Die Welt, Germany Obama: Hillary Clinton's Even More Polarizing Foil TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "President Obama will best serve Hillary Clinton by acting as a foil - as a contrast. By comparison with Obama, the potentially polarizing Clinton becomes a wholesome alternative for a wide variety of voters. ... Meanwhile, her party's leftist idealists and their backers will seriously not want to stand on the sidelines when a woman could become president - and right after an African-American achieved it.” — COLUMNIST Daniel-Dylan Bohmer

LESS POLARIZING BY COMPARISON?

WikiLeaks, Financial Times, U.K. WikiLeaks Publishes Hacked Sony E-mails; Explains Why "WikiLeaks has posted the entire hack of the Sony Database in searchable format to offer a 'rare insight into the inner workings of a large, secretive multinational corporation. The work publicly known from Sony is to produce entertainment; however, Sony's Archives show that behind the scenes the firm is an influential corporation, with ties to the White House, with an ability to impact laws and policies, and with connections to the United States military-industrial complex.” — WIKILEAKS Press Release SONY HACK: WIKILEAKS STRIKES AGAIN

Reuters, U.K. The E.U. Accuses Google of Abusing Web Search Power "The European Union accused Google of cheating consumers , competitors by distorting search results to favor its own shopping service, after a five- year investigation that could change the rules for doing business online.” — REPORTERS Julia Fioretti and Alastair Macdonald

SHOULD GOOGLE BE FINED OR DISMANTLED?

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland Hillary Reinforces 'Quasi- Feudal System' in America TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "America increasingly belongs to the millionaires and billionaires. A quasi-feudal system has formed in which the fate of a man and his future position in life are determined at birth. A handoff from the Bushes to the Clintons would confirm that the unhealthy process is occurring not only in finance but politics as well. ... To my surprise, Americans, at least those that support the Democrats, don't seem to mind. I have to admit to a personal bias here, as I do not understand the reasons for Clinton's dominance.” — COLUMNIST Mariusz Zawadzki JEB AND HILLARY: TIME TO STEP ASIDE?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Former Blackwater Guards Sentenced for Massacre of Unarmed Iraqi Civilians "In killing and maiming unarmed civilians, these defendants acted unreasonably ... In combination, the sheer amount of unnecessary human loss and suffering due to the defendants' criminal conduct on Sept. 16, 2007, is staggering.” — U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE

NO MERCT FOR BLACKWATER GUARDS

Deutsche Welle, Germany Hillary's Baggage Curbs Enthusiasm "Her first presidential loss to an initially unknown outsider named Obama hit her hard. It never left her and it noticeably shapes the the current campaign. ... the Clinton team should contemplate the fact that the announcement of her candidacy hasn't triggered major voter enthusiasm.” —CORRESPONDENT Gero Schliess IS POWER ITS OWN REWARD?

UK, Canada, Israel, China Editorial Reaction to the Hillary Campaign Launch Views from around the world have begun to emerge about her timing, her gender, her experience, her baggage and every aspect of what makes her such a political lightning rod. As usual, the British are first out of the gate with opinion rather than only straight news coverage, with other English-language media coming next, and soon, no doubt, more reaction from around the world in every language possible. — MANAGING EDITOR William Kern

HILLARY CLINTON: COY NO MORE

Telegraph, The Observer, U.K. Castro Praises Obama but Attacks U.S. Policy In his remarks at the Summit of the Americas in Panama, Cuban leader Raul Castro is making an interesting distinction between President Obama, who is of course president of the United States, and U.S. foreign policy, which Castro says Obama wasn't responsible for. Here are two columns from The Telegraph and The Observer that highlight the comments by Raul Castro. — MANAGING EDITOR William Kern LIKE THE MAN; NOT THE POLICIES?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Obama Prepares to Meet President Nicolas Maduro "As the two antagonistic leaders prepared to meet face to face at the Summit of the Americas, they used preliminary events in the host nation Panama to project their differing perspectives.” — CORRESPONDENT Jonathan Watts

CAN AN ACCOMMODATION BE FOUND?

Chosun Ilbo, Russia Today, Reuters, Ukraine Today, New York Times South Korea, U.K., Russia, U.S. Czech Leader, Stung by Critics, Quits Victory Day Plans in Moscow Controversy over plans by Czech President Milos Zeman to accept Russia's invitation to 2015 Victory Day celebrations has been raging all week, culminating today. — MANAGING EDITOR William Kern CZECH PRESIDENT 'GROUNDED'

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Obama Hints at Cuba Breakthrough; Kerry, Cuba Counterpart Talk "Cuba expected to be struck from list of state sponsors of terrorism, while Kerry and Cuba Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez counterpart sit down for highest-level talks in more than five decades.” — CORRESPONDENT Jonathan Watts

U.S.-CUBA ICE MELTING PROCEEDS

TELEGRAPH: Guantanamo Residents:
'How can Cuba Talk to the U.S. While
they are Occupying Our Land?'

Daily Mail, U.K. Tsarnaev's Mom: 'U.S. is the Real Terrorist; My Boys are the Best' "America is the real terrorist and everyone knows that. My boys are the best of the best.” — Zubeidat Tsarnaev A MOTHER'S PAIN AND SCORN

The Telegraph, U.K. Cuban Dissident Arrested on Arrival for Summit of the Americas in Panama "Rosa Maria Paya, one of Cuba's most high-profile dissidents, has been arrested on arrival in Panama, ahead of a historic meeting this week between Barack Obama and Raul Castro.” — CORRESPONDENT Harriet Alexander

CRACKDOWN AT AMERICAS SUMMIT

TELEGRAPH: Guantanamo Residents:
'How can Cuba Talk to the U.S. While
they are Occupying Our Land?'

BBC, Daily Mail, Telegraph, U.K. VIDEO AND TEXT: British Reaction to Rand Paul's 2016 Presidential Launch "Mr. Paul doesn't sound like your average Republican presidential candidate, and at times his event didn't look much like a traditional Republican presidential kick-off. Very early on, he criticised both Republicans and Democrats for being creatures of a political establishment unresponsive to the people who elected them.” — BBC CORRESPONDENT Anthony Zurcher CAN IDEALS SURVIVE CAMPAIGNING?

FAZ, Germany U.S. Army March Encounters Surprising Czech Opposition TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "leftists wanted to block the convoy's passage and on social media called for the use of force. … A complaint was even filed with the attorney general's office in Brno against Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek and Defence Minister Martin Stropnicky. They are being accused of 'high treason' for approving passage for the American convoy.” — CORRESPONDENT Karl-Peter Schwarz

CZECHS LESS CERTAIN OF WHO TO SUPPORT

Le Monde, France Iran Nuclear Deal: By Far the Least Appalling Option TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "The burden of sanctions has without doubt brought Iran to the negotiating table, but has in no way deterred the country from boosting its capacity for uranium enrichment - which is the path to obtaining a nuclear weapon. ... In this case, the status quo will not suffice. To wait is to take the risk of allowing an Islamic Republic working day in and day out to enrich more fissile material for military purposes.” — EDITORIAL, Le Monde IRANIANS HOPE FOR BETTER FUTURE

Le Monde, France How a Mandatory IAEA Mechanism Saved the Nuclear Talks with Iran TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "Another issue was the demand that without clear assurances of the total absence of a military dimension to the Iranian nuclear program, U.N. sanctions should not be touched. In any event, diplomats judged that without the approval of the International Atomic Energy Agency, these cannot be lifted, and that is a process that is likely to take several years at a minimum.” — CORRESPONDENT Yves-Michel Riols NUCLEAR DEAL WAS FUDGED ...

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. LIVE BLOG: Iran Nuclear Talks: Obama Hails Deal; Iranian People Celebrate Obama: ‘It is a good deal’ -- ‘Key parameters’ for nuke deal with Iran reached -- Deal to be done by 30 June -- E.U. and U.S. will terminate economic sanctions -- Fordow to be nuclear physics site. —GUARDIAN Live Blog IRAN ERUPTS IN CELEBRATION

Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany Hegemon without a Plan: 'God Help the Middle East' TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "President Obama's wavering and procrastination and his back and forth between threats, retreats and interventions has severely damaged U.S. credibility. ... One requires a remarkable set of eyes to discern a strategy in all this rather than a frantic, haphazard and event-driven mess. ” — COLUMNIST Hubert Wetzel OBAMA: HOPELESSLY FLOUNDERING?

Daily Mail, U.K. UKIP Candidate Ousted; Called for Israel to 'Do an Eichmann' on Obama "UKIP candidate Jeremy Zeid called for President Obama to be kidnapped by the Israelis like Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann for declassifying a document in Israel's once undeclared nuclear program.” —REPORTER John Stevens IS THIS STEPPING OVER THE LINE?

The Record, Scotland, U.K. Germanwings: Officials Admit Cell Phones Found; Passengers may have Called Loved Ones "If none of the mobile phones and notably none of the SIM cards found at the scene have not been analysed – because the fact is that the data can be retrieved – that suggests a problem with the investigation'” —REPORTER Frederic Helbert of Paris Match SHOULD MEDIA HAND OVER THE VIDEO?

The Telegraph, U.K. Tabloids are Told to 'Hand Over' Video of Final Moments before Germanwings Crash "French authorities initially denied the existence of the clip, which allegedly relays in a 'few seconds' scenes of chaos and passengers screaming 'My God' in several languages. But they are now calling on anyone in possession of such a film to 'hand it over to investigators.'” —REPORTERS Henry Samuel, Rory Mulholland

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Facebook 'Tracks All Visitors, Breaching European Union Law' "Facebook tracks the web browsing of everyone who visits a page on its site even if the user does not have an account and even when they have explicitly opted out of tracking in the E.U., research commissioned by the Belgian data protection agency shows.” —REPORTER Samuel Gibbs CAUTION: YOU ARE BING FOLLOWED

The Telegraph, U.K. Tabloids are Told to 'Hand Over' Video of Final Moments before Germanwings Crash "French authorities initially denied the existence of the clip, which allegedly relays in a 'few seconds' scenes of chaos and passengers screaming 'My God' in several languages. But they are now calling on anyone in possession of such a film to 'hand it over to investigators.'” —REPORTERS Henry Samuel, Rory Mulholland SHOULD MEDIA HAND OVER THE VIDEO?

Italia Chiama Italia, Italy Trial of Knox and Sollecito: Black Eye for Italian Justice TRANSLATED FROM ITALIAN "So this is what we have come to: more often than not it seems that sentences have already been formulated, whether based on mere conjecture and/or because they have been decided on the spot, from the first few minutes.” — COLUMNIST Leonardo Cecca

VINDICATED - BUT FOUR YEARS LOST

Paris Match, France Exclusive: Video Reveals Final Moments Before Germanwings Disaster "Paris Match has obtained a video taken during the final seconds of the ill-fated Germanwings flight 4U9525 and found among the wreckage by a source close to the investigation. Its origin - a cellphone - was clear. The scene was so chaotic that it was hard to identify people, but the sound of the screaming passengers made it clear that they were well aware of what was about to happen.” —NEWS ITEM, Paris Match FOUND: VIDEO FROM THE CRASH

Russia Today, Russia Lavrov: Chance Iran Deal 'Pretty Good' if No One 'Raises Stakes' "We have an opportunity to realize our chances if no side to the talks tries to raise the stakes at the last moment to get something more instead of keeping a balance of interests.” — RUSSIAN Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov IRAN TALKS: POINT OF AGREEMENT?

REUTERS: Expected Iran
Nuclear Deal 'Worse than
Israel Feared': Netanyahu

The Observer, U.K. Eight Years on, Italy asks: So who was it that Killed Student Meredith Kercher? "It has also never been clear how the pair, who had claimed to be having sex, smoking cannabis and watching the French film Amelie at the time of the murder, became accomplices of Rudy Guede, the then 21-year-old drifter who is now the only person to have been convicted of Kercher's murder.” —NEWS ITEM, The Guardian IF NOT KNOX, SOLLECITO - THAN WHO?

Izvestia, Russia Victory Day 2015: Hollande, Cameron and Obama won't be Missed! TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIA "Our greatest festival will stay with us through the centuries. Hollande, Cameron and Obama - not to mention leaders of 'New Europe' - are no more than ripples in the water. Their presence will not add to the honor of May 9th, and their absence will not diminish its joy.” — COLUMNIST Maksim Sokolov

RUSSIA SPURNS RUSSIA'S SPURNERS

The Telegraph, U.K. Amanda Knox will Return to Italy; in line for Millions in Compensation for Jailing "Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, both jailed for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher, may claim millions in compensation after Italy's top court cleared them unreservedly. ... In the latest twist, the pair were both acquitted by judges at Rome's supreme court. The five judges said that there was insufficient evidence.” —NEWS ITEM, The Telegraph OUT OF THE FIRE - OFF TO THE BANK?

RUSSIA TODAY: Snowden
Talks Surveillance, Privacy
with Swedish Lawyers

de Volkskrant The Netherlands No Hillary, Don't Do It! TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH "Let me come straight to the point the Dutch way - straightforward and without lame excuses: Please retire. Forget your presidential ambitions. Enough is enough. Please don't do it.” — COLUMNIST Charles Groenhuijsen

A PLEA TO HILLARY FROM THE DUTCH

The Local, Sweden Swedish MPs Meet Snowden in Moscow "We discussed his journey and he gave us a nuanced accounting of how mass surveillance operated and what doesn't . ... He also gave us his point of view on what comprise effective anti-terrorism measures and what doesn't. ... I am impressed by his courage.” — Sweden MP Jakop Dalunde THE NEXT STOP FOR SNOWDEN?

RUSSIA TODAY: Snowden
Talks Surveillance, Privacy
with Swedish Lawyers

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Iran-Saudi Proxy War in Yemen Explodes into a Region-Wide Crisis “The Saudi decision to unveil the international coalition in Washington suggests that the Obama Administration, rather than the Riyadh regime, may be the driving force behind the intervention in Yemen.” — COLUMNIST Simon Tisdall

The Telegraph, U.K. Amanda Knox Awaits Top Italy Court Ruling on Kercher Murder Verdict "The European Commission has warned E.U. citizens that they should close their Facebook accounts if they want to keep information private from U.S. security services, finding that current Safe Harbour law does not protect citizen's data.” — REPORTER Samuel Gibbs FACEBOOK: STATE SPYING TOOL

Diario de Noticias, Portugal The U.S.-Israel Unraveling: A Sign of 'Deep Transformation' TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE "We're witnessing divisions so deep that it's hard to find anything relevant passing between Israel and the United States. ... Countries like Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt look with great suspicion at a U.S. orientation in favor of Iran and easing of sanctions in exchange for transparency on uranium enrichment or 'unofficial' coordination in the battle against the Islamic State.” — COLUMNIST Bernardo Pires De Lima

A SIESMIC SHIFT BIGGER THAN ISRAEL

Guardian Unlimited, U.S. E.U. Warns Citizens to 'Leave Facebook if You Don't Wish to be Spied On' "The European Commission has warned E.U. citizens that they should close their Facebook accounts if they want to keep information private from U.S. security services, finding that current Safe Harbour law does not protect citizen's data.” — REPORTER Samuel Gibbs FACEBOOK: STATE SPYING TOOL

Diario de Noticias, Italy Evidence at Hand that Muslims are Indeed Capable of Democracy TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE "The democratic experience of the Arab world remains a fragile one. ... Nevertheless, the Arab world and Islamic worlds are not synonymous. . It's not hard to find examples of democracy in Islamic states.” — COLUMNIST Leonidio Paulo Ferreira

DEMOCRACY: A LITTLE OPTIMISM

France 24, France LIVE FEED: Germanwings Flight Intentionally Crashed March 26, 2015 This is France 24's live feed with coverage of the crash Germanwings flight 4U9525. French prosecutors has announced that the aircraft was intentionally crashed by ci-pilot. — LIVE FEED, Frrance 24 GERMANWINGS: SHOCK REVELATION

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. LIVE BLOG: Germanwings Co-Pilot 'Crashed Aircraft' "The co-pilot of the Germanwings jet that crashed in the French Alps deliberately forced the plane into the descent that led to the disaster, the prosecutor said. He pressed a button that accelerated the Airbus A320's descent when alone in the cockpit. 'It was a voluntary action.'” —GUARDIAN Live Blog PLANE CRASHED INTENTIONALLY

Guardian Unlimited, U.S. With U.S. Backing, Saudi Arabia Launches Yemen Air Strikes on Houthies "White House confirms support for the military effort, claiming international mandate to end the 'widespread instability and chaos' that drove out Yemeni president.” — CORRRESPONDENTS Dan Roberts. Kareem Shaheen IT'S WAR AGAIN - NOW IN YEMEN

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Charged with Desertion, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl May Get Life in Prison "The longest-held U.S. prisoner of war of the post-9/11 era will be charged with misbehavior before the enemy and desertion and faces a potential penalty of life in prison. A court martial proceeding for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will be a dramatic fall from grace for a soldier whose release after five years in Taliban captivity was a priority for Obama.” — CORRESPONDENT Spencer Ackerman BERGDAHL: DRAMATIC FALL FROM GRACE

Der Standard, Austria Austrian Lawmakers 'Terminate Silence' Over NSA Spying TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden warned of how U.S. intelligence works with E.U. nations that filter out traffic belonging to their citizens. However, because of states that collaborate with it, the U.S. is able to obtain data on all E.U. citizens. Llawmakers are in broad agreement that it is unacceptable for foreign spies to illegally intercept, store and monitor data of Austrian, European citizens.” — COLUMNIST Fabian Schmid NOW: AUSTRIAN NSA COMMITTEE

Corriere Della Sera, Italy Jewish No More?: Netanyahu's Victory is a Loss for Israel TRANSLATED FROM ITALIAN "Israel hasn't won, because little or nothing has changed. In fact, the country may now be pushed into a dangerous self isolation as the region is boiling over with ancient tensions and bloody recent conflicts. ... Arabs living in the country may now be capable of silencing all their divisions and united as a third political party in the Knesset. It may be a sign of the future when in the absence of two states the majority in Israel is no longer Jewish.” — COLUMNIST Antonio Ferrari

BIBI: THREAT TO THE JEWISH STATE?

Deutsche Welle, Germany U.S. Threatened Germany w/ Intelligence Cuttoff Over Granting Snowden Asylum "They said they would stop notifying us of plots and other intelligence matters.” — VICE CHANCELLOR Sigmar Gabriel U.S. THREAT OVER SNOWDEN ASYLUM OFFER

The Telegraph, U.K. America's Longest-Serving Innocent Prisoner Receives $1m for 39 Years in Prison "Ricky Jackson and two brothers were convicted on the basis of the testimony of a 13-year-old boy who said that he witnessed the killing of Harold Franks. The boy, Eddie Vernon, was on a bus a block away with other children at the time. He later recanted his account.” — CPRRESPONDENT Philip Sherwell RECIEVES $25,000 PER YEAR BEHIND BARS

The Economist, U.K. The Price of Bibi's Comeback "Next month the Palestinian Authority will join the International Criminal Court, where it will seek to indict of Israel for war crimes, both over the conduct of last summer's war in Gaza and Jewish settlements in the occupied territories. ... Netanyahu will need American help to fend off the pressure, but Israeli diplomats fear that Obama may be less willing to fight on Israel's behalf, or will seek to extract a price.” — ANALYSIS, The Economist BIBI FACES SHORTAGE OF U.S. SUPPORT

Daily Mail, U.K. Hollywood Producer Returns Home for First Time Since Her Arrest in Death of 'Blind' Sister "Producer Jill Blackstone had initially been charged with murder of her sister Wendy, but the LA District Attorney dropped the charges and released her Wednesday. Yet many questions remain over her partially blind and deaf sister's death. Wendy was found on Saturday in the home's garage, apparently asphyxiated by carbon monoxide gas. ... Also found at the scene was a hand- written suicide note police determined had been written by Jill, and the bodies of their three dogs.” — CORRESPONDENT Andy Tillet MYSTERY SURROUNDS DEATH OF PRODUCER'S SISTER

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Obama Snubs Netanyahu; Criticizes 'Divisive Rhetoric' "The White House has made clear its dismay at Prime Minister Netanyahu's sweeping victory in the Israeli polls with a stinging rebuke of 'divisive rhetoric' used by the Israeli leader in the closing stages of the election. ... Furthermore, Obama has not called to congratulate him on his victory.” — CORRESPONDENTS Paul Lewis and Alan Yuhas FACING THE ELECTION AFTERMATH

Der Standard, Austria NSA Spying on Austrian Firms and People 'Takes on Whole New Dimension' TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "In addition to the Austrian Web provider, the document discloses other targets, such as members of the Philippine government, the largest Saudi ISP, a Pakistani cyber security firm as well as a resort hotel in Honduras in which the United Fruit Company receives South American official delegations. With this variety of examples from the spy programs under Upstream, the NSA-author of the presentation will have wanted to demonstrate the best possible range of targets.” — REPORTERS Fabian Schmid and Markus Sulzbacher

SNOWDEN HITS JUST KEEP ON COMIN'

Le Figaro, France Christians, Muslims and the Destruction of Ancient Sites TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "It mustn't be forgotten that in 16th century Protestantism, there was an iconoclastic rage that went on to wreak havoc on our cultural heritage. ... This is not to suggest a hazardous equivalence between Calvinism and radical Islam, but the Islamists are falling back on an a religious tradition that was defeated by Christianity.” — JOURNALIST, PHILOSOPHER Gerard Leclerc ICONS AND IDOLATRY: BATTLE RENEWED

Financial Times, U.K. U.S. Lashes Out at U.K. for Joining China-Backed Bank "Brits are used to syrupy American tributes to the 'special relationship' that binds the countries together, but this week, we heard rather different sound:: frustrated growls.” — COLUMNIST Gideon Rachman GROUND SHIFTS IN WORLD FINANCE

REUTERS: Abbott says Australia will
Soon Decide Whether to Join AIIB
THE TELEGRAPH: U.K. Must
Resist Taking Sides as U.S., China
fight for Financial Supremacy

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Boko Haram-ISIS Alliance: Likely Just a 'Cry for Help' “The alliance is unlikely to amount to much immediate collaboration on joint operations. It may, in fact, be more of a cry for help, given the recent string of defeats Boko Haram has sustained in recent days.” — COLUMNIST Simon Tisdall

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Landmark Report Calls for Major Overhaul of U.K. Surveillance Laws "Britain’s laws governing the espionage agencies and mass surveillance require a total overhaul to make them more transparent, comprehensible and up to date, parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee said in a landmark report that was prompted by the Snowden revelations.” — REPORTERS Patrick Wintour and Rowena Mason A SLAP AT MASS SURVEILLANCE

Reuters, U.K. P5+1 Discuss the End of Iran Sanctions; Plan Could Render U.S. Republican Efforts Moot "Secretary of State Kerry told Congress that an Iran nuclear deal wouldn't be legally binding, meaning the next U.S. president may choose not to implement it - a point emphasized in an open letter by Republican senators to Iran's leaders. ... But a Security Council resolution on a nuclear deal with Iran could be legally binding. That could undercut attempts by Republicans to unravel an agreement. ” — REPORTER Louis Charbonneau

Elsevier, The Netherlands Study: Alarming Number of Muslims in Europe Back Islamist Extremism TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH "It's like mopping the floor next to a fire hose: national security is in constant danger. This is a group who are not concerned with laws of secular Western societies. ... This will not be resolved through dialogue while immigration from Muslim nations merrily goes on. Halting it is the first necessary step. This is an inconvenient truth we must heed.” — COLUMNIST Afshin Ellian

EXTREMISTS: HOW MANY ARE THERE?

Die Tageszeitung, Germany Defeating Disembodied Spies in the Digital Age TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "How can we understand why people, who in their gardens protect their vegetable beds from view with well-tended hedges, aren't upset by the fact that there's an entity for which no screening exists - an entity that sees all and hears all? To be able to understand and criticize this is the most urgent task of people today. ” — COLUMNIST Daniel Kretschmar THE DIGITAL PYNOPTYCON

The Telegraph, U.K. Jimmy Wales, Wikimedia Suing NSA and DOJ Over Mass Spying Operations "'The harm to Wikimedia and the hundreds of millions of people who visit our Web sites is clear: Pervasive mass surveillance has a chilling effect,' Mr Wales wrote. 'It stifles freedom of expression and the free exchange of ideas that Wikimedia exicts to enable.'” — Wikimdedia CEO Jimmy Wales

SURVEILLANCE FIGHT: IT 'AIN'T OVER'

The Register, U.K. U.K. Foreign Secretary Wants to 'End Debate' Over Mass Surveillance "This debate cannot be allowed to run on forever. ... We need to have it, address the issues arising from it and move on, sooner rather than later.'” — UK Foriegn Secretary Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond

Gazeta, Russia To Reshape Global Order, Russia Needs Help of Other Disgruntled Peoples, States TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIA "This suggests that the United States is not trustworthy. This kind of letter is unprecedented and undiplomatic. ... It letter suggests that U.S. lawmakers not only don't understand international law but are not fully cognizant of the nuances of their own Constitution in terms of presidential powers in the conduct of American foreign policy.” — Fyodor Lukyanov, Chief Editor at Russia in Global Affairs CAN PUTIN BREAK OUT OF THE BOX?

GUARDIAN: Miffed Brits
Undermine German NSA Probe;
Refuse to Share Intelligence
DEUTCHE WELLE: Fiasco Over
New Headquarters Exposes
German Spies to Ridicule
CRYPTOME: Guardian Web Site
Redacts GCHQ TEMPORA Slide

Bild, Germany ISIS Launches 'Kilafahbook': The Facebook for Terrorists TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "They have shared their cruel deeds on the Web in order to attract the world's attention. Now the jihadists are pushing their use of social networking further. ... Islamic State seeks to improve on its online success: three days ago it launched its own social network called 'Kilafahbook'!” — NEWS ITEM, Bild

ISLAMIC STATE SKIRTS WEST'S CONSTRAINTS

Die Welt, Germany Mystery Again Hits the Bundestag's NSA Committee of Inquiry TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "The Bundestag Committee investigating the NSA spying scandal may itself have been spied on. There are suspicions that the so-called encrypted phone of Committee Chair Patrick Sensburg may have been hacked. ... An ominous course of events forms the backdrop of these suspicions. ... A detailed analysis will take several weeks. So any involvement by intelligence services is only conjecture. ” — REPORTER Manuel Bewarder NSA INVESTIGATOR HACKED?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. U.S. Women Caught Carving Names into Roman Colosseum "The Californians snuck off from their tour group on Saturday and began carving in their initials with a coin. They managed a 'J' and an 'N' around 8cm high, then took a selfie with their handiwork.” — REPORTER Rosie Scammell

WHAT NOT TO DO ON THE ROAD

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. European Commission President Calls for European Union Army "The European Union needs its own army to help address the issue that it is not 'taken entirely seriously' as a global force, the president of the European commission has said. ... Jean-Claude Juncker said such a move would help the E.U. persuade Russia that it's serious about defending its values in the face of the threat posed by Moscow. ” — REPORTER Andrew Sparrow

IHS James, U.K. Saudi Arabia Now Biggest Arms Importer; American Arms Makers Benefit Most "The top beneficiary of the strong Middle Eastern market remains the United States, with $8.4 billion worth of Middle Eastern exports in 2014, compared to $6 billion in 2013.” — STUDY, IHS Jane's

U.S. LEADS WORLD IN ARMS PROFITS

Le Monde, France Monopolistic Internet Giants Threaten the Global Economy TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "If artificial intelligence allows us to envisage less expensive production, will that be financially beneficial to the entire population, or just the priests of the Internet and the major corporations? ... It's hard to see what use civil servants, insurance agents, translators, brokers, salespersons, teachers and (why not?) attorneys, doctors and pharmacists will be in two or three decades: all these jobs are being progressively replaced by artificial intelligence. All that will remain are modest manual or low- paid trades of artists and craftsman.” — PHILOSOPHER Pierre Desjardins

WILL 'FREE' DATA RUIN THE WORLD?

Sol, Portugal Boris Nemtsov Murder: Why We Prefer U.S. to Vladimir Putin's Russia TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE "Portugal benefits from being allied with the United States and not Russia. How come? ... Here in Portugal, only those older than 50 recall not being allowed to vote or freely express political opinions. They're privileged storytellers since they can tell the young what it's like to live in today's Russia. What we take for granted here can be a death s entence elsewhere. We're not interested in allies like that, and fortunately we don't need them either. ” — COLUMNIST Eduardo Ferreira THE WEB: LIKE AIR AND WATER?

Trouw, The Netherlands Netanyahu: 'An Eye for Danger; Blind to Solutions' TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH "A belief in the demonic intentions of his enemies explains Netanyahu's actions - and not just about Tehran, but all enemies; from Hezbullah via Hamas to Fatah and the Palestinian president. By only seeing them as apocalyptic forces spurred on by religious hatred of the Jews, he excludes the possibility that his adversaries might act rationally and be willing to compromise. That makes negotiations pointless.” — COLUMNIST Stevo Akkerman

NETANYAHU: BLINDED BY ANTAGONISM?

de Volkskrant, The Netherlands Netanyahu has More 'Right to Speak' than Obama Ever Will TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH "Open conflict over a deal with Iran between Washington and Jerusalem is the greatest gift both parties can give their enemies. What makes Obama's stubbornness even more worrisome is that his track record in the Middle East is not a good one. ... Netanyahu is rightly worried. Owing to his accuracy in predicting events in the Middle East he has a right to speak like no one else. That is precisely why the Jewish state stands alone like never before; and all because of a speech, the one area Obama has truly excelled.” — HISTORIAN Dirk-Jan van Baar

NETANYAHU: SMARTER THAN THE WEST?

Le Monde, France FCC Backs American Net Neutrality: Europe Should Be 'Inspired' TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "The first state intervention by Washington in the history of the Internet, it reflects the fact that government cannot leave the ubiquitous digital revolution to regulate itself, and without a basic set of common rules that are fair and democratic. ” — EDITORIAL, Le Monde THE WEB: LIKE AIR AND WATER?

Russia Today, Russia VIDEO: The Killing of Boris Nemtsov and West's Risky Spinning of the Russia Story MARCH 2, 00:24:22 How credible are charges in Western media that Putin is behind the killing of Russia opposition leader Boris Nemtsov? Not very, according to the panel on this edition of CrossTalk, the flagship debate program of Russia Today. The panelists also look at Western media coverage of Russia - and how wrong it is.Hosted by American Peter Levelle, guests include NSA whistleblower Ray McGovern, a 27 year veteran of the agency who once prepared the President's Daily Brief and chaired National Intelligence Estimates; writer Gilbert Doctorow of The Nation magazine; and U.K. journalist Neil Clark. — CROSSTALK ON RT ASSASSINATION: RUSSIA HATERS GONNA HATE?

FAZ, Germany Justifiable Fear of a Creeping Police State TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "Is the theft of SIM card codes a surprise to anyone? If even the American and British spy agencies are so unscrupulous, others will be even more so. Given this desire on the part of states and an equally strong desire in the private sector for international surveillance, it seems almost hopeless to think that they could one day be curbed by the force of law. ” — COLUMNIST Jasper von Altenbockum LAND OF THE FREEDOM-LESS?

Deutsche Welle, Germany AWOL U.S. Soldier, Rejected by Berlin, Appeals for Asylum to European Court of Justice "Following the court's verdict, the case will move back to the German judges. If they grant Shepherd asylum, it would certainly set a precedent for follow-on cases from other conscientious objectors - as well as lay the ground for diplomatic friction between Berlin and Washington.” — REPORTER Volker Wagener ANDRE SHEPHERD: WAS IRAQ A WAR CRIME?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Is Netanyahu Out to Foment War with Iran? “The prime minister's attacks on the U.S. government may be brinkmanship – but they could be genuine attempts to goad Obama into military action.” — COLUMNIST Simon Tisdall

Deutsche Well, Germany American Sniper Plays on the Stereotypes of German Audiences "Germany is befuddled, as always, by the unbridled patriotism of their North American friends. Here, the military isn't a source of pride, and combat deaths aren't widely discussed.” — COLUMNIST Jochen Kurten GERMANS SAY THEY'RE 'BEFFUDDLED'

de Volkskrant, The Netherlands West Must Grasp: For Islamic State, 'End of Days' has Begun TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH "According to IS, the prophesied period of the second Caliphate has now begun. Importantly, this also marks the start of the 'End of Days,' which is accompanied by a massive, apocalyptic clash between forces of the Caliphate and non-believers.” — ANALYST Adjiedj Bakas

HE END IS NIGH: BUT FOR THEM - OR US?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Shuttering Department of Homeland Security would be a 'Good Idea' "George W Bush's creation is inefficient, wasteful and disrespectful of citizen privacy. If Republicans want to shut it, Democrats should let them.” — COLUMNIST Trevor Timm KILL HOMELAND SECURITY

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland Sikorski Blames CIA Prison Controversy on 'Excessively Zealous' Leaders in Warsaw TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "There are consequences to the excess zeal with which our policy decisions were made years ago. ... Poland is the only state in which the matter is being investigated. ... It is a reminder for us that secret things should remain secret. Polish authorities acted out of higher necessity, but were overzealous.” — SEJM MARSHAL and former Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski

POLAND AND CIA: TOO EAGER TO PLEASE?

