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Iceland’s EU bid is over, commission told

"Iceland's bid to join the EU is over, the country's foreign minister told the European Commission on Thursday (13 June). Speaking during a frosty press conference with reporters on Thursday (13 June), Stefan Fule, the Czech commissioner responsible for EU membership bids, admitted that Iceland's decision was a personal blow. The April election, which was won decisively by the centre-right Independence party and the Progressive party, was viewed as a vote against EU membership. Opinion polls indicate that only 25 percent of Icelanders support EU membership." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIceland’s EU bid is over, commission told

Ecuador breaks US trade pact to thwart ‘blackmail’ over Snowden asylum

"Ecuador has ramped up its defiance of the US over Edward Snowden by waiving preferential trade rights with Washington even as the whistleblower's prospect of reaching Quito dimmed. President Rafael Correa's government said on Thursday it was renouncing the Andean Trade Preference Act to thwart US 'blackmail' of Ecuador in the former NSA contractor's asylum request. Officials, speaking at an early morning press conference, also offered a $23m donation for human rights training in the US, a brash riposte to recent US criticism of Ecuador's own human rights record." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEcuador breaks US trade pact to thwart ‘blackmail’ over Snowden asylum

Glenn Greenwald: Snowden’s Files Are Out There if ‘Anything Happens’ to Him

"As the U.S. government presses Moscow to extradite former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, America’s most wanted leaker has a plan B. The former NSA systems administrator has already given encoded files containing an archive of the secrets he lifted from his old employer to several people. If anything happens to Snowden, the files will be unlocked. The fact that Snowden has made digital copies of the documents he accessed while working at the NSA poses a new challenge to the U.S. intelligence community that has scrambled in recent days to recover them and assess the full damage of the breach." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: Snowden’s Files Are Out There if ‘Anything Happens’ to Him

Russia defiant as U.S. raises pressure over Snowden

"The White House said it expected the Russian government to send Snowden back to the United States and lodged 'strong objections' to Hong Kong and China for letting him go. But the Russian government ignored the appeal and President Vladimir Putin's press secretary denied any knowledge of Snowden's movements. Asked if Snowden had spoken to the Russian authorities, Peskov said: 'Overall, we have no information about him.' Other Russian officials said Moscow had no obligation to cooperate with Washington, after it passed legislation to impose visa bans and asset freezes on Russians accused of violating human rights." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussia defiant as U.S. raises pressure over Snowden

Federal Europe will be ‘a reality in a few years’, says commission president

"The president of the European Commission has fanned the flames of British debate over EU membership by insisting that fiscal union in the eurozone will lead to 'intensified political union' for all 27 member states. 'This is about the economic and monetary union but for the EU as a whole,' he said. 'The commission will, therefore, set out its views and explicit ideas for treaty change in order for them to be debated before the European elections.' 'We want to put all the elements on the table, in a clear and consistent way, even if some of them may sound like political science fiction today. They will be reality in a few years' time.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal Europe will be ‘a reality in a few years’, says commission president

EU governments get cold feet on financial transactions tax

"Prospects of an EU tax on financial transactions have been put into question by confusion on how it would work and a legal challenge by the UK. A six-page-long memo drafted by civil servants in the EU Council last week - seen by EUobserver - indicates cooling enthusiasm among the 11 EU countries which supported the introduction of a financial transactions tax (FTT). The officials say the FTT, which includes a 0.1 percent levy on bonds and shares and 0.01 percent on derivative products, would hit repurchase agreements on sovereign bonds, forcing up the cost of financing government debt." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEU governments get cold feet on financial transactions tax

Atlanta: Anti-Police Rebellion, Rocks And Bricks Thrown At Police Cars

"Today, April 9th 2013, there was a riot in Edgewood, a neighborhood northeast of downtown Atlanta. Around fifty people gathered for a 'March Against the Police' with drums, banners, and a desire for vengeance at the playground in Edgewood Courts, an apartment complex in the back of the neighborhood. Edgewood Courts contains some of the few remaining low income housing units in Atlanta. Yesterday, the police pepper sprayed a group of kids and beat and arrested a man grieving over his lost father. All in all the police were forced to retreat 4 times — leaving the neighborhood completely. The crowd of people never backed down." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAtlanta: Anti-Police Rebellion, Rocks And Bricks Thrown At Police Cars

Apple’s iMessage encryption trips up feds’ surveillance

"Encryption used in Apple's iMessage chat service has stymied attempts by federal drug enforcement agents to eavesdrop on suspects' conversations, an internal government document reveals. An internal Drug Enforcement Administration document seen by CNET discusses a February 2013 criminal investigation and warns that because of the use of encryption, 'it is impossible to intercept iMessages between two Apple devices' even with a court order approved by a federal judge." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingApple’s iMessage encryption trips up feds’ surveillance

American drivers still talk, text as much as ever despite laws against it

"Americans are using cellphones and other gadgets behind the wheel as much as ever, despite widespread awareness of the risks involved, a federal government agency said Friday. Citing a 2011 survey, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said 660,000 Americans are talking or texting while driving at any given moment, a number unchanged from the previous year. Thirty-nine of the 50 states now ban text messaging behind the wheel, and 10 states forbid heldheld cellphone use — although observers say those bans are frequently ignored." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerican drivers still talk, text as much as ever despite laws against it

More than two-thirds of Americans still use phones while driving

"More than two-thirds of American motorists use a mobile phone while driving despite recent laws in many jurisdictions banning the practice, a survey showed Thursday. The study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 69 percent of US drivers talked on their cell phone while driving within the 30 days before they were surveyed. Some 31 percent of drivers also said that they had read or sent text messages or emails while driving." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMore than two-thirds of Americans still use phones while driving