World News Review

June 05, 2015

Romania PM Victor Ponta quizzed over alleged corruption
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:25 AM

Romanian prosecutors have questioned Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who is suspected of forgery, tax evasion and money laundering.

The case, concerning Mr Ponta's work as a lawyer in 2007-2008, is being handled by the anti-corruption agency DNA.

President Klaus Iohannis has urged Mr Ponta to resign, saying it was "an impossible situation for Romania".

But Mr Ponta, who denies any wrongdoing, said only parliament can dismiss him.

He is accused of using forged invoices from a law firm, Sova and Associates, to buy two luxury apartments and a Mitsubishi Lancer car, Romanian media report.

The president, a centre-right politician, cannot suspend Mr Ponta without the approval of parliament, where Mr Ponta's centre-left Social Democratic Party (PSD) and its allies have a majority.

The PSD emerged out of the old Communist Party and Mr Ponta took office in 2012.

The DNA has arrested several well-known figures in recent months, with former government ministers, media moguls, judges and prosecutors all under investigation.

They include Elena Udrea, a former minister of tourism and former presidential candidate.

The DNA investigation has also spread to Mr Ponta's mother, sister, brother-in-law Iulian Hertanu and senator Ilie Sarbu, who is his father-in-law.

After speaking to the president on Friday, Mr Ponta said: "I respect his public position but I was appointed in the job by Romania's parliament and only parliament can dismiss me."

Romania's constitution says parliament and the president can demand that legal proceedings be taken against government members.

Mr Ponta was an associate at the law firm of senator and former minister Dan Sova from 2007 to 2008.

Romania's tax office accuses the firm of defrauding Rovinari and Turceni power stations - for which it was providing legal services - of millions of euros.

Exclusive: Alleged Dennis Hastert Sex Abuse Victim Is Named By Family
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:25 AM

ABC News: Politics

In Steve Reinboldt’s 1970 high school yearbook, wrestling coach Dennis Hastert wrote that Steve was his “great, right hand man” as the student equipment manager of the Yorkville, Illinois wrestling team.

But Steve was also a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of Hastert, Steve’s sister said today in an interview with ABC News. It is the first time an alleged Hastert victim has been identified by namesince his indictment for lying to the FBI and violating federal banking laws to cover-up past misconduct. Hastert, due in court next week, has not responded to the allegations.

In an emotional interview, Steve Reinboldt’s sister Jolene said she first learned of her late brother’s purported years-long sexual abuse at the hands of the future Speaker of the House back in 1979 when her brother revealed to her that he was gay and had been out of high school for eight years.

“I asked him, when was your first same sex experience. He looked at me and said, ‘It was with Dennis Hastert,’” Jolene said. “I was stunned."

Jolene said she asked her brother why he never told anyone. “And he just turned around and kind of looked at me and said, ‘Who is ever going to believe me?’”

Jolene Reinbolt / Yorkville High School Yearbook

PHOTO: Dennis Hastert, top right, and Steve Reinboldt, bottom right, shown in the 1970 Yorkville High School yearbook wrestling team photo.

Jolene said that Steve told her the abuse lasted throughout Steve’s four years of high school as he served as team student manager. “Mr. Hastert had plenty of opportunities to be alone with Steve, because he was there before the meets,” she said. “He was there after everything because he did the laundry, the uniforms. So he was there by himself with him,” she added.

Her brother also spent time with Hastert as a member of an Explorers troop, which Hastert ran. Photos taken by her brother show Hastert with a group of boys on a diving trip to the Bahamas.

Reinboldt’s sister says she has no doubts about the veracity of what her brother told her 36 years ago.

“[Steve] just told me the basics. I believed him 100 percent. But he never went into any details -– where it happened, or what the sexual experiences were like, anything like that,” Jolene said.

Jolene said she believes the abuse ended when Steve moved away after his high school graduation in 1971. Reinboldt died of AIDS in 1995. She believes Hastert’s alleged actions irrevocably changed Steve's life for the worse.

“He took his belief in himself and his kind of right to be a normal person,” Jolene said. “Here was the mentor, the man who was, you know, basically his friend and stepped into that parental role, who was the one who was abusing him… He damaged Steve I think more than any of us will ever know.”

Jolene Reinbolt

PHOTO: Dennis Hastert, right of middle, led a group of high school students in the Explorer's Club on a trip to the Bahamas. Steve Reinboldt is standing on Hastert's left.

Her anger boiled over when she said Hastert was so “brash” as to show up at Steve’s funeral viewing.

“I was just there just trying to bite my tongue thinking that blood was coming out because I was just… So after he had gone through the line I followed him out into the parking lot of the funeral home,” Jolene said. “I said, ‘I want to know why you did what you did to my brother.’ And he just stood there and stared at me. He didn’t say, ‘What are you talking about?’ you know, [or], ‘What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He just stood there and stared at me.

“Then I just continued to say, ‘I want you to know your secret didn’t die in there with my brother. And I want you to remember that I’m out here and that I know.’ And again, he just stood there and he did not say a word.”

Hastert got in his car and drove away. Jolene said Hastert’s non-response “said everything.”

In the two decades after Steve’s death, Jolene said that she tried to expose Hastert, even writing to ABC News and another news organization as well as some advocacy groups in 2006 after another congressman, Rep. Mark Foley, was discovered having sexually explicit message exchanges with an underage male page.

At the time ABC News could not corroborate Jolene's allegation and Hastert denied the claim.

Jolene Reinboldt

PHOTO: Dennis Hastert, right, plays cards with members of the Explorer's Club in the Bahamas.

So for years, Jolene watched helplessly as Hastert basked in fame and power, seated to the left of the president for years in the early 2000s for the nationally-televised State of the Union address.

“I would just watch for a while and then I would just have to get up and leave the room and just, you know, either cry or scream,” Jolene said. “I can’t believe the audacity of that man and how he thinks he will get away with it.”

She said she struggled with the decision to try and put it all behind her.

“I finally got to a point where I needed – I just had to lay it down,” she said. “And right before this last Christmas, I had – I have a couple of bins and things, boxes that have a lot of his [Steve’s] stuff in it – and I just remember sitting on the floor, packing it all up and just saying, ‘Steve, I did the best I could. And I know you’re okay.’”

Luke Frazza/Getty Images

PHOTO: President George W. Bush, center, is applauded by Vice President Dick Cheney, left, and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, right, during Bush's State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 2, 2005.

Then just two weeks ago, Jolene said she got a message from the FBI. They wanted to talk about Hastert.

“That’s when I just kind of lost it and said, 'Oh my God, I can’t believe – I never thought I was going to get this phone call… I thought it was over,'” she said.

A few days after that Jolene and her husband watched on television as it was reported Hastert had been indicted on charges of bank fraud relating to large payments to someone that Hastert undertook to conceal “prior misconduct.”

“There are no words to describe what it felt like, to, you, know, it’s just like Stevie had done it. It’s gonna happen, we got him,” she recalls thinking when the news broke.

Sources knowledgeable of the case told ABC News Hastert was paying a man -- still unidentified except as “Individual A” -- hundreds of thousands of dollars to hide that Hastert had engaged in sexual misconduct with him while Hastert was the high school wrestling coach.

Jolene Reinboldt

PHOTO: Dennis Hastert's note to Steve Reinboldt in Reinboldt's 1970 high school yearbook.

Jolene never asked for money from Hastert, but his sister believes that “Individual A” is familiar with what happened with her brother. She does not know who Individual A is, but she said she’s thankful that Hastert’s alleged misconduct is coming to light.

“I feel vindicated and that Steve’s vindicated, that Mr. Hastert can’t pull this wool over everybody’s eyes,” she said. “Finally the truth comes out.”

Jolene said she wanted to speak publicly on behalf of her family about her brother’s ordeal because she believes there may be other victims and she wanted them to know they’re not alone, “that when they were kids, at that point in their life when they were going through this, it wasn't talked about like it is now.”

“But now there’s people that are going to believe them,” Jolene said. “I just think it’s really important that these kids get a chance to work through this because I think it’s going to give them a lot of relief... Please, come forward.”

Hastert, now 73, is scheduled to make his first court appearance regarding the fraud charges next week. Hastert and his representatives have repeatedly declined to comment on the allegations, including to ABC News for this report.

The FBI declined to comment for this report.

ABC News / Jolene Reinboldt

PHOTO: Steve Reinboldt seen here on the beaches of the Bahamas.

ABC News' Megan Chuchmach, Whitney Lloyd, Randy Kreider and Cho Park contributed to this report. John Capell is a freelance journalist based in the Northwest and frequent contributor to ABC News.

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Saudi Arabia Lets The World Drown In Oil
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:24 AM

Nathan Vardi - The Jungle - Forbes

To the surprise of nobody, Saudi Arabia and the other OPEC member states decided in Vienna on Friday to maintain production targets of 30 million barrels a day, making sure the world remains flooded with oil. The fact that OPEC—particularly the core countries of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates—have refused to play their traditional stabilizing role and cut oil production makes it less likely that oil prices will rebound to the $115 a barrel level that was reached about one year ago.

With oil trading 40% below its high of one year ago, Saudi Arabia has spent more than $70 billion of its oil reserve since October, will likely run a fiscal deficit of $100 billion in 2015, all while waging a war in Yemen. But for Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, things are kind of going as planned.

“I’m not stressed, I’m happy,” said Ali al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s oil minister at the start of the week. He wasn’t just referring to his upcoming retirement. Saudi Arabia is not only increasing production, it’s increasing capacity. It increased its crude output to 10.3 million barrels a day in April, the highest level in decades. Saudi Arabia has increased investment in drilling. Can the oil kingdom pump 12 million barrels a day? Some seem to think so. There was speculation prior to the OPEC meeting that a potential surprise could see the oil cartel decide to boost production targets.

Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi, Saudi Arabian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources on June 5, 2015. JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images

Saudi Arabia, it seems, not only wants to protect market share, but to gain market share. Yes, it wants to inflict pain on U.S. shale energy producers, like EOG Resources EOG +2.15% and Pioneer Natural Resources PXD +2.19%. And the new OPEC policy has caused four U.S. corporate bankruptcies and managed to get the rig count down to 646 from 1609 in October. It also wants to hit another pocket of unconventional North American oil supply, the Canadian oil sands, which is believed to have experienced its lowest production in two years last month.

Nevertheless, so far a wall of money coming from financial players has continued to fuel the unconventional North American oil sector, which has proved pretty resilient. Many U.S. energy producers are adapting by, for example, not finishing wells, waiting for prices to rise before using hydraulic fracturing to get more oil out of the ground. U.S. production just hit its highest level in four decades, 9.6 million barrels per day.

But Saudi Arabia and OPEC also want to force big oil companies like Exxon and Chevron CVX+0.92% to delay or even cancel big offshore drilling projects. They also want to rein in capacity investments in key non-OPEC countries like Russia and slow challenges from alternative energy sources to oil, ranging from natural gas to green energy. Environmentalists are worried that Saudi Arabia is simply working to “prolong the age of oil.”

There certainly will be more oil on global markets this summer. OPEC members have been unleashed to pump wildly–they are already exceeding the production ceiling–and Iran could soon flood the world with more oil if its can get free from sanctions. Brent Crude was trading for $62.61 per barrel after OPEC’s announcement and West Texas Intermediate crude was trading at $58.47.

“The hands of the market is basically dominating the scene,” said Mohammed Al Sada, Qatar’s energy minister, at a press conference following the OPEC meeting. “Nonconventional high cost, it will depend on the their resilience to produce at whatever the oil cost is.”

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Cyberattack Leaves US Looking Vulnerable
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:23 AM

Every nation is at it: continually probing each other's digital defences, looking for secrets and often making off with them.

So of all the myriad cyber attacks happening daily why has the US now accused China?

Although the accusation isn't good for China, it may be worse for the US government.

In effect, it is publicly admitting that the best digitally armed nation in the world is vulnerable. Some of its most sensitive personnel information has been stolen.

It's startling, especially when you consider how reticent private companies are to talk about cyber attacks they've suffered.

Video: US Blames China For Huge Data Hack

But that's the reason for the disclosure. This isn't just about shaming China: it's about raising awareness - and so extra money - for cyber security. The Chinese are simply the best bogeymen.

And indeed US Representative Adam Schiff duly called for "a substantial improvement in our cyber databases and defences".

The Senate intelligence committee chairman Richard Burr also demanded an overhaul of cyber security.

Attackers are always one step ahead of defenders, but this shows the US is worried about how big that gap is growing.

Video: Feb 2013: China's 'Hacking HQ'

It also comes in the middle of a fierce debate about encryption - the technologies that keep much of our online data secure.

The UK Government wants tech companies to provide a weakened form of encryption to users, so that it can intercept encrypted messages between terrorists and criminals, for example.

On Thursday, though, Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, launched a blistering attack on those plans.

"So let me be crystal clear - weakening encryption, or taking it away, harms good people that are using it for the right reasons," he said.

Video: 2014: China Source Of Most Attacks

"We think this is incredibly dangerous. We've been offering encryption tools in our products for years, and we're going to stay on that path. We think it's a critical feature for our customers who want to keep their data secure."

If even the US government can't keep its vital data secure, how can any government argue that its citizens need to be less well-protected online?

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Romania Premier Under Pressure to Quit Over Corruption Probe
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:22 AM

Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta came under pressure to resign after he became the latest target in the country’s anti-corruption drive.