Russia Direct, Russia A Never Seen Sustained Plunge in Russian Views of the United States "The most unpleasant statistic is not even its duration. The graphs show that the portion of those disgruntled with America grew from crisis to crisis (53 percent, 66 percent, 67 percent, 78 percent). More disheartening, each time the slice of Russian society feeling unquestioned goodwill toward the U.S. shrank.” — COLUMNIST Ivan Tsvetkov ENMITY GROWS MORE PERMANENT

Russia Direct, Russia Hungary Called Russia's 'Trojan Horse' in Europe " Putin’s visit to Budapest shows that he's shaking hands in Europe, and not only as part of the peace process in Minsk, but that he is accepted in a European capital far from being the worst.” — COLUMNIST Alexander Gushchin

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. NSA and GCHQ Hack Sim Card Database; Billions of Cellphones Vulnerable "The stolen encryption keys would enable the spy agencies to monitor mobile communications without the approval or knowledge of telecom firms and foreign governments. ... the hack would allow spies to put an aerial up on the embassy in Berlin and hear anyone's calls in the area.” — COLUMNIST Dominic Rushe

Liberation, France American Sniper Emits 'Foul Odor' of Propaganda TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "Your method of simplifying history and turning your character into a legend in a binary world is disturbing. Unlike Paul Greengrass' Green Zone, American Sniper does nothing to address the issue of the lie that led to this war, preferring to celebrate its hero. You cannot therefore avoid the suspicion that this is a propaganda film. But perhaps you take that as a compliment. Good for you.” — COLUMNIST David Carzon AMERICAN SNIPER: U.S. PROPAGANDA?

Irish Examiner, Ireland Russians Angry Over Michael Fallon Claim it Threatens Baltics "In comments to reporters traveling with him to Sierra Leone, Mr. Fallon compared the threat from President Putin to the Islamic State and warned that NATO had to be ready to respond to further aggression in 'whatever form.'” — REPORTER Gavin Cordon

TIMES OF LONDON: Ukraine
Truce Collapses; Pro-Russia
Rebels Claim 'Thousands Die'
BBC NEWS: House of Lords says
U.K., E.U. 'Badly Misread' Russia
GUARDIAN: Leaders Discuss
Crumbling Ukraine Ceasefire

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. In their Anti-Putin Cynicism, Western Diplomats Making the Crisis Worse "If ceasefire holds, the Minsk agreement offers Russia a dignified way of accepting Ukraine as an independent state. The Kremlin needs this small measure of diplomatic ambiguity, not petulant accusations that it is acting in bad faith.” — COLUMNIST Mary Dejevsky

TOO SUSPICIOUS OF PUTIN?

Liberation, France Chaos: End 'Foolhardy' Western Interventions TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "Westerners never made good on the foolhardy interventions of recent decades. Whether it is the Americans in Iraq or more recently the Europeans in Libya, it's clear that military action is pointless unless accompanied by a political solution. The case of Libya is a glaring example. For lack of a political roadmap it ended in disaster. The result: less than 350km from the Italy coast, jihadists of the Islamic State now threaten to create a caliphate, letting it be known loud and clear by staging the macabre beheadings of 21 Coptic Christians.” — COLUMNIST Alexandra Schwartzbrod CAN THE WEST STOP ITSELF?

E.U. Observer, Belgium European Court Rejects Appeal By Poland of CIA Rendition Case Verdict "The court said Poland failed to launch a proper investigation into human rights violations on two individuals who had been tortured at the CIA black site/ prison camp in 2002 and 2003.” — REPORTER Nikolaj Nielson

POLAND TO PAY CIA DETAINEES

THE PORTUGAL NEWS:
E.U. Reopens Probes
Into 'Illegal' CIA Flights

Rzeczpospolita, Poland With 'Nuclear Taboo' Broken, Putin Threatens the Whole of Humanity TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "Russian saber-rattling is aimed at intimidating the global public. The idea is to make the world believe in the determination of Russia, which, to achieve its political ends, will not shrink from the use of nuclear arms. ... Chancellor Merkel's declaration in advance that she is opposed to arming Ukraine is political suicide for the European Union as a political entity. ... Whether the West will respond in kind to Putin's threat to use nuclear arms is an open question. What's certain is that if after WWII, Western politicians behaved like Mrs. Merkel and Mr. Hollande, the world today would consist of one big Soviet Union.” — COLUMNIST Janusz Rolicki EAST EUROPE STATE OF ALARM

Diario de Noticias, Portugal The '50 Shades' of DHK TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE "It was the will of the program gods that 50 Shades of Grey would be released in thousands of movie theaters around the world just as Dominique Strauss- Khan is performing in another theater - a courtroom - in Lille, France. This shows that reality always exceeds the imagination.” — COLUMNIST Ferreira Fernandes

DSK: JUST A SHAMELESS 'LIBERTINE'

Polityka, Poland Ukraine War Buries Russian Dream of Pan-Slavic Union TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "The Ukraine war buried the myth of a Slavic community of nations, a political dream concocted by Tsarist Russia in order to consolidate its influence abroad. The Russians can't imagine Ukrainians going their own way - behaving like free people guided by their own dreams and interests rather than the Russian conceptions of Ukraine.” — COLUMNIST Adam Szostkiewicz PAN-SLAVIC UNIFICATION DEAD?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Spy Agency Interest in Weather Modification Worries Climatologist "Alan Robock, a climate scientist at Rutgers University has asked secretive government agencies to be open about their interest in radical work that explores how to alter the world climate.” — SCIENCE EDITOR Ian Sample

IS THE WEATHER MANIPULATED?

Daily Mail, U.K. U.S. Climatolgist says CIA Fears Hostile Nations are Triggering Weather Events "I'd learned of lots of things the CIA had done that haven’t followed the rules and that wasn’t how I wanted my tax money spent. ... I think this research has to be open and global, so there isn't any question of using it for hostile purposes.” —Professor Alan Robock

News, Switzerland The Dictator Challenge: Europe's Ultimate Test TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "The logic of aggression demands that the attacker persevere as long as potential gains exceed the costs. That Russia feels harassed may well be, but it isn't as if NATO invaded Poland, the Baltic States and the former Czechoslovakia. If Europe doesn't know what it stands for, it will inevitably be crushed between power blocs rather than being one itself. The 'dictator syndrome' will likely be Europe's ultimate test.” — COLUMNIST Patrik Etschmayer IS EUROPE UP TO THE CHALLENGE?

Le Figaro, France West's Abandonment of Persecuted Christians a Grave 'Strategic Error' TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "America should set as a strategic priority the defense of Christians across the world. From Pakistan to Iraq, Nigeria to Egypt and from Algeria to Indonesia, there are over 150 million Christians under persecution. By favoring the cult of democracy over the freedom of religion, the West committed a strategic error. Like it or not, all nations of the world associate Christians with the West. That it has not made defending them a strategic priority has only earned it contempt from rivals, enemies.” — CORRESPONDENT Renaud Girard

CHRISTIANS: STRATEGIC INATTENTION?

The Moscow Times, Russia If the Minsk Deal Unravels, West Will Share the Blame "In deciding to expand during the euphoric years after Soviet collapse, the West neglected one of the basic rules of realistic global policy - the rule of the balance of power.” — COLUMNIST Ivan Sukhov UKRAINE CRISIS: FAULT ON BOTH SIDES

Yezhednevny Zhurnal, Russia Before Our Eyes: Russia Becomes 'Global Pariah' TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN "As the years have passed, Russia has come less to represent civilized states than the rogue ones, and to defend rogue states and their interests before the civilized states. ... The West has forgotten how it co-existed with the Soviet Union through the use of deterrence. Now it will have to remember.” — DEPUTY EDITOR Alexander Golts PEACE AT HAND - OR COLD WAR ll?

Der Spiegel, Germany Nuclear Specter: 'Threat of War Higher than in Cold War' "Trust has been eroded to the point of almost being destroyed. You got a war going on right in the middle of Europe. You got a breakdown of the conventional forces treaty, you got the INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) Treaty under great strain, you got tactical nuclear weapons all over Europe. It is a very dangerous situation.” — FORMER U.S. SENATOR Sam Nunn

IS IT TIME FOR NEW 'RED PHONES'?

DER SPIEGEL: Leon Panetta:
'Missile Defense Should be
Put Back on the Table'

Guardian, White House, U.K., U.S. VIDEO AND TEXT: Obama, Apple CEO Time Cook, Clash at Cybersecurity Summit TWO NEWS REPORTS AND TWO VIDEOS Despite his failure to reform the NSA after years of leaks demonstrating the damage mass surveillance has done to American society, its standing in the world, and the reputation of one of our most successful industries, the president pushed for information- sharing 'like never before' between the U.S. intelligence bureacracy and industry. The absurdity of the scene wasn't lost on Apple CEO Tim Cook. — APPLE CEO Tim Cook Pre-Empts Obama SHOCK: TECH GIANTS DO RIGHT

Le Monde, France U.S. Poodle No More: Sarkozy Questions U.S. Motives in the Ukraine TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "The separation between Russia and Europe is a tragedy. That the Americans may welcome it is their right and their problem. We don't want a revival of the Cold War between Europe and Russia. ... Crimea chose Russia ... we can't reproach them for it.” —Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy SARKOZY ADOPTS RUSSIAN LINE

BBC, Russia Today, U.K., Russia VIDEO AND TEXT: BBC Report Supports Kremlin Account of Kiev Massacre BRITISH AND RUSSIAN NEWS REPORTS In a story that goes a long way to substantiate the Kremlin narrative on the night that triggered the current crisis in Ukraine, the BBC aired this story yesterday which refutes claims by Maiden protest organizers that government riot police shot first, triggering a massacre that killed 75 people and sealed the fate of President Viktor Yanukovych. To sum up - Yanukovych did not order riot police to shoot protesters, but protesters began shooting them. — REPORTS from Britain, Russia MORE HOLES IN WESTERN NARRATIVE

Der Spiegel, Germany Fukushima Fallout: Poisoned Sailors of USS Ronald Reagan Sue TEPCO & Co. for Justice "The complaint is 100 pages long and contains the names of 247 sick sailors and details about reactor construction, water samples taken, Navy tactics and Japanese politics. It assails company greed just as it does the negligence of those who built the Fukushima reactors - and goes on to censure the politics and cynicism of humankind.” —COLUMNIST Alexander Osang SICK SAILORS SUE REACTOR MAKERS

Guardian, Euronews, RT, U.K., France, Russia VIDEO AND TEXT: Cease Fire Deal in Minsk: False Dawn or Real Way Out? TWO NEWS REPORTS, THREE VIDEOS While reports on details remain sketchy, reports sayt President Putin did indeed pressure pro- Russia rebels to sign on to the deal. In this post is analysis from the Guardian, video from Russia Today with President Putins's comments, Euronews coverage of a briefing by Ukraine President Poroshenko, German Chancellor Merkel and French President Hollande, and a news report on the deal from Euronews. — REPORTS from Europe, Russia UKRAINE: BACK FROM THE BRINK?

Die Welt, Germany Minsk: Merkel's Last Chance to Prevent U.S. Arms for Ukraine TRANSLATED FROM GERMANY "In plain language ... if Merkel's crisis diplomacy fails Ukraine will receive weapons. What all of us will then have to pay, who knows? Not even McCain.” —COLUMNIST Sascha Lehnartz ARE WE ON THE 'EDGE OF THE ABYSS'?

Daily Mail, Guardian, BBC, U.K. In London, Scott Walker Stumbles Over Evolution Issue and Foreign Affairs Britain is not proving to be fertile ground for Republican aspirants for the White House. A week after New Jersey Governor Chris Christie stumbled and fell over 'Measles-gate' and just over three years since Mitt Romney's epic gaffes on the Olympics and other issues, now Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, during a talk at U.K. think tank Chatham House, would not say whether he believes in evolution, and refused to answer questions about foreign policy which, for an aspirant to the U.S. presidency on foreign soil - is exceedingly odd. Here are three write-thrus from the British press. — ANOTHER ILL-FATED TRIP TO U.K. SCOTT WALKER: ROOKIE MISTAKES?

France 24, France VIDEOS: Dominique Strauss Kahn: High End Pimp or Clueless John? FOUR NEWS SEGMENTS FROM FRANCE In 2011, the one-time chairman of the IMF and candidate for the French presidency was arrested in New York on seven counts of rape, false imprisonment and other charges. In the end his accuser was paid off and he left the United States. Now though, a man who once hobnobbed with the global elite is on trial in Paris for 'pimping.' He is one of 14 defendants accused of holding profitable sex parties in Lille, Paris and Washington, where DSK was head of the IMF. — DSK COVERAGE FROM FRANCE24 'FEMON' MEMBERS ASSAULT DSK

Die Welt, Germany Munich Security Conference: the U.S. and Germany Clash Over Salmon Appetizers TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "For all the diplomatic pleasantries and the cozy Bavarian hospitality, there is a topic this night that angers and divides the camps. German rejection of sending weapons to Ukraine. Defense Minister Von der Leyen and Secretary John Kerry greet each one another only in passing. While over the past year, despite even the NSA affair, there were photos of a charmingly smiling Kerry and a beaming von der Leyen, frosty silence now reigns.” — COLUMNIST Anna von Bayern NON-MILITARY CLASH AT SUMMIT DINNER

Barbadillo, Italy Germany's Anti-Muslim Movement Spawns an Anti-America Offshoot TRANSLATED FROM ITALIAN "Born out of a group of local Pegida supporters, the group began with a large protest of about 1,000 people and in days it had already collected over 20,000 Facebook likes. At the center of the protests is the 'Americanization' of Germany, not only culturally and linguistically, but socially and economically, and with slogans directed against a Merkel government judged guilty for going ahead with negotiations to sign TTIP, legislation that provides for mass privatization and great legal advantages for the Stars and Stripes multinationals settled on the old continent.” —COLUMNIST Cristiano Puglis ANTI-AMERICANISM UP IN GERMANY

The Independent, U.K. British News Executive Faces Credibility Crisis Over NBC Anchor's Lies "A deep unease has taken hold at NBC News since Brian Williams, its nightly news anchor, came under attack for making up a story about his life-and-death escape in Iraq. Caught in the maelstrom is Deborah Turness, a Briton who left ITV to become the president of NBC News just eighteen months ago.” — COLUMNIST David Usborne THE BRIAN WILLIAMS SCANDAL

Le Monde, France War or Peace?: Putin Alone Will Make Choice TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "The Ukrainian affair will move toward a shaky equilibrium with the merit of stopping the cycle of violence, or in one of those patterns Europe knows only too well, into a wider confrontation - war at the heart of the continent between Russia and the West with Ukrainians in the middle. ... Really, though, it all depends on a singl man: Vladimir Putin.” —EDITORIAL, Le Monde AS USUAL: ALL EYES ON VLADIMIR PUTIN

Guardian Unlimited, 60 Minutes, U.K., U.S. TEXT-VIDEO: Biggest Leak in Banking History Exposes Monumental Wrongdoing FOUR NEWS REPORTS, ONE VIDEO The now legendary criminality of the world's big banks, in this case Swiss Bank HSBC, has been exposed in mind- boggling fashion by whistleblower Herve Falciani, who is now being referred to as ' Snowden of banking.' — GREENSPAN IS BACK MASSIVE BANK CRIMINALITY EXPOSED

BBC News, U.K. AUDIO: Greenspan Predicts Greece will Exit Eurozone; Likely Demise of the Euro FEBRUARY 8, 2015 Former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board Alan Greenspan, a smart man who was spectacularly wrong on the greatest economic crisis in our lifetimes and in terms of the amount of private equity wiped out perhaps in history, is now predicting the Greece will exit the eurozone, which will likely be the death knell of the euro unless there is full U.S.-style political unification. Greenspan spoke to the BBCs North American bureau chief Mark Mardell. — GREENSPAN IS BACK IS THE EUROZONE ABOUT TO DIE?

Le Temps, Switzerland Arming Ukraine: Obama's Well-Founded Hesitations TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "To understand the Russia policy of THE Obama Administration when it comes to the conflict in Ukraine, ask yourself what the policy would have been with Republican hawk John McCain in the White House. ... If Obama is hesitating, it's because he doesn't like war, and prefers to fight them at a distance (as with drones and air strikes in Iraq). He has other priorities.” —COLUMNIST Stephane Bussard ARMING UKRAINE: SOLUTION OR MISTAKE?

Temoignages, France (Reunion) TTIP: French Lawmakers Reject Trade Deal's 'Non- State' Dispute Resolution TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "The currently proposed mechanism is extremely dangerous. American companies could attack our country because it has banned genetically modified organisms, or declared a moratorium on shale gas fracking, or banned BPA (Biphenyl A, a carbon- based synthetic compound used in a variety of common consumer goods).” — European MP Yannick Jadot OPPOSITION BUILDS TO TRADE DEAL

Munich Security Summit, Germany VIDEOS: Merkel and Biden Clash Over Arming Ukraine; Talking Heads Debate the 'Collapsing World Order' SEVEN VIDEOS FROM MUNICH People on which the world's leading powers rely to develop policies in the military/security sphere discuss the crisis in Ukraine, the battle against Islamic State, and a variety of other challenges dominating the world. These are the most significant videos from the Munich Security Conference. —COVERAGE FROM GERMANY MERKEL: AGAINST ARMS FOR UKRAINE

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. I Have Seen the Secrets of TTIP, and it's Built for Companies, Not Citizens "As a member of the European Parliament, I am party to the transatlantic trade deal's inner workings. I'm sworn to secrecy, but this much I can say: Trans- Atlantic treaty is undemocratic.” — European Green Party MP Molly Scott Cato

UK LAWMAKER SPILLS THE BEANS

Rzeczpospolita, Poland Not 'Sales' of Weapons to Ukraine, but 'Gifts' TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "This conflict will go on - Russia hasn't realized its goal: the subjugation of Ukraine. The Kremlin is the aggressor. Russian troops are on the territory of a neighbor and are shooting its soldiers. No Western country denies this - even those that would lift sanctions against Moscow tomorrow. So why is there this reluctance to support the other side - the victim of increasing aggression from over the border?” — COLUMNIST Jerzy Haszczynski

HEADING OFF WEAPONS SALES?

Le Figaro, France 'Raising the Stakes,' Putin Draws America Back to Europe's Side TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "In Moscow and Europe, the ideological battle to discredit the West is in full swing. Suddenly, concern and distress has gripped Washington over a Russian question it thought had disappeared from the radar.” — COLUMNIST Laure Mandeville

KERRY BUCKS UP UKRAINIANS

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. NSA-GHCQ Surveillance Regime Ruled Unlawful for the Years 2007-2014 "The regime that governs the sharing between U.K. and U.S of electronic communications intercepted in bulk was illegal until last year, a secretive British tribunal has ruled.” — REPORTER Peter Walker

U.K. TRIBUNAL TRAPPED IN ILLOGIC

GUARDIAN: Spy Agency Strategy
was Working - Until Secretive
Tribunal Blasted a Hole in It

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Today is a 'Great Victory' Against the NSA, GCHQ, and the Surveillance State "Not a single British spy has been held accountable for mass surveillance, unlawful spying or snooping on private emails and phone calls. ... Until today. ... In years to come we will look back on today as an essential win against the surveillance state.” — REPORTER Peter Walker

BELATED ADMISSION OF WRONGDOING

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Obama Attempts to Sell 'Weak' NSA Reform to Congress - and Merkel "Many of the new 'restrictions' are so broad as to be practically meaningless, such as the 6 new criteria under which bulk phone collection remains permissible: ranging from fighting spies, terrorists and nuclear weapons proliferation to 'criminals', hackers and loosely defined threats to the military. American spies, emboldened by declining pressure from Congress and a clutch of new terrorist threats to worry about, they are in no rush to fundamentally alter the elaborate surveillance apparatus the scale of which was first revealed by Edward Snowden.” — CORRESPONDENT Dan Roberts SELLING NO CHANGE - AS CHANGE

Russia Today, Russia VIDEOS: Challenging U.S. Elites on Ukraine, Netanyahu, Iran, Terror, Equating RT with ISIL TWELVE SEGENTS FROM RUSSIA TODAY RT looks at the policies of the U.S. national security state with Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, Secretary of State Colin Powell's chief of staff; Alan Dershowitz on terrorism and why Europe is now being targeted; the seeming admission by President Obama last weekend that yes - the United States was deeply involved with toppling the democratically- elected government in Ukraine; whether the political elite in Israel and the United States will ever accept peaceful co-existence with Iran; whether the global economic system is 'rigged' in favor of the planet's wealthy; what the major media refuses to acknowledge of Greece - that the banks and states judging the country as bankrupt as the government of Greece is. —AMERICA ACCORDING TO RT END-RUN AROUND MAINSTREAM MEDIA

Le Monde, France Encryption: U.S. Internet Giants in 'Open Conflict' w/ Western Democracies TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "For a little over 18 months, the U.S. Internet giants have been in open conflict with governments of the Western democracies. ... Shaken by the Snowden Affair, certain CEOs of these companies privately explain that 'back doors' would be a gateway to unlimited intrusion by the the authorities and a threat to individual freedom.” — COLUMNIST Sylvie Kauffmann BACKING DEATH FOR ENCRYPTION

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Chris Christie Begins Visit to Britain at Football Match "With a political career based entirely within New Jersey, Christie must seek to show himself as a leader of broader experience, especially if the Democrat candidate ends up being Hillary Clinton, the former American secretary of state.” — REPORTER Peter Walker

CHRIS CHRISTIE CROSSES THE POND

DAILY MAIL: Chris Christie
Kicks Off British Trade Visit
with Trip to Premier League

Corriere Della Sera, Italy American Sniper: 'Eroticism of War' Rankles its Critics TRANSLATED FROM ITALIAN "In Iraq Chris Kyle doesn't find deer - he finds men. The substance is the same though. Only the reasons for his actions differ ('I do it to protect my friends). In any event, the thin, impalpable smile that the sniper keeps on his face in a context so dramatic - and his 'addiction' to battle that manifests during his time off at home suggest a relationship that is far from ambiguous about the 'eroticism of war.' And it is this, perhaps, which so disturbs some, scandalizes many, and satisfies the rest.” — COLUMNIST Paolo Salom POLARIZES AND SATISFIES

Der Spiegel, Germany NSA Fingered as Source of Trojan Horse 'Regin' that Targeted PCs around World "The new analysis provides clear proof that Regin is in fact the cyber-attack platform belonging to the Five Eyes alliance, which includes the U.S., Britain, New Zealand, Canada and Australia.” — REPORTERS Marcel Rosenbach, Hilmar Schmundt, Christian Stocker

DO WHAT WE SAY, NOT WHAT WE DO

Der Speigel, Germany Trade Pact Endangered: Europeans Fear Wave of Litigation from U.S. Firms "The main sticking point is special rights provided to investors, who would be able to challenge nations in special dispute settlement panels that would bypass national courts. ” — REPORTER Christoph Pauly WIN FOR OPPONENTS OF 'UNFAIR' TRADE

FAZ, Germany Auschwitz is Part of German Identity - for Immigrants as Well TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "What's required is a common consensus on the community's most important value, which is at the heart of [Germany's] Basic Law: human dignity. Anyone who has the desire to understand why that is the very highest legal value of our Constitution, what this term truly means and the obligations that come with it, must study the past. That includes not only studying the Auschwitz death camp, but enlightening others about it as well. Neither can be overlooked in courses on integrating our new citizens.” — COLUMNIST Berthold Kohler

ANTISEMETISM AND INTEGRATION

Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany The West Ignores Yemen at its Peril TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "A storm is brewing in Yemen. Shiite militias, Sunni tribes, al-Qaeda, Iran and Saudi Arabia are all in the mix in the Middle East's poorest country. ... The geopolitically- and religiously- charged nature of this local conflict only makes finding a solution more complicated. ... As the recent attack on Charlie Hebdo made clear, the West should not ignore what seems like a distant crisis in Yemen.” — COLUMNIST Paul-Anton Kruger HOUTHIS: WHY SHOULD WE CARE?

Le Figaro, France Doubts about the Loyalty of Saudi Forces Trigger American Reassessment TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "The assassination by ISIL commanders of a Saudi general sent to the northern border to assess the loyalty of units judged unreliable reveals the scale of the problem. The attack across the border against General Oudah al-Belawi was very well planned and based on specific data from within the military.” — A Source Close to U.S. intelligence

SAUDI ROLE IN 9-11 AN ISSUE AGAIN

The Telegraph, U.K. Iraq Invasion 2003: The 'Bloody Warnings' Tony Blair Ignored "They had no plan for what would happen after the invasion. ... The approach was, ‘The Americans are heading this up. They will have a detailed plan. We need to follow them. ... The civil war and violent chaos that followed the war created the conditions for the Islamic State to grow." — Dr. George Joffe, Cambridge University TONY BLAIR: DULY WARNED

Sol, Portugal If We Surrender to Xenophobia, the Terrorists will Win TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGIESE "There are clear shared interests between the fanatical Islamists and xenophobic, extremist European forces. Each will tend to radicalize the other in a scenario of 'civil war' that aligns with the objectives of this organiztion of global intolerance and barbarity.” — COLUMNIST Vicente Jorge Silva

NOT GIVING IN TO TERRORISM

World Economic Forum, Switzerland VIDEO: In Tech We Trust - or We Don't Can confidence in the cloud be restored? This panel, which addresses the collapse in trust after the largest tech companies allowed users to be secretly spied upon have damaged not only their reputations, but confidence in the cloud, which is what the future of the high tech revilution now depends upon. This panel includes Internet founder Tim Berners-Lee, BBC World News presenter Nik Gowing, CEO of Liberty Global Michael T. Fries, CEO of salesforce.com Marc R. Benioff, German lawmaker Gunther H. Oettinger and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer. — PANEL: In Tech We Trust

VIDEO PANEL: The Future
of the Digital Economy with
Google CEO Eric Schmidt

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Davos Oligarchs are Right to Fear the World they’ve Made “Escalating inequality is the work of a global elite that will resist every challenge to its closely vested interests.” — COLUMNIST Seumas Milne DAVOS: A SELFISH CLIQUE?

World Economic Forum, Switzerland VIDEO: What's Up Next for the Climate with Al Gore January 21, 00:28:00 This is in essence a new version of An Inconvenient Truth. Mr. Gore presents the latest research into climate change and the danger of not responding to it, including to critical infrastructure. This time Gore comes armed not just with slides but some very interesting video to back up the evidence. — Al Gore on the Climate EVEN MORE INVCONVENIENT TRUTHS?

The Telegraph, U.K. Almost a Dozen French Troops 'Defect' to ISIL "Most of the former soldiers, reportedly numbering around ten, including ex-paratroopers and French Foreign legionnaires, are said to be fighting for ISIL." — CORRESPONDENT Henry Samuel FRENCH DEFENSE MINISTER ADMITS

RFI: French Consider
Reviving Nazi Purge
Law for Terror Offenses

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland New Surveillance Powers? 'We Must Demand Proof' of their Effectiveness TRANSLATED FROM POLAND "All indications are that the attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo will provide a pretext for introducing further limits on our civil liberties - a new order the victims of which are unlikely to be terrorists. These tools have evidently failed. ... We have a right to a thorough justification for measures that will limit our rights and freedoms. In our democratic debate, we must demand evidence of their effectiveness." — PANOPTYKON FOUNDATION DIRECTOR Katarzyna Szymielewicz

WIDESPREAD DOUBTS ON SURVEILLANCE

Irish Times, Ireland Surveillance Should Not Be Permitted Without 'Reasonable Suspicion' "Some measures under consideration are so sweeping they would allow the monitoring of private communications of every citizen. They should instead focus on targeting those reasonably suspected of intending to carry out attacks or spurring others to do so." — EDITORIAL, Irish Times

Izvestia, Russia Russia Must Hold Out or Land on the 'Dustbin of History' TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN " If we can get through the next year, we will not break, we will not give in, we will not beg for a 'fun' pain-free death. We will be masters of the circumstances, including even Europe. However, if we break we'll be thrown onto the dustbin of failed civilizations. We'll be left to rot, with smoke coming off the pile and rats crawling all over us." — WRITER Egor Kholmogorov

RUSSIA HUNKERS DOWN FOR THE LONG HAUL

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Ex-MI6 Chief: Snowden Ruined 'Compact' Between Tech Firms, Spy Agencies "Informal co-operation that worked well between most technology firms and communication companies and security services broken by the Snowden files hasn't been repaired." — FORMER MI6 Chief Sir John Sawers SAWERS: ADMITTING THE OBVIOUS

PRESS GAZETTE: Every British
National Newspaper Editor Urges
Cameron to HALT Spying on Journalists

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. GCHQ Intercepted, Stored E-Mails, Data of Journalists from Leading Global Media Why do we keep hammering away at the issue of mass surveillance? ... A document released from the Snowden documents today shows the routine interception of e-mails and data from leading journalists and investigative reporters and their storage in an archive easy to access by GHCQ agents. — COLUMNIST James Ball SO MUCH FOR THE 'FREE' PRESS

News, Switzerland Now: Shameful Backing Away from Freedom of Expression TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "No one is forced to read Charlie Hebdo, no one is forced to look at its cartoons. Because we and every damned Salafist in Switzerland have the right to look away. That we have as a senior state representative who is a member of the appeasement block, for which free expression is labeled with a 'but,' is itself enough to make one want to vomit." — COLUMNIST Bartosz Weglarczyk

SWISS POLITICIAN: BLAMING THE VICTIMS?

Le Petite Journal, France VIDEO: French TV Show 'Le Petite Journal' Rips Fox News for False 'No Go Zone' Claims THREE VIDEOS FROM FRANCE AND U.S. You might recall a few days ago we posted a commentator on Fox News claiming that there are areas of France and Britain. ... Now French TV has broadcast a mashup of Fox News figures repeating again and again similar erroneous claims, and spoke to people living in these non-Muslim 'no go' areas, and asked its viewers to bury Fox News in e-mail complaints. — FINALLY - FOX APOLOGIZES FOX NEWS EUROPE BACKLASH

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. New Oxfam Report: Half of Global Wealth Held by Wealthiest 1% "The message is that rising inequality is dangerous. It is bad for growth and it is bad for governance. We see a concentration of wealth capturing power and leaving average people voiceless and their interests uncared for [by leadership]." — Winnie Byanyima, Oxfam Executive Director

BBC News, U.K. AUDIO: Blasphemy - What is it to Islam? January 17, 2015; 00:53:00 What is blasphemy in Islam and how does that compare to other religions? Owen Bennett Jones is joined by the Bishop of Bradford, Paul Marshall of the Hudson Institute, Professor Yvonne Sherwood of Kent University, Australia columnist Waleed Aly and journalists Audrey Carville in Dublin, and Omar Waraich and Nick Cohen to debate the meaning of blasphemy today. — CHALLENGING FREE SPEECH AN AWKWARD AY IN PARIS

Der Spiegel, Germany The NSA Preps America for Cyber Battle Future Beyond collecting every shred of data from every user on the Internet in order 'to keep us safe' - what else is the NSA up to? For Germany's Der Spiegel, a team that includes the maker of the documentary on Edward Snowden 'Citizien Four' Laura Poitras and a leading critic of NSA activity Jacob Appelbaum put together this report on how the NSA is buinding the sytems and capability for unprecedented cyber warfare. — REPORTERS Laura Poitras, Jacob Appelbaum, Aaron Gibson, Claudio Guarnieri, Marcel Rosenbach, Andy Muller-Maguhn, Leif Ryge, Hilmar Schmundt and Michael Sontheimer

NSA PREPARES THE BATTLEFIELD

France 24, France VIDEOS: After Absence from Unity Rally, Kerry 'Shares Hug' with Paris; Trots Out James Taylor January 16, 2015; 01:02:31 Talk about shameless, Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to France today takes the cake. An effort to place a raw steak on the black eye of U.S. foreign policy after the White House decided not to send a senior official to the demonstration of unity in Paris that drew leaders from around the world and almost two million people to the streets of the city, Kerry pulled out all the stops make up for America's absence - and some he should not have pulled out. Much of the time he speaks flawless French - which the locals do like quite a bit. — SHAMELESS OR CLUELESS? AN AWKWARD DISPLAY IN PARIS

Rzeczpospolita, Poland Europe Unprepared for Next Inevitable Terrorist Attack TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "The E.U. needs to start preparing for the next such event, because it will certainly come. Europe needs to find new impetus in the fight against terror. Ten years have passed since the horrid attack on the London underground, and our vigilance has diminished." — COLUMNIST Bartosz Weglarczyk

A POTENTIAL WAVE OF TERRORISM

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Google Glass is Dead; Device to be Rethought and then Remarketed "Google has tried to present this announcement as just another step in the evolution of an amazing innovation. But make no mistake - Google Glass is dead, at least in its present form. ... Google will now have to deal with a disgruntled community of Explorers who paid a large sum for a device which they must have believed would eventually evolve into something more useful." — TECH CORRESPONDENT Rory Cellan-Jones

GLASS IS DEAD: LONG LIVE PRIVACY?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Pope Francis: Climate Change 'Manmade'; Free Speech Not 'Absolute' "'If my friend Dr. Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch. It's normal. It’s normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others.' ... 'I don't know if [human activity] is the only cause, but mostly, in great part, it is man who has slapped nature in the face.'" — POPE Francis

FRANCIS ON FREE SPEECH LIMITS

The Independent, U.K. Paris Attacks: Don't Blame the Atrocities on Security Failures "The failure that has put all the world in danger is at the level of politics - not security. It was political leaders who got rid of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Muammar Gaddafi in Libya and have tried to displace Bashar al-Assad in Syria without thinking through the likely consequences." — COLUMNIST Patrick Cockburn

WARS STUPIDLY WAGED?

