From Global Post Chatter: NEED TO KNOW: Whats a little spying between friends? Birds do, bees do it, even educated allies do it — lets listen in. We paraphrase, but thats the gist of US spy chiefs defense of their controversial surveillance practices, as presented yesterday to the House Intelligence Committee. European governments hoping for an explanation or even — imagine — an apology could only be disappointed as Director of National Intelligence James Clapper informed them that covertly gathering information on foreign leaders intentions is a basic tenet of what we collect and analyse. Yet Germany — quickly emerging as one of US spies main targets, and one of their fiercest critics — plans to remind Washington that it probably wouldnt like it if it went round planting microphones in the Oval Office. Berlin has sent its top intelligence officials to DC to meet with Clapper and other US security chiefs later today. Brothers in arms — and in jail. One of the last few public faces of the Muslim Brotherhood still at large in post-Morsi Egypt is no longer that. A symbol of the Islamist movement Essam El-Erian may be, but one better suited to its current status: locked up. Erian, the vice chair of the Brotherhoods political wing, was arrested early this morning near Cairo. Like dozens of his colleagues in the movements tp ranks, he had been wanted by Egypts military authorities ever since they overthrew President Mohamed Morsi in July. Erian and a handful of others are expected to be put on trial alongside Morsi next week. If anyone will try them, that is: in a separate case yesterday, the three judges presiding over proceedings against the Brotherhoods spiritual leaders withdrew, for reasons of conscience. WANT TO KNOW: Freedom, at a cost. Israel has released another 26 Palestinian prisoners, the second batch of four due to get their freedom as parts of conditions for the latest Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Five returned to Gaza; 21 went to the West Bank; all received a heros welcome — and all have been convicted of murder. As youd expect, the sight of these men walking free after decades behind bars looks very different depending which side youre on. Heres how one Palestinian prisoners family welcomed him home, and why his Israeli victims relatives might wish hed never got there. Terror in Tiananmen. Authorities in China say theyve captured at least five of the eight people they suspect of being involved in Mondays deadly car crash in Tiananmen Square. Its not clear yet what theyre accused of, but it seems the charges will be heavy: state media has, for the first time, been authorized to call the incident a terrorist attack. Police were hunting for first two then seven or eight suspects, all from different parts of Xinjiang province, where an alleged separatist movement is at often violent odds with Beijing. Its not clear what relation they bore to the three people inside the ill-fated car when it crashed, all of whom are dead. But representatives of Xinjiangs Uyghur ethnic group fear that with or without evidence, theyll all be caught in the backlash.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 18:24:23 +0000
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