President Klaus Iohannis urged Ponta to quit after prosecutors on Friday said the premier is being investigated for forgery, money laundering and complicity in tax fraud. The premier said he would remain in office and fight the charges. The country’s currency fell the most in a month as stocks and government bonds also retreated.

The investigation “creates an impossible situation for Romania,” Iohannis told reporters. “A political crisis is the worst thing that could happen in Romania. Considering all of the above, I demand Premier Ponta’s resignation.”

Romania has stepped up efforts to curb its more than $40 billion shadow economy, the European Union’s second largest, with a crackdown that’s resulted in the arrest of top-level politicians including former Finance Minister Darius Valcov. Ponta, who weathered plagiarism accusations and a presidential election defeat, will also face a no-confidence vote in parliament, sought by the opposition to halt changes to an electoral law, according to lawmaker Ludovic Orban.

“Ponta already has a cloud over his image after losing the presidential elections last year,” Otilia Dhand, senior vice president at Teneo Intelligence in London said by phone. “I think Ponta will try to weather this storm too like he’s done in the past and the most likely scenario is that he survives the current no-confidence motion.”

Leu Drops

The escalating political tension was also reflected in Romanian assets. The leu weakened 0.6 percent to 4.4610 per euro as of 3:39 p.m. in Bucharest, its biggest drop among 24 emerging-market currencies tracked by Bloomberg. The yield on the government’s 2020 euro-denominated bonds rose to 1.757 percent from 1.749 percent, headed for the highest close since January.

“The political situation could have a stronger impact on the leu than on bonds,” Dan Bucsa, a London-based economist at UniCredit Bank AG, said by e-mail. “The leu could move temporarily above 4.50 per euro if political uncertainty persists for a longer time.”

The benchmark BET stock index fell 0.5 percent to 7,445.06, its third consecutive daily slide led by Transelectrica SA, which dropped 8.5 percent, and BRD-Group Societe Generale SA, which declined 1.5 percent.

Ponta’s Charges

Ponta is being accused of forging documents to justify income while he had a private legal practice, with the help of a law firm owned by former Transport Minister Dan Sova, the prosecutors said in a statement on their website on Friday.

“I was appointed by parliament and only parliament can remove me,” Ponta said on Facebook. “I believe respecting constitutional principles is essential for our society and I can’t accept that an anti-corruption prosecutor is above parliament, the government or the citizens. This would mean dictatorship.”

The premier can lean on his ruling coalition, which controls 315 of the 555 seats in parliament. Several members from both Ponta’s Social Democratic Party and its smaller allies affirmed their support.

“Ponta must continue his mandate,” Labor Minister Rovana Plumb, the ruling party’s deputy leader, said in an e-mailed statement.

Car, Cash

Prosecutors asked parliament to approve an investigation against Ponta for conflict of interest, as the premier has immunity from such probes as a lawmaker. Should they receive clearance, Iohannis can suspend Ponta, according to the Constitution.

Ponta allegedly received a total of about 181,000 lei ($46,000) between Oct. 2007 and Dec. 2008 and a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10 car, from Sova’s law firm, prosecutors said in the statement.

The premier will “follow every legal method to prove there is no evidence incriminating him in this case,” Corneliu Calota, a government spokesman, said in a statement.

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Pakistan Police Say 8 Men in Malala Attack Were Acquitted
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:21 AM

MINGORA, Pakistan — The Pakistani police and the country's public prosecutor said Friday that eight out of 10 militants charged with involvement in the 2012 attack on teenage activist and later Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai were actually acquitted in April — and not sentenced to life in prison as reported at the time.

The stunning announcement, which first came from Pakistan's deputy police chief, Azad Khan, offered no explanation as to why authorities had remained silent for so many weeks or why they had failed to correct the facts earlier.

In April, public prosecutor Sayed Naeem said 10 militants charged over the attack were all convicted by an anti-terrorism court and sentenced to life imprisonment. At the time, he said the court announced the ruling at an undisclosed location because of security concerns.

On Friday, Naeem said only two of the militants were imprisoned for life while the others were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

The prosecutor claimed reporters misquoted him at the time. He refused to further discuss the case and only added that he had already filed an appeal against the acquittal of the eight men.

Naeem made his comments shortly after Khan spoke.

"I can only confirm that the anti-terrorism court in April had acquitted eight out of 10 militants accused of attacking Malala," Khan told The Associated Press.

He said he did not know why the government or the public prosecutor had not clarified media reports about the sentencing of the men involved in attack on Malala earlier.

Another senior Pakistani police officer, Salim Marwat, confirmed to AP on Friday that eight were acquitted in the April 30 court ruling but refused to elaborate on details.

"We will continue our efforts to arrest all those who were linked to the attack on Malala and who are at large," he said.

Malala's press representatives in London declined to comment on the reports.

Malala was shot in the head by the Pakistani Taliban when she was returning in a vehicle along with several other students from school. The militants targeted her because she advocated education for women. She was initially treated in Pakistan, but was later flown to a hospital in Britain, where she now lives with her family.

Malala won world acclaim for her campaign and last year was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The 17-year-old laureate has expressed an interest in going into politics in Pakistan once her education is completed.

Malala enjoys huge popularity among many Pakistanis and the attack on her had created nationwide hate against militants.

Pakistan says it has been doing everything possible to trace and arrest Mullah Fazlullah, the Taliban leader who ordered the attack on Malala and who is believed to be hiding somewhere in neighboring Afghanistan. Also at large are other militants who took part in the attack.

The 10 militants initially charged in the case and brought to trial in Pakistan were detained by the military last year. It was unclear whether the two men who were sentenced to life in prison actually participated in the attack.

The military has been carrying out a major operation against Pakistani Taliban in the country's North Waziristan tribal region since last year to eliminate al-Qaida and supporters of Fazlullah who had a strong base there.

The government says it has cleared more than 90 percent region of the local and foreign militants.

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Associated Press Writers Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.

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Page 2

Edward Snowden: The World Says No to Surveillance
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:20 AM

MOSCOW — TWO years ago today, three journalists and I worked nervously in a Hong Kong hotel room, waiting to see how the world would react to the revelation that the National Security Agency had been making records of nearly every phone call in the United States. In the days that followed, those journalists and others published documents revealing that democratic governments had been monitoring the private activities of ordinary citizens who had done nothing wrong.

Within days, the United States government responded by bringing charges against me under World War I-era espionage laws. The journalists were advised by lawyers that they risked arrest or subpoena if they returned to the United States. Politicians raced to condemn our efforts as un-American, even treasonous.

Privately, there were moments when I worried that we might have put our privileged lives at risk for nothing — that the public would react with indifference, or practiced cynicism, to the revelations.

Never have I been so grateful to have been so wrong.

Two years on, the difference is profound. In a single month, the N.S.A.’s invasive call-tracking program was declared unlawful by the courts and disowned by Congress. After a White House-appointed oversight board investigation found that this program had not stopped a single terrorist attack, even the president who once defended its propriety and criticized its disclosure has now ordered it terminated.

This is the power of an informed public.

Ending the mass surveillance of private phone calls under the Patriot Act is a historic victory for the rights of every citizen, but it is only the latest product of a change in global awareness. Since 2013, institutions across Europe have ruled similar laws and operations illegal and imposed new restrictions on future activities. The United Nations declared mass surveillance an unambiguous violation of human rights. In Latin America, the efforts of citizens in Brazil led to the Marco Civil, an Internet Bill of Rights. Recognizing the critical role of informed citizens in correcting the excesses of government, the Council of Europe called for new laws to protect whistle-blowers.

Beyond the frontiers of law, progress has come even more quickly. Technologists have worked tirelessly to re-engineer the security of the devices that surround us, along with the language of the Internet itself. Secret flaws in critical infrastructure that had been exploited by governments to facilitate mass surveillance have been detected and corrected. Basic technical safeguards such as encryption — once considered esoteric and unnecessary — are now enabled by default in the products of pioneering companies like Apple, ensuring that even if your phone is stolen, your private life remains private. Such structural technological changes can ensure access to basic privacies beyond borders, insulating ordinary citizens from the arbitrary passage of anti-privacy laws, such as those now descending upon Russia.

Though we have come a long way, the right to privacy — the foundation of the freedoms enshrined in the United States Bill of Rights — remains under threat. Some of the world’s most popular online services have been enlisted as partners in the N.S.A.’s mass surveillance programs, and technology companies are being pressured by governments around the world to work against their customers rather than for them. Billions of cellphone location records are still being intercepted without regard for the guilt or innocence of those affected. We have learned that our government intentionally weakens the fundamental security of the Internet with “back doors” that transform private lives into open books. Metadata revealing the personal associations and interests of ordinary Internet users is still being intercepted and monitored on a scale unprecedented in history: As you read this online, the United States government makes a note.

Spymasters in Australia, Canada and France have exploited recent tragedies to seek intrusive new powers despite evidence such programs would not have prevented attacks. Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain recently mused, “Do we want to allow a means of communication between people which we cannot read?” He soon found his answer, proclaiming that “for too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens: As long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone.”

At the turning of the millennium, few imagined that citizens of developed democracies would soon be required to defend the concept of an open society against their own leaders.

Yet the balance of power is beginning to shift. We are witnessing the emergence of a post-terror generation, one that rejects a worldview defined by a singular tragedy. For the first time since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, we see the outline of a politics that turns away from reaction and fear in favor of resilience and reason. With each court victory, with every change in the law, we demonstrate facts are more convincing than fear. As a society, we rediscover that the value of a right is not in what it hides, but in what it protects. ☐

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Pakistan court frees eight men charged with attack on schoolgirl Malala
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:20 AM

PESHAWAR, Pakistan A Pakistani court has freed eight out of 10 men charged with organizing the shooting of schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai, police said on Friday, a move that will raise further questions about the nation's heavily criticized justice system.

Pakistani Taliban militants claimed responsibility for attacking Malala in 2012 as she traveled home from school in Swat, northwest of the capital Islamabad. She was shot in the head and airlifted to Britain for treatment, where she now lives. Two other schoolgirls were also wounded.

Malala became a global symbol of defiance after she campaigned for girls' education despite Taliban repression and she won the 2014 Nobel Peace prize.

Senior police official Salim Khan said the eight men were freed because there was not enough evidence to connect them to the 2012 attack.

Police had said in April that all 10 had been convicted and jailed for 25 years each in a trial held behind closed doors. It was not clear why officials had given incorrect information.

"The only reason for their release was lack of proof against them," Khan said.

Prosecutor Naeem Khan said the men had confessed to the court that they had helped plan the attack.

None of the accused were suspected of being the gunmen, who security officials believe fled to Afghanistan.

"During the trial, all the 10 persons had admitted and confessed their role in Malala's attack before the judge of the anti-terrorism court. But only two of them, Izhar Khan and Israrullah Khan, were convicted while the remaining eight were freed," Khan said.

He said the trial had been conducted inside the main prison in Swat Jail after militant threats.

Khan said he filed an appeal against the acquittal on May 18 but the men had already been freed on April 30.

The case will raise further questions over police competence, accountability and secret trials in Pakistan.

Police are poorly trained and equipped. Most officers have never been trained in how to gather evidence and rarely follow basic procedures such as securing crime scenes. Cases mostly hinge on highly unreliable oral testimony, leading judges to frequently dismiss charges involving major militant attacks.

Trials are often held behind closed doors because judges, lawyers and witnesses fear retribution from militants.

(Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Gareth Jones)

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London Is Officially the Cocaine Capital of Europe | TIME
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:19 AM

Comments On: Feed-Explorer

At least according to its sewer system

How do you measure how much drugs a city’s residents are using? One way is to check the sewers. According to new research from the E.U., London residents flush away the most cocaine of any major European city.

The study, which looked at 50 cities around Europe, found that 737 mg of cocaine was flushed per 1,000 people each day last year, according to the BBC. Amsterdam came in second place with 716 mg, and Antwerp in third with 632 mg.

Peak days for cocaine-flushing in London are Fridays and Saturdays, with Sundays and Mondays showing a significant drop-off.

Sturdy U.S. jobs report boosts chances of Fed rate hike
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:19 AM

WASHINGTON U.S. job growth accelerated sharply in May and wages picked up, signs of momentum in the economy that bolster prospects for an interest rate hike in September.

Nonfarm payrolls increased 280,000 last month, the largest gain since December, the Labor Department said on Friday.

While the unemployment rate rose to 5.5 percent from a near seven-year low of 5.4 percent in April that was because more people, likely new college graduates, entered the labor force, indicating confidence in the jobs market.

Payrolls for March and April were revised to show 32,000 more jobs created than previously reported. That together with an eight cent gain in average hourly earnings raises the chances of the Federal Reserve tightening monetary policy this year.

"This certainly puts more ammunition in the Fed's plan to start lift-off in September," said Mark Luschini, chief investment strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott in Philadelphia.

The dollar rallied against a basket of currencies, while prices for U.S. government debt dropped sharply. U.S. stock index futures fell.

Doubts had sprung up in financial markets over whether the U.S. central bank would be able to raise interest rates this year after weak data on consumer spending and industrial production suggested the economy lacked vigor early in the second quarter after slumping at the start of the year.

The Fed has kept overnight rates near zero since December 2008. Officials from the U.S. central bank will meet on June 16-17.

GAINING MOMENTUM

U.S. gross domestic product contracted at a 0.7 percent annual pace in the first quarter, although the drop probably exaggerated the economy's weakness given a mix of temporary factors at play.