Russia Today, Russia U.S.-German Double Agent Perloined and May Have Sold Spy List "The list contains the identities of agents working at Germen embassies across the globe, in addition to those accompanying army missions in Afghanistan, Mali, Lebanon and Sudan. ... It remains unclear if Markus R. has sold this particular document to any intelligence or spy agency." — NEWS ITEM, Russia Today

HAVE GERMAN AGENTS BEEN OUTED?

Rzeczpospolita, Poland Assimilating Muslims in E.U.: 'It May be too Late' TRANSLATED FROM POLISH “It may be that in states where entire neighborhoods and soon entire towns are Muslim, it is already too late. In those places, politicians and activists may be unable to prevent a genuine conflict between civilizations." — COLUMNIST Jerzy Haszczynski EUROPE'S FAILURE TO INTEGRATE

Publico, Portugal After Paris: Still Pursuing the Revolution of Voltaire TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE "The 18 century was not just about the idealized Enlightenment, but a revolution of underground, sensual and satirical ideas - which is still with us today. It would be better if there were no fanatics and no martyrs for freedom. But as there are, it is important to remember that love is stronger than hate." — COLUMNIST Rui Tavares

VOLTAIRE: AHEAD OF HIS TIME, AND OURS

FOX, BBC4, Guardian, Sky News, U.K., U.S. VIDEO and TEXT: British Heap Scorn on Gaffe-Prone FOX News Commentator TWO VIDEOS; THREE COLUMNS One of America's most error-prone and Pavlovian 'terrorism experts,' Steven Emerson, a regular guest on FOX News, put his foot more deeply into his mouth than usual, referring to Birmingham, Britain's second-largest city, as a 'Muslim- only city' where non-Muslims 'don't go'. There has been a veritable eruption of derision in Britain to his comments, and a twitter hashtag dedicated to skewering him and the network that employs him. — WHIPPING UP MORE FEAR OF TERROR FOX COMMENTATOR GAFFE DERISION

Sol, Portugal A Religious War ... or a Political One? TRANSLATED PORTUGUESE "It is time to consider that there is nothing innocent about all the references to a 'religion of violence.' The most bloodthirsty regimes of the 20th century were 'secular and republican.'" — COLUMNIST Rui Tavares

RELIGION AS DISGUISE

Guardian, Ecologist, Agri.eu, U.K., Belgium GM Crop Companies to Crack Open E.U.; U.K. MPs Probe TTIP The European Parliament is about to vote on a measure written by Monsanto, DuPont, and their bought and paid for legislators) to look like a way of further restricting the use of GM crops, but in fact will result in their wider use throughout the E.U. Even if the motives of the people behind the measure couldn't be more obvious, passage of the measure seems assured. Then some good news: Due to massive public pressure, U.K. lawmakers have been forced to launch an probe into whether and how the secretly-negotiated TTIP will 'weaken rules to protect food and the environment.' — NEWS ITEMS ON GMOS, TTIP SYSTEM RIGGED AGAINST PEOPLE

Le Monde, France De Villepin: Let France 'Resist the Spirit of War' TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "The feeling of unforeseeable, pervasive and sudden violence arouses a desire for security that will be impossible to fulfill. Experience teaches us that terrorist attacks encourage the renunciation of democratic values and amid concerns for our own security the sacrifice of the liberties of others at home or abroad. The spiral of suspicion created in the U.S. by the Patriot Act and the legitimization of torture or illegal detention has today plunged that country into the loss of its moral compass." — FORMER PRIME MINISTER Dominique de Villepin

MILITARY RESPONSE DEAD END

Kurier, Austria After Paris, Freedom Writ Large is at Stake TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN “Immigrants of the Muslim faith need to know that they have to accept our achievements if they wish to stay here. These include equality and equal treatment of men and women as well as the separation of church and state. As a Christian, one might find cartoons of the pope or Jesus repellent, but censorship is the beginning of the end of freedom." — COLUMNIST Helmut Brandstatter CAN E.U. MUSLIMS INTEGRATE?

Daily Mail, U.K. America 'Snubs' Historic Rally for Unity in Paris "Heads of state from every major European power, including British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, joined French President Francois Hollande. But the U.S.A. was MIA." — REPORTERS Ashley Collman, David Martosko, Michael Zennie

THE WHITE HOUSE TAKES A PASS

Corriere Della Sera, Italy 'Europe's 9/11': If this is Islam, here's What We'd Like TRANSLATED FROM ITALIAN “If Islam is this, then we want the opportunity to criticize it as we like, as we've learned to criticize Christianity, Buddhism and many other things. We want the opportunity not risk our lives for that." — COLUMNIST Ernesto Galli della Loggia THE RIGHT TO MOCK

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. We Must Not Stop Laughing at these Murderous Clowns However much their murderers may identify themselves as the victims of mockery, they have also identified themselves as on the side of power, electing to act as agents avenging the injured feelings of the most Powerful Being in the Universe." — CARTOONIST Martin Rowson

HOLDING DEAR TO THE RIGHT TO MOCK

Die Welt, Germany Charlie Hebdo Massacre: It is Time to 'Impose the Enlightenment' on Islam TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN “This is precisely the demand that must be imposed on Islam if it really wants to be part of Europe. Things needn't go as far as laughing at caricatures of Mohammed, but it will certainly have to go almost that far. What exactly would imposing the Enlightenment mean for Islam? In addition to realizing religious tolerance (this will never exist in Islam as long as apostasy is thought worthy of punishment), full equality for women, a clear precedence of secular over religious law, and above all: goodbye to Islam as a notion as a basis the world order." — COLUMNIST Jochen Bittner A MOMENT OF TRUTH FOR EUROPE?

Guardian, PBS, U.K., U.S. Will More Surveillance Powers 'Keep Us Safe'? We are all watching events in Paris with a combination of heartbreak, concern for the future and outrage. Sadly, there are those among our own leaders who are more than willing to use the fear these attacks have conjured to persuade us to give up even more of our precious and diminishing civil liberties, they claim - 'to keep us safe.' — MI5 POWER GRAB DIMINISHING CIVIL LIBERTIES

Der Spiegel, Germany Je Suis Charlie: We Must Stand Together in the Face of Violence "If the armed attack on Charlie Hebdo leads to increased self-censorship on the part of satirists and critics of Islam, then terror will have won. But it will also have won if every faithful Muslim now falls under suspicion." — COLUMNIST Stefan Kuzmany

NO TO SELF-CENSORSHIP

France 24, Guardian, BBC, France, U.K. LIVE BLOGS-LIVE VIDEO: French Police Have Charlie Hebdo Suspects Cornered January 9, 2015 We appear close to the end game on the Charlie Hebdo drama, as French police and security forces have surrounding a printing shop in a small town north of Paris. — LIVE VIDEO AND BLOG WILL IT BE 'MARTYRDOM' AFTER ALL?

Le FIgaro, France War has Come to France - and France Must Win it TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH “Since yesterday, euphemisms are no longer appropriate: This is war, a real war that has been declared on us: the war of Muslim fanaticism against the West, Europe and the values of democracy. Ultimately, it isn't this nation or that being targeted, but a way of life, values, civilization - ours - in which women are equal, rights of conscience are a non-negotiable, and freedom of expression an absolute imperative. " — COLUMNIST Alexis Brezet ISLAMISTS AND THE RIGHT TO MOCK

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Charlie Hebdo: Now's the Time to Uphold Freedoms and not Give in to Fear
FREEDOM'S WAGES	“There can be no doubt that Charlie Hebdo was testing the boundaries of taste and religious tolerance. But that is the burden free speech has to bear in a democracy. The U.S. bore it recently with its satire on North Korea's leader; and it was the risk Charlie Hebdo took - knew it was taking.” — COLUMNIST Simon Jenkins

Guardian, France 24, U.K., France LIVE BLOG-LIVE VIDEO: Coverage of Terrorist Attack on French Satire Magazine Charlie Hebdo January 7, 2015 This is the Guardian's LIVE BLOG of Tweets, text, photos and video and France 24's LIVE VIDEO FEED of this morning's attack on the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, in which at least 12 people are dead, 10 seriously injured; the attackers on the run. — LIVE VIDEO AND BLOG ATTACK ON FREE SPEECH IN FRANCE

Sol, Portugal 2015: On World War and Russia Sanctions TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE "U.S. and NATO continue to antagonize Moscow and Obama has approved new sanctions. ... In August 1941, the Americans cut oil sales to Japan, which is how Tokyo obtained about 75 percent of its supply. Then they then froze its financial assets. Pearl Harbor came just four months later." — COLUMNIST Jaime Nogueira Pinto

SLEEPWAKING TO WAR?

Le Monde, France NATO Out: Ghani Looks to Beijing for Help with Pakistan and the Taliban TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "Pakistan hosts the headquarters of the insurrection - and although it officially denies it, with the goal of promoting its anti-India interests in Afghanistan. And China, Pakistan's nuclear godfather, has influence that Mr. Ghani would like to see used to bring Islamabad to a better disposition toward Kabul. There is some coherence in this triangle and it is natural for Mr. Ghani to try and play it. … The new Afghan president holds a trump card: the departure of the bulk of the NATO troops reinforces his room to maneuver.” — CORRESPONDENT Frederic Bobin WILL CHINA HELP THE AFGHANS?

Sol, Portugal The Confounding Tyranny of History TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE "Confronted with the past, we tend to rationalize everything that happened as if it perforce had to have. The great religions - with a provident and all-providing God, and the great historical determinism of, for example, Marxism, pushed people onto these paths ... codified in seductive prose with the subtle threat that thoes who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. ... From this tendency to rationalize also comes the temptation to seek the roots of the present in the past, not admitting to the possibility of alternatives and neglecting the potential future of paths marginalized by the march of history." — COLUMNIST Jaime Nogueira Pinto

HISTORY: DOOMED TO REPEAT IT?

Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, U.K. President Clinton, Other Notables, May Be Ensnared in Prince Andrew Scandal Rumors of perverse sexual practices among the world's elite forever circulate but are rarely documented. Just when the British Royal family and former President Bill Clinton appeared to have restored their public images so well, an unseemly scandal involving Jeffrey Epstein, an American jet setter and sex offender, has reemerged and threatens to ensnare Prince Andrew, perhaps President Clinton and other high profile figures in the U.S. and U.K. — TABLOID NEWS ITEMS SEX SCANDAL: JUST IN TIME FOR 2016?

Evenimentul Zilei, Romania In 'Heroic' America, Values Come Before Self Defense TRANSLATED FROM ROMANIA "The wish of Americans to respond to those trained precisely to deny fundamental rights to anyone who falls into their hands and, moreover, who have no purpose other than to kill Americans and terrorize their country, is downright heroic." — COLUMNIST Sever Voinescu

THE VALUE OF SELF-CRITICISM

Russia Today, U.K. VIDEO: New Year Address - Reunification with Crimea a Landmark in Nation's History Dec. 31, 00:05:55 "Love for one's Motherland is one of the most powerful and enlightening feelings. It has found its reflection in our fraternal aid to the residents of Crimea and Sevastopol, after they made the firm decision to return to their native home. This event will remain a landmark in national history." — PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin PUTIN 2015: NO SIGNS OF CRACKING

Deutshe Welle, Germany Kim Dotcom's Encypted MegaChat Poses Threat to Microsoft's Skype "No U.S. based online service provider can be trusted with your data' ... Skype has no choice. It must provide the U.S. Government with backdoors. — NEWS ITEM, Deutshe Welle MEGACHAT: SURVEILLANCE NO MORE?

THE TELEGRAPH: 'Lizard
Squad' Man Arrested in
PlayStation Network Hacking

Jornal De Negocios, Portugal Hackers and Sony: Last Nail in Privacy's Coffin? TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE "Although many people find the topic of cybercrime exciting and consider it of little relevance, imagine instead that Sony was an airline. Instead of using bombs to bring down planes the same can be achieved by breaking into an aircraft's computer system. ... We need to change our thinking.” — COLUMNIST David Bernardo NO CHRISTMAS FOR SONY OR KIM

Die Welt, Germany Infrastructure and Sony Hacking: A Digital 9/11 TRANSLATED FROM GERMANY "Sony may have been a practice run for attacks on telecoms and electrical grids in other nations. ... As long as water runs from the tap and electricity is available from the wall, very few will understand the risks and dangers a digital attack on infrastructure by a hostile power represents.” — COLUMNIST Ulrich Clauss HACKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE ATTACK

Der Spiegel, Germany Snowden Documents on Taliban Drug War, Drone Kill Gone Wrong, Kill List Der Spiegel posted fascinating documents from Snowden classified 'Highest Classification Top Secret' on drugs and the Taliban war, the CIA kill list and the Drone program, and an 'unprecedented' operation conducted by Afghan, German forces targeting a 'narcotics trafficker, IED facilitator and a leading Taliban commander' — DOCUMENTS FRON NSA CRYPT LOOK INSIDE AFGHAN DRONE WAR

DER SPIEGEL: Prying Eyes: Inside
the NSA's War on Internet Security
MASHABLE: The Interview Now
Sony's Biggest Online Film Ever

Daily Mail, U.K. Hackers Release Cache of 13,000 Passwords, Credit Cards of Playstation, Xbox and Users of Amazon.com "A gang of internet hackers claiming an affiliation with shadowy anarchist group Anonymous is claiming it has leaked the details of over 13,000 users of Playstation, Xbox and online shopping sites that include Amazon.” — REPORTER Darren Boyle MORE HACKERS TARGET BELEAGURED SONY

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. NATO, U.S. 'End Combat Operations' in Afghanistan "After 13 years of war, NATO ended its combat operations in Afghanistan on Sunday, leaving the Afghan army and police in charge of security in a nation plagued by continued fighting, a ferocious insurgency and a rising tide of military and civilian casualties." — CORRESPONDENT Sune Engel Rasmussen AFGHANISTAN WAR: DONE AND DONE?

DEUTSCHE WELLE: Top German
Commander - Afghanistan
Mission was 'Successful'

Russia Today, Russia Russia's Revised Military Doctrine Lists U.S. and NATO as Central Threats "New sections of the doctrine outline the threat Russia sees in NATO's expansion and military buildup and the fact that the alliance is taking upon itself 'global functions realized in violation of international law.” — Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk IS NATO A THREAT TO RUSSIA?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. The Giants of Rock are Leaving the Stage: Their Music Never Will “No doubt: as they go, these people take an entire culture with them, and by around 2030 our understanding of rock’s essence will be synonymous with recorded music, old footage, and the overwhelming sense of art that no generation could top.” — COLUMNIST John Harris

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. NSA Waits Until Christmas Eve to Reveal a Decade's of the Agency's Mistakes "Certain parts of the documents that really vindicate some of the things Snowden said when he first described the NSA surveillance in terms of the ability of analysts to conduct queries of raw internet traffic - without authorization.” — COLUMNIST Nicky Woolf

Le Figaro, France 2014: Another Year Colored By America's Post 9-11 Terror Fear TRANSLATED FROM FRANCE "The uproar over America's use of the torture is an echo of revelations just a year ago of the Snowden case. In both cases, the world discovered the extent of the ravages caused by the 'global war against terrorism' declared by George W. Bush after the September 11 attacks." — COLUMNIST Pierre Rousselin

WILL 2015 BE AN IMPROVEMENT?

Der Spiegel, Germany Ukraine Premiere: Putin 'Needs New Annexations' "Appeasement has never worked and it won't work with Putin. ... If 85 percent of Russians support the annexation of Crimea and the aggression against Ukraine, that is a very bad sign. The post-Soviet legacy is a heavy burden: Most Russians want to have the empire back. The only way it is possible to make that happen is to seize [additional] foreign territories.” — Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk NATO: UKRAINE MAKES ITS MOVE

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland Kremlin Propagandists Take Audiences for 'Idiots with no Recall' TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "The basic canon of Kremlin propagandists is to give voice only to their own people, meaning Russia’s rulers and their entourage as well as select foreigners suffering under the yoke of the E.U. The Kremlin propagandists - and their daily toil gives us an abundance of examples - take their public for complete idiots who don't even recall what they heard a moment before, let alone any longer.” — COLUMNIST Waclaw Radziwinowicz RUSSIA MEDIA: WORSE THAN OURS?

BBC News, U.K. VIDEO: Notable Global Deaths December 24, 2014 2014 is coming to an end and its a time may people tally, measure and describe what happened in the last 12 months. — COMMENTS BY Seymour Hersh 2014: THE YEAR IN NOTABLE DEATHS

Le Monde, France Sony's Only Hope of Redemption: Post 'The Interview' for World TRANSLATED FROM FRANCE "It has been 25 years since the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a religious 'fatwa' enjoining Muslims around the world to kill august British writer Salman Rushdie. The reason?His novel, The Satanic Verses, was insulting to Islam. The case of The Interview involves a similar threat. As suggested by our British colleagues at The Financial Times, Sony must in turn respond by utilizing the Web and making the The Interview accessible to anyone who wishes to see it and putting it online." — EDITORIAL, Le Monde

CAN CHICKEN-HEARTED SONY EVER RECOVER?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. North Korea Demands Joint Investigation into the Sony Hack 'or Else' "North Korea has proposed holding a joint inquiry with the US into the hacking of Sony Pictures, claiming it can prove it did not carry out the massive cyber-attack.” — REPORTER Jon Sopel IS PYONGYANG JUST BLUFFING?

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland This is No Time to Ease Up on Putin TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "We can liaise with an authoritarian Russia, but not at the expense of the independence and territorial integrity of the states of Europe. Tightening the screws on Putin is less risky to us than consenting to a watering down of our principles. Moscow has already shown us how painful it is when she takes advantage of our weaknesses." — COLUMNIST Tomasz Bielecki

CORNERING PUTIN?

BBC News, U.K. Demise of 'The Interview': A Comedy of Terrors - in Four Acts "Having watched the trailer for The Interview, I'm going to say it's not a film I would normally rush to see. ... But after Sony's decision to can it (for now), I am now determined to watch - and buy tickets for my friends, too. But like any good drama, it has developed over three acts growing progressively more sinister as it goes along. There is a potential Act Four - more of which later. So readers, here's my synopsis so far.” — REPORTER Jon Sopel HACKERS HALT U.S. FREE SPEECH

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. The U.S. Embargo is Disappearing; So, Too, Must Cuba's Dictatorship "Now this long-lasting foreign policy outrage is finally having a rendezvous with common sense, enemies of the embargo need to talk a lot more loudly about democracy in Cuba." — COLUMNIST Owen Jones

CASTROS: TIME FOR RAUL TO GO

REUTERS: As U.S.-Cuba Ties
Warm, Fuming Venezuela
President is Left in the Cold
GUARDIAN: As Door Opens
to Cuba, Debate Over Sanctions
vs. Engagement Starts Anew

L'Osservatore Romano, Vatican Vatican Communique on Restored U.S.-Cuba Ties "The Holy Father wants to express his warm congratulations for the historic decision taken by the Governments of the United States of America and Cuba to establish diplomatic relations, with the aim of overcoming, in the interest of the citizens of both countries, the difficulties which have marked their recent history.” — Vatican Communique U.S. CUBA TIES: THE POPE TAKES A BOW

Reuters, U.K. Secret Canada Talks, Vatican Talks, Led to Cuba Breakthrough "Months of talks in Canada and the Vatican involving one of Obama's closest aides, culminated when Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro spoke by phone for nearly an hour and gave final assent to steps that could end a half-century of enmity and suspicion.” — REPORTERS Warren Strobel, Lesley Wroughton POPE'S INFLUENCE ON DISPLAY

ECONOMIST: U.S. and
Cuba: At last, a Thaw

Trouw, The Netherlands Why Respect for U.S. has 'Disappeared' in Many Parts of World TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH ""The justifiable invasion of Afghanistan was followed by an invasion of Iraq under false pretenses; a massive program of secret prisons was set up; Guantanamo became a symbol of U.S. injustice, and finally there was the damaging NSA affair. ... Time after time it became clear that the United States broke the law. ... and global terrorism went into high gear." — COLUMNIST Rob de Wijk

MAKING, BREAKING THE LAW

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. The Interview Review: Stoned, Anally Fixated – and Funny "Starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, the film behind the hack that rocked Hollywood is a tasteless but amusing comedy on assassinating Kim Jong-un.” — COLUMNIST Jordan Hoffman A FUNNY MOVIE YOU CANNOT SEE

GUARDIAN: The Interview's
New York Premiere Cancelled
in the Wake of Hacker Threats

Rzeczpospolita, Poland U.S. Senate Torture Report: A 'Matter of Life or Death' TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "I consider a lesser evil ethically SUPERIOR to a greater one; and that I have a natural right to defend myself and my loved ones, as well as my countrymen, from death BY ALL MEANS. If a war prisoner has information that can save lives - especially many lives - I, Stanislaw Remuszko, will not hesitate to use 'unconventional methods' to get that information.” — COLUMNIST Stanislaw Remuszko CAN THIS TORTURE BE EXCUSED?

Polityka, Poland Poland's CIA Black Site and Phillip Seymour Hoffman TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "In the film A Most Wanted Man, recently-deceased Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays a German agent who, although he doesn't trust the Americans, is obliged to cooperate with them. ... Were our decision- makers supposed to assume that the American secret services were there to commit torture?” — COLUMNIST Marek Ostrowski HOFFMAN'S CHARACTER LIKE POLAND?

Guardian, BBC, Daily Mail, Der Speigel, TedX, The Intercept, ITAR-TASS, Top Level Telecoms, UK, U.S., Russia, Norway Sony Hack 'Torture', U.K. Robo-Cops, Liars, and Surveillance Blast "It's time to catch up on the latest on mass surveillance, hacking and government cyber lies and wrongdoing." — LIES, SPIES AND TORTURE

PARSING OFFICIAL LIES AND PR

RT, Russia China Offering Iraq Help Against ISIL 'from the Air' "Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Jafari says his China counterpart, Wang Yi, has made an offer to help Iraq fight ISIL militants." — Colonel Tim Collins, Retd.

Guardian, BBC News, U.K. Torture, Guantanamo, Uruguay, FBI, the Pope and Angelina Jolie Coverage of the arrival of six Guantanamo inmates in Uruguay. Then Cori Crider, attorney for a man who spent 12 years in Guantanamo without ever being charged with a crime, tries to convey the insanity of the system she has had to work in - and how little Americans are permitted to know about it. Angelina Jolie weighs in on America's responsibility on the issue of torture. Abu Zubaydah's defense lawyer writes that after being subjected to every form of torture 'legalized' by the U.S. government without ever being charged with a crime, it is time to charge him or let him go. Then coverage of a hearing cancellation you probably haven't heard about: on how the FBI infiltrated the legal defense teams of Guantanamo inmates. Finally, the Pope wants the United States to 'find a humanitarian solution' to deal with the remaining Guantanamo inmates. — A Roundup of Coverage

OUTCRY: TORTURE AND GUANTANAMO

The Independent, U.K. CIA Torture: Once Again Language is Distorted to Hide U.S. State Wrongdoing
ASSAD'S BOON	“I condemn the vile semantics of the CIA and Pentagon. Not just that old, wolfish, obscene phrase 'collateral damage', but the language of torture. ... Or, as the lads who torture for us call it, 'enhanced interrogation techniques.'” — COLUMNIST Robert Fisk

GUARDIAN: Senior Commander
Spills Beans about al-Baghdidi
BBC NEWS: Jihadist Violence
'Killed 5,000 in November'

Le Monde, France Torture: the 'Ticking Time Bomb' Fallacy TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "On the screen, a clock counts down. Whether in French Algeria or Bush's America, the purpose of this fiction is always the same: to establish not only that torture is 'acceptable,' but that it is morally 'required.' ... Anti-terrorism and information professionals, FBI and CIA interrogators and even the scriptwriters of the TV show 24 recognized in the 2000s that it's something that never occurs.'” — Dr. Jean-Baptiste Jeangene Vilmer, Science Po, Paris ANOTHER FALLACY ON TORTURE

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany On Torture, the Kremlin Should Lead by Example! TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "The Russian Foreign Ministry's commissioner for human rights, Konstantin Dolgov, called for the publication of the entire 6,700 page report and for all the perpetrators to be brought to justice. Well said! Should Washington hesitate, Moscow could lead the way as a shining example in this area.” — COLUMNIST Berthold Kohler TORTURE: WHO IS RUSSIA TO TALK?

The Telegraph, U.K. Senior Army Official Warn New Constraints Hamper Interrogations "The effect of the ambulance- chasing lawyers and the play- it-safe judges is that we have got to the point where we have lost our operational capacity for tactical questioning. That in itself brings risks to the lives of the people we deploy." — Colonel Tim Collins, Retd.

PUSHBACK ON TORTURE REPORT?

Daily Mail, U.K. 'Put Blair, Straw on Trial for Torture,' says Diplomat Fired for Blowing Whistle on Abuse "My career was destroyed by politicians who wanted to hide their complicity in human rights abuses. To complete the process, they then trashed my reputation with smears about my personal life." — Craig Murray, Former UK Ambassador to Uzbekistan

The Observer, U.K. Come Clean on British Links to CIA Torture, MPs Tell U.S. Senate "The head of the powerful Commons intelligence and security committee demands that the U.S. hand over its archive documenting Britain's role in the CIA’s abduction and torture program." — REPORTERS Mark Townsend, Jamie Doward

The Telegraph, U.K. George Tenet: Torturer-in-Chief? "While the CIA report's damning conclusions have impelled quite a coterie of potentially implicated individuals to cry foul, including ex-Vice President Dick Cheney and other ex- CIA chiefs, it is Tenet who stands most visibly in the dock.” — COLUMNIST David Usbourne TENET: MOST WANTED?

Deutsche Welle, Germany Russia, China, Iran, Should Also Publish Torture Reports "U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez lauds the U.S. Senate report, and wants Russia, China and Iran to release their own." — NEWS ITEM, Deutsche Welle

News, Switzerland In Praise of the American Senate CIA Torture Report TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "A state report exposing torture as useless and counterproductive is an odd aberration, as it puts certain circles in that state in a bad light, making it clear that such practices are not what they pretend them to be. Yet it also shows that in our societies the capacity remains to practice self-criticism and depart from the wrong path. That's in stark contrast to totalitarian regimes that get ever-more bogged down in their own insanity, only to sink in their own ashes or drag the world down with them. ... Therefore, such a report is to be welcomed, because the alternative is far worse - and to hell with George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.” — COLUMNIST Patrik Etschmayer EXPUNGING EVIL WITH SELF-CRITICISM?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Court Rejects Attempt to Permit Mr. Snowden to Testify in Germany "If Edward Snowden were to be allowed to enter Germany, the clamour for him to be able to stay would be strong and resistance from government authorities would most likely be met with civil unrest." — REPORTER Kate Connolly

Polityka, Poland President Kwasniewski: 'Sadist' CIA Should Be Shuttered; Denies Knowledge of Torture Practices TRANSLATED FROM POLAND "It was a matter of 'higher necessity' We didn't do it on a whim. We didn't intend to accommodate sadists! ... This is a genuine catastrophe for the United States, the CIA and George W. Bush. We agreed to closer cooperation believing that America, which is a democratic country, would honor the law. We had no basis to believe that the U.S. authorities would accept, support and then cover up its illegal activities.” — FORMER PRESIDENT Aleksander Kwasniewski KWASNIEWSKI THROWS BUSH UNDER THE BUS

RADIO POLAND: Kwasniewski
says Poland Received CIA
Money Since Early 1990s

El Pais, Spain CIA Torture Report: Now is Obama's Chance to Shutter Guantanamo TRANSLATED FROM SPANISH "America cannot present itself as a pioneer of freedom as long as its most important globally- active organization is constantly committing atrocities. President Obama will never have a better excuse to close Guantanamo. This was one of his first campaign promises, and six years later is has yet to be fulfilled.” — EDITORIAL, El Pais A MOMENT OF OPPORTUNITY?

Financial Times, U.K. CIA Report is a Strike Back Against America's Deep State "American political life functions on two separate planes. We see the surface world of gridlock and hyper- partisanship and noisy cable TV. But less often glimpsed is a national security state whose influence goes on administration after administration, Republican or Democrat, that seems to evade the constraints of political scrutiny. ... That is the context for the release of the long-awaited and excruciatingly detailed Senate report on CIA torture of detainees after 9/11.” — COLUMNIST Geoff Dyer FIANNCIAL TIMES STATES THE OBVIOUS

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. U.S. Ordered to Explain Withholding of Iraq and Afghan Torture Photos "Said to be more disturbing than the infamous Abu Ghraib photos that sparked a global furor in 2004, the imagery is the subject of a lawsuit that both the Bush and Obama Administrations, backed by the U.S. Congress, have strenuously resisted." — REPORTER David Ackerman

EVEN WORSE THAN ABU GHRAIB?

The Mirror, U.K. Iraq War 'Biggest Cover-Up of Our Time'; Families Still Wait for Results of Chilcot Inquiry "As the United States comes clean on its use of torture, questions are being asked about why Britain continues to suppress Sir John Chilcot's report." — REPORTERS David Collins, Jack Blanchard

WHY WON'T BRITAIN RELEASE IRAQ REPORT?

United Nations, Intl. Territory U.N. Human Rights Rapporteur: Individuals Behind CIA 'Criminal Conspiracy' Must Face Penalties' "It is now time to take action. Individuals responsible for the criminal conspiracy revealed in the report must be brought to justice, and must face criminal penalties commensurate with the gravity of their crimes. International law prohibits granting immunities to public officials who have engaged in acts of torture. This applies not only to the actual perpetrators but also to officials within the U.S. government who devised, planned, authorized such crimes.” — Ben Emmerson, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights SHOULD BUSH, CHENEY, BE PUT ON TRIAL?

Le Monde, France FLASHBACK: Report Confirms CIA Prisons in Poland, Romania TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "Poland, Romania agreed to equip the installations on these sites with the most advanced forms of security and secrecy, and they gave absolute guarantees of non- interference. ... NATO is, the platform through which the United States obtained the necessary permission and protection needed for the CIA's secret actions." — Dick Marty, Author of Council of Europe Report on CIA Activities in Europe TORTURE REPORT FALLOUT

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. CIA Torture Report: Europe Must Come Clean about its Own Complicity "The CIA's activities would not have been possible without the help of Britain and 20 other European nations. ... Under President Bush the CIA used a web of European airports and bases for its extraordinary rendition flights, secretly transferring terror suspects over borders for interrogation.” — COLUMNIST Natalie Nougayrède MOMENT OF TRUTH FOR EUROPE

GUARDIAN: CIA Report
- Global Reaction Roundup
GUARDIAN: Torture Report
Could Unravel Prosecution
of Alleged 9/11 Masterminds

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Torture: America's Shame and Disgrace "In the 70s, the CIA reacted to criticism by pulling down the shutters and building up the secret state further. Today, Americans face the task of stopping a repeat. The moral and practical authority of the democratic system around the world depends in no small part on them succeeding." — EDITORIAL, Guardian

FINALLY: THE CIA TORTURE

GUARDIAN: Shock and Anal
Probe: Reading Between
Redactions in Torture Report
ECONOMIST: The CIA
and Torture - a Hard
Pill to Swallow
INDEPENDENT: America's
Day of Shame
TELEGRAPH: CIA Lied
to White House and
Britain to Justify Torture
TELEGRAPH: What did
Tony Blair and Jack
Straw Know of CIA Torture?

La Stampa, Italy Grand Jury Eruption in U.S. has Little to do with Racial Issue TRANSLATED FROM ITALIAN "The loss of status among the middle class, the decline in well-paid jobs for people without a degree and the ease of employing illegal immigrants sets Whites and Blacks against one another.” — COLUMNIST Gianni Riotta ARE WE MISSING THE POINT?

Guardian, CIA, C-SPAN, U.K., U.S. LIVE BLOG: Reaction to CIA Torture Report; U.N. Call to 'Prosecute Architects' Now, after months of debate, inter- agency wrangling and CIA spying on the Senate, the 6,000 page version of the CIA torture report has been released. This is global coverage of reaction and analysis of the report. — COVERAGE OF REACTION, ANALYSIS

FINALLY: THE REPORT ON CIA TORTURE

Russia Today, Guardian, Russia, U.K. VIDEO-TEXT: Seymour Hersh: Democracies 'Led by People who Push for War'; Created False Narrative Hard to Alter TWO VIDEOS, ONE COLUMN Hersh asserts: The Bush Administration 'Surge', which included funding jihadis, was a major contributing factor in the formation of the Islamic State -- That the Syrian Army will be the force that defeats IS -- U.S. is obviously working in coordination with the Iranian and Syrian Air Forces -- Moderate Syrian rebels that U.S. wants to support have already cut deals with Bashar al-Assad. — COMMENTS BY Seymour Hersh EXPOSING LIES AND DISINFORMATION

Daily Mail, Guardian, U.K. VIDEO-TEXT: Royals Meet Jay Z, Beyonce, LeBron, Hillary, Chelsea, Obama It's time again for the adventures of Duke William and Duchess Kate in New York. In 24 hours, they managed to take in a basketball game and meet Jay Z, Beyonce, LeBron James, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, President Obama; William gave a speech at the World Bank, Kate visited a Children's center in Harlem and according to videos below, managed to change her clothes about a jillion times. — ADVENTURES of Will and Kate

ROYAL COUPLE IN NY: DAY TWO

NZZ, Switzerland NATO's Blunted 'Spearhead' TRANSLATED GERMAN "As Germany rejects military provocations toward Russia, it is not unlikely that at the last moment, it will suspend its participation.” — COLUMNIST Eric Gujer SHIELD - BUT NO SPEAR?

