lebanese restaurant in Kabul.

Thailand crisis: Blast targets Bangkok protest rally. Tension mounts in Thailand after blast wounds 36 protesters.

High-level military meetings between India and Pakistan could cool down regional tensions.

Indonesia to Australia: stop crossing the line.

Top Chinese military official accused of amassing illegal wealth.

Rich Chinese continue to flee China.

ASEAN meeting opens in Burma.

AFRICA

EU ministers to back sending force to Central African Republic.

UN official sees risk of genocide in CAR.

South Sudan minister says rebel leader can't make ceasefire hold.

South Sudan conflict: UN says atrocities on both sides.

86,000 flee South Sudan in past month.

Congo's army launches offensive in volatile east.

Analyst: New Nigeria military chief 'new strategy' against Boko Haram.

Militants blow up gas pipeline in Egypt's Sinai.

Madagascar court confirms President-elect.

EUROPE

Ukraine leader, defying West, signs laws against protests.

Czech center-left leader becomes PM, seeking closer EU ties.

Sochi expected to be the most expensive Olympics ever.

At least seven injured in southern Russia blasts.

Ukraine chides West for criticism of new anti-protest law.

Hague warns Scots of EU exit on independence.

President Hollande visits partner Trierweiler in hospital.

Greece's Golden Dawn investigated over mock execution pictures.

Tornado jet crashes in Germany, crew safe.

AMERICAS

Falklands fisheries will come under attack from Argentina so as to 'strangle the Islands'' economy.

Latino population to surpass whites in California in TWO MONTHS... and the state is getting older too.

Argentina says 2013 inflation nearly 11 percent, but analysts say it's more like 28 percent.

Obama proposes new limits on NSA phone collections.

U.S. industry shows muscle in late 2013.

Mexican forces struggle to rein in armed vigilantes battling drug cartel. Mexican government says 'vigilantes not the target. Vigilantes take on drug cartels terrorising south-west Mexico.

Venezuela looks to Army general to damp spiraling prices.

Canada PM Harper to make first official Mideast trip.

Bomb explodes in Colombian town as rebel ceasefire ends.

Concern after Argentina's President long silence.

California governor declares drought emergency, asks for conservation.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

From Falluja to Maghreb, a new, diffuse Al Qaeda.

Tehran accuses Tel Aviv of ‘state terrorism' after claims Israel killed 1994 Argentina bombing perpetrators.

Senate says no doubt al-Qaeda in on Benghazi.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

Royal Dutch Shell issues profit warning.

Is Google more innovative than Apple?

Surging U.S. shale oil helps ease OPEC prices in 2013.

1 comment:

Intelligence.Architecture.Infrastructure said...

For Whom the Bells Toll?

The overseas customers of U.S. Technology Giants aren’t micro-analyzing the protections the NSA takes when it accesses customer data: The world is incensed that the U.S. Banking, Finance and Technology Companies, FBI, CIA, Israel, Israeli Companies and the US agency NSA collects the data the first place.

The official order [Obama] released as he spoke — Presidential Policy Directive/PPD-28, which laid out the changes he was making — included a bow to the tech giants. High up in the document, he acknowledged that the nation’s intelligence-gathering activities risk “a potential loss of international trust in U.S. firms [and]…the credibility of our commitment to an open, interoperable, and secure global Internet.” In the battle to balance national security with vital civil liberties, the tech industry has suffered the most severe collateral damage, as trust in its products has indeed eroded. Today the president had the opportunity to cut Silicon Valley a break.

So what did the tech companies get?

As expected, they will have more freedom to disclose the number and the nature of requests from the government for data related to national-security concerns. So we can expect more detailed transparency reports from the companies showing that they only provide a fraction of their information to the government.

This does not mean US & Israeli companies are mandated by any constitutional or legislative or executive order to reveal that they are collecting data in the first place. Merely, what they share with the US government and that too only in some cases where the court shall warrant such disclosure.

PPD-28 can be found here as PDF