The sturdy jobs reports joined May automobile sales and manufacturing data in suggesting that growth was gaining some traction after getting off to a slow start in the second quarter, in part because of the lingering effects of a strong dollar and spending cuts in the energy sector.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls rising 225,000 last month and the unemployment rate steady at 5.4 percent. May payroll gains lifted job growth above last year's average of 260,000 jobs per month.

The labor force participation rate, or the share of working-age Americans who are employed or at least looking for a job, increased 0.1 percentage point to 62.9 percent last month.

A broad measure of joblessness that includes people who want to work but have given up searching and those working part-time because they cannot find full-time employment was unchanged at 10.8 percent.

The increase in average hourly earnings took the year-on-year gain to 2.3 percent, the largest rise since August 2013.

Wages are poised to push higher against the backdrop of firming demand for entry-level workers and a better composition of jobs that are being created. In addition, many states have raised the minimum wage and some large corporations have been increasing pay for workers.

Walmart (WMT.N), the largest private employer in the United States, this week announced it would raise minimum wages for more than 100,000 U.S. workers, its second wage hike this year.

Payroll gains last month were broad-based, though the mining sector purged more jobs as it works through the thousands of cuts announced by oil-field companies.

Manufacturing employment increased 7,000 after adding 1,000 jobs in April. Mining payrolls fell 18,000, logging the fifth straight month of declines.

Schlumberger (SLB.N) has announced about 20,000 layoffs this year. Baker Hughes (BHI.N) and Halliburton (HAL.N) are also cutting thousands of jobs.

Construction employment increased 17,000, reflecting a strengthening housing market. The average workweek was steady at 34.5 hours.

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Additional reporting by Ryan Vlastelica in New York; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

Read the whole story

· · ·

The Jobs Recovery Is Going Strong
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:18 AM

NYT > The Upshot

The recovery in the job market that became more robust in late 2014 and early 2015 wobbled a little in the spring. The message from the May numbers released Friday morning was this: Don’t worry. Everything is just fine.

The headline of 280,000 jobs added in May is the strongest number since December, but that’s just the start of it. An abysmal April job growth number was revised up to merely mediocre. Average hourly earnings rose by a healthy 0.3 percent. And perhaps the best news was in the survey of American households that determines the unemployment rate. The number of people in the labor force rose by almost 400,000, and the ratio of the population with a job ticked up to 59.4 percent, from 59.3 percent.

Not all of the people who joined the labor force found jobs, so the unemployment rate rose to 5.5 percent, but this is a classic case of the jobless rate rising for good, rather than bad, reasons. Americans were sufficiently optimistic about the job market that they joined the labor force. Given the rate of job creation we’re seeing, it should only be a matter of time before they successfully land work.

So on all the important measures this is good news, and it affirms that the spring lull in job growth was just that. It should make the Federal Reserve more comfortable with its tentative plans to raise interest rates as early as September (though whether that’s a good idea is a separate debate). And it should give comfort to anyone looking, or thinking of looking, for a job.

The one mystery this leaves is how to reconcile the robust job growth the United States is experiencing with tepid readings on overall economic growth. Gross domestic product contracted at an 0.7 percent annual rate in the first quarter, and based on data that is out so far analysts expect a so-so 2 percent growth reading for the second quarter, which ends June 30. Combine those, and the American economy appears to have grown at something like an 0.7 percent annual rate for the first half of 2015, which is wildly inconsistent with the 217,000 average monthly job creation so far this year.

Indeed, if the January through May average job growth were to hold up for the remainder of the year, it would amount to 1.9 percent growth in the number of jobs in the United States in 2015, a rate more than twice as fast as G.D.P. growth has been.

That leaves a few possibilities. One is we are in the middle of an unfortunate slump in productivity growth, and the nation’s output for each hour worked is stagnating or even declining. That would be terrible news for the long-term future of the economy, particularly if it persists. A second possibility is that there is measurement error, and one or the other of these data sets (either G.D.P. or jobs) is misleading.

In other words, we should celebrate the fact that the jobs recovery looks to be on track. At the same time we should hope that overall growth measures join the party soon, because the alternative is pretty gloomy.

Read the whole story

· ·

U.S. government hacked; feds think China is the culprit
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:17 AM

Story highlights

Some employees say they're angry, wonder why they weren't notified sooner
Investigators believe the hack affected 4 million current and former federal employees
Employees of the legislative and judicial branches and uniformed military personnel were not affected

Washington (CNN)Four million current and former federal employees, from nearly every government agency, might have had their personal information stolen by Chinese hackers, U.S. investigators said.

U.S. officials believe this could be the biggest breach ever of the government's computer networks. China called the allegation irresponsible.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which is conducting background checks, warned it was urging potential victims to monitor their financial statements and get new credit reports.

Some federal employees were angry.

"Unreal, I don't have enough money as it is," Facebook user Shari Saeler posted on the OPM's page. "Now I have to worry about someone stealing it!"

Retiree Linda Eleanor Rigby Robbins posted she didn't know if she was affected.

"I do not understand why I heard this on the news instead of via letter or email from OPM," she wrote.

The breach was initially thought to have impacted the Office of Personnel Management and the Department of Interior, But government officials said nearly every federal government agency was hit by the hackers.

An assessment continues, and it is possible millions more government employees may be affected.

U.S. investigators: We believe this was China's work

U.S. investigators believe they can trace the breach to the Chinese government. Hackers working for the Chinese military are believed to be compiling a massive database of Americans, intelligence officials told CNN on Thursday night.

It is not clear what the purpose of the database is.

The Washington Post and Wall Street Journal first reported Thursday that Chinese hackers were responsible for the breach.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in the hack, simply pointing out that it too has been a victim of cyberattacks in the past.

"China itself is also a victim of cyberattacks," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei said Friday in Beijing. "China resolutely tackles cyberattack activities in all forms."

Lei added that China would like to have more global cooperation "to build a peaceful and safe, open and collaborative cyberspace."

And he also called on the United Staes not to make groundless accusations about China's involvement, "but instead add more trust and cooperating in this field."

A spokesman from the Chinese Embassy in Washington late Thursday objected to allegations that the Chinese government may be behind the massive hack.

"Cyberattacks conducted across countries are hard to track, and therefore the source of attacks is difficult to identify. Jumping to conclusions and making hypothetical accusation is not responsible and counterproductive," said Zhu Haiquan.

EINSTEIN detection system

Employees of the legislative and judicial branches and uniformed military personnel were not affected.

There are 2.7 million federal executive branch employees. It's unclear whether this affected all of them, along with former employees, or only a portion of them.

The federal personnel office learned of the data breach after it began to toughen its cybersecurity defense system. When it discovered malicious activity, authorities used a detection system called EINSTEIN to eventually unearth the information breach in April, the Department of Homeland Security said.

A month later, the federal agency learned sensitive data had been compromised.

The FBI is investigating what led to the breach.

"We take all potential threats to public and private sector systems seriously and will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who pose a threat in cyberspace," the FBI said in a statement.

The federal personnel office said "personally identifiable information" had been breached, though the office didn't name who might be responsible.

Cybersecurity: How safe are you?

Senator: The breach is 'disturbing'

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, called the breach "disturbing" and said the Office of Personnel Management needs to do a better job securing its information.

"It is disturbing to learn that hackers could have sensitive personal information on a huge number of current and former federal employees -- and, if media reports are correct, that information could be in the hands of China," Johnson said in a statement. "(The office) says it 'has undertaken an aggressive effort to update its cybersecurity posture.' Plainly, it must do a better job, especially given the sensitive nature of the information it holds."

U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said hackers are one of the "greatest challenges we face on a daily bases."

"It's clear that a substantial improvement in our cyber databases and defenses is perilously overdue," Schiff said in a statement. "That's why the House moved forward on cybersecurity legislation earlier this year, and it's my hope that this latest incident will spur the Senate to action."

The worst hacks of all time

CNN's Evan Perez, Jim Sciutto and Kevin Wang contributed to this report.

Read the whole story

· · · ·

Next Page of Stories

Page 3

ISIS exploits social media to make inroads in U.S.
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:16 AM

Story highlights

Officials are concerned about plots from growing number of U.S.-based ISIS sympathizers
ISIS uses social media as well as encrypted online communications to spread message
Assistant Attorney General: "What we're seeing is unprecedented"

(CNN)Hours before his fatal encounter with anti-terrorism officers, Usaamah Rahim told an associate he was switching from plans to behead a conservative blogger to assaults on the "boys in blue."

Rahim, who officials believe was radicalized by ISIS, referred to his planned act of jihad against police officers in coded language -- "going on vacation," he said, according to an FBI affidavit.

The 26-year-old security guard's so-called vacation ended in a hail of bullets Tuesday. FBI and Boston police officers tailing him suspected he was about to launch an attack. An associate, David Wright, 25, was arrested and charged with obstruction.

The investigation into the depth of Rahim's network and possible overseas connections comes amid concerns by counterterrorism officials about future plots from a growing number of U.S.-based ISIS sympathizers.

Using social media as well as encrypted online communications beyond the reach of law enforcement surveillance, the terror organization is increasingly reaching new sympathizers and encouraging attacks such as the one foiled in Boston, officials said.

"The foreign terrorist now has direct access into the United States like never before," Michael Steinbach, assistant director of the FBI's counterterrorism division, told the House Homeland Security Committee this week.

At least one of the men connected to the plot to behead conservative blogger Pamela Geller and kill officers in Massachusetts was being encouraged online by people overseas connected to ISIS, two U.S. officials with knowledge of the investigation said Thursday. The officials, however, cautioned that the exact ties are difficult to know.

'Thousands of messages'

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said communications with ISIS first brought Rahim to the attention of law enforcement.

"He was being investigated by the Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force after communicating with and spreading ISIS propaganda online," McCaul said.

An estimated 3,400 Westerners have traveled to join ISIS in its quest to establish an Islamist state in Iraq and Syria, according to counterterrorism officials. At least 200 Americans have gone or attempted to travel to Syria. But even a rough estimate of the number of sympathizers on U.S. soil is hard to discern.

"There are thousands of messages being put out into the ethersphere and they're just hoping that they land on an individual who's susceptible to that type of terrorist propaganda," said John Carlin, the assistant attorney general heading the Justice Department's national-security division.

"They just need to be right once to get a terrorist attack inside the United States."

ISIS has the most sophisticated propaganda machine of any terrorist organization, a global communications strategy that has stumped counterterrorism officials while making significant inroads among U.S. sympathizers.

"How many of those followers are actually in the United States, in your estimate?" McCaul asked at this week's hearing.

"There's hundreds, maybe thousands," Steinbach replied. "It's a challenge to get a full understanding of just how many of those passive followers are taking action."

Who are the Americans linked to ISIS?

'A call to arms'

Rahim was "active on social media in ways that sparked interest" from law enforcement, according to a congressional source briefed on the investigation. His online interactions with possible ISIS contacts were tantamount to what the source called a "conspiracy over the Internet."

While there was an effort to motivate action by Rahim, two U.S. officials told CNN they, so far, don't believe ISIS was directly involved in planning or directing the attack.

Authorities described a scenario similar to the attempted ambush last month of a Garland, Texas, event featuring controversial cartoons of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed. The two attackers were killed by an off-duty police officer; one of the men was said to have been in contact with ISIS.

Geller, president of the American Freedom Defense Initiative, which includes subsidiary programs Stop Islamization of America and Stop Islamization of Nations, organized the Texas event. She was the original target of this week's plot.

"The targeting of the Mohammed Art Exhibit and Contest exemplifies the call to arms approach encouraged by (ISIS) along with the power of viral messaging," Steinbach said. "In this instance, the event gained much publicity prior to it occurring and attracted negative attention that reached areas of the country -- and the world -- that it may not have without the widespread reach of the Internet."

Steinbach said the targeting of U.S. military personnel by ISIS supporters was evident in the recent release of hundreds of names of U.S. military personnel. The names were posted to the Internet and quickly spread via social media.

"Once they identify an individual, they'll then try to directly communicate with that individual to give them coaching and guidance on how to do an attack inside the United States," Carlin said.

Opinion: How ISIS recruiters win in the West

'Lone actor attack'

ISIS recruitment efforts have become more difficult to detect because of encrypted "dark space" communication, officials said.

"Do we have any idea how many communications are taking place in the dark space?" McCaul asked.

"No, we don't and that's the problem -- the ability to know what they're saying in these encrypted communication situations is troubling," Steinbach said.

ISIS uses its social media prowess to lure more and more Americans, who are often young, sometimes disillusioned.

"What they're telling them is, here's some easily available -- readily available information online that you can exploit," said John Mulligan, deputy director of the National Counterterrorism Center. "In other words, they believe that they can provide them everything that they will need to undertake some kind of lone actor attack."

In January, the New York Police Department and other law enforcement agencies responded to a threat from ISIS after the re-released of a September 2014 online message and video urging followers to "rise up and kill intelligence officers, police officers, soldiers and civilians."

The threat named the United States, France, Australia and Canada as targets.

"What we're seeing is unprecedented," Carlin said. "It's a change in strategy."

CNN's Deborah Feyerick, Pamela Brown, Jim Sciutto, Antoine Sanfuentes and Holly Yan contributed to this report.

Read the whole story

· · · · ·

Jobs report drives bond yields higher; stocks edge up
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:15 AM

By Associated Press June 5 at 10:49 AM

NEW YORK — A strong jobs report knocked down U.S. government bonds early Friday, sending yields higher, as traders bet that the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates later this year. Stocks edged higher, recovering from an early slump.