Guardian Unlimited-BBC, U.K. VIDEO, TEXT: Prince William, Dutchess Kate Arrive in the Big Apple For those inerested in the topic - and we know you're out there, this is coverage from Britain on the visit of the The Duke and five -months pregnant Duchess of Cambridge to New York, this is British coverage of the event, with text from the Guardian and video coverge from the BBC on the three-day royal visit. — REPORTER Lauren Gambino

ROYAL COUPLE IN THE BIG APPLE

Polityka, Poland 'Say No to GMOs; Reject TTIP': Almost 60 Million Americans Warn Europe TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "I don't recall ever having gotten a letter from so many people at once, and you likely can't either. Step by step, talks between the E.U. and U.S. on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership are mearing an end. Sadly, we do not know the details because the talks are being held in extreme secrecy. ... The Americans have already lost their battle against biotech corporations. Now they are warning us about the effects of adopting American rules under the guise of TTIP treaty.” — COLUMNIST Jacek Zakowski GMOs: A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Another Night of Protest Over White Cop's Acquittal for Death of Eric Garner "Demonstrations touched off in cities including New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, Oakland Miami and Phoenix. ... In New York City, demonstrators staged 'die-ins' at Macy's and Grand Central." — REPORTER Lauren Gambino

ANOTHER NIGHT OF PROTEST IN NY

NYT, The Register, RT, U.S., U.K., Russia SPY BLAST: Assange's Hope; Swedes Award Snowden; Web Freedom Drops; U.K. OKs Data Theft; Cell Nets Breached, CAPCHAs Dead? Amid the onrush of events and the blizzard of misinformation and infotainment, it is easy to forget that we continue to be relentlessly spied upon morning noon and night, so here's the latest Worldmeets.US spy post. — WE'RE STILL BEING SPIED UPON SPIES, LIES AND HOPE FROM ASSANGE

Marriane, France French Failure to Deliver Mistrals to the Russians 'Impolitic and Masochistic' TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "Without denying the vigor of the Russian reaction in Ukraine, we must put things into context, as this crisis stems from elements of a different nature: the profound corruption of the Ukrainian elite, pro- and anti-Russian combined; the over twenty-year uninterrupted expansion of NATO toward Russia when a helping hand is what was needed; the atavistic suspicion of the Baltic states and the Poles vis-à-vis Moscow, the American propensity to play on E.U. divisions." — Olivier Zajec, French Institute of Strategy and Conflict

SALE OF MISTRALS TO RUSSIA ON HOLD

Euronews, France VIDEO: National Front Leader Le Pen: I Admire Putin's 'Cool Head' Resisting New Cold War Dec. 1, 00:08:53 "I admire his cool head. Because there is a Cold War being waged against him by the E.U. at the behest of America, [Russia] is defending its own interests." — National Front Leader Marine Le Pen MARINE LE PEN BUCKS BRUSSELS

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Google Glass Review: Useful – but Overpriced and Socially Awkward "Short of the price, which is no small matter, the key problem with Glass is the reaction of people around the wearer. It feels socially inappropriate much of the time – if not for you, then for your audience. The biggest disadvantage was that my family and friends refused to be seen with me while wearing them. They aren't technology-obsessed in the same way I am, but there was no way to convince them. It was either them or Glass." — REPORTER Samuel Gibbs

A SHORT-CUT TO PARIAH STATUS

GUARDIAN: Billion-dollar Apple
iPod Anti-Trust Suit Gets Under Way

Komsomolskaya Pravda, Russia Gorbachev: West 'Resigned' to Crimea's Return to Russia TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN "I remember the 1990 Paris Summit. Europe was an example of how to build a new world order and a new relationship. The Americans - and Bush senior, talked about it. And I spoke about it. My good friend Pope John Paul II said at the time that we needed a more equitable world order that was more humane and safer. ... And one wonders how people could object to their own decisions. It all began with the fact that the U.S. suddenly started talking about the creation of a 'new empire.' An over empire, a super empire. Alas, God and fate had put the task before them. Yes, they thought their time had come." — Former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev

GORBY GAUGES WESTERN LEADERS

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Bill Cosby, Ferguson and the Dubious Politics of Personal Responsibility
COSBY-FURGUSON	“The cases are unrelated, but there are parallels. The power of the accused is set against the credibility of the victim.” —COLUMNIST Gary Younge

News, Switzerland 'Birkenstock Racism' and Europe's Moralizing Over the Upheaval in Ferguson TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "If suddenly indignant voices are raised to condemn this injustice - that is proper. However, in the face of what's going on in Europe at the moment, an undercurrent of hypocrisy is unmistakable." — COLUMNIST Patrik Etschmayer

RACISM AND THE PERILS OF EMPIRE

The Telegraph, U.K. As Crude Oil Crashes, Saudis Play with Fire in Shale-Price Showdown
END OF OPEC?	“If the aim is to shake out the weakest shale producers in the U.S., Saudi Arabia and the core OPEC states are taking a huge political gamble by letting oil prices crash to $66.” — COLUMNIST Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

Trouw, The Netherlands If the Jews Gave up Stoning, Can Muslims Give Up Beheading? TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH "To use Jews as an example for Muslims may upset some people, but I do it because it is instructive. In the sacred books of the Jews, gross, uncivilized passages are also to be found. Jews who fail to observe the Sabbath, for example (and perhaps work on that day) must, according to the Torah, be stoned. ... But not a one Jew anywhere in the world would seek to apply this Toranic precept. Even the most religious Jews realize that that such a thing would be utter nonsense." — Dr. David Pinto, Inter-Cultural Institute

CAN ISLAM FORSAKE BEHEADING?

Le Point, France President Obama Continues American Tradition of Sparing Turkeys from Dinner Table TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "This year's birds from a farm in Virginia, both plump and white, were transported under police escort to the W, where for two days they were treated with kid gloves. And that's no figure of speech. The turkeys are housed in a suite with views of the White House, are force-fed organic soy and cranberries as they gobble in the rooftop panoramic bar waiting to be presented to President Barack Obama." — COLUMNIST Louise Couvelaire

TURKEY PARDONS: A TIME-HONORED TRADITION

Le Figaro, France Ferguson 'Tarnishes the Image of an Entire Nation' TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "This verdict may well have been rendered by a jury made up of Blacks and Whites who, according to all the experts, did their job, but African-American communities don't believe in their country's justice system. Ferguson is very far-removed from the post-racial America dreamed of by Obama. … In Missouri suburbs like this, the population is 70 percent Black, but the police, like the mayor, are hegemonically White, tarnishing the image of an entire nation." — COLUMNIST Francois Sergent

HOW TO RESTORE OFFICIAL CREDIBILITY

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Russia Feels Double- Crossed Over Ukraine – What will Putin Do? “There is no doubting the depth of anger in Moscow over what it sees as the double-cross in Kiev – or the visceral fear in the capitals of Europe that Russia may react militarily.” — COLUMNIST Simon Tisdall

SIMON TISDALL: Finland Back on Red
Alert Over AN Expansionist Russia
SIMON TISDALL: Iran Nuclear
Talks Extension Raises
Risk of Cataclysmic Failure

United Nations News, Intl. Terr. U.N. Human Rights Chief 'Deeply Concerned' about 'African-American Killings' "I am deeply concerned at the disproportionate number of young African Americans who die in encounters with police officers, as well as the disproportionate number of African-Americans in U.S. prisons and the disproportionate number of African Americans on Death Row." — U.N. COMMISSIONER for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein

HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF: U.S. HAS PROBLEM

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. LIVE BLOG: Michael Brown Killing: Mass Protests after Decision by the Grand Jury "Family of Michael Brown to hold news conference ... Ferguson is struck by violence and arson after decision ... Grand jury declines to indict Ferguson officer Darren Wilson ... Wilson killed unarmed teenager last August." — CORRESPONDENT Tom McCarthy

NATIONAL GUARD MOVES INTO TOWN

DAILY MAIL: Protests Break Out
Across 90 Cities; March in Anger
BBC NEWS: Ferguson Decision
- Darren Wilson's Testimony
BBC LIVE BLOG: Ferguson Riots
- Ruling Sparks Night of Violence

Le Monde, France Cli-Fi Invades Sci-Fi: A Deluge of Catastrophe for Readers, Filmgoers TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "Today, the range of apocalyptic fiction is expanding to include a new sub-genre of science fiction that is all the rage: Cli-Fi, also known as 'climatic fiction.' Americans, however, are among the most ardent climate-change skeptics on the planet. However, this doubt is losing momentum." — COLUMNIST Louise Couvelaire

DISASTER FOR FUN AND PROFIT

FAZ, Germany The Kremlin Media War: All-Channel Propaganda TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "The authorities are using their nearly cpmplete media control to build a parallel universe in which Russia is under attack by the West. ... The goal is to disseminate the supposedly-suppressed 'Russian point of view.' This has nothing to do with journalism, i.e.: a genuine attempt to seek truth." — CORRESPONDENT Friedrich Schmidt

US AND THEM: LIES AND PROPAGANDA

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Iranian Nuclear Negotiations: Deadline Extended Six Months “We have worked long and hard not just over these past days but for months. This takes time. The stakes are high and the issues are complicated and technical. Each decision affects other decisions, and each decision deeply affects national security and international interests." — SECRETARY OF STATE John Kerry IRAN NUKES: AND THE TALKS GO ON

BBC, Guardian Unlimited, U.K. LIVE BLOGS: Nation Holds Breath as Ferguson Awaits Decision of Grand Jury Here are two live blogs from Britain, which include tweets, photos, videos, many from the scene, on the decision, to be announced within the next few hours, over whether to charge police officer Darren Wilson over the death of teenager Michael Brown. Missouri Governor came close to saying the authorities are expecting the worst. — REPORTER Spencer Ackerman

NATIONAL GUARD MOVES INTO TOWN

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Out of North Korea: Matthew Miller says 'I Wanted to Stay' “Snapshots of pages torn from Miller's notebook were shown by state media, after his trial, revealing statements he now describes as strategic lies to help him remain in North Korea. In it, entries appeared to show support for removing 'the American military from South Korea' and included claims that Miller was a 'hacker' with some involvement with Wikileaks." — REPORTER Nate Thayer MILLER: 'FORCED' OUT OF NORTH KOREA

Corriere Della Sera, Italy Pope Francis' Secret Service: Confronting the ISIS Threat TRANSLATED FROM ITALIAN "Pope Francis wanted to stop in Kurdistan, an area bordered by Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Iran. He intended to issue an appeal from there on behalf of Middle East Christians being massacred by Islamic jihadis. The secret service stopped him. ... He's not a very 'manageable' pope. ... It seems that even his entourage jokes with him about death threats. 'Holy Father, haven't they killed you yet today?' they ask him, overcoming their reverence to express really acute fears." — CORRESPONDENT Massimo Franco

PROTECTING A FLESH-PRESSING POPE

ITAR-TASS, RT, Russia Russia: U.S. Seeks Russia, Syria, 'Regime Change'; U.S. Rejects Anti-Nazi Resolution "Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov has made a series of comments relating to Western plans for regime change in Russia, and in relation to the battle against ISIL - against Syria. ... Then, the Russian media is giving blanket coverage to the rejection by the U.S., Canada and Ukraine of a Russia-tabled U.N. resolution 'condemning attempts to glorify Nazism and deny Nazi crimes." — NEWS ITEMS, ITAR-TASS, RT TO TOPPLE OR NOT TO TOPPLE ...

Financial Times, U.K. FED asks Whether it is too Close to Banks! "The Federal Reserve board is conducting a major review of how the regulator and its reserve banks supervise large financial institutions, amid mounting criticism that it is to close to and too lenient with the Wall St. groups it oversees." — REPORTER Gina Chon TOO LENIENT ON BANKS? ... NAAH!

ARD Television, Germany VIDEO: Putin Explains Russian Actions to German Public TV Nov. 18, 00:31:33 "NATO and America have military bases scattered all over the globe, including in areas close to our borders, and their number is growing ... Moreover, just recently it was decided to send special forces, again in close proximity to our borders. You have mentioned various [Russian] exercises, ship movements, flights and so on. Is all of this going on? Yes, it is indeed." — RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin PUTIN OFFERS THE RUSSIAN NARRATIVE

BBC NEWS: Putin's Spokesperson
Tells BBC 'We have our Red Lines'

AWD News, U.K. 'Mutiny' Reported in Saudi Royal Air Force Over Strikes on ISIL "Saudi military intelligence has reportedly arrested two senior F-16 pilots who refused to fly missions, after they expressed their utmost resentment at Saudi Arabia's alliance with America. ... White House officials and the CIA informed the Saudis that some of their U.S.-trained pilots were jettisoning their bombs and ammunition over inconsequential or totally unpopulated areas and then returning to their Saudi bases." — NEWS ITEM, AWD News REJECTING THE HOUSE OF SAUD?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. U.S. Senate Rejects NSA Reform so Weak Even NSA Backed It If fear mongering were a sport, American politicians would win championships year after year. Not too surprisingly, the Senate yesterday rejected a NSA reform bill that was so watered down, even National Intelligence chief James Clapper, who lied to the Congress and the American people about the scale of the surveillance being carried out - supported it. — REPORTER Spencer Ackerman

EVEN FIENSTIEN BACKED DEFEATED BILL

GUARDIAN: NSA Reform:
Surveillance Supporters may
have Dug their Own Grave
LE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUE:
Snowden's Success

Russia Today, Russia VIDEOS: Putin Questions U.S. 'Democratic Values', U.S. Media Failure; Body Language at G20 Summit Russia Today posted a number segments worth watching today, including an interview with the Editor in chief of the journal Defense & Foreign Affairs who calls out the manistream media for failing to put the Ukraine crisis into context; coverage of yesterday's speech by Vladimir Putin on the debasement of 'democratic values' by the U.S.; and a look at G20 body language. — OUTSIDE OF THE BOX WHAT DEMOCRATIC VALUES?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Brooklyn Woman Bleeding from Face, Nose and Mouth, may have had Ebola Virus "There are new fears of a possible Ebola outbreak in New York City after a woman who was being monitored for the deadly virus dropped dead Tuesday afternoon. ... according to a source on the scene, the woman, who had traveled to Guinea three weeks ago, died at a hair braiding shop in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn.'" — REPORTER Chris Spargo

AN EBOLA CASE IN BROOKLYN?

DAILY MAIL: Ebola Reaches
India: Man's Sperm has
Traces of the the Virus

Le Figaro, France Kremlin's Demands for New International Security System Can't be Ignored TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "In the annexation of Crimea and the manifest destabilization of Ukraine, there is a very clear message that Western leaders pretend not to hear: the international order on which European ties are built no longer works. Russia, struck with sanctions by a West that is unlikely to be seen fighting for Sebastopol, has turned to China and Iran. Europe is clinging to its grand principles and not realizing that it would do better to bring them into line with reality - before it's too late." — COLUMNIST Pierre Rousselin

TIME FOR WEST TO PAY MORE HEED?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. First Snowden. Then Tracking You on Wheels. Now Spies on Plane: Ubiquitous Surveillance "You might ask: Where did U.S. Marshals – the fugitive-chasing agents of Tommy Lee Jones lore – obtain the authority to launch this mass surveillance operation at all? That’s unclear, but thanks to some digging by the Twitter surveillance crowd shortly after the Journal published its story, we know the marshals are far from the only U.S. agency using these 'dirtboxes.'" — COLUMNIST Trevor Trimm

MASS SURVEILLANCE: NOWHERE TO HIDE

GUARDIAN: Facebook, Google,
Apple, et.al., Lobby for Curbing
Givernment Mass Surveillance
REUTERS: Google Glass Future
'Clouded' as Early Believers Lose Faith
GUARDIAN: White House
Announces Push for Next
Generation of Weapons

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. David Cameron Warns of Looming 'Crash' in G20 Closing Remarks "Six years after the financial crash that brought the world to its knees, warning lights are once again flashing on the global economic dashboard. ... As the global economy faces greater uncertainty, it is more important than ever that we send a clear message to the world that Britain will not waver on paying its debts." — PRIME MINISTER David Cameron GORBY: RUSSIAN SOFT POWER

GUARDIAN: Cameron's Economic
Warning Lights: Dark Days Ahead?

Daily Mail, U.K. 20th Hijacker Moussaoui: 'Saudi Prince Paid for 9/11 Pilots' Flying Lessons "The Saudi government has flatly denied any involvement in 9/11. ... officials in Oklahoma federal court have said that Moussaoui's requests to be allowed to speak in open court and to be assigned government lawyers will likely be denied, since his claims have nothing to do with existing cases." — REPORTER Kieran Corcoran

9-11: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

The Telegraph, U.K. Challenging Gorbachev: Russia is the One with a Cold War Mentality "If Gorbachev really thinks that after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Russia should have been granted a veto over NATO membership for its former satellite states then that is an example of the very Cold War mentality he was supposed to reject." — FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT David Blair GORBY: RUSSIAN SOFT POWER

MOSCOW TIMES: Putin's Early
Departure from G20 a 'Mistake'
GUARDIAN: Lift-Off of Sputnik
News Agency - What Russia's New
Media Brand Thinks of the World
GUARDIAN: Putin Leaves G20
after Browbeating Over Ukraine

20 Minutes, Ukraine Why Russians 'Will Want to Return Crimea' to Ukraine TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN "If large-scale military hostilities were to break out with Russia fighting a considerable portion of the world, it would likely face a coalition, the combined military, economic and demographic strength of which would surpass Russian forces by at least 16-18 times. The outcome of such a confrontation is easy to forecast. Russia would be defeated and its economic and infrastructure capacity utterly destroyed." — FORMER PUTIN ECONOMIC ADVISER Andrei Illarionov

WILL RUSSIANS 'SEE THE LIGHT'?

Guardian Unilimited, U.K. Pentagon 'Considers' Sending American Troops to Battle ISIL "General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, indicated to the U.S. House Armed Services committee that ISIL's strength relative to the Iraqi Army may be such that he would recommend abandoning Obama’s oft- repeated pledge against returning U.S. ground troops to combat in Iraq.'" — CORRESPONDENTS Raya Jalabi, Spencer Ackerman ALL ACCORDING TO PLAN?

THE TELEGRAPH: 'Moderate' Syria
Rebels Defecting to ISIL; Blame
'Lack of U.S. Support and Arms'

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Secret Talks, a Personal Letter: How U.S.-China Climate Deal was Done "A visit to Beijing by Kerry and a missive from Obama were key turns in a 9-month negotiation between world’s top polluters." — REPORTER Suzanne Goldenberg

XI- OBAMA: SIGNING DEAL IN BEIJING

Die Welt, Germany Republicans May Give 'Lame Duck Procrastinator' the Backbone He Needs TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "The Republican Congress will no doubt try and motivate Mr. Obama to more assertive action in areas where the 'great procrastinator' has only reluctantly committed to. If over the next two years both political camps find their way back to a tradition of bipartisanship in foreign policy, Obama's recent course correction toward more global engagement could become the distinguishing feature of Barack Obama's last two years." — COLUMNIST Clemens Wergin

APPLYING REPUBLICAN PRESSURE

Le Figaro, France Xi and Putin: United in Face of Western Critics TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "According to a survey by Touch Today, after the annexation of Crimea, Putin's poll ratings in China reached 92 percent. ... Perhaps Chinese are reassured to see that 'Xi Dada' or the 'Xi the Great,' isn't the only great power leader of concern to the world. Like Putin, he's skilled in the cult of personality and cultivates authoritarianism in order to rule with an iron rod." — COLUMNIST Patrick Saint-Paul

XI AND PUTIN: HANGING TIGHT

Guardian Unilimited, U.K. MH17: Australia PM tells Vladimir Putin to 'Consider Apology, Compensation' Citing that the U.S. 'apologised and made appropriate restitution' for shooting down Iran Air Flight 655 in 1988, Australia Prime Minister Tony Abbott has confronted Putin at the APEC Summit, saying that he had information that the missile that shot down MH17 last summer 'had come out of Russia, was fired from inside eastern Ukraine and was then returned to Russia.' — CORRESPONDENT Daniel Hurst ABBOTT: WHISTLING IN THE WIND?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Net Neutrality: Cable Industry 'Stunned' by Obama' Proposals "'The cable industry strongly supports an open Internet, is building an open Internet, and strongly believes that over-regulating the fastest growing technology in our history will not advance the cause of Internet freedom.' Translation: 'The industry believes in something we are actively working to undermine.'" — National Cable and Telecommunications Association President Michael Powell MICHAEL POWELL: CASHING IN

Financial Times, U.K. China is 'No Refuge' from Obama's Woes Financial Times columnist Edward Luce is of the opinion that unlike with past U.S. presidents who got whipped in midterm elections, taking refuge abroad - in this case in China - is unlikely to bring relief. — COLUMNIST Edward Luce OBAMA: A 'DIMINISHED FIGURE'

BBC News, U.K. Reagan's Apology to Thatcher over Grenada Invasion was Recorded Up until now, it has been widely believed that after the debacle of the Watergate tapes which brought down Richard Nixon, such recordings were stopped. It now appears that many of Reagan's conversations were recorded, this one with Margaret Thatcher being just one of them. — REVEALED: The Reagan Tapes BUGGING OF THE WHITE HOUSE

Deutsche Welle, RT, Euronews, France 24 VIDEOS: Germany Marks Demise of the Berlin Wall It has been an intense 48 hours in the city of Berlin, with people from around the world and key players from recent history all converging there to celebrate 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. This post consists of coverage from Deutsche Welle, RT, Euronews and France 24. The fall of the Wall effectively marked the end of the old Cold War. I say old, because as Mikhail Gorbachev notes in speeches he gave over the past few days, the world has likely embarked on a new one. — CELEBRATING FALL OF THE WALL BERLIN: A LOOK FROM EUROPE

Rzeczpospolita, Poland Obama's Defeat: Two Years of a U.S. Turned Inward TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "This is bad news for the world. America's enemies from Russia to Pyongyang need no longer worry about U.S. threats. Putin knows that Obama's hands are tied. Over the next two years the major U.S. political parties will set the stage for the 2016 presidential campaign. Regardless of who runs, bith Republicans and Democrats will do things designed only to help their candidate and diminish the chances of their rival. For the next 24 months America will be, sadly, focused mostly on itself." — COLUMNIST Bartosz Weglarczyk

24 MONTHS OF PARALYSIS?

BBC News, U.K. North Korea Frees U.S. Men Miller and Bae “The leadership in North Korea would certainly see value in offering an olive branch to the U.S. just as President Obama prepares to sit down with China President Xi Jinping in Beijing." — CORRESPONDENT Charles Scanlon NORTH KOREA FREES AMERICANS

Rossiya Segodnya, Russia U.S. Midterms: Prepare for More War, More Spying, Rigged Trade "The most dangerous benefactor of a Republican Congress is the U.S. military-industrial complex. More defense spending means more war (and more war means more defense spending)." — COLUMNIST Daniel Zubov

WHAT WITH THE ELEPHANT BRING?

Le Monde, France Midterm Fallout: Obama Weakened on Iran and the International Stage TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "Convinced that America is a manifestation of 'the good,' Republicans need a force that embodies absolute evil. They have found it in the person of the Islamic Republic of Iran. On this issue, as on the issue of Israel-Palestine negotiation, Republicans are aligned with the positions of Netanyahu." — EDITORIAL, Le Monde

DEAL WITH IRAN IMPOSSIBLE?

RIA Novosti, Russia Oliver Stone Meets Snowden; Wants to Make Putin Biopic "I met him [Snowden]. We are working on the script. We hope to shoot early next year, we've been working on it for almost a year now and we're very pleased it's coming along. ... We had no plans to make a film [a scripted feature] on Putin. I would love to do an interview with him because he has a different point of view that Americans don't hear.'" — DIRECTOR Oliver Stone STONE: SNOWDEN AND PUTIN

The Telegraph, U.K. Prison Threat for 90-Year Old Who Fed the Homeless "The police are doing the bidding of the very wealthy, and trying to sweep the poorest of the poor under the rug. ... it's outrageous, but I have been fighting for 23 years to feed the homeless and spent 50 years fighting for civil rights in this country." — HOMELESS ADVOCATE Arnold Abbott

DROP THAT PLATE RIGHT NOW!

Deutsche Welle, Germany Gorbachev Defends Putin; says U.S. 'Wants to Meddle' "I am absolutely convinced that Putin protects Russia's interests better than anyone else. Russia agreed to new relations, [and] created new structures for cooperation. Everything would be great but not everyone in the United States liked it.'" — Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev 25 YEARS AFTER WALL CAME DOWN

FAZ, Germany War and Data Security: 'Everyone is Threatened' TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "We are seeing a dramatic loss of confidence. The revelations of Edward Snowden, surveillance by the NSA and other incidents have changed our thinking - on security policy as well. On a government level, this leads many countries to expand the offensive potential of cyber technology. We return to the old motto: Attack is the best defense. But I fear that this is not correct in this case. Cyber protection is a matter of national security, which is why: The best defense is a better defense." — Deutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Hottges

WAR BEGINS TO IMPINGE ON THE WEST

Trouw, The Netherlands Assange and Snowden have 'Surrendered their Freedom for Nothing' TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH "If their leaks had achieved anything, it would have been worth the price. Assange has mainly ensured that coded diplomatic messages have more limited distribution and content, so his whole idea of more openness has been shattered. ... Snowden's NSA leaks have ensured that, here too, security has been tightened and fewer people have access to secrets. ... Given the reaction to their revelations, I expected to see violent protests against breaches of privacy and this type of government power. It looks like Assange and Snowden have surrendered their freedom for nothing." — COLUMNIST Rob de Wijk

WAS IT ALL FOR NAUGHT?

Dziennik, Poland Polish Passions Flare after Warsaw Reject's Polanski Extradition TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "In the United States, where they prey on Polanski as if he were a war criminal or drug gang boss, prosecutors and judges are elected officials. Just imagine a judge from, let's say, California, not having the opportunity to get on newspaper first pages without a case like that of Roman Polanski. Let's catch him, let's hang his head on our the walls of our offices!?" — Writer Janusz Glowacki

SHOULD POLANSKI BE LET OFF?

Daily Mail, U.K. Navy Seal Who Shot bin Laden Comes Forward "People are asking if we are worried that ISIL will come and get us since Rob is going public. I say I'll paint a huge target on my front door and say come on and get us." — FATHER of Navy Seal Rob O'Neill

COMING OUT DESPITE PENTAGON

Daily Mail, U.K. Memo to Lame Duck Obama: It's Time to Man Up, Eat Crow and Take Tea with the Enemy "You're not just a lame duck this now, you're a limbless canard whose head has been so badly garroted that it now dangles perilously from your neck like a buckled crane. If you want to avoid a seemingly inevitable legacy as The Great Disappointment, you need to man up and start being a proper leader." — COLUMNIST Piers Morgan

MORGAN UNLEASHES ON OBAMA AGAIN

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. U.S. Midterms: Wave of Defeats Leave Democrats 'Reeling' The scale of the Democrats' defeat in the U.S. midterm elections became apparent on Wednesday. ... their Republican opponents on the verge of securing their largest majority in the House of Representatives since the World War II era. — CORRESPONDENT Paul Lewis

CRIST: NOW GONE FOR GOOD?

Trouw, The Netherlands Assange and Snowden have 'Surrendered their Freedom for Nothing' TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH "If their leaks had achieved anything, it would have been worth the price. Assange has mainly ensured that coded diplomatic messages have more limited distribution and content, so his whole idea of more openness has been shattered. ... Snowden's NSA leaks have ensured that, here too, security has been tightened and fewer people have access to secrets. ... Given the reaction to their revelations, I expected to see violent protests against breaches of privacy and this type of government power. It looks like Assange and Snowden have surrendered their freedom for nothing." — COLUMNIST Rob de Wijk

WAS IT ALL FOR NAUGHT?

The Independent, U.K. Finland Warns Europe 'at Gates of New Cold War' in Wake of Russian Activity "Advisers to Putin have previously warned that Putin wants to 'regain Finland,' and Finnish President Niinisto said his country would be 'very decisive' in erms of response.'" — CORRESPONDENT Adam Withnall

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Republicans Didn't Win as Big as You Think - and Obama Didn't Lose
NO BIG DEAL?	“Polling shows the public backs Obama on key issues - not Republicans. ... The problem is that few people have any confidence that Mr. Obama will actually get anything done.” —COLUMNIST Gary Younge

Azeri-Press Agency, Azerbaijan Russia Considers Banning U.S. Dollar "If the bill is approved, Russian citizens will have to close their dollar accounts in Russian banks within a year and exchange their dollars in cash to Russian rubles or other currencies. Failure to do so will result in their accounts being frozen and fined." — NEWS ITEM, Azeri Press Agency

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. LIVE BLOG: Senate Control Handed Back to Republican Party --- Senate and House results -- State of the states -- key races to watch across the U.S. -- Immigration failure will lead to 'civil war' among of Democratic lawmakers. — LIVE UPDATES ALL DAY

2014: A REPUBLICAN WAVE

Le Monde, France Midterms: Obama Weakened When World Needs U.S. Most TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "One thing is certain: on our mangled planet, a weakening of the president of the United States is not good news. What other world power could send in the cavalry when things go awry? China? Putin's Russia - which loathes Western values? The United Nations, whose chronic impotence is famous?" — Journalist Dominique Simonnet, Historian Nicole Bacharan

WORLD WITHOUT U.S. LEADERSHIP

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland U.S. Midterms: The Sins of Obama - Real and Imagined TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "Obama - who had promised to lessen inequality - has indeed disappointed. He also has bad luck, as this year has been a bad one around the world. ... For all these misfortunes Obama is blamed, even if it remains extremely questionable whether he could have done anything to prevent or more effectively counteract them." — COLUMNIST Mariusz Zawadzki

SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS: OBAMA'S FAULT?

de Volkskrant, The Netherlands 'iGay': Apple Does it Better than the Church of Rome TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH "Tim Cook is the pope of the digital church, the vicar of Steve Jobs on earth. He sells his products on all continents and with his outspoken statement he now includes a small message of tolerance with every iPad and iPhone the company sells." — COLUMNIST Bert Wagendorp

COOK: A PUBLIC STAND FOR EQUALITY?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. GHCQ Chief Calls U.S. Tech Giants 'Network of Choice' for Terror "Privacy has never been an absolute right and the debate about this should not become a reason for postponing urgent and difficult decisions. ... To those of us who have to tackle the depressing end of human behaviour on the internet, it can seem that some technology firms are in denial on misuse." — GHCQ Chief Robert Hannigan

GHCQ: PRIVACY MEANS TERROR

GUARDIAN: New GCHQ
Chief Spouts Fiery Rhetoric
but Agenda Remains Same

Daily Mail, U.K. Ten Reasons Bluffing, Boring, Blame-Pointing Obama Can Expect a Deserved' Beating "Like most of the world, I was entranced by this dynamic young senator. He seemed so fresh, vibrant, eloquent and smart. ... He's gone from being a shining, youthful beacon of audacious hope to a greying, defeatist purveyor of disappointment." — COLUMNIST Piers Morgan

MORGAN UNLEASHES ON JILTED OBAMA

Publico, Portugal Sweden and Finland: Military 'Impotence' Meets Russian Bear TRANSLATED PORTUGUESE Will Sweden and Finland abandon their historic neutrality to join NATO? In Stockholm, the case of of the 'ghost submarine' dominated the week. ... What worries Swedes is their military impotence. In December 2012, the commander of the armed forces shocked the nation by declaring that in the event of an attack, the army would only be able to defend the country for a single week?" — COLUMNIST Jorge Almeida Fernandes

WHAT IS PUTIN THINKING?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. SpaceShip Two Crash Casts Doubt on Space Tourism, Branson Says “We owe it to our test pilots to find out what went wrong. And once we find out - if we can overcome it, we will make absolutely certain that the dream lives on." — Sir Richard Branson CASTING A SHADOW OF DOUBT

Komsomolskaya Pravda, Russia Russia's Dissolution Over Ukraine War? Ridiculous! TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN To prevent such a breakup, one- time presidential economic adviser Andrey Illarionov says Crimea must be returned to Ukraine - as it is the 'rightful owner.' Mr. Illarionov recognizes self-determination, but only for the 'indigenous population,' which in the case of Crimea he believes to be the Crimean Tatars.' The Native Americans in the USA , too, don't possess their homeland. Nor do the Australian aboriginals. And then, of course, the state of Israel should ten not exist." — COLUMNIST Alexandr Grishin

RUSSIA WAR OF WORDS OVER UKRAINE

Financial Times, U.K. Mr. Obama Can Learn from George W. Bush “In Germany, students in elementary school recieve mandatory lessons on the Holocaust. In South Africa, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission bore witness to Apartheid. ... It is time for America to shine a light on its relationship with the native Indians." — COLUMNIST Edward Luce PREPARING FOR A 'THUMPIN'

The Local, Spain Spain's Security Chief: ISIL Wants Ebola 'Weapon' "Jihadists with connections to the extremist force ISIL discuss on Web forums how they could use Ebola as a weapon against the U.S. and the Western world in general." — Spain Security Chief Francisco Martinez TERRORIST 'CHATTER' ABOUT EBOLA

Die Tageszeitung, German Fear Mongering Media Turns the 'Home of Brave' into the 'Home of Afraid' TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "The elite uses fear mongering to consolidate existing structures. This has worked wonderfully well in the past - see the surveillance state.' ... Somehow it alll seems incongruous: In their national anthem, Americans sing the praises of the 'land of the free and the home of the brave.' At the moment, though, they are afraid of each other and the world. ... Is this the 'home of the brave?" — COLUMNIST Konrad Ege

PANIC IN THE LAND OF THE FREE

NATO, Daily Mail, Guardian, RT Belgium, U.K., Russia Russian Aircraft Over Europe: Scare Mongering or Legitimate Concern? Over recent days, Western media have been sounding the latest alarm - this one about Russian aircraft over Europe. Is there something to these concerns? Should the media and public officials be alarming the public over them? Or is there some other agenda? Here is the Daily Mail's latest 'five alarm fire' report on the issue, and reposts from Russia Today. — Russian and Brtish Reports FEAR MONGERING OR NEWS?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. How Will Cinema Deal with the Islamic State? "IS, the extremist group now controlling large swathes of Iraq and Syria, is also making story-telling in the region even more logistically hard, as well as giving filmmakers tales they don't want to tell." — REPORTER Emma Jones

ISALMIC STATE AT THE MOVIES

BBC NEWS: Roman Polanski
Freed in Poland after U.S.
Extradition Request

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland Putin 'Believes What He Wants to Believe' TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "However strange, it seems that the Russian president himself believes what the Kremlin's propagandists say on TV. Moreover, it's as if he also believed that his guests - famous Western experts and policy makers - were ready to accept the point of view of Rossiya 1 … A good number of them would likely agree that Washington, as they say in Russia, 'broke some trees,' and is responsible for a good deal of nonsense. But the view of Russia as an empire of the good - few are ready to accept. … Vladimir Putin lives in a reality he himself created - and that is very dangerous.'" — COLUMNIST WacLaw Radziwinowicz

PUTIN PUZZLES THE WEST

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. GCHQ Views Data Without a Warrant, Government Admits "Newly released documents from the British government reveal a lack of oversight for how it sifts communications data collected by NSA and other foreign governments." — CORRESPONDENT James Ball

SPY MACHINE OUT OF CONTROL

Andrew Marr Show, BBC News VIDEO: Jon Stewart on His Film 'Rosewater' W/ BBC's Andrew Marr OCT. 18, 00:05:28 Jon Stewart on his directorial debut - Rosewater. With him is Maziar Bahari, whose life the film is based on. Stewart and Bahari discuss repression in the Muslim world and the absurdity of U.S. Middle East policy and U.S. news coverage. — JON STEWART ON THE ANDREW MARR SHOW STEWART: 'INCOHERENT' US POLICY

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland Did Vladimir Putin Seek Poland-Russia Partition of Ukraine? Hardly Likely TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "Why invite someone to feast on a neighbor's body if one can have it all to oneself?'" — COLUMNIST Waclaw Radziwinowicz

POLAND-RUSSIA: UNLIKELY ALLIES

Warsaw Voice, Poland Poland Appeals Human Rights Ruling on CIA 'Black' Prison, Torture "The judges said Poland failed to stop the 'torture and inhuman or degrading treatment" to which the applicants were subjected by the CIA during their detention in Poland.'" — UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon

Publico, Portugal Erdogan's Pandora's Box: U.S. and Turkey on 'Collision Course' TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE "Contrary to the view of Turkish President Erdogan, Obama refuses to turn the military campaign against IS into one to speed the fall of the Assad regime. For Erdogan and his prime minister - Ahmet Davutoglu, Islamic State is a 'lesser devil' when compared with Assad. Analyst Soli Ozel writes: 'Davutoglu is saying that IS is the product of rage - and if the source of that rage goes, namely the Syrian regime, then such groups will also go.'" — COLUMNIST Jorge Almeida Fernandes

DISAGREEING ON THE ENEMY

BBC News, U.K. Britain and United States End Afghanistan 'Combat Operations' "Mistakes were made militarily, mistakes were made by the politicians at the time and this goes back 10, 13 years. ... Clearly the numbers weren't there at the beginning, the equipment wasn't quite good enough and we've learned an awful lot from the campaign. ... But don't let's ignore what has been achieved.'" — UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon

ARE COMBAT OPERATIONS 'OVER'?

