Dialectical Maneuvers

IMF sees no end to French jobless crisis this decade

"The IMF said the jobless rate will rise yet further to 11.6pc in 2014 and will not drop below 10.6pc within Mr Hollande’s five-year term. If this grim scenario unfolds, it will be a political hammer blow for Mr Hollande. He asked the nation to judge him on his record in 'bending the unemployment curve'. The Fund said efforts to bring down the budget deficit should focus on spending cuts rather than fresh taxes, 'which are among the highest by international standards and have a negative effect on investment and job creation'. Two-thirds of Mr Hollande’s fiscal squeeze has come from taxes, to the fury of the business lobby Medef." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIMF sees no end to French jobless crisis this decade

Washington man arrested for strapping bomb to his dog and blowing it up

"A Washington state man was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly killed his dog by attaching a bomb to the animal and then detonated it. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and the metro area’s bomb squad assisted in the investigation. Dillingham was charged with second-degree malicious mischief, reckless endangerment and possession of an explosive device. Officials declined to give a motive for the crime, citing an ongoing investigation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWashington man arrested for strapping bomb to his dog and blowing it up

Glenn Greenwald: Embassy closings looks like a conspiracy to silence NSA debate

"Guardian columnist Glenn Greenwald on Monday suggested that President Barack Obama had ordered 19 U.S. embassies in the Middle Easy closed not because of a legitimate terror threat, but to silence a debate on recently-revealed details of National Security Agency (NSA) data collection programs. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) said that the embassies had been temporarily closed after the NSA learned of a terrorist plot. Speaking to Democracy Now‘s Amy Goodman on Monday, Greenwald observed that the Obama administration may have shuttered the posts just to stop discussion about his reporting." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: Embassy closings looks like a conspiracy to silence NSA debate

Other Agencies Clamor for Data N.S.A. Compiles

"The NSA's dominant role as the nation’s spy warehouse has spurred frequent tensions and turf fights with other federal intelligence agencies that want to use its surveillance tools for their own investigations, officials say. Agencies working to curb drug trafficking, cyberattacks, money laundering, counterfeiting and even copyright infringement complain that their attempts to exploit the security agency’s vast resources have often been turned down. Smaller intelligence units within the DEA, the Secret Service, the Pentagon and DHS have sometimes been given access to the security agency’s surveillance tools for particular cases." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOther Agencies Clamor for Data N.S.A. Compiles

NSA defenders: embassy closures followed ‘pre-9/11 levels’ of ‘chatter’

"Saxby Chambliss, who was briefed by the vice president, Joe Biden, last week, said he believed the intelligence had been gathered by the NSA using foreign surveillance powers granted under section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. 'This is a good indication of why they [the surveillance powers] are so important,' he said. His defence of the NSA was echoed by another Republican, Lindsey Graham. Asked by CNN host Candy Crowley whether Americans were right to be frightened, senator Graham said: 'It is scary … the NSA programme is proving its worth yet again.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA defenders: embassy closures followed ‘pre-9/11 levels’ of ‘chatter’

U.S. officials say global terror threat is ‘very specific’

"U.S. officials are warning that a global terror threat from al Qaeda is ‘very specific’ and could last through August, as at least 22 embassies and consulates across the world prepared to shut down Sunday in fear of a possible attack. The U.S. issued a global travel alert for American travelers on Friday after intercepting electronic communication among top al Qaeda operatives in Yemen regarding an attack in its final planning stages. If traveling outside the U.S., King said: ‘I would let the American embassy know where you are. Basically check in and where you are and how long you plan to stay there and what your itinerary is.’" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. officials say global terror threat is ‘very specific’

Obama Meets Security Advisors Over “Most Specific, Credible Terrorist Threat In Years”; US Forces On Alert

"According to CBS, the 'terrorist threat prompting the U.S. government to close nearly two dozen embassies and consulates Sunday is the most specific, credible threat information in years' (even more credible than the Boston marathon bombers?) Specific but lacking the actual date, or timing, of an alleged 'terrorist attack.' Information which, however, can not be shared with the general public for obvious reasons - just trust the government and ignore that spy drone peeking into your window." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama Meets Security Advisors Over “Most Specific, Credible Terrorist Threat In Years”; US Forces On Alert

Irish man facing U.S. extradition for hosting largest child porn network on the planet

"If extradited to the US, Marques faces four charges relating to images hosted on the Freedom Hosting network, including images of the torture and rape of children. He could be sentenced to 30 years in prison. Freedom Hosting hosted sites on the The Onion Router (Tor) network, which anonymises and encrypts traffic, masking the identity of users. Users on the Tor sub-Reddit were suspicious about the news, dissecting the details of the vulnerability and pointing to a previous case where the FBI had taken over and maintained a site hosting child abuse material for two weeks in order to identify users." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIrish man facing U.S. extradition for hosting largest child porn network on the planet

Senator Chambliss: NSA program helped gather current ‘terror chatter’

"'There is an awful lot of chatter out there,' Senator Saxby Chambliss, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on NBC’s 'Meet the Press.' He said 'chatter' – electronically monitored communications among terrorism suspects about the planning of a possible attack – was 'very reminiscent of what we saw pre-9/11.' Chambliss said one of the surveillance programs revealed by former spy agency contractor Edward Snowden had helped. Those programs 'allow us to have the ability to gather this chatter,' he said. 'If we did not have these programs then we simply wouldn’t be able to listen in on the bad guys.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSenator Chambliss: NSA program helped gather current ‘terror chatter’

Interpol issues global security alert after prison breaks

"Interpol issued a global security alert on Saturday advising its members to increase their vigilance against attacks after a series of prison breaks in Iraq, Libya and Pakistan that the agency is investigating to determine if they were linked. The Lyon, France-based Interpol said given that al Qaeda was suspected to be involved in some of the incidents, it was asking its 190 member countries to watch out for information connected to the prison breaks, with an aim to determine whether they were coordinated and also locate the escaped prisoners." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingInterpol issues global security alert after prison breaks