In Europe, markets were rattled by Greece’s decision to bundle together its upcoming payments to the International Monetary Fund. That heightened concerns that the country could default on its debts and drop the euro.

KEEPING SCORE: The Dow Jones industrial average rose 32 points, or 0.2 percent, to 17,933 as of 10:40 a.m. Eastern time. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index increased five points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,100. The Nasdaq composite climbed 12 points, or 0.3 percent, to 5,071.

JOBS: U.S. employers added 280,000 workers to their payrolls in May, the government reported. The unemployment rate inched up to 5.5 percent from 5.4 percent in April, a result of more people returning to the workforce in search of a job. The government also tweaked its estimate of hiring in March and April, raising hiring numbers for the two months by a combined 32,000.

RATES: Traders dropped U.S. government bonds when the report came out, driving yields up. The benchmark 10-year Treasury note bounced to 2.38 percent from 2.31 percent late Thursday, and the dollar jumped against other major currencies.

RESPONSE: “Today’s report clears the Fed for liftoff,” said Christopher Rupkey, chief financial economist at MUFG Union Bank, in a note to clients. “Rate hikes this summer. Bet on it.”

GREEK TURMOIL: The Greek government’s decision late Thursday to bundle four debt payments totaling 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion) due to the International Monetary Fund stoked fears about the country’s finances. It’s the first time a developed country has taken the option of rolling debt payments together, an emergency move last taken up last by Zambia in the 1980s. Greece’s prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, is scheduled to address parliament Friday as discontent rises within his party.

EUROPE: Greece’s stock market led the way lower with the benchmark Athens index down 5 percent. Elsewhere, France’s CAC 40 slid 1.1 percent, while Germany’s DAX fell 0.9 percent. Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 0.6 percent.

ASIA’S DAY: Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.1 percent, and South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.2 percent. In China, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 1.1 percent, and the Shanghai Composite Index gained 1.5 percent.

OIL: Benchmark U.S. crude fell 23 cents to $57.76 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oil, lost 37 cents, $61.67 a barrel in London.

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· · ·

Sister of alleged Hastert sex abuse victim comes forward
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:14 AM

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Former House Speaker Hastert indicted on federal charge

The sister of an alleged sexual abuse victim of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert has come forward, just days before the once-powerful congressional leader is set to appear in court to face federal charges.

ABC News aired an interview Friday with the sister of Steve Reinboldt, who was a student equipment manager on the local Illinois high school wrestling team where Hastert was coach decades ago. His sister Jolene told ABC News that Steve revealed the abuse to her in 1979, when he told her he was gay.

"I asked him, when was your first same-sex experience. He looked at me and said, 'It was with Dennis Hastert,'" Jolene told ABC News. "I was stunned."

The claim marks the first time an alleged victim of Hastert has been named.

Steve Reinboldt died of AIDS in 1995. Jolene said she was told by her brother that the abuse lasted through his four years in high school.

"Mr. Hastert had plenty of opportunities to be alone with Steve, because he was there before the meets," she said.

She also reportedly said she confronted Hastert when he showed up at her brother's funeral viewing.

Jolene said she told him, "I want you to know your secret didn't die in there with my brother" -- and Hastert "did not say a word."

According to ABC News, Jolene earlier tried to bring her claims to light in 2006 by writing to the network and another unnamed news organization. ABC News said it could not corroborate the allegation at the time. But Jolene told ABC News she got a message from the FBI two weeks ago, wanting to talk about the Republican ex-speaker.

Days later, federal officials announced Hastert had been indicted on charges that he allegedly hid payments made to an anonymous individual to compensate for and conceal "prior misconduct."

The alleged recipient of that money is identified in the indictment only as "Individual A."

Jolene told ABC News she never asked for money from the former speaker and does not know who Individual A is. But she reportedly said she thinks this person is familiar with her brother's situation.

Her full name was reported as Jolene Burdge by the Associated Press. The sister, who reportedly lives in Billings, Mont., also confirmed to the AP that the FBI interviewed her in mid-May. She told the AP the relationship with the former lawmaker affected her brother "in a big way."

Hastert is set to appear in court next week.

Read the whole story

· · ·

Edward Snowden: Privacy Remains ‘Under Threat’
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:07 AM

Comments On: Feed-Explorer

Edward Snowden has penned a new op-ed celebrating recent reforms of the National Security Administration.

President Barack Obama this week signed into law tighter restrictions for the agency, barring the organization from mass collection and storage of American phone records. Snowden, the man who revealed these practices to the public, is in the New York Times Friday, celebrating the work of Congress and the President as a “profound” achievement, and “a historic victory for the rights of every citizen.” Still, Snowden believes surveillance reform has a long way to go.

Here are some other choice quotes from the article:

Snowden had worried at one point that he might have, “put [his] privileged lives at risk for nothing — that the public would react with indifference, or practiced cynicism, to the revelations.” But the changes to the law have, in part, vindicated his decision to risk imprisonment by leaking classified information
He calls this weeks events, “only the latest product of a change in global awareness,” citing other events like The U.N. declaring “mass surveillance an unambiguous violation of human rights,” as evidence of a broader movement to curtail spying powers.
He also laments that there is more work to do. Writes Snowden: “the right to privacy . . . remains under threat. Some of the world’s most popular online services have been enlisted as partners in the N.S.A.’s mass surveillance programs, and technology companies are being pressured by governments around the world to work against their customers rather than for them.”

Check out the full article over at The New York Times.

Calling all iPhone users: you can breathe a sigh of relief.

Thursday night, Apple published a temporary fix to a strange bug that causes a user’s messaging app to unexpectedly quit after receiving a “specific series of unicode characters,” that appear to be a combination of symbols and arabic-language characters. If this happens to you, just follow these simple steps. (Yes, you’ll have to get Siri involved):

Ask Siri to “read unread messages.”
Use Siri to reply to the malicious message. After you reply, you’ll be able to open Messages again.
In Messages, swipe left to delete the entire thread. Or tap and hold the malicious message, tap More, and delete the message from the thread.

Apple plans to permanently fix the bug in an upcoming software update.

Read the whole story

· ·

Chauffeur Investigated In DC Mansion Murders
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:06 AM

By Sky News US Team

Police investigating last month's quadruple murder at a Washington DC mansion have turned their focus on the family's chauffeur.

Investigators have obtained a search warrant for the phone of Jordan Wallace, an employee of slain chief executive Savvas Savopoulos.

Mr Wallace, 28, allegedly changed his story about details involving the delivery of a package containing $40,000 (£26,000) on the day of the killings.

Daron Wint, 34, is the only suspect so far identified in the crime, which shocked the nation's capital. He was arrested a week after the slayings.

Suspect Daron Wint once worked for the chief executive's firm as a welder

But police have said in court documents they believe more than one person was involved.

According to the warrant, investigators are looking for "forensic and physical evidence linking (Mr Wallace) to this offense".

A search of Mr Wallace's car found a laptop computer, external hard drives, two backpacks and his passport, the documents show.

Police have said Mr Savopoulos, 46, his wife, Amy, 47, their 10-year-old son, Philip, and a housekeeper, Veralicia Figueroa, 57, were held captive for up to 18 hours.

All the victims suffered sharp force injuries before the house was set on fire.

Quadruple Murder And House Fire Investigated In Washington, D.C.

The family home was set on fire

Police allege in court documents that Mr Wallace changed elements of his story about when and how he delivered the $40,000.

In the first version he told police Mr Savopoulos had called him on the morning of 14 May and asked him to bring the money.

According to the documents, he later told police he received a text message from Mr Savopoulos the previous evening asking him to get the cash.

There were said to be other discrepancies in accounts by Mr Wallace, whose job was to drive Mr Savopoulos around and perform odd jobs.

The family's mobile phones and the data recorder for the home's surveillance cameras were taken from the home, according to search warrants obtained by News4.

A set of French doors at the family's home was also apparently kicked in.

Mr Savopoulos was chief executive of American Iron Works, a firm based in Maryland.

Wint once worked as a welder for the construction-materials firm, according to police.

Read the whole story

· · · ·

Chinese Hacking of U.S. Data May Extend to Insurance Companies
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:06 AM

SAN FRANCISCO — The same Chinese hackers who breached the records of at least four million government workers through the Office of Personnel Management appear to have been responsible for similar thefts of personal data at two major health care firms, Anthem and Premera, according to cybersecurity experts.

The multiple attacks, which began last year and were all discovered this spring, appear to mark a new era in cyberespionage with the theft of huge quantities of data and no clear motive for the hackers.

There is no evidence that the data collected was used for criminal purposes like faking identities to make credit card purchases. Instead, the attackers seem to be amassing huge databases of personal information about Americans. Some have high-level security clearances, which the Office of Personnel Management handles, but millions of others do not, and the reasons for their records being taken have puzzled investigators.

All of the attacks have one thing in common: The United States government has traced them to China, though it is unclear whether the attackers are working for the state.

Based on forensics, security experts believe the attackers are not one of the hacking units of the People’s Liberation Army, which were named in a federal indictment last year that focused on the theft of intellectual property. Researchers say these hackers used different tools than those utilized by the Liberation Army’s Third Department, which oversees cyberintelligence gathering. But that does not exclude another state-sponsored group, or the adoption of new technologies that are harder to trace.

What marks all of the attacks is the scale and ambition of the data sweeps. When Premera said it was the victim of an attack that exposed medical data and financial information, it appeared to involve 11 million customers. Anthem’s involved upward of 80 million social security numbers. Medical records, like the government’s personnel records, contain Social Security numbers and birth dates; the medical data sometimes is linked to bank accounts as well.

In February the F.B.I. issued an alert, circulated to a restricted number of major firms and first revealed by Brian Krebs, a security researcher, that said bureau investigators had “received information regarding a group of cyberactors who have compromised and stolen sensitive business information and personally identifiable information (PII) from U.S. commercial and government networks through cyberespionage.”

But the theft of personal information has typically been the realm of cybercriminals, who sell it on the underground market where it can be used to break into someone’s email, bank or trading account, typically for identity theft. In this case, however, researchers say the group that stole the personal information was known for cyberespionage, which indicates that spies are no longer stealing just American corporate and military trade secrets, but also personal information for some later purpose.

The intrusions also suggest that President Obama’s efforts over the past three years to engage China’s leadership in a dialogue that would limit cyberattacks has failed. The pace of the attacks is unabated, and the scope has grown. Chinese officials say they, too, are victims, and on Friday the Chinese foreign ministry said the United States was leaping to conclusions about the source of the attacks based on evidence it has not made public. Beijing dismissed the United States allegations that China was the source of an attack on federal workers’ data as “unscientific and irresponsible.”

“We hope the American side won’t continue this layer upon layer of suspicion and groundless accusations,” Hong Lei, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, said at a regularly scheduled news conference.

Read the whole story

· ·

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Page 4

Steven Reinboldt named victim of alleged Hastert abuse
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:05 AM

Washington (CNN)Dennis Hastert sexually abused a student who had worked as his equipment manager while Hastert coached a high school wrestling team, the student's sister tells ABC News.

It's the first name that's emerged as an alleged victim of abuse at the hands of the former House Speaker since Hastert was indicted for allegedly lying to the FBI about $3.5 million he agreed to pay to an undisclosed person to "cover up past misconduct."

1970 yearbook picture of Dennis Hastert and alleged sexual assault victim Steven Reinboldt

Jolene Burdge said in the interview that she found out about Hastert's misconduct when her older brother Steven Reinboldt, who died in 1995, told her in 1979, years after leaving school, that he was gay.

"I asked him, when was your first same sex experience. He looked at me and said, 'It was with Dennis Hastert,'" Burdge, whose maiden name is Reinboldt, told ABC News. "I was stunned."

1970 yearbook picture of Dennis Hastert and alleged sexual assault victim Steven Reinboldt

He didn't tell anyone, he said, because "Who is ever going to believe me?" Burdge recounted.

Hastert was a teacher and wrestling coach in Yorkville, Illinois between 1965 and 1981 before entering politics.

Burdge said Hastert had "plenty of opportunities to be alone" with her brother because he was frequently around during wrestling meets, and was also a member of an Explorers troop that Hastert ran. At one point, Hastert took the group on a trip to the Bahamas.

Was hush money used to cover up sexual misconduct?

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Was hush money used to cover up sexual misconduct?

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Dennis Hastert wrestler: 'I really don't believe it'

john jerabek high school wrestler dennis hastert son don lemon cnn tonight _00025729

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"[Steven Reinboldt] was there after everything because he did the laundry, the uniforms. So he was there by himself with [Hastert]," Burdge said.

It's unclear whether Steven Reinboldt is related to the charges in the current indictment against Hastert, however, as that outlines an agreement with an unidentified individual that began with meetings in 2010.

"During the 2010 meetings and subsequent discussions, Hastert agreed to provide Individual A $3.5 million in order to compensate for and conceal his prior misconduct against Individual A," according to the indictment. Jolene Reinbolt told ABC that she did not know who "individual A" is.

Read the indictment

Burdge says her brother passed away of AIDS in 1995, and she maintains she never asked Hastert for money. Burdge did say she was contacted by the FBI two weeks ago asking to speak with her about Hastert.

Burdge said she tried to alert news organizations about Hastert in 2006, including ABC. ABC News said it didn't run with the reporting because it lacked corroborating evidence.