ITAR-TASS, Russia French to Decide on Mistral Assault Ship Sale to Russia in November ITAR-TASS reports that the French Defense Ministry has told French Daily Liberation that it would decide on the already-delayed deivery of the first of two Mistral copter carrier/amphibious assault ships France sold to Russia in Novevember. Paris, after feverish lobbying by the U.S., delayed the $1.5 billion sale in September, but has never said it would cancel the sale. — NEWS ITEM, ITAR TASS

WILL FRENCH SELL TO RUSSIA?

ITAR-TASS: Russia to Sue
France If Mistral Not Delivered
MOSCOW TIMES: Russia
to Build Own Helicopter
Carriers after Mistral Deliveries

Gazeta, Russia Eight Months of War: Gains and Losses in the Ukraine Campaign TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIA "What has Russia gained? Russia, apparently, has gained Crimea. Although formally it will be a long time before the legitimacy of the annexation is recognized by the world, morally at least - the peninsula is registered as Russia's. The overall economic losses from Russia's rejection of the coup d'etat in Ukraine are significant. Political victory is not yet apparent, although, as we know, in politics, in contrast with the economy, one must play 'the long game.'" — EDITORIAL, Gazeta

RUSSIA IN UKRAINE: NO REGRETS

Daily Mail, U.K. U.S. Ebola 'SWAT' Teams to Rush 'Wherever' New Victims are Identified "The CDC Ebola Response Teams will consist of 10-20 people who can be sent to any hospital with a new case is lab-confirmed, or even before, if health officials believe a person is very likely to be infected with the virus." — COLUMNIST David McCormack

SWAT TEAMS FOR A VIRUS?

REUTERS: Pentagon Begins to
Train Ebola Rapid-Responders

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Zuckerberg in Beijing, Impresses Students with Q&A in Mandarin "Zuckerberg enjoys immense popularity in China, despite the inability of the country's Web users to access Facebook. While Zuckerberg’s Mandarin was far from fluent, during the 30-minute session he was at times charmingly idiomatic." — REPORTERS Alex Her, Jonathan Kaiman

THE LANGUAGE OF THE REALM

Le Figaro, France Apple-Facebook-Google: Egg Freezing Programs are a Peril to Humanity TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "Over and above the intrusion into the private lives of their employees, I think we need to discuss the manipulation of life itself! Google, for example, currently invests in extensive research into defeating death. Now they want to interfere with the question of birth. Is there nothing that can resist Google? I want to add that the couple, even life itself, will no longer be able to resist, either. We are observing a stupefying seizure of power by these companies, which are meddling with the future of humanity." — PHILOSOPHER, THEOLOGIAN Bertrand Vergel

TECH GIANTS: PLAYING GOD?

News, Switzerland Apple and Facebook Frozen Eggs: 'Eugenics' by Any Other Name TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "The rhetoric calls to mind the debates on 'scientific progress' in the 1930s. Any woman would reject state-sponsored eugenics - God forbid! On the other hand, eugenics practiced by the private sector - well that's another story!" — COLUMNIST Regula Stampfli

EGGS: HITLER WOULD BE ENVIOUS

FAZ, Germany Employee Eggs and the 'Cold' New World Order TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "Have fun, yes, but please - no reproduction! Because then female employees wouldn't be free for a few weeks. That is why now these generous brave new world corporations are offering to pay to freeze the egg cells of their employees - so they remain fully-functional as long as possible and give birth as late as possible. ... Even if everyone calls it a fad - just a friendly invitation from an employer to please set aside the desire to have children, it makes East Germany's Family Policy seem almost humane." — COLUMNIST Reinhard Mueller

EGS TODAY - ORGANS TOMORROW?

Politico, Polskie Radio, ITAQ TASS FALLOUT: Poland Speaker says Vladimir Putin Wanted to Split Ukraine w/Poland "In 2008, Putin wanted us to become participants in this partition of Ukraine. ... This was one of the first things that Putin said to my prime minister, Donald Tusk, when he visited Moscow." — POLISH SPEAKER and House Speaker Radoslaw Sikorski

RADOSLAW SIKORSKI: POLAND'S JOE BIDEN

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Ebola Exposing America's Fear; Obama's Vulnerability
EBOLAMANIA	“The virus is a metaphor for all that conservatives loathe, and sees the president’s policies under renewed attack.” —COLUMNIST Gary Younge

Der Spiegel, Germany German Intelligence Claims Pro-Russian Militia Downed MH17 "The BND chief said Ukrainian photos were manipulated and there are details indicating this. He also told the panel that Russian claims the missile had been fired by Ukrainian soldiers and that a Ukraine fighter had been flying near the passenger jet were false." — NEWS ITEM, Der Spiegel

PUTIN AND RUSSIA: HANDS CLEAN?

ITAR-TASS: Duma Foreign
Affairs Committee Chief says BND's
MH17 Report Exonerates Russia

Izvestia, Russia Deputy Chair of Duma Defense Committee: 'U.S. Needs War in New Russia' TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN "NATO needs Novorossiya [New Russia] as a springboard to reach Russia's 'soft underbelly. Today they [the West] have one goal - to draw Russia into the Ukraine conflict. This way they could continue their policies and we would be injured or dead." — Deputy Chairman of Duma Defense Committee Franz Klintsevich

RUSSIANS PREPARE FOR U.S. ATTACK

La Stampa, Italy Of Oil and Ethnic Cleansing: Allow Me to Explain the Turks TRANSLATED FROM ITALIAN "The Kurds are a people who numerically have a stronger claim on statehood than the mere 5 million Palestinians, but unlike the Palestinians, lack a public voice because Allah decreed they be born and live on a sea of oil - a sea from which flows a river of dollars to many, but above all to the Iranians and Iraqis." — COLUMNIST Mimmo Cándito

THE DARK SIDE OF ATATURK

Reuters, U.K. NSA 'Reviews' Deal Between Tech Chief and Keith Alexander "Under the arrangement, which was confirmed by Alexander and current officials, the NSA's Chief Technical Officer Patrick Dowd, is allowed to work up to 20 hours a week at IronNet Cybersecurity Inc., the private firm led by Alexander, his former boss." — REPORTERS Warren Strobel, Mark Hosenball

TRADING ON U.S. SECRETS?

Trouw, The Netherlands 'Our Allies Were Our Biggest Problem' TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH "Vice President Joe Biden, known for his loose tongue, accidentally spoke the truth last week. The poor man had to grovel for his candor, but he was absolutely right. ... the sheikhs and princes eagerly use Islam to give their authority a spiritual touch - but sooner or later it turns against them." — COLUMNIST Stevo Akkerman

UTTERING THE TRUTH HURTS

Die Zeit, Germany NSA Committee of Inquiry Threatened w/ Criminal Charges TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "Committee members are prohibited from quoting secret documents and from making public specific events mentioned in them. But they see it as their duty to ensure that contoversial incidents are investigated and that the public is told about maladministration." — NEWS ITEM, Die Zeit

LAWMAKERS SQUELCHED?

Politka, Serbia Putin Interview: 'West's Attempt to Blackmail Russia is Futile' TRANSLATED FROM SERBIAN "Seventy years ago, our nations, for humanity's sake, united to defeat the criminal ideology of hatred that threatened the very existence of our civilization. ... Today it is important that people in all our nations and continents remember the consequences that can result from the belief in one’s exceptionality." — Vladimir Putin, President of Russia

PUTIN WARNS ABOUT SANCTIONS

Trouw, The Netherlands Vietnam Lesson: 'Elephant Cannot Defeat Mosquitoes' TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH "The main lesson of the Vietnam War, even before it ended with the humiliating withdrawal of the Americans in 1975, was that the most powerful country on earth proved incapable of utilizing its superior military strength to impose its will on a faraway nation. The interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq confirmed that conclusion. ... The elephants can kill every mosquito they can trample upon, but in the marshes, the swarm of mosquitoes are quickly renewed." — COLUMNIST Hans Goslinga

HAS AMERICA LEARNED ANYTHING?

Diario Economic, Portugal The Enduring Significance of FDR's Four Freedoms TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE "Nearly 70 years after Roosevelt's death, his broad idea of freedom is not only about the autonomy of the individual, but a condition for realizing human achievement, and is as important today as it was when it was formulated." — COLUMNIST Vital Moreira

FREEDOM FROM WANT AND FEAR

Publico, Portugal Misnomer 'Islamic State' Highlights Dangerous Society-Wide Deception TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE "This manipulation of names and concepts is everywhere to be seen and poisons media discourse, discredits political discourse and creates a profound sense of powerlessness among citizens. ... The question is: if the Mafia names itself 'Sicilian Cultural Association' and Goldman Sachs renames itself 'Congregation of Barefoot Carmelites of Wall Street,' should the media use such designations? Or should it consider that the message conveyed by the designation is at odds with with - shall we call it the truth of the matter?" — COLUMNIST Jose Vitor Malheiros

ISLAMIC STATE: WHAT'S IN A NAME?

World's Apart, Russia Today VIDEO: Islamic State: Can the Kurds Be Relied Upon? Fadi Hakura, manager of the Turkey Project at Britain's Chatham House, one of Britian's leading think tanks, talks to host Oksana Boyco about whether the Iraqi Kurds will be able to spearhead a ground offensive against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq - and in the face of Turkey's opposition and their own desire for an independent state. — RT'S World's Apart ASKING TOO MUCH OF THE KURDS?

Die Zeit, Germany BND Data Officer Tells How Work with NSA Trumps German Law TRANSLATED FROM GERMANY "According to the BND's Data Protection Officer Dr. F., BND chief Schindler sees satellite data as existing largely in a legal vacuum as it is gathered from space where German data regulations do not apply." — REPORTER Lisa Caspari

THE LONG ARM OF THE NSA

The Independent, U.K. ISIL: U.S. Strategy is in 'Tatters' as Militants March On "American-led air attacks are failing. A U.S. failure to save Kobani, if it falls, will be a political as well as military disaster. ... Western Baghdad is now under serious threat." — COLUMNIST Patrick Cockburn

ALL ACCORDING TO PLAN?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K., Cuba 'Leads on Ebola' as the West Frets Over Border Security "Big hitters such as China or Brazil, or former colonial powers such France and the U.K., haven't been stepping up to the plate. Instead, the single biggest medical force on the Ebola frontline has been a small island: Cuba. ... That a nation of 11 million people and a GDP of $6,051 per capita, is leading the effort says much of the international response." — CORRESPONDENT Monica Mark

ALL TALK AND LITTLE ACTION?

GUARDIAN: Ebola - 'Fear Itself' the
Primary Issue for America and Europe
GUARDIAN: JFK Airport First in the
U.S. to Screen Passengers for Ebola
GUARDIAN: Ebola is Frightening; So
are Prejudices Outbreaks Provoke
OBSERVER: Forget Page Views
- Difficult Stories Need to be Told
OBSERVER: For Immediate Help,
Ethics of Research Must Change

de Volkskrant, The Netherlands Let's Not 'Lose Our Heads' Over IS Barbarity TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH "In the miracle year of 1989, the Berlin Wall fell and common sense had prevailed. A quarter century later, we need to take care not to lose our heads. The world seems more and more like an open air prison. Progress now consist of turning it into a closed one." — HISTORIAN Dirk-Jan van Baar

A FEW WORDS ABOUT BARBARITY

Guardian, Intercept, RT, U.K., Russia, U.S. Snowden: His Girl, His Movie Opening, Greenwald at TED With Edward Snowden's girlfriend 'coming out' and showing herself by his side in the new film about his life, Glenn Greenwald making an appearance at TED, and a number of other major surveillance-tied items breaking in the last 24 hours, we've put it all together for you here. — SURVEILLANCE BUNDLE

A SNOWDEN WEEKEND

Die Presse, Austria Use of Terrorists as Foreign Policy Tool Ensnares the Turks TRANSLATED FROM GERMANY "If President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had entered into some blind arrangement with the Islamists, it was an unparalleled mistake. Proving once again what happens when one tries to do business with a madman like Baghdadi, he recently threatened to kill Erdogan." — COLUMNIST Duygu Oezkan

BITTEN BY TERRORISM BUG

Die Welt, Germany IS: America Finds Itself in Israeli Shoes TRANSLATED FROM GERMANY "It's almost as if there were a standard that the West applies only to Israel - and then quickly forgets when their own country is in a fight with terrorists. This could be called hypocrisy." — COLUMNIST Clemens Wergin

THE KILLING OF 'HUMAN SHIELDS'

Diario Economico Portugal Ebola's Threat to the Economy and Society TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE "In a disaster scenario, Ebola can cause millions of deaths, but, before that happens, it would cause such a panic that it would devastate the minimal trust which forms the foundation on which the economy and society run. ... When we observe a performance like that of the Spanish authorities, we learn that at the level of political and health incompetence, anything is possible." — COLUMNIST Joao Cardoso Rosas

THE DANGER OF PUBLIC PANIC

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. A Nobel Peace Prize Favorite, Snowden to 'Appear' at Britian's Observer Ideas Event "We need to figure out how (and whether) societies can restore effective democratic control over our security agencies and whether the technology that has enabled comprehensive surveillance can serve to protect privacy." — OPEN UNIVERSITY Professor John Naughton

HEADY TIMES FOR SNOWDEN

Die Welt, Germany The New York Times' 'Strange Take' on Israel "Public Editor Margaret Sullivan lays out why she thinks columnist David Brooks should have revealed that his son is in the Israeli army. What her argument boils down to is that any connection to Israel taints a columnist morally, because she evidently believes that Israel itself is a morally stained country. With a little bit of imagination and research, she might have discovered that this is exactly how many anti-American Europeans and others view the United States." — COLUMNIST Clemens Wergin

Russia Today, Russia 'Putin the Peacemaker' T-Shirts Go on Sale in NYC Designer Shop "The Peacemaker collection, designer Julius Kasinskis says, is set to show a different, non-mainstream attitude in regard to Russia's president." — AUTHOR Nicholas Carr

ONLY IN NEW YORK?

Le Figaro, France Stopping Putin and IS: Neither a Cold War, Nor a War on Terror TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "Those familiar with recent history know that the world has changed dramatically and are wary of deceptive parallels. Be that as it may, the temptation remains to cling to experiences already lived through. ... Obama pretends that he doesn't want to reprise Iraq or Afghanistan, yet he repeats many of Bush's failings." — COLUMNIST Pierre Rousselin

REFIGHTING THE LAST WAR

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Robots Really are Coming for your Job, and You Can Do Nothing About It "The U.S. supreme court ruled that corporations are people. And now the corporations want to replace people with bots. Guess who wins?" — AUTHOR Nicholas Carr

FIRMS ARE 'PEOPLE,' BUT PREFER ROBOTS

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. National Crime Agency Would Restore Us to Soviet-Style Surveillance
SPY-CRAZY	“There is no threat to national security that justifies the kind of erosion of civil liberties NCA Chief Bristow seeks.” — COLUMNIST Simon Jenkins

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Chief of 'Britain's FBI' says Public Must Give Up Freedoms for Safety "It is necessary to win 'the public consent to losing some freedoms in return for greater safety and security . Snowden's revelations have damaged public confidence in our ability to access and use data in an appropriate way." — National Crime Agency Director Keith Bristow

NOT ENOUGH MASS SURVEILLANCE?

The Observer, U.K. 'In 1976 I Discovered Ebola, Now I Fear an Unimaginable Tragedy' "This isn't just an epidemic any more. This is a humanitarian catastrophe. We don't just need care personnel, but experts in logistics, trucks, jeeps and foodstuffs. Such an epidemic can destabilize entire regions." — Dr. Peter Piot

EBOLA: THE THREAT TO INDIA

Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany Obama's ' Experiment' Proves Only America Can Maintain Order TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "Obama clearly recognizes now that the United States is indispensable as guardian of a basic level of global order, but doesn't want to assume all the responsibility - not to mention costs alone." — COLUMNIST Nicolas Richter

OBAMA: LEARNED HIS LESSON?

CrossTalk, Russia Today VIDEO: Making Sense of 'Washington's Mischief' OCT. 3, 00:24:12 In this edition of Peter Levelle's CrossTalk, the panel attempts to make sense of American foreign policy and lack of debate over the latest war within the United States. Guests include Prfessor of History at King's College Joseph Loconte, CounterPunch columnist Jason Hirthler, and author and radio host David Swanson - an all- American panel by the way. Note is taken of the fact that ISIL is a 'product' of American foreign policy - a statement of fact that one will never encounter in the coopted U.S. mainstream media. — CROSSTALKING U.S. Foreign Policy WHERE'S THE DABATE ON WAR?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. U.S. Reroutes Flights to Prevent Catastrophic Stampede of Walruses "The Federal Aviation Authority has re-routed flights, and local communities have called on bush pilots to keep their distance in an effort to avoid setting off a panic that could see scores of walruses trampled to death." — SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT Suzanne Goldenberg

FAA IN WALRUS PROTECTION ROLE

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Argentina President Blames a 'U.S. Plot' for Debt Woes "I'm not naive, this is not an isolated move by a senile judge in New York,' said Fernández. 'Because vultures look a lot like the eagles of empires,' referring to the bald eagle, the national symbol of the United States." — CORRESPONDENT Uki Goni

LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO BLAME?

Der Spiegel, Germany Germany's Ramshackle Military at Odds with its Global Aspirations "Recent reports suggest the country's weapons systems are in such disrepair that Berlin actually has very little to offer its partners." — NEWS ITEM, Der Spiegel

SO MUCH FOR GERMAN 'POWER'

Le Figaro, France Outcome of Anti-ISIL War Depends on New Shiite-Sunni Dynamic TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "The rallying of four Arab states, which have joined the American Air Force, thereby legitimizing the bombing campaign on Syrian territory, is above all symbolic. ... The important thing is that the five are Sunni and seem finally to have realized that they have given birth to a monster to wage a war against the Shiite axis directed by Tehran. The extreme complexity of the overlapping conflicts in the region makes any outcome uncertain. One must hope that the barbarity of ISIL brings a profound enough response to trigger a new dynamic." — COLUMNIST Pierre Rousselin

WILL MUSLIMS COME TO THEIR SENSES?

Ouest, France Globalization Makes it Easier to Address Climate Difficulties TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "The formula remains far from resolved. Yet at the dawn of this new century, it seems the globalization of trade and information will inevitably lead to the finding of shared solutions. Common sense says that both should be focused on reducing inequality and repairing our ecosystems." — EDITORIAL, Ouest

A GLOBALIZED SOLUTION?

The Telegraph, U.K. A New U.S. threat to British, European, and American Data Privacy As if they haven't damaged the market positions of American tech firms enough, data-sucking U.S. authorities are at it again, this time by suborning the likes of Microsoft, Apple and Google to allow U.S. authorites access to e-mails and other data held in what is know as the 'Cloud'. — NEWS ITEM, Telegraph AMERICA: LAND OF MASS SPYING

Die Tageszeitung, Germany Climate Summit & Merkel's 'Cerebral Circuitry Overload' TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "The lament over Merkel's absence ignores the fact that her absenteeism is an expression of chronic climate policy fatigue. ... The complexity of the issue seems to overwhelm our cerebral circuitry." — COLUMNIST Manfred Kriener

TOO MUCH INFORMATION?

Le Figaro, France The Workings of the Islamic State Laid Bare TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "prisoners have told of having been sodomized shortly after their arrival. With humiliations like these, IS seeks to regress these fighters to the condition of animals to prepare them for committing the worst atrocities. And as these sessions have been filmed, the man thus abused will be disowned by his family, if ever he leaves the ranks of IS." — COLUMNIST Georges Malbrunot

IS: HOW TO GENERATE BARBARITY

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. British Lawmakers Vote to Approve Air Strike Against Iraq 524 to 43 Government wins vote by to 542 to 43 – Cameron: ISIS needs to be destroyed in Syria as well as Iraq -- Miliband: 2003 war means U.K. has responsibility to act now -- Read full motion on which MPs voted -- Cameron and Miliband's speeches and summary of events. — REPORTERS Andrew Sparrow, Claire Phipps BRITS TO RETURN TO BOMB IRAQ

De Morgen, Belgium The War on Terror 'Delusion' Lives On TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH "May the question be asked whether the intention to eliminate the leaders of IS or 'chop off the head of the dragon' is a good strategy? One cannot escape that the successful attack on Osama bin Laden failed to halt the fundamentalist terrorism he wrought. Under the contrary - the idea that you can stop to this barbarism with even more repression, more weapons and more bombing may prove to be a very expensive delusion." — COLUMNIST Yves Desmet

MORE WAR: WILL IT WORK?

Le Monde Diplomatique, France The 'New Cold War' "Moscow will not allow Ukraine to become a rear base for its enemies. Russia's people, inflamed by nationalist propaganda that is more extreme than Western brainwashing (and that's saying something), won’t have it." — COLUMNIST Serge Halimi CAN ANYTHING BREAK THE ICE?

Breaking the Set, Russia Today VIDEO: Chris Hedges on Climate Corporatism and the Need for Civil Revolt SEPT. 24, 00:09:14 "We have undergone a corprate coup d'etat in slow motion. Our political system is now a form of legalized bribery. ... If you defy corprate interests, these very powerful forces step in ... and when they do they destroy you." — JOURNALIST Chris Hedges HEDGES: CALL FOR CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

The Independent, U.K. Chelsea Manning: 'Make ISIL Fall on Own Sword'
BOMBOOZLED	“Degrade and destroy? The West should try to disrupt the canny ISIL militants into self- destruction, because bombs will backfire.” — WHISLEBLOWER Chelsea Manning

The Independent, U.K. America's Attacks on ISIL a Likely Boon to Bashar al-Assad
ASSAD'S BOON	“In his Damascus home, the Syrian leader can reflect that the most powerful country - which only last year wished to bomb him into oblivion – now seeks to bomb his enemies into into the same oblivion.” — COLUMNIST Robert Fisk

TELEGRAPH: Syria Strikes:
Obama Undergoes
'Damascene Conversion'
SPECTATOR: Michael Fallon
says U.K. Should Reconsider
Military Action in Syria

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Live Blog: U.S. Air Strikes Begin Against ISIL in Syria "This is the Guardian's always good -place-to-start Live Blog of the initiation of U.S. and allied attacks on Islamic State targets inside Syria. It includes text, video and tweets from around the Internet." — REPORTER Matthew Weaver

THE BOMBING OF SYRIA BEGINS

Multiple Sources, Europe, Asia, Latin America LIVE BLOG: U.N. Climate Summit Opens in New York This is the Guardian's live coverage of all the action and climate-heating gases being generated at the U.N. in New York, as the world's leaders gather to tell us what they intend to do about climate change. Quoting U.N. 'Messenger of Peace' Actor Leonardo DiCaprio in his message to world leaders: 'You can make history, or you can be vilified by it.' — GUARDIAN LIVE BLOG HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS MARCH

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Live Blog: U.S. Air Strikes Begin Against ISIL in Syria "This is the Guardian's always good -place-to-start Live Blog of the initiation of U.S. and allied attacks on Islamic State targets inside Syria. It includes text, video and tweets from around the Internet." — REPORTER Matthew Weaver

THE BOMBING OF SYRIA BEGINS

BBC NEWS: LIVE BLOG:
U.S. Begins Air Strikes on
Islamic State Targets in Syria

Multiple Sources, Europe, Asia, Latin America VIDEOS: Coverage of People's Climate March ELEVEN VIDEOS FROM AROUND THE WORLD This is coverage of People's Climate Marches in New York and other cities from Britain's Telegraph, Russia Today, CCTV China, Reuters, Free Speech TV, TeleSurof Venezuela, the U.N., Euronews of France). — 11 NEWS SEGMENTS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS MARCH

News, Switzerland Islamic State: Preventing the 'Conquest of Rome' TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "The well-known megalomaniacal fantasies of IS jihadists, allegedly supported by former generals of Saddam, suggest this: The wet dream of some of the murderers seems to be the conquest of Rome by the Caliphate. ... The calculus is apparently to provoke an armed escalation and ultimately, an end -of-the-world style holy war." — COLUMNIST Patrik Etschmayer

PLANNING THE REEDUCATION OF IRAQ

Le Soir, Belgium Beheadings: The Devious ISIL Trap TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH " The greater and more brutal the West's response, the more these jihadis from Hell hope to fuel a potent feeling of 'double standards' across Sunni-Muslim lands based on the fact that for three years, the international community has passively stood by the martyrdom of a nation - the Sunni majority in Syria." — COLUMNIST Baudouin Loos

IS: GETTING THE WEST'S GOAT?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. U.S. Won't Commit to Climate Change Aid for Poor States at Summit "'We're putting a lot of pressure for them [wealthier countries] at the summit on the 23rd,' U.N. envoy and former Irish president Mary Robinson told the Guardian on the sidelines of a meeting of the U.S. Agency for International Development. But she added: 'I know the U.S. is not going to commit because I have asked.'" — Special U.N. Envoy on Climate Change Mary Robinson

U.N. ENVOY CALLS OUT WHITE HOUSE

Russia Today, Russia VIDEO: Assange on Secret Talk with Google CEO Eric Schmidt SEPT. 21, 00:24:15 Wikileaks Assange talks about a meeting with Google CEO Eric Schmidt and others, how Google uses its search engine and gears its business to actively support U.S. 'imperialist' policies, calls Google Glass the realization of an Orwellian horror because it places Google between your eyes and the world, and describes the impact Google has had on WikiLeaks. — NEWS SEGMENTS, Russia Today GOOGLE: AN ARM OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. LIVE BLOG: Climate March - People Around the World March to Demand Action "Tens of thousands of people across 150 countries take to the streets to march for action on climate change. Dubbed the People’s Climate March, it has been flagged as the biggest global call-to-action on climate change in history, they demand thet world leaders take action on climate change as they prepare for a U.N. summit in New York on Monday." — REPORTERS Melissa Davey, Adam Vaughan and Amanda Holpuch

CLIMATE: TO ACT OR NOT TO ACT?

Izvestia, Russia Russians Must Prepare for Lengthy Stand-Off with U.S. TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN "If Russia endures, in five to ten years, the critical foundations of U.S. influence will wane. A new system of payments and a reserve banking system, international banks, reserve currencies and financial centers will emerge, thereby accelerating flight from the dollar." — REPORTER Arnaud Focraud

HUNKERING DOWN, COME WHAT MAY

News, Switzerland Hedge Funds and Mega- Drought: When Private & Public Spheres Collide TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "Suppose a mere ten-year drought was to begin in Los Angeles, also impacting the Central Valley and Sacramento. It would soon spread through Las Vegas and Phoenix, all the way to West Texas. A horror scenario? Yes - unless you happen to be owner of the water rights." — COLUMNIST Patrik Etschmayer

WHO SHOULD HAVE THE WATER?

leJDD, France The Islamic State: What Paris Summit Failed to Resolve TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "If all the world agrees that the eradication of ISIL also involves Syria, the question remains no less thorny, because an intervention in that country, unlike in Iraq, happens to require the agreement of its regime." — REPORTER Arnaud Focraud

WHAT WAS RESOLVED?

Publico, Portugal Caution: Captain America's Weapons-Based 'Recovery' May Be Hazardous to You TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE "Fifty years after decolonization, the elites that rule the roost in the West have learned nothing from history, and continue to look at the world through neo-colonial glasses as thick as the bottoms of coke bottles! — COLUMNIST Manuel Loff

IS WAR OUR ONLY FORM OF 'GROWTH'?

