Verizon, believing its role is not to “second-guess the legitimacy of emergency government requests†disclosed its collusion with Big Brother in a letter to congressional investigators saying that it provided telephone and Internet user data on an emergency basis without court orders 720 times:
- Verizon Says It Turned Over Data Without Court Orders (Washington Post)
Seeking to head off a major political crisis, Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir meets with Southern leaders after withdrawing their ministers from the national unity government:
- Sudan’s Bashir Meets South Leaders to End Dispute (Reuters/New York Times)
“The shift is not so much that American officials no longer mention human rights and democracy; it is more that they do not follow up to ensure results. Instead, there seems to be a tacit understanding whereby Washington criticizes Egypt’s human rights failings, Egypt takes umbrage at the “interference†in domestic affairs and little changes.â€â€”Michael Slackman, New York Times reporter
- On Human Rights, U.S. Seems to Give Egypt a Pass (New York Times)
Citing historical examples of the US Civil War, cold war diplomatic engagement with the USSR and the Soviet’s failed invasion of Afghanistan, a former international CNN correspondent argues America will dig itself deeper into a ditch by attacking Iran and launching its third war, while on a visit to Iran, Russian president Vladimir Putin strongly hints at the US not to attack Iran and Azerbaijan not give them the air bases to do so:
- The Folly of War With Iran (Christian Science Monitor)
- Putin Cautions Against Iran Attack (Al-Jazeera International)
New York Times editorial sees the high enlistment bonuses and Marines’ planned shift to Afghanistan as more ominous signs of desperation in Iraq, while a senior State Department official publicly states corruption in Iraq is pervasive and hinders developing a stable democracy, but some Congressmen accuse the agency of masking the full depth of the problem by avoiding direct questions on the issue and classifying and heavily redacting relevant documents:
- On Bonuses and Leaving Iraq (New York Times)
- Corruption in Iraq ‘Pernicious,’ State Dept. Official Says (Washington Post)
International maritime watchdog finds lawlessness on land in Somalia leads to criminality at sea, threatening trade-shipping routes in that region of the world:
- Somalia’s Pirates are ‘Thriving’ (BBC News)
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