A federal law enforcement official confirmed to CNN last week that the indictment was pertaining to a former student, who was a male and a minor when the alleged abuse took place. Federal law enforcement officials also said that investigators decided not to pursue a possible extortion case in the matter.

Hastert and the FBI declined to comment to ABC on the report. A woman who answered the phone at Hastert's office on Thursday said the speaker was unavailable and took a message. Burdge has not yet responded to CNN request for comment.

Read the whole story

· · · · · · · ·

Hacking Linked to China Exposes Millions of U.S. Workers
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:04 AM

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Thursday announced what appeared to be one of the largest breaches of federal employees’ data, involving at least four million current and former government workers in an intrusion that officials said apparently originated in China.

The compromised data was held by the Office of Personnel Management, which handles government security clearances and federal employee records. The breach was first detected in April, the office said, but it appears to have begun at least late last year.

The target appeared to be Social Security numbers and other “personal identifying information,” but it was unclear whether the attack was related to commercial gain or espionage. The announcement of the intrusion came on the same day The New York Times reported that the National Security Agency had expanded warrantless surveillance of foreign hackers, an effort that could sweep up the information of innocent Americans.

There seemed to be little doubt among federal officials that the attack was launched from China, but it was unclear whether it might have been state sponsored. The administration did not publicly identify Chinese hackers as the culprits because it is difficult to definitively attribute the source of cyberattacks and to back up such an attribution without divulging classified data.

The breach is the third major foreign intrusion into an important federal computer system in the past year. Last year, the White House and the State Department found that their email systems had been compromised in an attack that was attributed to Russian hackers. In that case, some of President Obama’s unclassified emails were apparently obtained by the intruders.

And last summer, the personnel office announced an intrusion in which hackers appeared to have targeted the files of tens of thousands of workers who had applied for top-secret security clearances.

In that case, the objective seemed clear: The information on security clearances could help identify covert agents, scientists and others with data of great interest to foreign governments. That breach also appeared to have involved Chinese hackers.

But because the breadth of the new attack was so much greater, the objective seemed less clear.

The intrusion came before the personnel office fully put into place a series of new security procedures that restricted remote access for administrators of the network and reviewed all connections to the outside world through the Internet. In acting too late, the personnel agency was not alone: The N.S.A. was also beginning to put in place new network precautions after its most delicate information was taken by Edward J. Snowden.

The Department of Homeland Security’s emergency cyberteam used an antihacking system called Einstein that alerted the agency to the potential compromise of federal employee data, S. Y. Lee, a spokesman, said in a statement.

The F.B.I. said it was working with other agencies to investigate the matter. “We take all potential threats to public and private sector systems seriously, and will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who pose a threat in cyberspace,” Joshua Campbell, a spokesman, said in a statement.

The personnel office told current and former federal employees that they could request 18 months of free credit monitoring to make sure that their identities had not been stolen, and it said it was working with cybersecurity specialists to assess the effects of the breach. It was clear, however, that the scope was sweeping, potentially affecting a vast majority of the federal work force. J. David Cox Sr., the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said he had been told that the breach might have affected “all 2.1 million current federal employees and an additional two million federal retirees and former employees.”

Katherine Archuleta, the personnel agency’s director, said in a statement, “Protecting our federal employee data from malicious cyberincidents is of the highest priority at O.P.M.”

“We take very seriously our responsibility to secure the information stored in our systems, and in coordination with our agency partners, our experienced team is constantly identifying opportunities to further protect the data with which we are entrusted,” she added.

Administration officials said they made the breach public only after confirming last month that the data had been compromised and after taking additional steps to insulate other government agencies from the intrusion. Mr. Obama has been briefed on the case, officials said.

The attack drew calls for legislation to bolster the nation’s cyberdefenses. In a series of Twitter posts, Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, the senior Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, called the intrusion “shocking because Americans may expect that federal computer networks are maintained with state of the art defenses.”

He said enactment of new cybersecurity measures was “perilously overdue.”

While determining the source of cyberattacks is notoriously difficult, federal officials say they have become far more skilled at it in recent years, largely because of increased monitoring of malicious software entering the United States over international networks. But the most sophisticated attacks often look as if they were initiated inside the United States, and tracking their true origin can lead down many blind paths.

Most Chinese cyberintrusions into the United States, at least until recently, were aimed at the theft of intellectual property, rather than at sweeping up vast amounts of personal data.

One senior federal official said it was not clear what the Chinese government would want from personnel databases. But if the attribution to China holds, it poses an additional challenge to the Obama administration. For the past three years, Mr. Obama has been trying to move the subject of cyberattacks to the center of the American-Chinese relationship. He has spent hours discussing the subject with Xi Jinping, the Chinese president.

A year ago, the Justice Department indicted five members of Unit 61398, a hacking unit of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, accusing them of stealing data from American firms to benefit state-owned Chinese companies.

But rather than change Chinese behavior, the indictments shut down many of the formal and informal discussions between the United States and China. Chinese officials have often said that they, too, are the victims of hackers.

An annual “Strategic and Economic Dialogue” with Chinese officials is scheduled to take place this month, and cyberissues will again be in the forefront.

Correction: June 4, 2015

Because of an editing error, an earlier version of a summary with this article said incorrectly that the federal employees affected by the data breach worked for the Office of Personnel Management. The breach affected workers whose information was held by the Office of Personnel Management.

Read the whole story

· · · · ·

Anti-corruption agency investigating Romania's PM
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:03 AM

Story highlights

Romanian anti-corruption unit investigates Prime Minister Victor Ponta
They allege he used cash to buy apartments, not do work, then tried to cover it up
Ponta says he won't resign, claiming that doing so would "mean dictatorship"

(CNN)Romania's anti-corruption agency announced Friday an investigation of the nation's Prime Minister for alleged money laundering, forgery and tax evasion -- the Prime Minister is so far staying put, despite calls for his resignation.

The National Anticorruption Directorate, also known as DNA, questioned Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Friday morning regarding allegations dating back eight years, according to reports from Romania's Agerpres national news agency.

The claims are tied to his working relationship with Dan Sova, a lawyer and Romanian senator, mostly from before Ponta became prime minister in 2012. Specifically, prosecutors claim Sova's law firm paid Ponta's own practice for counseling regarding the state-owned energy companies of Turceni and Rovinari. But they alleged that Ponta never actually provided services, instead using "money from Sova to buy two luxury apartments in Bucharest" and getting free use of a car, Agerpres reported.

Prosecutors further allege that "Sova agreed with Ponta to forge legal counseling reports to justify the payments" in 2011, according to the news agency.

The next year, Ponta not only became prime minister, but he appointed Sova to the first of several ministerial roles -- including as liaison for Parliament, delegate for infrastructure and foreign investment, as well as interim transportation minister. The National Anticorruption Directorate characterized these appointments as evidence of conflict of interest.

Immediately after news surfaced about the allegations, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis publicly called for Ponta to resign as prime minister.

"In my opinion, it is an impossible situation for Romania to have the Prime Minister charged with major offenses," Iohannis said, according to Agerpres. "On the other hand, the worst thing that could happen to Romania now is a political crisis."

After meeting with the President, Ponta held his ground, saying he was "appointed by the Parliament and only the parliament can dismiss me."

"Under no circumstances can I accept (that) a DNA prosecutor is above the Parliament, the government and the citizens of this country," he said on Facebook, reflecting on what Romania has gone through since pulling away from the Soviet bloc. "It would mean dictatorship, and I think that more than 25 years after 1989, it would be a major error for us all."

That said, Romania hasn't been free of corruption in that time.

After a trial that lasted more than 1,000 days, former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase was sentenced to two years in prison for illegally raising 1.6 million euros ($2.1 million) during his 2004 presidential election campaign. Romania's highest court held up that decision in 2012, after which Nastase shot himself in the neck in an apparent suicide attempt.

Ex-PM shoots self after court backs prison term

More recently, former sports and youth minister Monica Iacob Ridzi was sentenced to five years in prison in February for a host of improprieties like illegally contracting companies for goods and services, spending exorbitantly on concerts for young people and deleting allegedly incriminating emails, the Anticorruption Director notes.

That same month, the DNA reported ordered the arrest of former tourism minister and presidential candidate Elena Udrea for 30 days on three allegations of influence peddling, according to the Anticorruption Directorate.

Also in February, a company owned by Ponta's sister and brother-in-law were among 14 locations raided by anticorruption investigators.

Ponta -- the head of the left-leaning government -- himself has railed against corruption. He made tackling it one of his 2014 campaign for president -- an election that he lost, notably, to Iohannis.

MUST WATCH

05:58

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· · · · ·

FDA panel approves ‘female Viagra’ despite side effects and warning it could be the new date rape drug
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:02 AM

Comments On: FDA Panel Approves ‘Female Viagra’ Despite Side Effects And Warning It Could Be The New Date Rape Drug

WASHINGTON — The first “female Viagra” came one step closer to coming to market as a key advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration voted Thursday afternoon to recommend that the FDA approve the drug with conditions.

The committee voted 18-6 to recommend that the FDA approve flibanserin, a drug designed to boost the low sexual desire of otherwise healthy women.

The FDA usually follows the recommendations of its advisory committees, but not always. Its decision is expected by the end of the summer. The agency has already rejected the drug twice, saying the potential side effects of fainting, nausea, dizziness, sleepiness and low-blood pressure outweighed its benefits.

Even on Thursday, the committee described the drug benefit as “moderate” or “marginal.”

But after an afternoon of emotional testimony from women who suffer from low sexual desire, a condition called Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder, the majority of committee members said that, with proper warning labels and education, the drug should be made available to women who now have nothing.

One practitioner said that when her patients asked her for help, “This is all I can tell them.” And then she stood in front of the microphone in silence for several uncomfortable minutes.

Some of the women speaking Thursday described the condition as if a switch had gone off, they don’t understand why they no longer want to have sex, and find it distressing.

Before a packed hearing room, Sprout Pharmaceuticals, developers of the drug, presented the results of a series of double-blind clinical trials that showed the drug worked better than placebo to boost women’s sexual desire, increased the number of sexually satisfying events and lowered women’s distress at the loss of their libido.

Allen G. Breed / Associated PressCindy and Robert Whitehead, co-founders of Sprout Pharmaceuticals, at its headquarters in Raleigh, N.C., in 2013.

After 24 weeks, they said, 46 to 60 percent of the women in the trials had benefited from the flibanserin treatment. But some committee members said, after adjusting the data to take the placebo effect into account, the drug wound up helping only about 10 percent of the women in the trials.

More than half the women diagnosed with low sexual desire have turned in desperation to unproven, unregulated and potentially unsafe treatments they read about on the Internet or in magazines, which could pose health risks, the pharmaceutical company presenters said. Some of those testifying were health-care practitioners who said many women have turned to such “snake oil” with dangerous results.

Although the FDA approved Viagra for men in 1998, and a host of products since then, the FDA has not okayed any medications for women’s sexual function. The FDA describes this as an “unmet medical need.” Flibanserin, first developed as an anti-depressant, works on neurotransmitters in the brain that afffect sexual desire.

In their presentation, FDA medical officers outlined a host of safety concerns about the drug and raised the question of the day: Whether the risks of the side effects outweighed the benefit of the drug.

The most common side effects include dizziness, nausea, fainting and sleepiness. Some women had to stop taking the drug because of the side effects, and one reacted so poorly that she had to be hospitalized.

FDA officials are concerned about flibanserin’s interaction with other drugs — particularly with hormonal birth control pills and alcohol — and the potential for flibanserin to increase accidents, from car accidents to falls and other mishaps.

Some committee members were also worried about one two-year cancer study that found an increased risk in breast cancer tumors in mice that were given four times the therapeutic dose of 100 milligrams daily. One advisory panel called the potential link to cancer a “show stopper.”

FDA officials said most flibanserin trials lasted one year to 18 months. “That, in our opinion, is not enough to assess the risk of cancer development,” one official said. Sprout officials explained that increased tumors in one sex in animal studies have not been found to predict cancers in humans.

Another member of the panel raised concern that the drug could be used as a “date rape” drug. The drug maker said that the drug was slow-acting and could make women sleepy, but not incapacitated.

After the vote, which many said was “difficult,” the advisory committee began to work on conditions that they would recommend accompany any FDA approval, including warning labels, an education program, prescriber training and certification. They are most concerned that the drug not be used with alcohol, with certain drugs, or by pregnant women.

Some panel members who voted against approval said that the data wasn’t good enough, and the benefits weren’t strong enough to warrant approval, given the side effects.

“I recognize people are suffering,” said Diane Aronson. “I just think they deserve better.”

Some speakers urged the committee members to reject the drug. Some said that while the condition of low sexual desire was real and painful, flibanserin wasn’t the answer. They said the drug’s success was due more to a slick marketing campaign put together by Sprout than to good science.

Others warned that the pharmaceutical company had “deceived women into taking a drug that doesn’t work better than drinking a glass of wine or two, and could end up killing us,” said Liz Canner, a film maker who produced the documentary, Orgasm, Inc., about the medical communities quest for female viagra and the big bucks that could ensue.

Sally Greenberg, executive director of the National Consumers League,said she spent the day talking with women diagnosed with low sexual desire who are pushing for a treatment.

“It’s very destructive to their relationships, to their families and their self image,” she said. “We know this is a problem with their brain chemistry. Just like depression. And, just like depression, their brain chemistry can be adjusted. We can treat it. And we should treat it.”