Der Spiegel, Germany NSA 'Mapping Entire Internet' and 'All Devices Connected to It'; Spies on German Telekom "Treasure Map is the mandate for a mass raid on the digital world. It aims to map the Web, and not just the large traffic channels likes telecommunications cables. It also seeks to identify all devices across which our data flows, so-called routers. ... Furthermore, every single end device connected to the Internet somewhere in the world - every smart phone, every tablet and computer - is to be made visible." — Reporters Andy Muller-Maguhn, Laura Poitras, Marcel Rosenbach, Mike Sontheimer, Christian Grothoff NO PRIVACY FOR ANYONE, ANYTIME

Het Parool, The Natherlands 'Zionists Planned ISIS': Justice Official's Tweet Reflects Wider Problem TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH “Apparently, there are things that aren't allowed to be said in this regard,' suspended Justice official Yasmina Haifi tells NPO Radio 1. She was in the news due to her tweet: 'ISIS has nothing to do with Islam. It's part of a plan by Zionists who are deliberately trying to blacken Islam's name.' The New Dutch Islamic Party goes the extra mile in a tweet that equates Zionism with the IS, and is defended under free speech rights.” —Ibrahim Wijbenga of the Christian Democratic Party

MAKING POLITICAL INROADS IN EUROPE

Quadriga - DW, Germany VIDEO: 'Incompetent Europe' Needs the U.S. 'World Police' SEPT. 11, 00:12:39 This clip from Deutsche Welle's Quadriga program reflects the chaotic nature of this moment in history. Former Financial Times and International Herald Tribune columnist Judy Dempsey & German public radio reporter Burkhard Birke speak on whether the world still needs the U.S. 'world police.' Both believe that is does. — NEWS SEGMENTS, Russia Today AMBIVALENT BUT WITHERING CRITICISM

BBC News, U.K. Islamic State Crisis: World Leader Pledge to Support the Iraqis "Iran, Saudi Arabia, regional superpowers, back opposing sides in Syria. They will look closely to see if U.S. actions indirectly help their rival. ... Many argue that the British and Americans tore open sectarian scars when they invaded Iraq, and now risk making matters even worse." — CORRESPONDENT Jeremy Bowen IS: THE CONFLICTED ALLIANCE

BBC NEWS, U.K. VIDEO: David Cameron's Entire Response to Death of Aid Worker David Hains SEPT. 14, 00:06:09 "We will do all within our power to hunt down these murderers and ensure they face justice, however long it takes. ... they have planned and continue to plan, attacks across Europe and in our country." — PRIME MINISTER David Cameron DAVID CAMERON: 'DRAIN THIS POISON'

Hertener Allgemeine, Germany 'Generation 9-11': The End of Innocence for Americans and Us All TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "In terms of the consequences of September 11th, there is much in common between the 30 to 40 years olds in both the U.S. and Germany. The 9-11 generation, which ranges in age from the early thirties to early forties, is now marked by personal fears. There are massive feelings of insecurity due to collective experience of violence on September 11." — Sociologist and researcher Dr. Daniela Schiek

9-11: DISTURBING A GENERATION

Irish Times, Ireland 'War is Madness' Pope Says; 'WWIII has Begun' "In our world, behind the scenes, there are interests, geopolitical strategies, lust for money and power, and there is the manufacture and sale of arms, which seem to be so important." — POPE Francis IS THE END REALLY 'NIGH'?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Two American Senators Live on Remote Island for Reality TV Program "The two say they approached the network about creating the series, Rival Survival, in part because of their frustrations with American partisan politics." — CORRESPONDENT Amanda Holpuch REALITY TV MEETS U.S. SENATE

Le Figaro, France As Shown Again in Iraq, the French Must Reject 'Subjection' to America TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "This beneficial and necessary alliance should not be turned into subjection to America - in a systematic alignment of our diplomacy with hers. ... This spirit of independence was found again in the brave 2003 speech by Dominique de Villepin at the U.N., imploring the United States not to invade Iraq - and again, history proved him [and France] a hundred times correct." — COLUMNIST Renaud Girard

A CALL FOR FRENCH INDEPENDENCE

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Using Terorrism as a Tool Means More Terrorists "Governments sought use of extremist groups as proxies in battles for regional hegemony, or as a sectarian tool pitting Shiite against Sunni and Sunni against Shiite." — FORMER FBI Special Agent Ali Soufan THE TRUTH DRIBBLES OUT

Financial Times, U.K. VIDEO: At Saudi Meet, U.S. and Arab leaders Discuss the ISIL Threat SEPT. 12, 00:03:37 FT reports that Sunni Arabs find it 'hypocritical' Obama wants their help after he failed to act against Syria last year, but that they realize they 'have to play along to a certain extent'. The report also says that NATO-member Turkey has already said it will not take part in military action against Islamic State. — CORRRESPONDENT Simeon Kerr LIMP RESPONSE FROM SUNNIS

Russia Today, Russia VIDEOS: Russian Coverage: President Obama's Speech on Use of Force Against ISIL FIVE VIDEO SEGMENTS Five news segments from RT dealing with President Obama's speech on the use of military force against the Islamic State and on the territory of Syria. — NEWS SEGMENTS, Russia Today OBAMA SPEECH: WITHERING CRITICISM

Der Standard Austria ECB Move Tempts Collapse of Global 'House of Cards' TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN “Central banks have turned the global economy into an enormous house of cards that will sooner or later come crashing down. Rather than slamming on the brakes, they are carelessly upping the ante.” —FINANCIAL COLUMNIST Andreas Schnauder

ECB CHIEF DRAGHI ROLLS THE DICE

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Obama's Dilemma: U.S. Appetite for Power and Aversion to Political Risk
ITS LOSE-LOSE	“Americans want him Mr. Obama 'do something' about catastrophes abroad while withdrawing from the role of world policeman. ... It is running low on carrots, and it has broken its stick.” —COLUMNIST Gary Younge

Daily Mail, U.K. White House Denies Sotloff Claims 'Moderate' Syrians Sold Son to Islamic State "These so-called moderate rebels that people want us to support, one of them sold him probably for between $25,000 and $50,000." —Sotloff Family Spokesman Barak Barfi

Le Figaro, France Beware Perpetuation of NATO Through Fanning Flames Against Russia TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH “Whatever responsibility the Syrian regime bears for the emergence of the Islamic State, the priority is no longer ousting a bloody dictator, but preventing the creation of a jihadist state at the heart of the Arab world with networks leading straight into European suburbs. ... The absence of a strategy, however, mustn't lead NATO to exacerbating a conflict with Russia simply to perpetuate itself.” —COLUMNIST Pierre Rousselin

DOTH NATO PROTEST TOO MUCH?

BBC HARDtalk, U.K. VIDEOS: Presidents of Ukraine and Georgia TWO HARDTALK VIDEOS What does the president of Georgia, which was invaded and lost territory to Russia in 2008, think NATO and Ukraine should do, give the current tensions in Ukraine? What does Ukraine's president think of the NATO Summit? Hardtalk speaks to both men. — BBC HARDtalk LEADERS AGGRIEVED BY INVASION

Stop TTIP, Germany VIDEO: Citizens Initiative to STOP Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership 01:09:49 What's wrong with the largest 'free for multinationals' trade agreement in history now being negotiated in secret by governments owned and operated by companies that stand to benefit most from the treaty? This video from the European Citizens' Initiative against TTIP explains why the treaty is rotten for the public and agencies meant to protect them. — When Free Trade isn't Free SHINING A LIGHT ON TTIP TALKS

Die Zeit, Germany Islamic State Barbarism has Ignites Long-Absent Muslim Soul-Searching TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "The triumphant march of ISIL has shocked the Middle East. Barbarians rage in the heart of the Fertile Crescent. Here the alphabet was invented, the first poems written, here lie the oldest cultural and political roots of humanity. This archaic barbarism that may irreparably destroy the ancient polyglot texture of the Middle East, has sparked a broad and self-critical debate among commentators, scholars, politicians, and citizens." — COLUMNIST Martin Gehlen

CAN THINGS CHANGE IN ISLAM?

Ukraine Orthodox Church, Ukraine Ukraine Orthodox Church Patriarch: Putin 'New Cain'; 'Under influence of Satan' "For all the blood that was shed at your will, and the evil done by your your order, your punishment will be the same as the punishment of the liar and fratricide Cain - the curse and eternal damnation." — Patriarch Filaret of Ukrainian Orthodox Church CHURCH CHIEF: PUTIN GOING TO HELL

Le Figaro, France The 'Caliphate Effect': New Horizons for Global Jihad TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "If ISIL doesn't always win people over, it inspires - everywhere. The largest Muslim country in the world, Indonesia, has become alarmed by the growing popularity of IS in certain segments of the population. And here, in Europe, an unprecedented wave of global jihadists is rising up. Their return from the front promises to be painful." — COLUMNIST Arnaud de La Grange

ISLAMIC STATE POPULARITY IS GROWING

BBC, VAZ, U.K. and Italy VIDEOS: NATO Summiteers Eat, Drink, Talk, Shop for Arms, Watch RAF Aircraft EIGHT VIDEO SEGMENTS Precious little of significance ever happens at these events, except people get to know one another, which is important on some level. Although invariably, an ungodly amount of money is spent on food, security, enabling the delegates to ignore protesters, and here, the crass opportunism of the weapons industry pandering to NATO leaders on the cusp of a two wars is truly embarrassing. — Behind Scenes at NATO Summit NATO SUMMITEERS HOBNOBBING

Russia Today, Russia Russian Media on NATO Summit, Ukriane Crisis NINE VIDEO SEGMENTS This is another of our regular media narrative comparisons on the Ukraine crisis. With the NATO Summit now going on in Wales, take a dip into the storyline being offered the public by Russia's English- language broadcaster, RT. — CROSS TALK DEBATE TRUSTING WESTERN INTELLIGENCE

BBC, France24, DW, Euronews European Media on NATO Summit and Ukriane Crisis TWENTY VIDEO SEGMENTS This is the latest Worldmeets.US media narrative comparisons on the Ukraine crisis. This post shows the narrative of Europe from the BBC, France 24, Deutsche Welle and Paris-based Euronews. — PRESSURE ON HIGH IN WALES RUSSIA SANCTIONS OVER UKRAINE

BBC, Guardian, U.K. LIVE BLOGS: NATO Summit in Wales - E.U. to Announce New Sanctions on Russia

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. NATO Summit: Where Tanks and Fighter Jets are 'Par for the Course' "One of the more incongruous sights at the NATO summit is of military hardware strewn on the greens and bunkers of the Celtic Manor golf resort. ... Parked near one of the holes, close to a sign warning: 'Danger: Golf In Progress from Right', are an armored personnel carrier, a tank and a fighter aircraft." —CORRESPONDENT Ewen MacAskill CRASS WEAPONS COMMERCIALISM

Die Welt, Germany West Must Not Allow Kiev to 'Internationalize War' TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "Shall we die for Ukraine? ... That Ukrainian president Poroshenko and his officials are now talking of an invasion does, of course, have a political backdrop: He wants to involve the West in the conflict. ... The United States and European Union should not give him his wish." — COLUMNIST Ludwig Greven

HOW FAR TO GO TO DEFEND UKRAINE?

Novosti, Russia France Puts Off Delivery of First Mistral-Class Copter Carrier to Russia "Russia's recent actions in east Ukraine violate the principles of European security. The president of the republic stated that despite prospects for cease- fire, which is yet to be achieved and put into practice, present circumstances do not allow the delivery of the first helicopter carrier by the French republic." — National Security Council of France

NOVOSTI: Industry and Trade
Minister: Russia Believes Mistral
Delivery Contract to Be Fulfilled
GUARDIAN: France Halts Delivery
of Warship in Protest Over Russia
Role in Ukraine

Gazeta, Russia FLASHBACK: Only with U.S. Help Can 'Northern Civilization' Be Saved TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN "We must permit our minds to let go of memories, tormented as we are by past grievances, and understand that only with the United States can the E.U. & Russia save northern civilization." — AMBASSDOR to NATO Dmitriy Rogozin

THE CHANGING WINDS OF POLITICS

Cross Talk, Russia Today Ukraine in Retreat: Western Narrative Threatens Peace SEPTEMBER. 3, 00:24:41 The panel discusses the diametrically- opposed narratives over Ukraine, and the 'fact deprived' way Western media depicts unfolding events in the region. — CROSS TALK DEBATE MORE FULL OF CRAP?: RUSSIA OR WEST?

de Volkskrant, The Netherlands Despite Horror of Beheading, 'Glorifying Terrorism' Should Not Be Made Criminal Offense TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH "CDA Party leader Buma has asked that the glorification of terrorism be criminalized. The occasion was publication of disgusting photos of the beheading of James Foley, and parodies depicting other 'victims.' ... Would such a criminalization be legally possible - and would it improve matters? ... Many potential suspects would simply 'enjoy' being convicted. So much free publicity (and if convicted - martyrdom)." — ATTORNEY Feer Verkade

TIME FOR LAWS AGAINST FREE SPEECH?

Cross Talk, Russia Today VIDEO: How Much of a Threat is Islamic State? SEPTEMBER. 1, 00:26:59 Is the Islamic State being built into a monolithic enemy for the purpose of preparing the American people for another war/military intervention? Or is this media demonization just a way for policy makers to cover their butts - just in case something does happen? — CROSS TALK DEBATE IS: A TRUMPED-UP THREAT?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. LIVE BLOG: The Murder of Journalist Steven Sotloff Video purports to show beheading of second U.S. journalist -- Release falls two weeks after killing of U.S. journalist James Foley -- 'A few' Americans still held by group -- U.S. State department: 'We are sickened'. — REPORTER Tom McCarthy

ANOTHER TERRORIST MANIPULATION

British Media, U.K. A-List Hacker 'On the Run'; 'Paid in Bitcoin' The Daily Mail reports that the culprit, who said he leads a band of hackers, is on the run, and accoridng to the Mirror, he was paid in Bitcoin for some of the nude photos of celebrities he stole from the iCloud. —MULTIPLE SOURCES

2014 HACKED iCLOuD CAPER

La Stampa, Italy Caliphate and Kobe Bryant: Between Mafia and Sharia TRANSLATED FROM ITALIAN "More than a Caliph, Al Baghdadi has the personality of the Godfather. ... As he fights, rebuilds homes, profits from crime and recruits terrorists, Baghdadi would be laughing at the 'jayvee team putting on Kobe Bryant jerseys' - if anyone took the time to translate the naive text of the very cultured New Yorker magazine." — COLUMNIST Gianni Riotta

BAGHDADI: MAD BUT NO AMATEUR

Cross Talk, Russia Today VIDEO: How Much of a Threat is Islamic State? SEPTEMBER. 1, 00:26:59 Is the Islamic State being built into a monolithic enemy for the purpose of preparing the American people for another war/military intervention? Or is this media demonization just a way for policy makers to cover their butts - just in case something does happen? — CROSS TALK DEBATE IS: A TRUMPED-UP THREAT?

Der Spiegel, Germany 'Two-Faced': Turkey is NSA 'Partner and Target' "Turkey is itself the target of intense surveillance even as it works closely with the U.S. One NSA document describes the country bluntly as both a 'partner and target.'" — REPORTERS Laura Poitras, Marcel Rosenbach, Michael Sontheimer, Holger Stark BOTH ARE SPYING ON TURKEY

British Media, U.K. Nude Photos and Data on 100 A-Listers Leaked by iCloud Hacker '4chan' “An anonymous hacker gained access to private photos on the Hunger Games actress’s mobile phone, and those of 100 others, via Apple storage system iCloud.” —MULTIPLE SOURCES

A-LISTER NUDES APPLE I-HACKED

BBC NEWS: 'Cloud' Concerns
After Celebrity Picture Leaks

Financial Times, U.K. Republicans Must Regain Foreign Policy 'Realism'
QUICK TO SHOOT	“Instinctive militarism is now the Republican way; force is answer to every question.” — COLUMNIST Edward Luce

La Stampa, Italy Reagan Sets 'Acid Test' for Crisis-Beset Obama TRANSLATED FROM ITALIAN "Above all, he lacks the talent which Gorbachev maintained was most important in a U.S. president: Barack Obama does not enjoy, deep down, the trust of the American people. That is why all the players in the Mideast - allied, neutral, and deadly adversaries, feel free to act against the U.S." — COLUMNIST Gianni Riotta

OUTMATCHED BY THE GIPPER?

Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany Ukraine War: A 'Hopeless Struggle' for the Lost East TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN “As long as the Kremlin denies it runs the show in eastern Ukraine, honest talks cannot be conducted. ... So what's left for President Poroshenko and Kiev officials to do? They must prepare the people, for better or worse, for the fact that part of the Donbas region, which is still in the hands of pro- Russian militia forces, is lost.” —COLUMNIST Cathrin Kahlweit

PUTIN GIVES NO GROUND IN MINSK

The Independent, U.K. Barack Obama Refuses to Decide: Fails to Act
NO BITE OBAMA	“Instead of a strategy to deal with ISIL and Russia, the presidency offers veiled threats.” — COLUMNIST Janet Daley

OBSERVER: Britain's Best
Defense to the Terror
Threat is Global Action
GUARDIAN: Critics Hit
Out at Ashdown's Criticism
of 'Kneejerk' Response

Economist, U.K. NATO Summit is Mr. Putin's Wake-Up Call "The meeting on September 4th will not have to spend time agonising over what the 65-year-old alliance is for." — ECONOMIST Analysis TURNING POINT ON UKRAINE?

GUARDIAN: E.U. Leaders
Deliver Sanctions Ultimatum
to Russia Over Ukraine

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Economic Warfare: RIP the Free Market New World Order
IRON CURTIAN II?	“Russia is facing damaging economic sanctions, but this also brings down the final curtain on capitalism's apparent victory in 1989.” — COLUMNIST Larry Elliott

The Independent, U.K. Meet the Frankenstein of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, or as We Know Them, ISIL
ISIL SLIPS LEASH	“After spending billions, Saudi and Qatari Wahhabists are finding that money cannot and has not, purchased loyalty.” — COLUMNIST Paul Vallely

Liberation, France France has its Own 'Ferguson' Problem TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH “Commentators have urged the American authorities to fight discrimination more vigorously. How about the French authorities? There may not be enough Black members of the American police, but does France have enough Muslims in the French police? ... Ferguson is in fact not that exotic.” —COLUMNIST Laurent Joffrin

NO BETTER THAN FERGUSON?

Keiser Report - RT, Russia VIDEO: 'Les Miserables' ... Ferguson and Bank Fraud AUGUST 26, 00:25:46 In this episode, Max Keiser & Stacey Herbert highight the connection between the crisis in Ferguson and the massive political and bank fraud that continues with impunity in the United States and beyond. An excellent episode of pathos and righteous indignation. — THE KEISER REPORT FERGUSON MAY SIGNAL A TREND

Der Spiegel, Germany Violence in Ferguson: Some Worry 'Things Will Never Change' “We're like animals to them, ones they can shoot down like deer. The police know that most of us can't even afford a lawyer. ... People are completely powerless.” — BLACK RESIDENT of Ferguson Missouri

LOST HOPE OR NEW TRACTION?

BBC News, U.K. NSA and GCHQ 'Leak Tor Bugs', Developer Says "British and American intelligence agents attempting to hack the 'dark Web' are being deliberately undermined by colleagues, it has been alleged by Tor." — TOR OFFICER Andrew Lewman TOR: IT'S SPY VS. SPY

THE INTERCEPT: Surveillance
Engine - How the NSA Built
Its Own Secret Google
BBC HARDTALK VIDEO:
Web Bringing Capitalism to End,
says Economist Jeremy Rifkin

Vatican News, Holy See Pope Francis Calls Parents of Journalist James Foley “In the midst of their irreplaceable loss, the parents of slain journalist James Foley were called by Pope Francis, who consoled them after their loss and offered his prayers.” — REPORTER Lydia O'Kane

POPE REACHES OUT TO FOLEYS

VATICAN NEWS: Pope Sends
Letter of Condolence to Family
of Slain Journalist James Foley
VATICAN NEWS: Iraqi Patriarch
Appeals to the World: 'Don't be
Indifferent to Our Suffering'

Le Nouvel Observateur, France Beheading Shows 'Weakness'; Video Should Not Be Viewed TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH “We all must take this barbaric killing which has been so grotesquely exhibited by those who committed it for what it is: an admission of weakness and impotence, a pathetic attempt to loosen a military vise. Not looking at what the barbarians want us to see is a way of saying, modesty - no, we won't take part in this macabre game.” —WAR CORRESPONDENT Jean-Paul Mari

IS THIS A TIME FOR SELF-CENSORSHIP?

The Observer, U.K. Failure to Address Root Causes of al-Qaeda Led to Rise of Islamic State
ROOT CAUSES	“The causes that led to the rise of ISIL are all too familiar - and the Americans have contributed their share to them.” — DUBAI ANALYST Hassan Hassan

Berliner Zeitung, Germany Zeal to Punish Snowden, and Assange, Criminalizes Keeping Public Informed TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN “A shift in political consciousness is taking place in the democracies, especially in the United States, which may lead to a situation in which it will not only be possible to eliminate the right to well- informed participate in society, but to criminalize that participation.” —COLUMNIST Patrick Bahners

U.S. UNFRIENDLY TO THE TRUTH

The Independent, U.K. ISIL: Talk of 'Apocalyptic' Threat is Simply Childish
FEAR MONGERS	“Chuck Hagel and Martin Dempsey were pure Hollywood. They only needed Tom Cruise. ... Who writes this God- awful script? Can’t the U.S. Defence Secretary and his joint chiefs chair do any better?” — COLUMNIST Robert Fisk

The Independent, U.K. West Poised to Join with President Assad "The U.S. has already covertly assisted the Assad regime by passing on intelligence about the exact location of jihadi leaders through the BND, the German intelligence service, a source tells The Independent. This may explain why Syrian planes and artillery have been able on occasion to target rebel troops, headquarters accurately." — COLUMNIST Patrick Coburn

ASSAD: THE DICTATOR SURVIVES

Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany U.S. Police Now 'Auxiliary Troops of War on Terror' TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN “After the mass murders of Sept. 11, the solution was for every police station to be prepared for the worst. Just as the U.S. wages its wars like criminal actions by the world police, local police back home are drafted as auxiliary troops in the war on terror.” —COLUMNIST Patrick Bahners

WHAT ARE POLICE EQUIPPED TO DO?

Gazeta, Russia Western Sanctions Show Russians Cost of Independence TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN "The sanctions show clearly to all that the rules favor the West. If that's how it is, then so be it. If you want to use them - then learn them. If you don't want to use them - that's your choice, but just know what you will be deprived of. Sanctions imposed by the West, and the ones we've imposed in return, will prompt people in advance to what this would cost them personally." — COLUMNIST Andrei Desnitsky

DEALING WITH SANCTIONS

Der Spiegel, Germany German Spies, U.S. Torture, the Islamic State, Ukraine War CIA's former point man defends waterboarding; Can ISIL be defeated by Americans, Europeans, Kurds, Iranians?; Berlin cries then spies; and the forgotten Ukraine war. — FROM DER SPIEGEL

ROUNDUP FROM DER SPIEGEL

Polityka, Poland 'Drunk' Over Crimea, Sanctions will Bring Russia to its Senses TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "In the long run, Russia can not live as is in a besieged fortress and with its global reputation in tatters. For its own modernization and development, it is Russia who needs Europe and the U.S.- and not the other way round. In Russia, where Putin enjoys strong support today, forces will emerge that will understand that." — COLUMNIST Marek Ostrowsk

WILL THE RUSSIANS BUCKLE?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. James Foley's Murder Will See Calls for Military Action - Which is What ISIL Wants
PROVOCATION	“The 'war on terror' has made jihadism stronger than ever. ISIL is being gladly assisted by those in the West who portray it as a pure and unique evil which must be onliterated, granting the militant group the mystique it so craves.” — COLUMNIST Owen Jones

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Outrage Over Beheading of U.S. Journalist: Live This is the Guardian's live blog of coverage, inculding text, tweets and video, of the global reaction to the beheading killing of U.S. journalist James Foley. — LIVE BLOG, Guardian

BITTER END FOR A GOOD REPORTER

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. ISIL Nightmare is Not a 'Holy War,' it is an Unholy Mess
POWER VACUUM	“It isn't religious zealotry but the collapse of state power that makes the clash in Iraq feel like a return to the dark ages.” — COLUMNIST Jonathan Freedland

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Ferguson: Violence of the State has Created Violence of the Street
RACE ERUPTION	“Nobody in their right mind wants additional violent protests. But, as Reverend King said, 'a riot is the language of the unheard'” —COLUMNIST Gary Younge

Polytika, Poland 'Collective Orgasm' Over Crimea Pushes Putin Into Invasion TRANSLATED FROM POLISH “The Russian president, an ex-KGB officer, is hostage to his own cult, which is having a collective orgasm over Crimea. He cannot show the country, which stands firmly behind him, any form of weakness. Will he unflinchingly lead another generation of young Russians to their deaths?” —COLUMNIST Adam Szostkiewicz

ALARMED OR PROPHETIC?

Izvestia, Russia Convoy: If Russian Patriotism is a Threat to Business - So be it TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN “The interests of business and those of the nation very often do not coincide. When the mood, passion, love and indignation of the people boil, then one must sacrifice the interests of business.” —COLUMNIST Eduard Limonov

PRICE OF RUSSIAN PATRIOTISM

Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany U.S. Wields German Spying on Hillary as Post-Snowden Cudgel TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "The United States has begun to use information provided by [German double agent] Markus R. in its dispute over U.S. espionage in Germany. Clinton's intercepted phone call is being taken as proof that the Germans were also spying on the United States." — REPORTER COLUMNIST Georg Mascolo

HOW MUCH DO GERMANS SPY?

Russia Today, Russia VIDEO: Julian Assange Plans to Leave Ecuador Embassy in London August 18, 00:26:30 "Throughout this entire time I have not been charged. Europe is meant to be a place where the rule of law is respected, and basic rights are respected ... but somehow a situation has developed where basic rights we thought were universally held are no longer respected." — WIKILEAKS' Julian Assange ASSANGE TO MAKE BID TO ESCAPE

Le Soir, Belgium Ebola: The Luxury of Indifference is Gone TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "At first, the sick and hopeless, were people who were distant, poor, and superstitious. So they died, and no one spoke of them again. Today, being indifferent to the suburbs of the world and which face the greatest crises, is not only morally wrong, but a political mistake. It is also a luxury we can no longer afford." — COLUMNIST Colette Braeckman

EBOLA: WHEN NO ONE IS DISTANT

Die Tageszeitung, Germany Suicide as a Taboo: The 'Judas Iscariot' of Crime TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN “The number of victims of AIDS, violence and natural disaster - none compare with the number of suicide victims. ... It isn't discussed. ... It's no coincidence that the person who committed the worst crime - the betrayer of God Judas - hung himself.” —COLUMNIST Wolfgang Prosinger

WHY NO DISCUSSION OF SUICIDE?

Le Monde, France France and the West Must Help Middle East Pick Life Over Death' TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "It is the dawn of a decisive moment when the region swings to one side or the other. Our role is to help it choose life over death. ... Today, resort to unilateral strikes is not a solution. The action cannot be taken without a U.N. resolution. We must not continually repeat the same mistakes. ... Let us remember that even without American unilateral intervention in 2003, there would not have been such a boulevard for totalitarian forces in Iraq." — FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER Dominique de Villepin

THIS TIME, NO FRENCH VETO

Liberation, France Belated Action in Iraq Must be Coordinated TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "This tragedy, which has been building for months, first had to hit the minority Christians for Obama to finally find that, 'the United States cannot look away,' at atrocities committed by the Islamic State. It's never too late, of course. One need only read reports from Najaf and Sadr City to understand the extent of the chaos in the region and the imperative to finally begin to act." — COLUMNIST Alexandra Schwartzbrod

HOPING FOR BETTER RESULTS

The Independent, U.K. Racial Equality in America Suffers a Violent Setback “The residual poison of racial segregation and discrimination has still not been purged from American society.” — EDITORIAL, The Independent

EQUALITY PROVES ELUSIVE

BBC HARDTalk, U.K. VIDEO: Robin Williams INTERVIEW CONDUCTED IN 1999 SERIOUS QUESTIONS FOR WILLIAMS

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Robin Williams' Divine Madness Will No Longer Disrupt World's Sadness
CRUEL WORLD	"Is it melancholy to think that a world that Robin Williams can't live in must be broken? To tie this sad event to the overarching misery of our times? ... Suicide among the middle- aged rose inexplicably in 1999 and has been rising ever since. Could this be a condition of our era?" — COMEDIAN Russell Brand

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Robin Williams: the Sadness of a Clown that Couldn't be Fixed
NO SOLUTION	“Physical illness the medical profession understands. It knows what to do when the body malfunctions and what not to do. Mental illness, if illness is the right word, seems lost in some dark age.” — COLUMNIST Simon Jenkins

Gazeta, Russia 'Successful' Russia Sanctions Would be Nightmare for West TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN “After several years, Europe and the West may end up dealing with a nation that is so firmly in the throes of anti- American and anti-Western sentiment that the Soviet Union will seem like a close ally by comparison.” —COLUMNIST Georgy Bovt

TOPPLING PUTIN: IS THAT THE GOAL?

The Economist, U.K. Prostitution and the Web: 'More Bang for Your Buck' "As paid-for sex becomes readily and discreetly available online, more people will buy it. Greater awareness may develop that not all sex workers are the victims of exploitation. ... The internet has disrupted many industries. The oldest one is no exception." — The Economist PROSTITUTION: COMING OF AGE?

Diario de Noticias, Portugal Africa Cannot Be Left to Washington and Beijing TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE “Obama, son of a White woman from Kansas and a Kenyan man, has special reasons to promote this strategic approach, but the truth is that America knows that as the leading power, it cannot remain aloof to the development of the continent.” —EDITORIAL, Diario de Noticias

OBAMA: SHMOOZING AFRICA

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. 1914: The Great War has Become a Nightly Pornography of Violence
WAR PORN?	“The centenary has been seized as a military propaganda ploy. The So-called lessons learned have been either ignored or utterly forgotten.” — COLUMNIST Simon Jenkins

Russia Today, Russia VIDEOS: 100 Years Since Outbreak of World War I NINE VIDEOS FROM EUROPE, ASIA It was 100 years ago today that Germany and Austria mobilized and formally began World War I, also known for a time as the 'war to end all wars.' About 17 million people were killed as a direct result of the hostilities. Ceremonies were held around Europe and as far as Singapore. — EUROPEANS REMEMBER THE 'WAR TO END ALL WARS'

Le Figaro, France Gaza: The Roadmap to Peace Must Be 'Imposed' on Combatants TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH “Hope of eradicating the Islamist militants by force makes no sense. Other, even more extremist fighters, would take the place of Hamas. It is essential for Western diplomats to take that decision, impose it on Israel, and stop playing the game of the Islamists and their allies in the Arab world.” —COLUMNIST Pierre Rousselin

DEALING WITH A BLOOD FEUD

Russia Today, Russia VIDEO: Former NSA Chief Sued for 'Get Rich Quick Scheme' AUGUST 3, 00:02:13 Former NCA chief General Keith Alexander is being sued for blatantly using his knowledge of America's secrets to earn $1 million a month since leaving office. — Ethics of 'Public Service' GOLD INLAID REVOLVING DOOR

Russia Today, Russia VIDEO: Multinationals 'Abandoning America' AUGUST 4, 00:25:46 Max Keiser and his partner Stacy Herbert look at one of the most profound issues of our time: how the major coroprations companies no longer have nationalities, in other words, an allegiance to any particular country. — Disloyal Multinationals FIRMS: 'NO USE BEING AMERICAN'

Der Spiegel, Germany Israel Pulls an NSA on Kerry: Eavesdrops on Mideast Conversations “Israeli intelligence snooped on telephone conversations by Secretary of State John Kerry. The government then used the information obtained from the calls during talks on the conflict in the Gaza strip.” — REPORTER Fabian Reinbold

SPIES: GOOD FOR THE GANDER?

BBC News, U.K. AUDIO: Wars, Lies and Audiotape: The Vietnam War AUGUST 4, 00:58:00 "What we know today is that the incident that was reported to have taken place in the South China Sea off the Vietnamese coast didn't ever happen." — GRAND DADDY OF MODERN FALSE FLAGS VIETNAM: NOW WE KNOW

de Volkskrant, The Netherlands Drop Trade Barriers with Russia, Don't Raise Them! TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH “If we want to build bridges to the Russian people, we should counter restrictions on the free movement of people and goods, abolish visa requirements and remove import tariffs on Russian goods. The gap between 'us and them' is precisely what nationalists like Putin prefer.” —Imre Wessels of the Dutch Libertarian Party

TIME TO LOWER OUR TRADE GUNS?

La Stampa, Italy Washington and Jerusalem: Forces Beyond their Control TRANSLATED FROM ITALIAN "Of all the wars we don't know how to settle, none will so scandalize future generations like the one that has been raging between Israel and the Arabs since 1948. Because after hasty Nobel Peace Prizes for the martyr Rabin, Arafat and Obama, after all of the conferences, demonstrations, and an abundance of tomes, the old fairy tale of 'two peoples, two states' always wins applause from the well-intentioned, and earns good grades for university degree thesis, but on the ground, in the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem, it is an impossible equation." — COLUMNIST Gianni Riotta

WHAT'S A WANING SUPERPOWER TO DO?

Reuters, U.K. Health Worsening, Ebola Patient Heads to Atlanta “The CDC is unaware of any Ebola patient ever being treated in the U.S., but five people in the past decade have entered the U.S. with either Lassa or Marburg Fever, hemorrhagic fevers likeo Ebola.” — REPORTERS Colleen Jenkins, Julie Steenhuysen

PATIENT TO U.S. FOR TREATMENT

BBC NEWS: Growing Concerns
Over 'In Air' Transmission of Ebola

Gazeta, Russia MH17: Guilty Rebels 'Worse for Moscow than KAL-007' TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN "Attempts to avoid economic collapse in the country could pull us into a full- scale war, possibly even a nuclear war. the threat of total geopolitical defeat, and to all of Russian civilization, which is what this is, would push us to act." — COLUMNIST Georgy Bovt

WHAT IF PUTIN'S HOLD IS THREATENED?

Izvestia, Russia MH17: West's Version of Events Only Hearsay, Subterfuge, Hysteria TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIA " The only question is - who did it? ... What is in doubt? First, the way the aircraft dramatically changed course. Second, the airline lost over the Indian Ocean in April, the fate of which remains unknown. Third, the desire of the Kiev authorities to ensure that such incidents continued to take place." — COLUMNIST Maxim Kononenko

VLADIMIR PUTIN: CLEAN HANDS?

