Personal Security and Freedom
Assange : ‘Ability to Surveil Everyone on Planet Almost There’
“The ability to surveil everyone on the planet is almost there and, arguably, will be there in the next couple of years,” said Assange, speaking via Skype to a large audience at the South by Southwest Interactive festival here.
Snowden Says ‘Many Other’ Spy Programs Remain Secret, for Now
“There are many other undisclosed programs that would impact EU citizens’ rights, but I will leave the public interest determinations as to which of these may be safely disclosed to responsible journalists in coordination with government stakeholders,” he said.
Kim Jong Un ‘Elected’ with 100% of the Vote
With no one else on the ballot, state media reported Monday that supreme leader Kim Jong Un was not only elected to the highest legislative body in North Korea, he won with the unanimous approval of his district, which had 100% turnout.
Greeley Barber Shop Refusing Customers That Smell Like Pot
“I feel that it’s my right to make the statement. It’s the same thing as no shoes no service,” said shop owner Hugo Corral. Other business owners have thanked him for taking a stand and his customers say it’s been a noticeable difference.
America’s War on Obesity is an Assault on Our Liberty
The goal is to make people look and feel better by giving them less autonomy. “You can never be too rich or too skinny,” the Hollywood saying goes. But you can be too fat, and also, apparently, too free.
Crisis in Ukraine
Russia Reinforces Military Presence in Crimea
The man who was once Russia’s most famous prisoner says Russia is ruining its longstanding friendship with Ukraine by its aggressive and pro-separatist actions in Crimea. He also called for establishing a congress of Ukrainian and Russian intellectuals to boost ties.
Russian Flags Flood Lenin Square in Crimea
The most explosive East-West crisis since the Cold War was stoked further when Putin told both Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron that he fully recognised the actions of Crimea’s leaders.
Condoleezza Rice: Ukraine is a Wake-up Call
“We should reach out to Russian youth, especially students and young professionals, many of whom are studying in U.S. universities and working in Western firms. Democratic forces in Russia need to hear American support for their ambitions. They, not Putin, are Russia’s future.”
Hundreds Still Missing after Protests
What happened to Ukrainians who seemingly vanished in their revolution’s fast-moving tides? Were they victims of state repression and criminal activity by the police, or had some of them just drifted back to quiet lives?
Malaysian Jet Mystery
 
Ten Countries Scour Sea for Malaysia Jet Lost in ‘Unprecedented Mystery’
Flight MH370 disappeared from radar screens about an hour into its flight from Kuala Lumpur, after climbing to a cruising altitude of 35,000 ft. “The fact that we are unable to find any debris so far appears to indicate that the aircraft is likely to have disintegrated at around 35,000 feet,” said the source.
Missing Flight Spurs Terorrism Concerns
“We are aware of the reporting on the two stolen passports,” one senior U.S. official said. “We have not determined a nexus to terrorism yet, although it’s still very early, and that’s by no means definitive.” Officials note that there were other criminal reasons, such as drug smuggling.
Airline CEO: no Distress Signal, Something Happened ‘Quickly, Catastrophically’
The oil slicks were spotted late Saturday off the southern tip of Vietnam and were each between 6 miles and 9 miles long, the Vietnamese government said in a statement. There was no confirmation that the slicks were related to the missing plane, but the statement said they were consistent with the kinds that would be produced by the two fuel tanks of a crashed jetliner.
Missile Downed Malaysia Airlines Jet? Follows Near Miss by North Korean Rocket Last Week
On Friday, China complained to North Korea when one of its missiles came dangerously close to a civilian jet last Tuesday. The airplane had departed Tokyo’s Narita airport en route to the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang.
Vietnam Searchers Report Spotting Plane Debris
A search-and-rescue plane spotted suspected fragments of a missing Malaysian airliner in the first potential breakthrough in the investigation of what happened to the flight after it disappeared early Saturday morning.