To Greenberg, the committee vote was a historic moment. “I think this is a huge moment for women’s sexual health, in the way that the pill was for women’s sexual health and ability to control their own destiny,” she said.

Read the whole story

· · · · · ·

Saddam's Former Foreign Minister Dies
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 11:01 AM

Jailed former Iraqi foreign minister Tariq Aziz, who served in Saddam Hussein's government, has died, officials say.

Aziz, who was the international face of the Iraqi regime for many years, died in hospital after suffering from poor health in jail. He was 79 years old.

"Tareq Aziz died in Hussein Teaching Hospital in the city of Nasiriyah where he was brought when his health condition worsened," Adel Abdulhussein al-Dakhili, deputy governor of Dhi Qar province told the AFP news wire.

The official did not specify what Aziz died from, but it was known that he was suffering from heart and respiratory problems, high blood pressure and diabetes.

His family had campaigned for his release from jail.

Aziz was sentenced to death in 2010, after being found guilty of "deliberate murder and crimes against humanity" in relation to a crackdown on religious parties in the 1980s.

He served as both foreign minister and deputy prime minister, and was a close advisor to ousted president Saddam Hussein.

Aziz was the 'eight of spades' on the Pentagon's list of the most wanted members the Hussein regime. The specially designed playing cards were designed to help US forces identify targets.

More follows...

Carter Calls Meeting to Discuss Ukraine Strategy, Sanctions On Russia
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 12:49 AM

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Defense Secretary Ash Carter is summoning top U.S. defense and diplomatic officials to Germany June 4 to assess the effectiveness of NATO's strategy toward Moscow in response to the Ukraine crisis.

Next Page of Stories

Page 5

Argentine president met Edward Snowden in Moscow: lawyer
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 12:48 AM

Reuters: World News

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez held talks with U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden during a visit to Russia in April, Anthony Romero, director of the American Civil Liberties Union and one of Snowden's lawyers said on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia and Israel Share a Common Oppositionby DAVID E. SANGER
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 12:45 AM

NYT > World

Two rivals in the Middle East share a similar concern about Iranian interests, and have quietly exchanged intelligence about Iran for years.

Hardening of Positions Undercuts Ukraine Peace Accordby ANDREW E. KRAMER
Friday June 5th, 2015 at 12:42 AM

NYT > World

A hardening of positions on both sides of the Ukraine conflict is undermining the Minsk peace accord and could lead to another war, military experts and politicians say.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter among FBI probe targets - report
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:26 PM

ESPN FC - World Cup News

The FBI and U.S. prosecutors were investigating Sepp Blatter, the FIFA president who announced his resignation on Tuesday, as part of the probe that led to last week's stunning indictments, sources familiar with the case told ABC News.

The FBI declined to comment because Blatter has not been publicly identified as a target of the investigation.

U.S. authorities last week indicted 14 people -- nine football officials and five sports-marketing executives -- who face charges of wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering. They are accused of accepting more than $150 million in bribes.

ABC News reported that the investigation hoped to use those indicted to provide information that could lead to charges against their superiors -- much as federal agents would in a mob racketeering case.

"Now that people are going to want to save themselves, there's probably a race to see who will flip on [Blatter] first," one of the sources said, explaining how the feds typically try to get people to inform on their superiors.

"We may not be able to collapse the whole organisation, but maybe you don't need to," one of the sources said.

Last month, E:60's Jeremy Schaap reported that ESPN could find no record of Blatter having entered the U.S. since 2011. Sources told Schaap that Blatter decided, because of the FBI investigation, that it would be unwise to set foot on American soil.

During last week's announcement, officials repeatedly told reporters that the investigation was ongoing.

Though that is standard language for the FBI and federal prosecutors, the sources told ABC that, in this case, it was particularly true.

Read the whole story

· ·

FBI 'Imploring Congress to Help' in Fighting ISIS Recruitment in US
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:25 PM

ABC News: Politics

The man leading FBI efforts to stop ISIS-inspired attacks in the United States is “imploring” Congress to help give authorities access to some of Americans’ private communications, noting there are perhaps thousands of people in the country secretly feeding on ISIS propaganda each day.

In certain cases, the FBI has no way of monitoring, or even knowing about, conversations among ISIS followers, and that “is troubling,” FBI counterterrorism chief Mike Steinbach told lawmakers today.

“With its widespread distribution model and encrypted communications, [ISIS] is afforded a ‘free zone’ by which to recruit, radicalize, plot and plan,” he said.

For the potential radicals the FBI does know about, authorities are taking no chances, Steinbach said, referring to the incident a day earlier that left a Massachusetts terror suspect dead.

In that case, an FBI agent and Boston police officer approached 26-year-old Usaama Rahim in a parking lot early Tuesday morning. But when Rahim allegedly pulled a large knife on them and wouldn’t drop it, they opened fire.

Rahim had expressed a desire to attack law enforcement officials, and he was placed under 24-hour surveillance by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, sources told ABC News. An associate was arrested overnight.

“The [terror suspects] that are out there … we are monitoring them very closely for any type of action, any type of overt steps,” Steinbach said. “And when we see those, we’re not taking the chance.”

But it’s becoming increasingly “problematic” for authorities to see such action and those kinds of steps, Steinbach indicated.

“We’re past going dark in certain instances,” Steinbach warned. “We are dark.”

At issue is the public’s growing desire to keep personal communications private, especially in the wake of Edward Snowden’s revelations about U.S. government surveillance programs.

Responding to market demands, companies are building mobile devices and software that encrypt communications so deeply that the companies themselves can’t access a person’s communications, even when a federal judge orders it, authorities have warned.

“I think it’s a tremendous threat to the homeland,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, which was hearing testimony today from Steinbach and other U.S. counterterrorism officials.

Steinbach said the U.S. public needs to have “an honest conversation” – without “the rhetoric” – about how far technology companies should go with their encryption software.

“This is not a conversation about national security at the expense of privacy,” Steinbach insisted. “We’re not talking about large-scale surveillance techniques. We’re talking about going before the court … [suggesting] there’s a terrorist, and showing that burden of proof.”

But as U.S. law stands right now, only specific “telecommunications providers” are required to assist law enforcement, and those providers are “a small subset of the companies that are out there that provide communications services these days,” Steinbach said.

“We are imploring Congress to help us seek legal remedies towards that,” Steinbach told the House panel, noting that private companies themselves are also part of the solution.

While “urgently” asking for lawmakers’ help, Steinbach said there are “hundreds, maybe thousands” of people inside the United States following ISIS propaganda online.

Since the beginning of this year, ISIS has published 1,700 pieces of “terrorist messaging,” including videos, pictorial reports and online magazines, deputy director of the National Counterterrorism Center John Mulligan testified.

In all, an estimated 200,000 people receive the ISIS message each day around the world. It starts with about 2,000 “core” propagandists posting on Twitter and elsewhere, and then another 50,000 people “re-Tweet” and further distribute that messaging, according to Steinbach, citing a Brookings Institution report issued in March.

It’s “a new era where terrorism has gone viral,” McCaul said in opening his hearing.

More than 200 Americans have joined ISIS or attempted to travel to Syria to join terrorist groups there, Steinbach said.

-- This embed didnt make it to copy for story id = 31494782.

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» What we know
05/06/15 09:59 from CNN.com - World
A luxury cruise liner, the "Dongfangzhixing" or Eastern Star, capsized late Monday in the waters of China's Yangtze River, with 456 passengers and crew on board.

» Photos from the scene
05/06/15 09:59 from CNN.com - World
A Chinese ship carrying more than 450 people went down during a storm on the Yangtze River on Monday, June 1.

» Survivor: Ship capsized quickly
05/06/15 09:59 from CNN.com - World
Most of the passengers on the Eastern Star cruise ship had gone to bed. A violent storm struck and rain pounded the windows with such force that water seeped into the cabins, survivor Zhang Hui told Xinhua, China's state-run news agency.

» Pakistan court frees eight men charged with attack on schoolgirl Malala
05/06/15 09:57 from Reuters: International
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A Pakistani court has freed eight out of 10 men charged with organizing the shooting of schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai, police said on Friday, a move that will raise further questions about the nation...

» FDA backing of 'Viagara for women' pill draws concern from critics - The Globe and Mail
05/06/15 09:56 from Google News - Top Stories
The Globe and Mail FDA backing of 'Viagara for women' pill draws concern from critics The Globe and Mail The dream of a pill to treat a lack of sexual desire in women has moved closer to reality after U.S. government advisers rec...

» Pakistan court frees 8 men charged with attack on schoolgirl Malala
05/06/15 09:56 from Reuters: International
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A Pakistani court has freed eight out of 10 men charged with organizing the shooting of schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai, police said on Friday, a move that will raise further questions about the nation...

» Ex-FIFA official promises to spill secrets
05/06/15 09:56 from CNN.com - World
Jack Warner says he fears for his life, but it is time to stop keeping secrets for others. FULL STORY

» G7 Bavaria summit: 26 hours of trade, ebola – and even an oompah band - The Guardian
05/06/15 09:54 from Google News - World
New York Times G7 Bavaria summit: 26 hours of trade, ebola – and even an oompah band The Guardian Activists decorate balloons with the faces of, left to right, Shinzo Abe, Francois Hollande, Matteo Renzi, Angela Merkel, Stephen Harper, D...

» As searchers turn capsized ship, next of kin seek answers in China disaster
05/06/15 09:54 from Los Angeles Times - World News
More than 1,000 people whose relatives were presumed lost aboard a capsized Chinese cruise ship converged on towns near the sinking site, seeking answers about the disaster and offering DNA samples to help identify corpses.

» Why the USA Should Get the 2022 World Cup - Bleacher Report
05/06/15 09:53 from world - Google News
Bleacher Report Why the USA Should Get the 2022 World Cup Bleacher Report Soccer may not be a pastime in the United States of America like baseball or football, but as the game's popularity continues to grow in the country, it is cle...

» Pakistan police say 8 men in Malala attack were acquitted - Washington Post
05/06/15 09:52 from Google News - World
CBC.ca Pakistan police say 8 men in Malala attack were acquitted Washington Post MINGORA, Pakistan — The Pakistani police and the country's public prosecutor said Friday that eight out of 10 militants charged with involvement in the ...

» Royal baby Princess Charlotte to be christened in July - CNN
05/06/15 09:52 from Google News - World
CNN Royal baby Princess Charlotte to be christened in July CNN London (CNN) Princess Charlotte, daughter of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, will be christened on July 5, Kensington Palace said Friday. The christening ...

» Yangtze Town Tends to Bereaved After Shipwreck
05/06/15 09:51 from WSJ.com: World News
Resident of Jianli, the town closest to where a cruise ship sank this week, have sprung into action to support grieving families that have swarmed into the city.

» Greece's IMF Delay Raises Crisis Stakes - Wall Street Journal
05/06/15 09:51 from Google News - World
Wall Street Journal Greece's IMF Delay Raises Crisis Stakes Wall Street Journal The mercury is rising. For much of this year, the uneasy relationship between Greece and its creditors has resembled the Cold War: it has been a constant...

» Medical data, cybercriminals' holy grail, now espionage target - Reuters
05/06/15 09:51 from Google News - Top Stories
Reuters Medical data, cybercriminals' holy grail, now espionage target Reuters SINGAPORE Whoever was behind the latest theft of personal data from U.S. government computers, they appear to be following a new trend set by cybercrimina...

» Prosecutor: Germanwings Co-Pilot Sought Help Before Disaster
05/06/15 09:50 from TIME: Top World Stories
Reached out to dozens of doctors

» Sister of alleged Hastert sex abuse victim comes forward - Fox News
05/06/15 09:50 from Google News - Top Stories
Fox News Sister of alleged Hastert sex abuse victim comes forward Fox News The sister of an alleged sexual abuse victim of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert has come forward, just days before the once-powerful congressional leader is s...

» U.S.: China behind fed hack
05/06/15 09:48 from CNN.com - World
Four million current and former federal employees, from nearly every government agency, might have had their personal information stolen by Chinese hackers, U.S. investigators said.

» Sister: Brother was sexually abused by ex-Speaker Hastert
05/06/15 09:48 from AP Top Headlines At 7:05 a.m. EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Montana woman says the FBI interviewed her last month about her allegations that her brother was sexually abused while in high school by Dennis Hastert, the wrestling coach who would become speaker of the House....

» Ad featuring 'unhealthily' thin model banned in UK
05/06/15 09:48 from CNN.com - World

» Jobs report drives down bond prices, yields jump - Washington Post
05/06/15 09:47 from Top Stories - Google News
Wall Street Journal Jobs report drives down bond prices, yields jump Washington Post NEW YORK — A strong jobs report knocked U.S. government bond and stock prices down as investors bet that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates ...

» ISIS exploits social media to make inroads in U.S.
05/06/15 09:47 from CNN.com - World
Hours before his fatal encounter with anti-terrorism officers, Usaamah Rahim told an associate he was switching from plans to behead a conservative blogger to assaults on the "boys in blue."

» How to get Donut Day freebies - Fox News
05/06/15 09:47 from Google News - Top Stories
Fox News How to get Donut Day freebies Fox News One of the most legit food holidays of the year, National Doughnut Day, is first Friday in June-- aka today, June 5th. The tradition dates back to 1938, when the Chicago Salvation Army deci...

» Strong Job Growth Data Eases Concerns After Winter Dip in Economy - New York Times
05/06/15 09:47 from Google News - Top Stories
New York Times Strong Job Growth Data Eases Concerns After Winter Dip in Economy New York Times Blunting worries about the American economy's momentum after a stretch of lackluster growth this year, the government reported on Friday ...