Guardian, BBC, U.K. Surveillance Reform or Spy Whitewash?; We Internet Lab Rats THREE COLUMNS This is today's surveillance- related post, in which we deal with the NSA 'reform' legislation, and the way it has become the common practice for Internet sites to 'experiment' with your emotions by deliberately lying to you about what your information is being used for. — NSA 'REFORM'; WEB LAB RATS THE BATTLE FOR YOUR MIND

Russia Today, Russia VIDEOS: Sara Firth, Ex-RT Correspondent, Debates Jon Stewart on State Versus Corporate Media JULY 30, 00:07:00 "In this country, there are news networks that just promote their own agenda and if the truth happens to be a part of it, gee, what a nice bonus." — JON STEWART TO SARA FIRTH PROPAGANDA: CORPORATE V. STATE

Guardian, Russia Today, U.K., Russia Struck by Huge Fine Today, Russia Faces Enhanced Western Sanctions Tomorrow THREE COLUMNS AND ONE VIDEO Today was a monumentally bad day for Russia and Putin. Not only does it appear that 'tier three' sanctions from the E.U., and U.S. appear imminent, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, a global institution that appears to have real teeth, has ruled that the Russian government must pay a whopping $50 billion to the shareholders of bankrupt oil firm Yukos. — PUTIN'S BAD DAY PAIN OF SANCTIONS TO COME

de Volkskrant, The Netherlands MH17: 'Mousey' Merkel Disappoints the Dutch TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH "Alied support for Holland has up to now amounted to almost nothing. ... but the biggest disappointment are the mousey efforts of Angela Merkel. There are times that call for clarity and leadership. Perhaps she couldn't defy those in German politics and finance who lobby on behalf of Russia's government." — COLUMNIST Paul Brill

SANCTIONS: WAITING FOR MERKEL

Le Figaro, France Gaza, MH17: France Pays the Price for its Moribund Diplomacy TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH “Pro-Palestinian riots show France's failure to assimilate large segments its Muslim population. It is time to for us to proactively respond to the consequences and with both hands, commit to the search for a way to stabilize the Middle East. The Mistral affair (sale of assault ships to Russia) gives France a special responsibility to act.” —COLUMNIST Pierre Rousselin

NO, THIS ISN'T GAZA - ITS PARIS ...

BBC HARDtalk, U.K. VIDEO: Conflicting Views about the Crisis in Gaza and the State of Israel THREE VIDEOS FROM JULY, 2014 For those who haven't seen BBC's HARDtalk, it is a program meant to put its guests on the spot with a barrage of questions they might find hard to answer. HARDtalk recently questioned Israeli-born historian Ilan Pappe, Hamas chief Khaled Mashal, and Israel's former defense minister Danny Danon. — BBC HARDtalk ARE ISRAELI ACTIONS DEFENSIBLE?

Elsevier, The Netherlands MH17: Dutch Should Avoid America's Post-911 Reaction TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH “Few dare to say it: in a way, the hopeless tragedies in Afghanistan and Iraq haven't made the loss of 3,000 lives on September 11, 2001 any less pointless.” —COLUMNIST Lodewijk Pessers

MH17: ANGER MANAGEMENT

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. If We Can Have 'Just War,' Why Not 'Just Terrorism'? "Oliver Cromwell, for instance, would almost certainly be a terrorist. Come to think of it, so, too, would Moses and his famous (and very violent) run- in with the Egyptian state." — PRIEST, Dr. Giles Fraser MOSES: TERRORIST OUTLAW?

Der Spiegel, Germany Israel's Former Security Chief: 'Israel Today an Instrument of Hamas' “From the beginning, the so- called Kerry initiative was a joke. We are currently very near the point of no return. The number of settlers is increasing and a solution to the problem is already nearly impossible logistically, even if the political will were there.” —FORMER SHIN BET Chief Yuval Diskin

THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT GAZA

CNN, Russia Today, U.S. VIDEO: CNN's Chris Cuomo vs. Russia Today's Peter Lavelle on the MH17 Propaganda War JULY 23, 00:10:51 If you wanted to distill the conflict between Western corporate media and Russia's state-run media over MH17, it would be hard to do better. — CORPORATE VS STATE MEDIA STATE V COPPORATE MEDIA CLASH

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland The West's Sliding Scale of Suffering is a Gift to Putin TRANSLATED FROM POLISH “Something is wrong with the West if it answers the chaos of Putin with cynicism. If we, people of the West, retain even a shred of reason and decency, we should return to our idealism, which asserts that dignity is the common right of all human beings, and that the suffering of innocents is always a scandal.” —PHILOSOPHER Jaroslaw Makowski

ARE SOME LIVES BETTER THAN OTHER?

Hope X Summit, U.S. VIDEO: Edward Snowden and Daniel Elsberg at the HOPE X Hacker's Summit JULY 23, 01:26:31 They discuss how the intelligence services compile information on everyone online, and Snowden urges the assembled geeks to develop platforms to make the activities of users harder to track. — SNOWDEN-ELSBERG AT HOPE X AN EXTRAORDINARY ENCOUNTER

Elsevier, The Netherlands As Dutch Mourn Our Dead, Russians Should Mourn their State TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH “It's sad to note that the Russia of Leo Tolstoy and Anna Akhmatova is once again held hostage by a barbaric tyrant. Today we mourn the Dutch victims. The people of Russia must also mourn the barbarism that has seized the Russian state.” —COLUMNIST Afshin Ellian

DIGNITY FOR DEAD - AT LAST

de Volkskrant, The Netherlands MH17: E.U. Must 'Slam its Fists' on the Table TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH “ Here and there, calls are even being made for the Netherlands' military and F16s to be sent to Ukraine to teach the separatists a lesson. Understandable as that may be, that road cannot be taken. ... Now is the time for Europe to adopt and implement the economic sanctions Obama announced against Russia. The E.U. has to coalesce themselves and with U.S.” —COLUMNIST Hans Wansink

WILL E.U. BACK SANCTIONS?

Elsevier, The Netherlands Securing MH17 Victims: Dutch Have Elite Troops for a Reason! TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH “Prime Minister Rutte must threaten the use of Dutch elite troops to build pressure on the rebels and Vladimir Putin. And if he makes such a threat, he must be prepared to deploy them. It is bizarre that Dutch journalists are able to enter the crime scene, while crash investigators and the forensic specialists are stuck for days on end.” —COLUMNIST Eric Vrijsen

DUTCH MULL UKRAINE INTERVENTION

CNN, Russia Today, U.S. VIDEO: CNN's Chris Cuomo vs. Russia Today's Peter Lavelle on the MH17 Propaganda War JULY 23, 00:10:51 If you wanted to distill the conflict between Western corporate media and Russia's state-run media over MH17, it would be hard to do better. — CORPORATE VS STATE MEDIA STATE V COPPORATE MEDIA CLASH

Hope X Summit, U.S. VIDEO: Edward Snowden and Daniel Elsberg at the HOPE X Hackers Summit JULY 23, 01:26:34 They discuss how the intelligence services compile information on everyone online, and Snowden urges the assembled geeks to develop platforms to make the activities of users harder to track. — SNOWDEN-ELSBERG AT HOPE X AN EXTRAORDINARY ENCOUNTER

Der Spiegel, Germany Keeping Spies at Bay: Germany Ratchets Up Counterintelligence “Slowly, Foreign Ministry officials are beginning to grapple with the meaning of '360 degree' counter- intelligence. That requires defending yourself not just from the usual suspects like Russia or China, but even our closest allies, notably the U.S.” —REPORTERS Melanie Amann, Nikolaus Blome, Matthias Gebauer, Roland Nelles, Gordon Repinski, Jorg Schindler, Severin Weiland

BATTENING DOWN THE HATCHES

Der Spiegel, Germany U.S. 'Loses Patience' with Europe: Wants Tough Russia Sanctions "But many E.U. leaders believe that sufficient action was taken at a summit last week when they expanded sanctions largely focused on banning travel and blocking foreign bank accounts of Putin-friendly oligarchs." — COLUMNIST Gregor Peter Schmitz NOBODY BUYING SANCTIONS?

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland Obama Sanctions on Russia are the 'Only Real Sanctions' TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "It is significant that the only country doing anything to directly defend Ukraine is the United States, which has no interests there whatsoever. ... Many say that new U.S. sanctions are still too weak, but one must recall that they're the only real sanctions we have, and they create jangled nerves among Moscow politicians, while the Russian stock exchange and ruble have noth tumbled sharply. ... Therefore, they work." — COLUMNIST Mariusz Zawadzki

OBAMA: TOUGHEST WESTERN LEADER?

Le Figaro, France BRICS Show New Power with Bretton Woods Alternative TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH “The creation of a common BRICS reserve fund and a development bank, based in Shanghai and managed by India, is an open challenge to Bretton Woods, which was created in July 1944 based on the twin pillars of the IMF and World Bank.” —COLUMNIST Pierre Rousselin

MOVE OVER BRETTON WOODS?

Washington Post, U.S. U.S. Hunt for Snowden 'Much More Intense than Initially Acknowledged "The burst of activity during that period, including in the White House, a diplomatic scramble and the decision to force a foreign leader's plane to land - was far more extensive than American officials admitted at the time." — REPORTER Greg Miller U.S. DESPERATION OVER SNOWDEN

de Volkskrant, The Netherlands MH17: The Death Knell of Pro-Russian Separatists TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH “If the seperatists are indeed responsible for downing the Malaysia Airlines plane, the Kremlin will then face a hard choice. It can drop the rebels, close the borders to weaponry and volunteers, and then watch the Ukrainian army quash the revolt. That would be a bitter pill for Putin. The alternative, however, is also unattractive: a return to the days of Cold War.” —COLUMNIST Kiril Benediktov

PUTIN'S DIPLOMATIC HOBSON'S CHOICE

The Observer, U.K. MH17: 'Ordinary Russians Horrified and Frightened' "Ordinary Muscovites express horror at the tragedy even as they entertain the wildest conspiracies imaginable." — Natalia Antonova, Moscow News MH17: RUSSIANS SHOCKED AND CONFUSED

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Government Agents 'Directly Involved' in Most High-Profile U.S. Terror Plots “Some of the controversial U.S. 'sting' operations 'were made or led by informants,' bordering on entrapment by law enforcement. Yet the courtroom difficulties of demonstrating entrapment are significant, which is one one reasonsthe stings persist.” —CORRESPONDENT Spencer Ackerman

DISPENSING WITH RULE OF LAW

Russia Today, Russia VIDEO: Can State-Run Media be Called Real 'Journalism'? JULY 20, 00:28:00 Aidan White, Director of the UK- based Ethical Journalism Network, takes on Russia Today host Oksana Boyko, in an exchange over the value of state-controlled media. White draws a clear distinction between networks that at least occassionally, challenge their own governments, and those like Russia Today that just about never do. — RUSSIA TODAY'S WORLD'S APART STATE-RUN MEDIA SLAM DOWN

VICE, RUPTLY, U.S., Russia VIDEOS: Graphic Reporting from Ukraine Disaster Zone JULY 18, TWO VIDEOS On July 17, a Malaysia Airlines aircraft carrying 298 people was shot down. This is footage from the scene of the crash, and the reaction of residents who witnessed the tragedy firsthand. — UNCENSORED REPORTING FROM EAST UKRAINE HEARTRENDING FACTS ON THE GROUND

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Live - Malaysia Air Crash: Flight Recorder Found as Anger at Russia Mounts "Barack Obama threatened to 'increase the costs' on Russia if Moscow fails to deescalate the situation in Ukraine, as U.S. and other Western officials said there was mounting evidence that Russia-backed separatists downed the Malaysia Air jet." — COMPILED BY Matthew Weaver and Alan Yuhas RAISING THE PRESSURE IN UKRAINE

Izvestia, Russia Abandoning Pro-Russia Fighters 'Unforgivable' TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN “we cannot pretend that the war happening now right on our border is not our war. ... They are killing our brothers and sisters. They are killing those who want to be part of Russia. By turning away from them and absolving ourselves of the need to defend them, we only help our enemies, and that is unforgivable.” —COLUMNIST Kiril Benediktov

WILL RUSSIA BACK THE REBELS?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. VIDEO: Edward Snowden on His Fate, Journalism, NSA Snooping Procedure JULY 17, 00:13:59 Snowden opens by explaining how journalists, doctors, lawyers, and anyone who needs to protect the confidentiality of their client must adjust to the mass surveillance we are all living under. He also talks about the possibility of ending up in Guantanamo 'in chains,' and the type of behavior exhibited by NSA analysts when encountering the private e-mails, videos and photos of innocent Americans and others. — INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD SNOWDEN SNOWDEN: LIFE WITHOUT PRIVACY

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. U.N.'s Senior Human Rights Official: 'Snowden Should Be Protected' "We owe a great deal to him for revealing this kind of information. Those who disclose human rights violations should be protected: we need them. ... I see some of it here in the case of Snowden, because his revelations go to the core of what we are saying about the need for transparency and consultation. We owe a great deal." — U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS Navi Pillay CALL TO END SNOWDEN PROCEEDINGS

Russia Today, Russia VIDEO: GHCQ and NSA: Hacking Skype, Private E-Mails, Online Polls JULY 16, 00:02:45 The latest Snowden documents show the everything we say and do, and every e-mail we send, is being recorded for later use. As far as these agencies are concerned, every person we interact with and everything we buy or express an interest in is fair game for monitoring and furture legal action against us. — RUSSIA TODAY NEWS VIDEO SURVEILLANCE RUNNING AMOCK

Deutsche Welle, Germany VIDEO: German World Cup Bash; Gaza Crisis; American Spy Scandal JULY 16, 00:42:34 This is the latest edition of DW's weekly news magazine Agenda. DW journalist Brent Goff hosts DW Sports Reporter Jefferson Chase, journalist and security affairs analyst Thomas Wiegold, and Palestinian-American political analyst Akram Baker. — DEUTSCHE WELLE'S AGENDA FOOTBALLING, GAZA AND SPIES

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Judge in Sweden Rules to Uphold Arrest Warrant on WikiLeaks' Assange "The court believes that there is probable cause for the crimes of which he is accused. ... He has chosen himself to go into the embassy and ... the court does not believe that the deprivation of his liberty is such as to be disproportionate to the charges." — Judge Lena Egelin

ASSANGE: NO FREEDOM TODAY

Russia Today, Russia Russia to Re-Open Cuban 'Mega-Base' to Spy on U.S. The facility in Lourdes, a suburb of Havana just 250km from the continental U.S., was opened in 1967. At its Cold War peak, it was the largest signal intelligence center Moscow operated in a foreign nation, with 3,000 people. — NEWS ITEM, Russia Today RUSSIAN MILITARY RETURN TO CUBA

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Germany 'May Revert to Typewriters' to Counter U.S. Spying "The head of the Bundestag's inquiry into NSA activity said in an interview that he and his colleagues were seriously thinking of ditching e-mail in favor of lo-tech typewriters." — CORRESPONDENT Philip Oltermann

DRIVING OUR 'FRIENDS' BACKWARD

Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany America's Growing 'Hostility' Toward German Democracy TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "If Berlin no longer wishes to be made a fool of by its 'friends,' it must assert its independence by sending a clear signal. Offering Asylum to Edward Snowden would be our revenge." — COLUMNIST Christian Schluter

THE ANGER BUILDS IN BERLIN

Multiple Sources, Germany, UK, US Snowden Condemns UK 'Emergency' Surveillance Bill; U.S. Spying Roundup TEN NEWS ITEMS FROM AMERICA, EUROPE In addition to the esionage crisis in Germany, this is a big week for surveillance in Britain. Not only did the UK government ram through new powers for state surveillance, but a special week- long hearing is being conducted on whether GHCQ, Britain's version of the NSA, routinely violates the human rights of UK citizens. — COVERAGE, Spy Scandal Secrecy, and the Security State MASS SURVEILLANCE IN THE NEWS

El Pais, Spain Five Hundred Years of Migration to America TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE "Every great financial crisis leads not only to a bank and business bankruptcies, but a string of social catastrophes that are expressed in the loss of jobs, drops in family income for the most affected, and psychological pain. That is just what happened after the global crisis that broke out in September 2008. One of the consequences in Spain was increased migration, especially to other European nations, but also to America." — HISTORIAN Carlos Marichal Salinas

500 YEARS OF MIGRATION

Le Figaro, France Mideast Turmoil Could Rally Neocons to Hillary TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH “Hillary recognizes the mistake she made when she approved the war in Iraq, but has stayed very cautious on the subject. ... A number of neoconservatives would be ready to rally behind her, especially if the Republican Party of Reagan and McCain were to choose as its candidate the very isolationist Senator Rand Paul of of the state of Kentucky.” —COLUMNIST Pierre Rousselin

OUTFLANKING BOTH EXTREMES?

Multiple Sources, Germany, UK, US VIDEOS AND TEXT: Germany Demands from U.S. Public Promise Not to Spy; Spies, Lies, Skulduggery Update FOURTEEN VIDEO SEGMENTS AND NEWS ITEMS There has been a lot to report on the subject of spying and lying today, so we have packaged it all together for you, staring with breaking news that Germany is demanding that the U.S. provide an unequivical promise to curtail all of its spying in Germany. — COVERAGE, Spy Scandal Secrecy, and the Security State WILL THE U.S. PROMISE NOT TO SPY?

Le Figaro, France ISIL Fighters as 'Mad as the Nazis or Reds' TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "Their dream is as mad as that of the classless world that the communists dreamed of or the Third Reich, but one must remember that the Reds of Trotsky and Lenin defeated the White Russian armies financed by the West. ... The United States should go much further to reconcile with Iran." — Senior International Reporter Renaud Girard

INSANE, YES - BUT DANGEROUS

The Telegraph, U.K. Nate Silver's Failure as Celebrated as Brazil's Collapse “The world may still be reeling from last night's World Cup semi-Final between Germany and Brazil, but none more so than Nate Silver the celebrated statistician of fivethiryeight blog.” —REPORTER Jocelyn Spottiswoode

LIES, DAMN LIES AND ...

Multiple Sources, Germany, Russia, UK VIDEOS AND TEXT: Fallout Continues after U.S. Mole Gets Exposed By Germans SEVEN VIDEO SEGMENTS AND NEWS ITEMS This is a roundup of today's reaction to news that a mole, paid by the CIA, has been exposed in the German intelligence Service, the BND, who was spying on the deliberations of German lawmakers investigating NSA mass surveillance in Germany. — COVERAGE - CIA Mole's Arrest SO MUCH FOR 'TRUST' BETWEEN ALLIES

Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany NSA Committee in Bundestag Blasts Music ... Just to be Safe! TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN “Before the secret session of the NSA Committee of Inquiry's hearing on Thursday began, a big metal box was put where all phones and tablet computers were placed, and Chairmain Patrick Sensburg turned on some music. Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor was heard - just to be safe.” —REPORTERS John Goetz, Hans Leyendecker, Georg Mascolo, Fred Obermaier

ANGER: NSA SPIED ON COMMITTEE

Izvestia, Russia For Russia, Crisis in Iraq is 'Lucky Break' TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN "In order to get the situation fully under control, America will have to turn its attention from Ukraine. That will give us some breathing space and the opportunity to regroup our forces. ... As cynical as it sounds, Iraq is a lucky break." — COLUMNIST Svetlana Lurye

OBAMA: TWISTED INTO KNOTS

De Morgen, Belgium Aided by America and Europe, ISIS Poses a Mortal Threat to Iran TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH “Fourteen hundred years ago, Caliph Omar, like ISIS today, invaded the Persian empire with thousands of fanatical fighters. ... ISIS is the most backward form of Sunni Islam, but reflects a new political impetus. Behind the smoke, I see America, the U.K. and Europe, providing this violent group with the time it needs to expand the limits of its caliphate into Iranian lans.” —COLUMNIST Kader Abdollah

A HIDDEN AMERICAN HAND?

Multiple Sources, Germany, Russia, Ireland VIDEOS AND TEXT: NSA Scandal Part II - German Spy was Working for America TEN VIDEO SEGMENTS AND NEWS ITEMS In what has renewed German outrage over NSA mass surveillance and brought new impetus to efforts to offer Edward Snowden Asylum in Germany, America's ambassador to Berlin has been summoned by the German Foreign Ministry to explain what Washington was doing paying a German intelligence officer to spy on the German legislature. — COVERAGE, Double Agent's Arrest NSA SPYING SCANDLE ERUPTS ANEW

ARD, Germany NSA Targets the 'Privacy-Conscious' “Merely searching the Web for the privacy-enhancing software tools outlined in the XKeyscore rules causes the NSA to mark and track the IP address of the person doing the search.” —INVESTIGATORS J. Appelbaum, A. Gibson, J. Goetz, V. Kabisch, L. Kampf, and L. Ryge

The Register, U.K. Cryptome: Remaining Snowden Docs to Be Released to Avert an 'Unspecified U.S. War' “July is when war begins unless it is headed off by Snowden full release of crippling intel. After war begins there won't be any chance of release. Warmongers are on a rampage. So, yes, the citizens holding Snowden docs will do the right thing.” —Whistlebloing Site Cryptome

DOCUMENT DUMP TO PREVENT WAR?

La Repubblica, Italy What the U.S. Declaration of Independence Should've Said TRANSLATED FROM ITALIAN "I wonder if many of the issues that plague us - all of the things we often complain about in columns like this, are due to the unfortunate wording of the July 4th, 1776 Declaration of Independence ... which established that 'all men are endowed with the Right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.' ... The fact is happiness, like complete fullness, or the feeling of walking on air, is transient, episodic, and short lived." — COLUMNIST Umberto Eco

OVERDOING THE 'PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS'?

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland Sikorski Wins By Telling the 'Truth' about U.S. Ties TRANSLATED FROM POLISH “Fears that Sikorski's comments would spoil our ties with America or damage his personal influence in Washington are exaggerated. Americans have very high self esteem, and no critical judgments by foreigners are able of shaking their complacency of themselves.” —COLUMNIST Mariusz Zawadzki

BLUNT HONESTY OVER DIPLOMACY

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Americans Love Loving America. So Why Does July 4th Feel ... British? "Every year around this time, as a Brit living in the US, I'm aware that the funhouse mirror through which both nations regard each other is even weirder and more distorting than usual: America celebrates its independence from from Britain, and Britain looks on at on at the July 4th pageantry, half-mocking, half-envious." — COLUMNIST Emma Brockes

BRITISH ARE TORN BY JULY 4TH

BBC News, U.K. World Cup 2014: Why the United States Will Conquer World Football “The factors for footbal success are a big population, a strong economy, and a fervent fan base. For years, the U.S. has had two out of three - a big population from which to draw top talent and the cash to support a training infrastructure and elite football community. But with little interest from most Americans, talented athletes and cash went elsewhere.” —CORRESPONDENT Kate Dailey

THE NEXT FOOTBALL SUPERPOWER?

Telegraph, U.K. Sunni Tribal Leader Tells Why He's Sticking with ISIS - for Now "We can fight ISIS and al-Qaeda whenever we want to, but now we're fighting for our lands and tribes. We are not responsible for ISIS. Look what Maliki has done – look at the two million refugees. He has destroyed and killed. Where was the world?" — CORRESPONDENTS Richard Spencer and Carol Malouf

ISIS: THE BETTER OF TWO EVILS?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Live Blog: Belgium v USA “I know there are some Americans out there who are relatively new to the game of 'soccer,' so lest there be any confusion after your heroic, magnificent, triumphant defeat at the hands of Germany, be aware that if you lose tonight's match you are definitely out of the tournament.” —CORRESPONDENT Barry Glendenning

WORLD CUP: DO OR DIE TO CONTINUE

Swiss Info, Switzerland Swiss Banks to 'Tell All' Under FATCA "As of July 1, banks around the world will be required to supply Washington with regular updates on clients liable to pay U.S. tax. This means Switzerland’s much- vaunted tradition of bank secrecy is now at an end." — COLUMNIST Armando Mombelli

IRS: HANDS ACROSS THE WORLD

Komsomolskaya Pravda, Russia Jihadi MANPADS: History Teaches 'Precisely Nothing' TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN “The fact that thousands of Islamists in the spirit of al-Qaeda are battling Bashar al-Assad is something that the United States finds a little confusing.” —COLUMNIST Georgy Bovt

WHY BE KILLED BY YOUR OWN ARMS?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. World Cup Fever Really Has Hit America: Ann Coulter Thinks Football is Socialist "Determined to preserve American exceptionalism against a rising tide of baguette-munching ball-juggling pinko Europhile hippy surrender- communism, Ann Coulter has come to the rescue: 'Any growing interest in soccer,' she wrote, 'can only be a sign of the nation's moral decay.'" — COLUMNIST Dan Hancox

'SOCCER INVASION' IN AMERICA

Berliner Morgenpost, Germany Berlin Reveler Pandemonium: Team Germany Outplays USA TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN “Although a lot of black, red and gold face paint was washed away in the rain over the course of the evening, joy and euphoria prevailed. ... When the final whistle was blown, arms, flags and rain ponchos flew into the air. Others opted for full-body painting at a booth where spray guns enveloped scantily clad people in a fog of color.” —NEWS ITEM, Berliner Morgenpost

GERMANS GO WILD: DEFEAT TEAM USA

Newsweek Polska, Poland Has President Putin Orchestrated Poland's Eavesdropping Scandal? TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "What are the interests of the Kremlin in having the Polish government, its Parliament, its secret services, and its diplomacy, unable to mobilize themselves, and their foreign partners in aiding Ukraine, and instead, attacking one another? What can Putin gain by knowing that for at least six months, Polish politicians will be kept off the field in Ukraine, instead ensconced in a domestic political brawl? The answers are obvious." — COLUMNIST Jakub Korejba

SCREWING POLAND TO WIN UKRAINE?

Soccer Fusion, U.S. German Press Predicts German Win, Makes Fun of U.S. Obesity and Debt; Post Game Roundup “BILD published a list of the top 5 things Americans did better than Germans. That list included 'wiretapping,' 'Being fat,' and 'running up debts.' Ouch.” —COLUMNIST Brian Blickenstaff

US-GERMANY: PRE, POST MATCH COVERAGE

Publico, Portugal Americans Show Up Portugal's 'Team of the Lame' TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE "To say that Portugal has physical problems would be like saying Iraq has a security problem. ... If the other teams didn't run, we might even win." — COLUMNIST Joao Miguel Tavares

WORLD CUP: A JOYOUS TIE

Sol, Portugal Postmortem: Portugal 'Physically Unready;' Poor Teamwork vs. USA TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE The team is physically unprepared. ... The head doesn't work, and only in case of emergency does it feed the body with 'fuel'. There is no idea of playing the game with this team: it is each doing his own thing, and in case of trouble, 'let's see where Ronaldo is.' — SPORTS COLUMNIST Rui Antunes

WORLD CUP: NO JOY IN PORTUGAL

News, Switzerland As Iraq Reerupts, 'Media Mad Cow Disease' Takes Hold in the United States TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN “No matter what these liars and political scam artists claim: It was the falsified 'evidence' about weapons of mass destruction, the Bush Administration's almost moronic war planning, the utter lack of a concept in the aftermath of military victory, and the mad fantasies of omnipotence held by Bush and his cabinet, which have led us directly to today's situation.” —COLUMNIST Patrik Etschmayer

WHY ASK THESE MEN WHAT TO DO?

The Telegraph, U.K. Saddam's Men Return to Power in City Once Held by United States "In Tal Afar, once held up as an example of US military success, the machine guns and armored vehicles left by U.S. troops are now being used by the very insurgents they sought to defeat. — CORRESPONDENTS Ruth Sherlock, Carol Malouf

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland Poland and Germany Show Russians No Wiggle Room TRANSLATED FROM POLISH “The Russians wanted the talks, because they feel the burden of isolation that befell them after the annexation of Crimea and their stirring up of east Ukraine. The object of this phase of the game was not to soften or to convince Lavrov. The ministers were there to keep channels of communication with Russia open.” —COLUMNIST Bartosz T. Wielinski

RUSSIA: FEELING THE PINCH?

FAZ, Germany To Save Iraq, Itself, West Must Drop War on Assad TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "The Iraqi army is unable to beat back the jihadists, nor is Syria's. ... The West has to ask itself why it stood by so long and watched while allies delivered weapons (and money) to Syria, both of which ended up in the hands of extremists. It is high time for the West to recognize what's at stake in Syria, and change its policy. — COLUMNIST Rainer Hermann

IRAN: THE LAST BEST HOPE FOR IRAQ?

Worldmeets.US, United States AUDIO: Iraq, Kirkuk, Lawrence of Arabia June 15, 00:30:54 Having trouble making sense of what has happened in Iraq? Tune into tonight's edition of Worldmeets.US Radio News. In addition to shaming America's shameful, shameless corporate media, Managing Editor William Kern examines the history of how our nation got here and what the U.S. should to do next. — MANAGING EDITOR William Kern NOT WHAT LAWRENCE HAD IN MIND

The Telegraph, U.K. Iraq Oil Shock Could 'Kill' World Economic Recovery, Experts Say "The entire global recovery, which is still fragile, could stall and we could even slip into recession in some regions." — COLUMNIST Andrew Critchlow

Rzeczpospolita, Poland If Iraqis Don't Fight for Iraq, Neither will U.S. TRANSLATED FROM POLISH “The argument against U.S. intervention is the same as that in Crimea: since Iraqi troops obviously don't want to die for Mosul, why should Americans soldiers do it?” —COLUMNIST Bartosz Weglarczyk

IRAQI PEOPLE CAN'T GET A BREAK

UPI, U.S. Iraq Shuts Social Media Sites to Prevent Use by Militants "It is speculated that access was blocked to prevent militants overtaking Iraq by using the sites." — REPORTER Ed Adamczyk

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. 'Discreetly' - U.K., U.S. to Sign Deal for 'Enhanced' Nuke Warhead Cooperation “The pact ... does not have to be debated or voted on in parliament. Though the agreement is part of U.S. law, it has no legal status in Britain.” —CORRESPONDENT Richard Norton-Taylor

E.U. Observer, Belgium Germany Backs France on Russia Warship Contract "Germany has defended France's plan to deliver a warship to Russia despite U.S. criticism of the move." — REPORTER Andrew Rettman

GUNS AND BUTTER - OR REALPOLITIK?

Russia Today, Russia VIDEO: France National Front Leader Marine Le Pen on the E.U. Polls, TTIP, and Ukraine June 9, 00:27:08 "We are for leaving NATO, France leaving NATO, we have a Gaullian vision of what international politics must be like, we are for developing our relations with Russia, without breaking ties with the Americans." — FRENCH NATIONAL FRONT LEADER Marine Le Pen THE NEW EUROPE - NOT LIKE THE OLD

Der Spiegel, Germany U.N. Peace Envoy on Western Mujahadeen and Syria Turning Into a Middle Eastern Somalia "There are several thousand non-Syrians. My goodness! These are your nationals that are training in Syria and that are part of ISIS, which believes in building an Islamic state all over the world, first in Berlin. That's a threat to you, isn't it?" — U.N. Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi

THE TERROR EMINATING FROM SYRIA

Sunday People, U.K. REPORT: Snowden Fooled Into Going to Russia; U.S. Tricked into Cancelling His Passport “They [Russian spies] did not approach him until he went to Hong Kong, when agents persuaded him that President Putin's Russia was the best place for him to seek asylum in a nation of his choice. It was a trick and he fell for it.” —Ex-KGB Major Boris Karpichkov

SNOWDEN, U.S., 'TRICKED' BY KREMLIN?

News, Switzerland All's Disquiet on the Western Front TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "In 2014, a sober westward glance from the beaches of Normandy would make clear that it has been a long time since a savior and assister came from that direction. The financial crises of 2001 and 2008, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and now the dismantling of civil rights by the NSA and the planned TTIP, show that Europeans, rather than benefitting, are far more likely to choke on genetically modified corn soup served up by powerful U.S. financial lobby groups. — COLUMNIST Regula Stampfli

WHOSE SIDE IS THE U.S. ON?

Asharq Al Awsat, U.K. Obama Just What We Feared: An 'Upmarket' President Jimmy Carter “some of us feared he would be an upmarket version of Jimmy Carter. Today, that fear has been realized. It is difficult to ascertain why Obama behaves as he does. Is he motivated by a deep resentment of America absorbed in his youth? Or is he handicapped by lack of experience? He may really believes that by abdicating leadership, the U.S. will win love instead of respect.” —REPORTER Amir Taheri

PSYCHOANALYZING OBAMA

Die Welt, Germany NATO Badly Divided on Stationing Troops in East Europe; Facing Moscow TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "NATO members from the Baltics and East Europe are calling for a lasting and visible presence of combat troops and up-to-date equipment in Eastern Europe. Many southern European states and Germany say this is too much. — COLUMNIST Christoph B. Schultz

D-DAY 2014: AN ALLIANCE DIVIDED

France24, Euronews, Russia Today, BBC, DW VIDEOS: Ukraine and D-Day: Views from Europe and Russia 13 VIDEOS D-DAY AND UKRAINE When French President Francois Hollande invited Russia President Putin to 70th anniversary events for the D-Day landings, he didn't know how significant it would be. With a world watching, did gathering Putin and Western leaders break the tension over Ukraine? Here is a series of reports from European and Russian media on the event and the event's aftermath. — BROADCASTS FROM EUROPE D-DAY EVENTS: AFTERMATH

Euronews, France VIDEO: D-Day - 70th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings June 6, 03:30:00 Ceremony in Ouistreham, France, marking the 70th Anniversary of the World War II D-Day invasion with Hollande, Putin, Obama and other world leaders. — D-Day Parade 2014 A WORLD DIVIDED - AGAIN

VIDEO: Obama and Hollande
Mark 70th Anniversary of D-Day

Ukrayinska Pravda, Ukraine In Defeating 'Russian Disease,' Will the Ukraine Lose its Soul? TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN "Liberalism and tolerance invite defeat, whereas cruelty gives us a chance to succeed. The truth though, is that this would not only be a victory over Putin, but over our own humanity. If Ukraine does manage to withstand the Russian onslaught, how will it differ from it?" — COLUMNIST Michael Dubinyansky

UKRAINE: INFECTED WITH 'RUSSIAN DISEASE'?