» Species' future hangs on last female
05/06/15 09:46 from CNN.com - World

» Pakistan court frees 8 of 10 men charged with schoolgirl Malala's attack - Reuters
05/06/15 09:46 from Google News - World
Reuters Pakistan court frees 8 of 10 men charged with schoolgirl Malala's attack Reuters PESHAWAR, Pakistan A Pakistani court has freed eight out of 10 people charged with organising the shooting of Pakistani schoolgirl activist Mala...

» Pakistan court frees 8 men charged with attack on schoolgirl Malala - Reuters
05/06/15 09:46 from Top Stories - Google News
Reuters Pakistan court frees 8 men charged with attack on schoolgirl Malala Reuters PESHAWAR, Pakistan A Pakistani court has freed eight out of 10 men charged with organizing the shooting of schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai, police s...

» Pakistan court frees eight men charged with attack on schoolgirl Malala - Reuters
05/06/15 09:46 from Google News - World
Reuters Pakistan court frees eight men charged with attack on schoolgirl Malala Reuters PESHAWAR, Pakistan A Pakistani court has freed eight out of 10 men charged with organizing the shooting of schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai, poli...

» After Ebola, Africa Struggles to Rebuild Its Health-Care System
05/06/15 09:45 from WSJ.com: World News
Ebola is receding, but the outbreak has exacted a heavy toll in West Africa, where hundreds of health-care workers died and facilities remain overwhelmed.

» Greece's gamble delaying IMF payment roils markets
05/06/15 09:43 from AP Top Headlines At 7:05 a.m. EDT
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Greece's gamble to delay loan repayments to the International Monetary Fund unnerved markets Friday, while prominent government ministers said the country could be forced to hold early elections if creditors don't ...

» Top players to watch in the Women's World Cup
05/06/15 09:41 from CNN.com - World
With the tournament in Canada upon us, here are the players to look out for.

» FIFA Is Being Asked to Explain Why it Paid $5.5 Million to the Irish Soccer Association
05/06/15 09:37 from TIME: Top World Stories
Ireland say they received the money to stop them taking legal action against FIFA

» Why we're really interested in Jenner
05/06/15 09:37 from CNN.com - World
So Bruce Jenner officially said farewell to his former male identity by introducing the world to Caitlyn Jenner Monday in, quite literally, the way only a major Hollywood figure could: via a Vanity Fair cover previewed in a tweet. As a s...

» Earthquake injures 11 climbers, strands 137 on Malaysia mountain - Fox News
05/06/15 09:37 from Google News - World
Fox News Earthquake injures 11 climbers, strands 137 on Malaysia mountain Fox News June 5, 2015 - Tourists walk away from Mount Kinabalu hours after a magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook the area in Kundasang, Sabah, Malaysia. KUALA LUMPUR, M...

» US adds robust 280000 jobs in May; wages push higher - Los Angeles Times
05/06/15 09:37 from Google News - Top Stories
Los Angeles Times US adds robust 280000 jobs in May; wages push higher Los Angeles Times Employers in the U.S. added a robust 280,000 jobs last month and average workers' earnings ticked higher -- reassurance that the 6-year-old econ...

» 20 weird and wonderful destination slogans
05/06/15 09:36 from CNN.com - World
Can a slogan really sell a place? Sometimes. Sometimes... not so much.

» Britain's Princess Charlotte to be Christened in July
05/06/15 09:35 from Voice of America
Princess Charlotte, the newborn daughter of Britain's Prince William and his wife, Kate, will be christened in a private ceremony next month, officials said Friday. The ceremony is set for July 5 at St. Mary Magdalene Church on Queen Eli...

» Fracking not a widespread risk to drinking water, US EPA finds - CBC.ca
05/06/15 09:35 from Google News - Top Stories
CBC.ca Fracking not a widespread risk to drinking water, US EPA finds CBC.ca Fracking for shale oil and gas has not led to widespread pollution of drinking water, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency draft report said on Thursday, alth...

» Hamas battling ISIL loyalists who fired rockets into Israel, fearing they are trying ... - National Post
05/06/15 09:35 from Google News - World
National Post Hamas battling ISIL loyalists who fired rockets into Israel, fearing they are trying ... National Post Hamas is battling ISIL loyalists in Gaza who fired a volley of rockets into Israel, fearing the extremist rivals could w...

» Ukraine's Poroshenko says rebels ousted from Maryinka - BBC News
05/06/15 09:35 from Google News - World
The Guardian Nigeria Ukraine's Poroshenko says rebels ousted from Maryinka BBC News Ukraine's president says his forces have ousted pro-Russia rebels from the eastern town of Maryinka and captured 12 "saboteurs", includ...

» 3 big challenges facing the world
05/06/15 09:34 from CNN.com - World

» The U.S. and Cuba: A love story
05/06/15 09:32 from CNN.com - World
The first time Juan tried to escape Cuba was in 1966. He was 17 years old.

» Australia far behind on gay marriage
05/06/15 09:32 from CNN.com - World

» California's drought spurring water recycling at home
05/06/15 09:31 from AP Top Headlines At 7:05 a.m. EDT
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) -- Showering during California's drought is a guilt-free experience for homeowners Catarina Negrin and Noah Friedman....

» 'Whirling Mass': Hail, Tornadoes, Floods Batter Colorado - NBCNews.com
05/06/15 09:29 from Top Stories - Google News
NBCNews.com 'Whirling Mass': Hail, Tornadoes, Floods Batter Colorado NBCNews.com Hail the size of grapefruit, heavy rainfall, and multiple tornadoes caused damage and flooding across parts of the Rockies and Plains overnight into...

» US government hacked; feds think China is the culprit - CNN
05/06/15 09:29 from Google News - Top Stories
CNN US government hacked; feds think China is the culprit CNN Washington (CNN) Four million current and former federal employees, from nearly every government agency, might have had their personal information stolen by Chinese hackers, U...

» The week in 37 photos
05/06/15 09:29 from CNN.com - World
Take a look at 37 photos of the week from May 29 through June 4.

» Hail, Tornadoes, Floods Batter Colorado - NBCNews.com
05/06/15 09:29 from Google News - Top Stories
NBCNews.com Hail, Tornadoes, Floods Batter Colorado NBCNews.com Hail the size of grapefruit, heavy rainfall, and several tornadoes caused damage and flooding across parts of the Rockies and Plains overnight into Friday, officials and met...

» An FDA panel just backed the "female Viagra." Critics say it's a mistake. - Vox
05/06/15 09:27 from Google News - Top Stories
ABC News An FDA panel just backed the "female Viagra." Critics say it's a mistake. Vox The FDA might approve 'female Viagra.' But critics aren't convinced it'll actually help women. PhotoSkech /Shutterstock....

» With More Storms Ahead, Colorado Tornado Damage Surveyed - ABC News
05/06/15 09:27 from Google News - Top Stories
NBCNews.com With More Storms Ahead, Colorado Tornado Damage Surveyed ABC News Residents and authorities are surveying the damage from tornadoes that swept through northern Colorado amid the threat for more severe weather and flooding. To...

» Hillary Clinton Calls Out Republicans By Name — and It's No Accident - NBCNews.com
05/06/15 09:26 from Google News - Top Stories
Los Angeles Times Hillary Clinton Calls Out Republicans By Name — and It's No Accident NBCNews.com First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and ...

» Gay, Christian, Roma election candidates show Turkey's changing face
05/06/15 09:25 from Reuters: International
ESKISEHIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Activist Baris Sulu's battle to get same-sex marriage recognized stalled in Turkey's courts and LGBT groups he backed faced repeated legal harassment. Now he hopes to be the Muslim country's first openly gay...

» Germany sent rocket-propelled grenades to Saudi Arabia to swing 2006 FIFA ... - Daily Mail
05/06/15 09:25 from world - Google News
Daily Mail Germany sent rocket-propelled grenades to Saudi Arabia to swing 2006 FIFA ... Daily Mail The German government sent a shipment of rocket-propelled grenades to Saudi Arabia in order to secure support for their bid to host the 2...

» Yangtze cruise ship refloating efforts under way – video
05/06/15 09:24 from World news: World news + Video | guardian.co.uk
The sunken Chinese passenger ship, which capsized on the Yangtze in a freak tornado on Monday, is lifted out of the water as efforts to refloat the vessel get under way on Friday. Most of the four-deck ship remains under water, sitting o...

» Russian Aggression, Mideast Crises Likely in G-7 Lens
05/06/15 09:16 from Voice of America
Leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized countries convene their annual summit Sunday in Germany, where they're expected to discuss current crises including the wars in Iraq and Syria, and long-term issues like climate change and the...

» Freep 5: Great old-school doughnut shops - Detroit Free Press
05/06/15 09:15 from Google News - Top Stories
Atlanta Journal Constitution Freep 5: Great old-school doughnut shops Detroit Free Press Editor's note: This article originally ran on Sept. 16, 2013. Doughnuts still have a blue-collar image here, but in cities like New York, Chicag...

» New Google Doodle Celebrates the Kick-Off of the Women's World Cup - TIME
05/06/15 09:15 from world - Google News
TIME New Google Doodle Celebrates the Kick-Off of the Women's World Cup TIME The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup kicks off on June 6 and to mark the event Google is celebrating with soccer-themed Google Doodle. This year's event ...

» The Jobs Recovery Is Going Strong - New York Times
05/06/15 09:13 from Google News - Top Stories
New York Times The Jobs Recovery Is Going Strong New York Times The recovery in the job market that became more robust in late 2014 and early 2015 wobbled a little in the spring. The message from the May numbers released Friday morning w...

» Sturdy US jobs report boosts chances of Fed rate hike - Reuters
05/06/15 09:09 from Google News - Top Stories
Reuters Sturdy US jobs report boosts chances of Fed rate hike Reuters WASHINGTON U.S. job growth accelerated sharply in May and wages picked up, signs of momentum in the economy that bolster prospects for an interest rate hike in Septemb...

» Where To Get Sweet Deals On National Donut Day - CBS Local
05/06/15 09:07 from Google News - Top Stories
CBS Local Where To Get Sweet Deals On National Donut Day CBS Local Friday, June 5 is National Donut Day and, as you can imagine, bakeries across the Twin Cities are preparing. And so have we! Friday we had Angel Food Bakery, SugaRush and...

» London Is Officially the Cocaine Capital of Europe
05/06/15 09:07 from TIME: Top World Stories
At least according to its sewer system

» Egyptian Qaeda militant once jailed for Sadat assassination dies: sources
05/06/15 09:06 from Reuters: International
CAIRO (Reuters) - An Islamist militant jailed for plotting al Qaeda bombings since his release from prison in 2012 after serving time for his role in the assassination of Anwar Sadat, has died in hospital, security sources said on Friday.

» Pakistan police: 8 men charged in Malala attack were acquitted in April, not ... - Fox News
05/06/15 09:05 from Google News - Top Stories
NBCNews.com Pakistan police: 8 men charged in Malala attack were acquitted in April, not ... Fox News MINGORA, Pakistan – Pakistani police say that eight out of 10 militants charged with involvement in the 2012 attack on teenage activist...

» Money laundering investigation stymied by China, Italy says
05/06/15 09:03 from AP Top Headlines At 7:05 a.m. EDT
FLORENCE, Italy (AP) -- Police in Florence wondered where all the money was going. Italy's economy was heading off a cliff, but its Chinatowns were booming. Luxury cars snaked past Chinese betting parlors and garment factories that humme...

» Pakistan court frees 8 of 10 men charged with schoolgirl Malala's attack
05/06/15 09:02 from Reuters: International
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A Pakistani court has freed eight out of 10 people charged with organizing the shooting of Pakistani schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai, police said on Friday.

» Malaysia quake: Stranded climbers 'making way down' - BBC News
05/06/15 09:02 from Google News - World
The Star Online Malaysia quake: Stranded climbers 'making way down' BBC News A group of climbers are making their way down one of South East Asia's highest peaks after being stranded by an earthquake, officials say. The 137 w...

» Edward Snowden: The World Says No to Surveillance - New York Times
05/06/15 09:00 from world - Google News
New York Times Edward Snowden: The World Says No to Surveillance New York Times MOSCOW — TWO years ago today, three journalists and I worked nervously in a Hong Kong hotel room, waiting to see how the world would react to the revelation ...

» Man sings during brain op
05/06/15 08:57 from CNN.com - World
A Brazilian man crooned and strummed his guitar while undergoing brain surgery in his home country.

» Netanyahu Steps Into Israel Boycott Debate
05/06/15 08:57 from Sky News | World News | First For Breaking News
Western diplomats believe the prime minister may be getting involved over the boycott issue to further his country's own aims.

» Korean at U.S. base has MERS
05/06/15 08:57 from CNN.com - World
A Korean Air Force member stationed at a U.S. air base in South Korea tested positive for MERS earlier this week and remains in isolation at a military hospital on the base, a Korean Department of Defense official said.

» Ireland: FIFA paid over handball
05/06/15 08:57 from CNN.com - World
The head of Ireland's Football Association says FIFA gave it a confidential payout to avoid legal action after Ireland's controversial loss to France in a 2009 World Cup playoff.

» 103 bodies found on ship
05/06/15 08:56 from CNN.com - World
Chinese salvage crews carry out an elaborate operation to right a capsized cruise ship on the Yangtze River, after hopes fade of finding survivors among the hundreds trapped inside.

» China calls U.S. hacking accusations ‘irresponsible and unscientific
05/06/15 08:56 from - The Washington Post
China calls U.S. hacking accusations ‘irresponsible and unscientific’ Map: The remarkable distances you can travel on a European train in less than a day Taking on the Jewish Anti-Obama 'Ingrates' Find Out What Your Name Would Be if You ...

» Turkey election: Campaigners in final push ahead of poll - BBC News
05/06/15 08:55 from World - Google News
The Nation Turkey election: Campaigners in final push ahead of poll BBC News Political campaigners in Turkey are making their final push for support ahead of Sunday's general election. The vote could see the ruling Justice and Develo...

» Pakistan Police Say 8 Men in Malala Attack Were Acquitted - New York Times
05/06/15 08:52 from Google News - Top Stories
NDTV Pakistan Police Say 8 Men in Malala Attack Were Acquitted New York Times MINGORA, Pakistan — Pakistani police say that eight out of 10 militants charged with involvement in the 2012 attack on teenage activist Malala Yousafzai were a...

» US Suspects Hackers in China Breached About 4 Million People's Records ... - Wall Street Journal
05/06/15 08:52 from Google News - Top Stories
Wall Street Journal US Suspects Hackers in China Breached About 4 Million People's Records ... Wall Street Journal U.S. officials suspect that hackers in China stole the personal records of as many as four million people in one of th...

» Afghan Taliban Note Informal Talks in Norway
05/06/15 08:51 from Voice of America
Taliban representatives have been meeting this week with female Afghan lawmakers and peace negotiators in the Norwegian capital Oslo, a Taliban spokesman and the Afghan president's office said on Friday. In an email statement, the Taliba...

» OPEC Oil Ministers Meet, Likely to Maintain Output Targets
05/06/15 08:51 from Voice of America
Defying OPEC attempts to project unity, Iran and Saudi Arabia went into a meeting of the 12-nation cartel Friday declaring that they would not cede authority to the organization over how much oil they could sell. Though oil ministers of ...

» Bomb blast near Nigerian market kills 31, official says - Fox News
05/06/15 08:51 from Google News - World
CHANNELS TELEVISION Bomb blast near Nigerian market kills 31, official says Fox News A bomb blast near a Nigerian market has killed 31 people, a civil defense official said Friday. Sa'ad Bello of the National Emergency Management Age...

» Corker Says Obama Administration Is Withholding Details About Future Of Iran's ... - The Chattanoogan
05/06/15 08:50 from Google News - World
euronews Corker Says Obama Administration Is Withholding Details About Future Of Iran's ... The Chattanoogan Appearing on CNN's “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer” on Wednesday, Senator Bob Corker said the Obama administration...

» Stricken Chinese cruise ship righted, lifted from Yangtze River - CNN
05/06/15 08:49 from Google News - World
CNN Stricken Chinese cruise ship righted, lifted from Yangtze River CNN Jianli, China (CNN) The Eastern Star is upright once again, looking almost normal with its bottom resting on the water and its deck and cabins clear above it. The sh...

» Romania Premier Under Pressure to Quit Over Corruption Probe - Bloomberg
05/06/15 08:46 from Google News - World
Bloomberg Romania Premier Under Pressure to Quit Over Corruption Probe Bloomberg Bickering between Romania's Social Democrat Prime Minister Victor Ponta, seen here, and Liberal party leader Crin Antonescu, potential rivals in a Novem...

» In Russia, Crackdown Spells Trouble for 'Grammar Nazis'
05/06/15 08:46 from WSJ.com: World News
As the Kremlin speaks out about fascism, authorities are making a broad effort to tamp down—in some cases literally. A local coordinator of a national Russian grammar and spelling competition says he was targeted by prosecutors trying to...

» FDA advisers recommend approval of libido drug for women - Philly.com
05/06/15 08:43 from Google News - Top Stories
Philly.com FDA advisers recommend approval of libido drug for women Philly.com An Internet-based advocacy campaign dubbed eventhescore.org accused regulators of sexism and a double standard. Travel Deals. $85 -- New Hampshire Inn w/Break...

» Sister: Brother had sexual relationship with Hastert
05/06/15 08:42 from AP Top Headlines At 7:05 a.m. EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Montana woman says the FBI interviewed her last month about her allegations that her brother had a sexual relationship while in high school with Dennis Hastert, the wrestling coach who would become speaker of the Hou...

» Malala Gunmen Secretly Set Free in Pakistan - TIME
05/06/15 08:42 from Google News - World
TIME Malala Gunmen Secretly Set Free in Pakistan TIME NORWAY-POLITICS-NOBEL-PEACE-PRIZE Odd Andersen—AFP/Getty Images Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai gestures at a joint press conference with fellow laureate and Norwegian Pri...

» Malala Gunmen Secretly Set Free in Pakistan
05/06/15 08:40 from TIME: Top World Stories
Previous reports had indicated all 10 were sentenced to life in prison

» SCO Says It Will Reward Iran For Reaching Nuclear Deal - EurasiaNet
05/06/15 08:39 from World - Google News
EurasiaNet SCO Says It Will Reward Iran For Reaching Nuclear Deal EurasiaNet Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states in Moscow on June 3. (photo: Kremlin). ...

» Family of alleged Hastert sex abuse victim comes forward - Fox News
05/06/15 08:38 from Google News - Top Stories
Fox News Family of alleged Hastert sex abuse victim comes forward Fox News The sister of an alleged sexual abuse victim of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert has come forward, just days before the once-powerful congressional leader is s...

» US economy adds 280,000 jobs in May
05/06/15 08:38 from FT.com - World
Better than expected employment report eases growth concerns

» Physicist Stephen Hawking says he would consider assisted suicide
05/06/15 08:38 from World: World News, International News, Foreign Reporting - The Washington Post
LONDON — Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking would consider assisted suicide if he felt he had become a burden to those around him or if he had nothing more to contribute to science, he has said in an interview.Read full article >>

» China denies role in recent government security hack - Miami Herald
05/06/15 08:37 from Google News - Top Stories
NBCNews.com China denies role in recent government security hack Miami Herald China on Friday rejected claims by unnamed U.S. officials that its agents hacked federal government computers, compromising the personal data of at least 4 mil...

» Mali rebels agree to security deal as step to peace accord: U.N.
05/06/15 08:36 from Reuters: International
ALGIERS (Reuters) - Mali's Tuareg-led rebels have agreed to deals for a local ceasefire and more political guarantees as a step toward a U.N.-brokered peace agreement to end decades of uprisings in the north, the United Nations envoy sai...

» Climbers trapped on Mt. Kinabalu after quake - CNN
05/06/15 08:34 from Google News - World
CNN Climbers trapped on Mt. Kinabalu after quake CNN (CNN) — About 160 climbers were stranded on Mount Kinabalu, one of Southeast Asia's highest mountains, after a powerful quake hit the area in eastern Borneo. "They could not c...

» Cyberattack Leaves US Looking Vulnerable
05/06/15 08:34 from Sky News | World News | First For Breaking News
By pointing the finger at China for the latest hack, the US leaves itself looking vulnerable, writes Sky's Tom Cheshire.

» Employment report: US added 280K jobs in May - CBS News
05/06/15 08:33 from Google News - Top Stories
CBS News Employment report: US added 280K jobs in May CBS News The U.S. economy generated 280,000 new jobs in May, the Labor Department said Friday. The unemployment rate edged up slightly to 5.5 percent. Economists had forecast job grow...

» FIFA corruption: Could Russia, Qatar lose their World Cups?
05/06/15 08:33 from AP Top Headlines At 7:05 a.m. EDT
If there is enough evidence of wrongdoing, FIFA has the power to strip the World Cup from both Russia and Qatar....

» US Economy Added 280000 Jobs in May; Unemployment Rate 5.5% - New York Times
05/06/15 08:32 from Google News - Top Stories
New York Times US Economy Added 280000 Jobs in May; Unemployment Rate 5.5% New York Times Employers added 280,000 jobs in May, the Labor Department reported on Friday, blunting worries about the American economy's momentum after a st...

» Aged relative hits out at Beijing's handling of ship tragedy - Reuters
05/06/15 08:31 from Google News - World
Reuters Aged relative hits out at Beijing's handling of ship tragedy Reuters JIANLI, China An irate relative of two passengers missing aboard a Chinese cruise ship which capsized on the Yangtze River publicly accused the government o...

» Greece: 'People Are Dying' As Cash Runs Short
05/06/15 08:28 from Sky News | World News | First For Breaking News
As Greece delays a €300m debt repayment due today, Sky's Economics Editor Ed Conway looks at the human cost of austerity.

» Oil Prices Turn Higher As OPEC Keeps Output Ceiling Unchanged - Wall Street Journal
05/06/15 08:23 from Google News - Top Stories
The Globe and Mail Oil Prices Turn Higher As OPEC Keeps Output Ceiling Unchanged Wall Street Journal BREAKING: *Saudi Oil Minister: Same OPEC Production Ceiling Will be Kept. *Brent, WTI Crude Oil Prices Turn Higher After Comments. (More...

» Thai students work with migrants to combat discrimination
05/06/15 08:21 from Reuters: International
BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When Thai student Pornthep Pornsiricherd was a child, his family had a housemaid from Myanmar whom they treated as one of the family.

» Suspected Chinese Hackers Stole Data of Millions of US Federal Workers - Voice of America
05/06/15 08:20 from Google News - World
Voice of America Suspected Chinese Hackers Stole Data of Millions of US Federal Workers Voice of America U.S. officials said hackers in China launched a massive cyberattack on the federal agency responsible for collecting background info...

» Larijani: Nuclear Talks Pursued in Framework of Leader's Demands - Al-Manar TV
05/06/15 08:16 from Google News - World
Al-Manar TV Larijani: Nuclear Talks Pursued in Framework of Leader's Demands Al-Manar TV Larijani Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani here on Friday reminded six world powers that in nuclear talks red lines are determined by Supreme Lead...

» Opec agrees to keep oil output high in battle for customers - Financial Times
05/06/15 08:14 from Google News - Top Stories
Financial Times Opec agrees to keep oil output high in battle for customers Financial Times Opec has agreed to stick with its strategy of keeping oil output high to squeeze high-cost producers out of the market, as the cartel is confiden...

» Facebook Users Upset by Video of Baby Dunked in Water
05/06/15 08:12 from TIME: Top World Stories
The baby was held upside down and lowered into a bucket of water while crying

» Pope appoints first auditor-general in latest transparency move
05/06/15 08:06 from Reuters: International
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican appointed its first auditor-general on Friday in Pope Francis' latest move aimed at ensuring transparency in the scandal-plagued finances at the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.

» Nigeria's president must prosecute crimes by rebels, army: U.N.
05/06/15 08:06 from Reuters: International
GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations' top human rights official called on Nigeria's new President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday to investigate reports of horrifying crimes by Boko Haram Islamist rebels and alleged abuses by the military.

» Saudi Arabia Lets The World Drown In Oil - Forbes
05/06/15 08:05 from world - Google News
Forbes Saudi Arabia Lets The World Drown In Oil Forbes To the surprise of nobody, Saudi Arabia and the other OPEC member states decided in Vienna on Friday to maintain production targets of 30 million barrels a day, making sure the world...

» Turkey election: The least predictable for over a decade - BBC News
05/06/15 08:04 from Google News - World
Salon Turkey election: The least predictable for over a decade BBC News At a square in central Istanbul, women are dancing and clapping along to loud music, wearing T-shirts bearing the logo of the political party they want to win the ge...

» Kenya charges five men over Garissa attack
05/06/15 08:02 from Reuters: International
(This story filed in June 4 story, corrects title of Harun Rashid Khator in paragraph 11)

» Romania PM Victor Ponta quizzed over alleged corruption - BBC News
05/06/15 08:00 from Google News - World
Fox News Romania PM Victor Ponta quizzed over alleged corruption BBC News Romanian prosecutors have questioned Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who is suspected of forgery, tax evasion and money laundering. The case, concerning Mr Ponta'...

» U.S. Suspects China in Huge Data Breach
05/06/15 07:59 from WSJ.com: World News
U.S. officials suspect that hackers in China stole the personal records of as many as four million people in one of the most far-reaching breaches of government computers.

» Exclusive: Alleged Dennis Hastert Sex Abuse Victim Is Named By Family - ABC News
05/06/15 07:58 from Google News - Top Stories
ABC News Exclusive: Alleged Dennis Hastert Sex Abuse Victim Is Named By Family ABC News In Steve Reinboldt's 1970 high school yearbook, wrestling coach Dennis Hastert wrote that Steve was his “great, right hand man” as the student eq...

» 'Female Viagra' Wins Approval From FDA Panel - ABC News
05/06/15 07:58 from Google News - Top Stories
ABC News 'Female Viagra' Wins Approval From FDA Panel ABC News The once-a-day pill flibanserin aims to treat a sexual desire disorder known to affect about 1 in 10 women. 2:14 | 06/05/15. ABC News Videos | ABC Entertainment News....

» UN rights chief urges new Nigerian president to set up probes into alleged ... - Fox News
05/06/15 07:56 from Google News - World
NDTV UN rights chief urges new Nigerian president to set up probes into alleged ... Fox News BERLIN – The United Nations' human rights chief is pressing Nigeria's new president to set up independent inquiries into alleged abuses ...