The Register, U.K. GHCQ's 'Beyond Top Secret' Middle East Internet Spy Base “After these details were withheld, the government opted not to move against the Guardian last year for publishing above-top-secret information at the lower level designated 'Strap 1.'” —REPORTER Duncan Campbell

WHAT GUARDIAN DIDN'T PUBLISH

Rzeczpospolita, Poland Obama's Chance to Make Up for Missteps Toward Poland TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "Obama himself has disappointed us before. But Russian aggression has changed both the U.S. and Obama, who is less afraid of a geopolitical confrontation than West Europeans. Obama may have cared little for our security, but our European allies have cared even less. The Germans in particular provide ample proof that their neighbor's fate is less vital than keeping Putin happy." — COLUMNIST Jerzy Haszczynski

A FRIEND IN NEED - A FRIEND INDEED?

Direct Matin, France Mr. Obama's D-Day Option: Indifference or Interference? TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH “Only two years remain of Mr. Obama's mandate to judge his capacity to accept the idea that sometimes, 'indifference can be more dangerous than interference.” —COLUMNIST Jean-Marie Colombani

WHERE OBAMA AMBIGUITY MEETS THE ROAD

Trouw, The Netherlands Obama's Hammer and Bush's Nails TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH "Who's going to contradict Obama when he says that even the greatest army in the world isn't the solution to everything? ... That's good news for those who only see the mistakes of U.S. action over the past 60 years, but such people must also answer this: what other country can stop the even bigger culprits?'" — COLUMNIST Stevo Akkerman

PERLEXED WEST POINT CADET?

BBC, Reuters, White House VIDEOS: President Barack Obama in Poland SEVEN VIDEOS ON OBAMA'S VISIT This is the anniversary not only of Poland's accession to NATO, but Poland's historic elections of 1989, and the anniversary of D-Day, which is coming up in a few days. Here is what we have been able to put together so far. We will add more video to this post as it becomes available. — Footage of Obama's Visit OBAMA IN EAST EUROPE BOOST

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Obama Carbon Cutting Plan Wins Plaudits and Predictions of Doom Will Obama's executive order on on capping carbon pollution make any real difference? Judging from the reaction from former Vice President Gore ('the most vital step on climate change in U.S. history') to Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell (a 'dagger in the heart of the middle class') it certainly will have an impact. — CARNON EMISSIONS COVERAGE

MAKING SENSE OF EMISSIONS PLAN

BBC News, U.K. Mullah Omar Celebrates Prisoner-Swap 'Victory' “Photos of Taliban militants embracing their comrades released from Guantanamo seemed designed to enrage Republican opponents of President Obama who saw the deal as soft on terrorism.” —CORRESPONDENT David Loyn

TALIBAN RELEASE: FAIR SWAP?

Rzeczpospolita, Poland Under Putin, Soviet 'Morality' Crawls Out from its Grave TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "In the Soviet Union there was also great concern for morality. Pink Floyd was forbidden for 'meddling in the Soviet Union's foreign policy (Afghanistan)', The Talking Heads for 'voicing the myth of the Soviet military threat.' Tina Turner was banned simply for 'sex,' and poor Julio Iglesias was outlawed for 'neo-fascism.'" — COLUMNIST Irena Lasota

PUTIN: BACK TO THE FUTURE?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. NSA Shows E-Mail Exchange with Snowden to Debunk Claims he Raised Concerns “The NSA has disputed Edward Snowden's insistence that he tried to raise his concerns about its surveillance practices internally before he decided to go public.” —REPORTER Dan Roberts

NSA: MORE DIMINISHED CREDIBILITY

Latvijas Avize, Latvia In Latvia and Europe, Naive Hopes that Russia Will Change Live On TRANSLATED FROM LATVIAN "Literally on the eve of the Crimea Anschluss, Riga indulged in 'opening the floodgates' of money and influence from the East. ... 'Russian World' is not anathema to the West, and may even prove a very lucrative event. Aggression in Ukraine surprised some of our influential people and made them a little uncomfortable. Yet they are convinced that sooner or later, all will continue as usual, and they will want to step in the same river twice.'" — COLUMNIST Uldis Smith

THE BALTICS: EASY ON RUSSIA?

Netzpolitik, Germany German Officials Face Prosecution for Reading Snowden Media Coverage TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN “German officials - including the government - can't read matrial leaked by Snowden regarding the mass surveillance of digital communications. If they do so anyway, they are then liable for prosecution. ... We wonder how the federal government intends to protect us from espionage if it isn't permitted to find out about it. Perhaps, however, that is the whole idea.” —COLUMNIST Lluis Bassets

OFF LIMITS TO GERMAN OFFICIALS

News Hour, BBC AUDIO: Obama's Foreign Policy; Maya Angelou; Mass Terrorism Trial in China MAY 28, 00:55:00 This is the network's initial overview of President Obama's speech today on the future of U.S. foreign policy, at the West Point Military Academy. The summary of the message, according to U.S. editor Mark Mardell: 'Just because we have the best hammer, doesn't mean every problem is a nail.' — BBC NEWS HOUR, MAY 28 VERDICT FROM BBC: SAME OLD SAME OLD

El Pais, Spain Global Outlaws Find Comfort Behind Russia -China Double Veto TRANSLATED FROM SPANISH “The veto power of the five permanent members of the Security Council is the victor's spoil of the Second World War. .. In a multipolar world, the persistence of the veto in the hands of a Sino-Russia alliance is encouragement to regimes like that of Assad, which are given a free hand to act against his their populations.” —COLUMNIST Lluis Bassets

U.N. VETO POWER A BOON TO ASSAD

Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany Americans 'Unprepared' for Opposition to TTIP Free Trade Agreement TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "Protests in Germany focus on the prospect of previously forbidden products from the United States having to be permitted into the E.U. (like chlorinated chicken and GMO corn). Even more important is the question of investor protection. According to plans for TTIP, investors would be able to turn to international courts for arbitration when one may feel they have been discriminated against. For many critics, these courts are an attack on the rule of [national] law." — COLUMNIST Nikolaus Pipe

EUROPE PUSHES BACK AGAINST TTIP

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland Why Should Poland Thank Putin? Let Us Count the Ways TRANSLATED FROM POLISH “We have a historic opportunity to bring the European Union and the United States closer together. Allies who grew apart as the Cold War faded, we began to compete more than search for commonalities. Much was said about renewing the trans- Atlantic Alliance, but the facts were different. Let Berlin's shock and outrage over the disclosure of NSA spying be a symbol of this tendency.” —COLUMNIST Michal Kobosko

POLES SEE BRIGHT SIDE IN UKRAINE

Izvestia, Russia 'Envy of the Gods': Obama 'Unfit to Lead' Great Power TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN “It isn't politically correct to say, but this is the way it is: the impression is that a weak, unpopular, unsuccessful president is trying to wound a strong, successful, and very popular president.” —COLUMNIST Vladimir Zharkhin

IS EMOTION RUNNING U.S. POLICY?

Economist, U.K. China and Russia: 'Best Frenemies' "Whereas China's power is growing, Russia is in decline - corroded by corruption and unable to diversify its economy off of natural resources. China's government will expect the Kremlin to recognise this historic shift - which is a recipe for Chinese impatience and Russian resentment." — COMMMENT, Economist PUTIN BOWS TO XI'S CHINA

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Watered Down NSA Mass Surveillance Bill Passed By House “In order to preserve the core operations of the the intelligence and law enforcement agencies, the administration insisted on broadening some authorities and lessening restrictions. Some of the changes raise justifiable concerns. I don't blame people for losing trust in their government, because the government has violated their trust.” —CONGRESSMAN Jim Sensenbrenner

NSA REFORM FALTERS IN CONGRESS

THE LOCAL, GERMANY:
NSA Panel Invites U.S.
Tech Chiefs as Witnesses
WORLD BULLETIN: E.U.
Urges U.S. to Move Faster
to End Internet Monopoly

Le Figaro, France For Vladimir Putin, Conchita Wurst is a Tool Like No Other TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "Unlike the Cold War and Soviet propaganda, Vladimir Putin doesn't need to slavishly relay his message through the communist parties of the West. It's enough for him to score points directly with a large chunk of the population that does not swoon before the singing of Conchita Wurst, and who don't see the defense of homosexual marriage or the advertising of more unbridled sexual behavior as a priority for our civilization, which is struggling to deal with other pressing issues." — COLUMNIST Pierre Rousselin

A THREAT TO THE WEST?

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland New Space Race Will Benefit the American and Russian Programs TRANSLATED FROM POLISH “Paradoxically, sanctions and the end of space-level cooperation may bring not only losses, but benefits for both countries. Cut off from access to Russian engines, space industry in the United States will be incentivized, accelerating the process of decoupling the transport of American astronauts to ISS aboard R ussian rockets. For their part, the Russian Academy of Sciences points to the creation of a lunar base.” —SCIENCE COLUMNIST Karol Wójcicki

IS THIS THE END OF A SPACE ERA?

Cicero, Germany Americans Warming to Warren: the 'Anti-Hillary' TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "New York's largest bookstore is filled to the brim. Many arrived hours before the reading. While Warren talks, questions written on pieces of paper are collected. What's the most asked question, the moderator wants to know. 'Whether or not I'm running for president,' the senator says. In response, a woman shouts, 'Run, Liz, run!' and applause breaks out. Warren smiles and shakes her head. 'No, I'm not running,' she says. The audience responds in unison, 'Awww!'" — WRITER, PUBLISHER Dr. Eva C. Schweitzer

ELIZABETH WARREN: CAN SHE WIN?

Altri Mondi, Italy Knox Trial Shows in Italy, the Guilty Fare Better than Innocents TRANSLATED FROM ITALY "When the worst kind of clients for defense attorneys are the innocent, [rather than go to trial] one is better off pretending to have come down with an illness and being resigned to long therapy with an uncertain outcome, whatever the truth may be." — COLUMNIST Giorgio Dell'Arti A FRUITLESS SEACH FOR JUSTICE?

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. In Ukraine, U.S. is Dragging Us Toward War Against Russia
IS U.S. HELPING?	“The U.S. role in Ukraine, and its backing for the regime's neo-Nazis, has tremendous implications for the rest of the world.” — CORRESPONDENT John Pilger

Cicero, Germany The United States is the Only Guarantor of German Liberty TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "Let us not kid ourselves. In the final analysis, every free person in this world has only one protector and defender: The United States of America. Those with doubts should put themselves in the protection of Russia or China - whose intelligence services act no differently than those of the United States, by the way." — COLUMNIST Alexander Grau A SPIRITED DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. E.U. Court Backs 'Right to Be Forgotten': Google Must Amend Results on Request “The European court judges ruled that under the E.U. data protection laws Google has to erase links to two pages on La Vanguardia's Web site from the results produced when Gonzalez's name is put into the search engine of the company.” —COLUMNIST Alexander Prokhanov

GOOGLE BUISINESS MODEL UPENDED

GUARDIAN: The 'Right to be
Forgotten' Ruling Creates
Quagmire for Google, et. al.

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Glenn Greenwald: 'The Day We Revealed Edward Snowden to the World' "In the hours after his name became known, the entire world was searching for the NSA whistleblower, and it became vital that his location in Hong Kong stay secret. In an extract from a new book, No Place to Hide, Greenwald recalls the dramatic events surrounding the moment Ed Snowden revealed himself." — JOURNALIST Glenn Greenwald GREENWALD PUBLISHES BOOK

Izvestia, Russia Preparing 'Stalin's Eleventh Blow': Victory Day and the New War Against Fascism TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN “As a gift for our patience and stoicism, for our labor and our faith, the Lord sent us Crimea. Russian people once divided by our enemies, united again by victory's embrace. ... Even as we celebrate the sacred victory of '45, we hear the treads of enemy tanks in eastern Ukraine, where the bodies of militia are mutilated, the heads of Russians crushed. A new battle against fascism is now inevitable.” —COLUMNIST Alexander Prokhanov

RUSSIAN NATIONALISM IN FULL BLOOM

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland The End of American Empire? Get Serious! TRANSLATED FROM POLISH "The facts are quite different - even if China will probably eventually overtake America, for now its GDP is half that of the United States. ... Ukraine is not an American ally, has little impact on the global economy, and has no natural resources. Why should U.S. troops die for Ukraine? Only a few years ago, Americans almost spent more on arms than the rest of the world combined. Five-year bonds are now sold at negative interest - meaning that, taking inflation into account, investors can expect a small loss in five years, but they are buying Treasuries anyway." — COLUMNIST Mariusz Zawadzki HARBALL ON THE GLOBAL COURT

Russia Today, Russia VIDEOS: Victory Day Parade in Moscow and Over Crimea MAY 9, 01:10:26 The annual Victory Day parade, a show of military might through the heart of Moscow, marks 69 year since the defeat of the Nazis, which ended World War II. — Footage of the 2014 V-Day Parade VLADIMIR PUTIN'S PUTTIN' ON A SHOW

RUSSIA TODAY: Russian
Air Force Victory Day
Celebrations Over Crimea

The Guardian, U.K. Google and Facebook, write FCC to Demand 'True Net Neutrality' "The letter says the FCC rules shouldn't permit 'individualized bargaining and discrimination,' the companies said. '[The FCC must] take the necessary steps to ensure that the Internet remains an open platform for speech and for commerce.'" — REPORTER Harriet Salem WEB GIANTS VS. CABLE BEHEMOTHS

GUARDIAN: Bill to Reduce
Surveillance Clears House
Judiciary Committee

Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany Bundestag Opposition Threatens to Sue for Release of NSA Files TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN “The Committee of Inquiry shouldn't turn itself into a fig-leaf for a government that is only pretending to cooperate. Any limitations on the clarification of facts in the espionage scandal, whether commected to comprehensive access to files or obtaining testimony from Edward Snowden will be unequivocally rejected.” —Green Bundestag Leader Katrin Goring-Eckardt

GERMAN GREENS TAKE A STAND

News, Switzerland Barack Macbeth's 'Murder' of Net Neutrality TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN "Inequality as usual in the U.S., and and now on the Net as well. You think that's unimportant, irrelevant, and the 'normal course of events?' You are so wrong." — COLUMNIST Regula Stampfli OBAMA'S SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDY?

Worldmeets.US, United States AUDIO: Is U.S. Troop Return a Raw Deal for the Philippines? A Talk with Jarius Bondoc May. 5, 00:32:43 Join us as we speak to Philippine radio host and columnist Jarius Bondoc about how the Philippines fits into America's Asia Pivot. Mr. Bondoc has spoken out in opposition to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the U.S., which was signed during President Obama's Asia tour, and which will give U.S. forces nearly unlimited access to Philippine bases for military operations. — MANAGING EDITOR William Kern U.S. TROOPS TO RETURN TO PHILIPPINES

Duetche Welle, Germany Merkel and Obama: Together Against Putin - for the Moment "The NSA spy scandal remains a sore point, and despite the common message to Putin, there remain differences on new sanctions against Russia." — COLUMNIST, Gero Schließ SANCTIONS AND NSA STILL DIVIDE

Duetche Welle, Germany VIDEO: Evaluating E.U. Enlargement; Ukraine as a Buffer for Poland May 2, 00:42:33 Poland has made great efforts to woo Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova to act as a buffer zone between itself and Russia. That is precisely what Russia says it is doing to create a buffer between itself and NATO-E.U. — Quadriga, Duetche Welle DIGGING DEEPER ON THE UKRAINE

The Telegraph, U.K. 'Shocking' U.S. Jobs Data Impugns Recovery, FED Monetary Tapering
ALARM BELLS?	“Friday's figures are a warning that America's recovery may be losing momentum. ... Bond tapering by the FED may be doing more harm than expected.” — COLUMNIST Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

Boulevard Voltaire, France Even Now, Anything Goes for the Old Ku Klux Klan! TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH "The 'affairs' of Frazier Glenn Miller and Donald Sterling show, if there was any need to do so again, the incredible hypocrisy of American society which is supposedly 'post-racial' or, as Bush Jr. called it, 'color blind.' Between the lying of the White racists, who do precisely the opposite of what their ideology has always peddled, and elites who, in private, spew out the worst insanities, one realizes that the multicultural varnish is really extraordinarily thin." — COMMENT Boulevard Voltaire RACISM IN AMERICA: NOW WORSE?

Novaya Gazeta, Russia NATO 'Never Promised' Not to Expand Eastward TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN “If the Russian politicians accusing the West of deception have any kind of documentary evidence of promises not to expand NATO east it would be a good time to show it.” —COLUMNIST Alexander Chursin

RUSSIANS CALLING OUT RUSSIANS

Komsomolskaya Pravda, Russia Ukraine Crisis: Russia Cannot Dispense with Using the Dollar TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN "The results of our own actions would surpass the most malicious intentions of those now preparing economic sanctions against Russia." — COLUMNIST Georgiy Bovt THE DOLLAR: STILL NO ESCAPING IT

Deutsche Welle, Germany Merkel to Washington: Tough Challenges for a Troubled Friendship “Angela Merkel has addressed Congress and been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on her U.S. visits. This time, however, her visit to America is overshadowed by crises, with an ally that has become a stranger.” —NEWS ITEM, Deutsche Welle

THE CHALLENGE OF SHOWING UNITY

DER SPIEGEL: NSA What? Spy
Scandal Unlikely to Dominate
Merkel's Visit to America
DER SPIEGEL: Bad Taste -
Ex-Chancellor Shroeder
Parties with Putin
DER SPIEGEL: Foreign Minister
Steinmeier: 'Russia is Playing
a Dangerous Game'
DER SPIEGEL: No Love for
Sanctions - Ukraine Crisis a
Tightrope Walk for Business

Economist, U.K. What Would America Fight For? "Americans understandably chafe at the ingratitude of a world that freeloads on the economic, diplomatic and military might of the U.S. Americans themselves, however, also enjoy the exorbitant privilege of operating in a system that, broadly, suits them well." — COMMMENT, Economist CAN AMERICA BE COUNTED ON?

The Independent, U.K. Clayton Lockett: If Massacres Don't Change Gun Laws, then this Won't Change Executions
SHAMEFUL	“If any execution violated the U.S. Constitution's ban of 'cruel and unusual punishment,' it was that of Clayton Lockett.” —COLUMNIST Rupert Cornwell

Guardian Unlimited, U.K. Amanda Knox: Consider the Facts So She Gets the Retrial She Deserves "The longer Italy's courts consider the Meredith Kercher case – and we have now had three trials, six presiding judges, two hearings before the Italian high court and a third on the way – the more the country's institutions of justice have covered themselves in shame." — COLUMNIST Andrew Gumbel CAN AMANDA KNOX RECIEVE JUSTICE?

Rzeczpospolita, Poland
Thank Mr. Putin for
NATO's 'Second Wind'
TRANSLATED FROM POLAND

“Let us rejoice that NATO has
not only caught a second wind,
but it has literally recovered
a reason to exist. Yesterday's
landing of Americans from
the highly-respected 173rd
Airborne Brigade is a sign of
the new defensive order in
Europe. It was not us who
forced that order into being,
but we will benefit from it.”

"The European Union accused Google of cheating consumers , competitors by distorting search results to favor its own shopping service, after a five-year investigation that could change the rules for doing business online.”

"In killing and maiming unarmed civilians, these defendants acted unreasonably ... In combination, the sheer amount of unnecessary human loss and suffering due to the defendants' criminal conduct on Sept. 16, 2007, is staggering.”

"Her first presidential loss to an initially unknown outsider named Obama hit her hard. It never left her and it noticeably shapes the the current campaign. ... the Clinton team should contemplate the fact that the announcement of her candidacy hasn't triggered major voter enthusiasm.”

"As the two antagonistic leaders prepared to meet face to face at the Summit of the Americas, they used preliminary events in the host nation Panama to project their differing perspectives.”

Controversy over plans by Czech President Milos Zeman to accept Russia's invitation to 2015 Victory Day celebrations has been raging all week, culminating today.

"Cuba expected to be struck from list of state sponsors of terrorism, while Kerry and Cuba Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez counterpart sit down for highest-level talks in more than five decades.”

"America is the real terrorist and everyone knows that. My boys are the best of the best.”

"Rosa Maria Paya, one of Cuba's most high-profile dissidents, has been arrested on arrival in Panama, ahead of a historic meeting this week between Barack Obama and Raul Castro.”

Obama: ‘It is a good deal’ -- ‘Key parameters’ for nuke deal with Iran reached -- Deal to be done by 30 June -- E.U. and U.S. will terminate economic sanctions -- Fordow to be nuclear physics site.

"President Obama's wavering and procrastination and his back and forth between threats, retreats and interventions has severely damaged U.S. credibility. ... One requires a remarkable set of eyes to discern a strategy in all this rather than a frantic, haphazard and event-driven mess. ”

"UKIP candidate Jeremy Zeid called for President Obama to be kidnapped by the Israelis like Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann for declassifying a document in Israel's once undeclared nuclear program.”

"If none of the mobile phones and notably none of the SIM cards found at the scene have not been analysed – because the fact is that the data can be retrieved – that suggests a problem with the investigation'”

"French authorities initially denied the existence of the clip, which allegedly relays in a 'few seconds' scenes of chaos and passengers screaming 'My God' in several languages. But they are now calling on anyone in possession of such a film to 'hand it over to investigators.'”

"Facebook tracks the web browsing of everyone who visits a page on its site even if the user does not have an account and even when they have explicitly opted out of tracking in the E.U., research commissioned by the Belgian data protection agency shows.”

"French authorities initially denied the existence of the clip, which allegedly relays in a 'few seconds' scenes of chaos and passengers screaming 'My God' in several languages. But they are now calling on anyone in possession of such a film to 'hand it over to investigators.'”

"So this is what we have come to: more often than not it seems that sentences have already been formulated, whether based on mere conjecture and/or because they have been decided on the spot, from the first few minutes.”

"We have an opportunity to realize our chances if no side to the talks tries to raise the stakes at the last moment to get something more instead of keeping a balance of interests.”

"It has also never been clear how the pair, who had claimed to be having sex, smoking cannabis and watching the French film Amelie at the time of the murder, became accomplices of Rudy Guede, the then 21-year-old drifter who is now the only person to have been convicted of Kercher's murder.”

"Our greatest festival will stay with us through the centuries. Hollande, Cameron and Obama - not to mention leaders of 'New Europe' - are no more than ripples in the water. Their presence will not add to thehonor of May 9th, and their absence will not diminish its joy.”

"Let me come straight to the point the Dutch way - straightforward and without lame excuses: Please retire.Forget your presidential ambitions. Enough is enough. Please don't do it.”

"We discussed his journey and he gave us a nuanced accounting of how mass surveillance operated and what doesn't . ... He also gave us his point of view on what comprise effective anti-terrorism measures and what doesn't. ... I am impressed by his courage.”

“The Saudi decision to unveil the international coalition in Washington suggests that the Obama Administration, rather than the Riyadh regime, may be the driving force behind the intervention in Yemen.”

"The European Commission has warned E.U. citizens that they should close their Facebook accounts if they want to keep information private from U.S. security services, finding that current Safe Harbour law does not protect citizen's data.”

"The European Commission has warned E.U. citizens that they should close their Facebook accounts if they want to keep information private from U.S. security services, finding that current Safe Harbour law does not protect citizen's data.”

"The democratic experience of the Arab world remains a fragile one. ... Nevertheless, the Arab world and Islamic worlds are not synonymous. . It's not hard to find examples of democracy in Islamic states.”

This is France 24's live feed with coverage of the crash Germanwings flight 4U9525. French prosecutors has announced that the aircraft was intentionally crashed by ci-pilot.

"The co-pilot of the Germanwings jet that crashed in the French Alps deliberately forced the plane into the descent that led to the disaster, the prosecutor said. He pressed a button that accelerated the Airbus A320's descent when alone in the cockpit. 'It was a voluntary action.'”

"White House confirms support for the military effort, claiming international mandate to end the 'widespread instability and chaos' that drove out Yemeni president.”

"They said they would stop notifying us of plots and other intelligence matters.”

"Ricky Jackson and two brothers were convicted on the basis of the testimony of a 13-year-old boy who said that he witnessed the killing of Harold Franks. The boy, Eddie Vernon, was on a bus a block away with other children at the time. He later recanted his account.”

"The White House has made clear its dismay at Prime Minister Netanyahu's sweeping victory in the Israeli polls with a stinging rebuke of 'divisive rhetoric' used by the Israeli leader in the closing stages of the election. ... Furthermore, Obama has not called to congratulate him on his victory.”

"Brits are used to syrupy American tributes to the 'special relationship' that binds the countries together, but this week, we heard rather different sound:: frustrated growls.”

“The alliance is unlikely to amount to much immediate collaboration on joint operations. It may, in fact, be more of a cry for help, given the recent string of defeats Boko Haram has sustained in recent days.”

"Britain’s laws governing the espionage agencies and mass surveillance require a total overhaul to make them more transparent, comprehensible and up to date, parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee said in a landmark report that was prompted by the Snowden revelations.”

"'The harm to Wikimedia and the hundreds of millions of people who visit our Web sites is clear: Pervasive mass surveillance has a chilling effect,' Mr Wales wrote. 'It stifles freedom of expression and the free exchange of ideas that Wikimedia exicts to enable.'”

"This debate cannot be allowed to run on forever. ... We need to have it, address the issues arising from it and move on, sooner rather than later.'”

"They have shared their cruel deeds on the Web in order to attract the world's attention. Now the jihadists are pushing their use of social networking further. ... Islamic State seeks to improve on its online success: three days ago it launched its own social network called 'Kilafahbook'!”

"The Californians snuck off from their tour group on Saturday and began carving in their initials with a coin. They managed a 'J' and an 'N' around 8cm high, then took a selfie with their handiwork.”

"The top beneficiary of the strong Middle Eastern market remains the United States, with $8.4 billion worth of Middle Eastern exports in 2014, compared to $6 billion in 2013.”

"The first state intervention by Washington in the history of the Internet, it reflects the fact that government cannot leave theubiquitous digital revolution to regulate itself, and without a basic set of common rules that are fair and democratic. ”

"Following the court's verdict, the case will move back to the German judges. If they grant Shepherd asylum, it would certainly set a precedent for follow-on cases from other conscientious objectors - as well as lay the ground for diplomatic friction between Berlin and Washington.”

“The prime minister's attacks on the U.S. government may be brinkmanship – but they could be genuine attempts to goad Obama into military action.”

"Germany is befuddled, as always, by the unbridled patriotism of their North American friends. Here, the military isn't a source of pride, and combat deaths aren't widely discussed.”

"According to IS, the prophesied period of the second Caliphate has now begun. Importantly, this also marks the start of the 'End of Days,' which is accompanied by a massive, apocalyptic clash between forces of the Caliphate and non-believers.”

"George W Bush's creation is inefficient, wasteful and disrespectful of citizen privacy. If Republicans want to shut it,Democrats should let them.”

" Putin’s visit to Budapest shows that he's shaking hands in Europe, and not only as part of the peace process in Minsk, but that he is accepted in a European capital far from being the worst.”

"The stolen encryption keys would enable the spy agencies to monitor mobile communications without the approval or knowledge of telecom firms and foreign governments. ... the hack would allow spies to put an aerial up on the embassy in Berlin and hear anyone's calls in the area.”

"In comments to reporters traveling with him to Sierra Leone, Mr. Fallon compared the threat from President Putin to the Islamic State and warned that NATO had to beready to respond to further aggression in 'whatever form.'”

"If ceasefire holds, the Minsk agreement offers Russia a dignified way of accepting Ukraine as an independent state. The Kremlin needs this small measure of diplomatic ambiguity, not petulant accusations that it is acting in bad faith.”

"The court said Poland failed to launch a proper investigation into human rights violations on two individuals who had been tortured at the CIA black site/prison camp in 2002 and 2003.”

"It was the will of the program gods that 50 Shades of Grey would be released in thousandsof movie theaters around the world just as Dominique Strauss- Khan is performing in another theater - a courtroom - in Lille, France. This shows that reality always exceeds the imagination.”

"Alan Robock, a climate scientist at Rutgers University has asked secretive government agencies to be open about their interest in radical work that explores how to alter the world climate.”

"I'd learned of lots of things the CIA had done that haven’t followed the rules and that wasn’t how I wanted my tax money spent. ... I think this research has to be open and global, so there isn't any question of using it for hostile purposes.”

"In deciding to expand during the euphoric years after Soviet collapse, the West neglected one of the basic rules of realistic global policy - the rule of the balance of power.”

"The separation between Russia and Europe is a tragedy. That the Americans may welcome it is their right and their problem. We don't want a revival of the Cold War between Europe and Russia. ... Crimea chose Russia ... we can't reproach them for it.”

"In plain language ... if Merkel's crisis diplomacy fails Ukraine will receive weapons. What all of us will then have to pay, who knows? Not even McCain.”

The now legendary criminality of the world's big banks, in this case Swiss Bank HSBC, has been exposed in mind- boggling fashion by whistleblower Herve Falciani, who is now being referred to as ' Snowden of banking.'

People on which the world's leading powers rely to develop policies in themilitary/security sphere discuss the crisis in Ukraine, the battle against Islamic State, and a variety of other challenges dominating the world. These are the most significant videos from the Munich Security Conference.

"As a member of the European Parliament, I am party to the transatlantic trade deal's inner workings. I'm sworn to secrecy, but this much I can say: Trans- Atlantic treaty is undemocratic.”

"In Moscow and Europe, the ideological battle to discredit the West is in full swing. Suddenly, concern and distress has gripped Washington over a Russian question it thought had disappeared from the radar.”

"The regime that governs the sharing between U.K. and U.S of electronic communications intercepted in bulk was illegal until last year, a secretive British tribunal has ruled.”

"Not a single British spy has been held accountable for mass surveillance, unlawful spying or snooping on private emails and phone calls. ... Until today. ... In years to come we will look back on today as an essential win against the surveillance state.”

"With a political career based entirely within New Jersey, Christie must seek to show himself as a leader of broader experience, especially if the Democrat candidate ends up being Hillary Clinton, the former American secretary of state.”

"The new analysis provides clear proof that Regin is in fact the cyber-attack platform belonging to the Five Eyes alliance, which includes the U.S., Britain, New Zealand, Canada and Australia.”

"The main sticking point is special rights provided to investors, who would be able to challenge nations in special dispute settlement panels that would bypass national courts. ”

"They had no plan for what would happen after the invasion. ... The approach was, ‘The Americans are heading this up. They willhave a detailed plan. We need to follow them. ... The civil war and violent chaos that followed the war created the conditions for the Islamic State to grow."

"There are clear shared interests between the fanatical Islamists and xenophobic, extremist European forces. Eachwill tend to radicalize the other in a scenario of 'civil war' that aligns with the objectives of this organiztion of global intolerance and barbarity.”

“Escalating inequality is the work of a global elite that will resist every challenge to its closely vested interests.”

This is in essence a new version of An Inconvenient Truth. Mr. Gore presents the latest research into climate change and the danger of not responding to it, including tocritical infrastructure. This time Gore comes armed not just with slides but some very interesting video to back up the evidence.

"Most of the former soldiers, reportedly numbering around ten, including ex-paratroopers and French Foreign legionnaires, are said to be fighting for ISIL."

"Some measures under consideration are so sweeping they would allow the monitoring of private communications of every citizen. They should instead focus on targeting those reasonably suspected of intending to carry out attacks or spurring others to do so."

"Informal co-operation that worked well between most technology firms and communication companies and security services broken by the Snowden files hasn't been repaired."

Why do we keep hammering away at the issue of mass surveillance? ... A document released from the Snowden documents today shows the routine interception of e-mails and data from leading journalists and investigative reporters and their storage in an archive easy to access by GHCQ agents.

"The message is that rising inequality is dangerous. It is bad for growth and it is bad for governance. We see a concentration of wealth capturing power and leaving average people voiceless and their interests uncared for [by leadership]."

"The E.U. needs to start preparing for the next such event, because it will certainly come. Europe needs to find new impetus in the fight against terror. Ten years have passed since the horrid attack on the London underground, and our vigilance has diminished."

"The failure that has put all the world in danger is at the level of politics - not security. It was politicalleaders who got rid of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Muammar Gaddafi in Libya and have tried to displace Bashar al-Assad in Syria without thinking through the likely consequences."

"The list contains the identities of agents working at Germen embassies across the globe, in addition to those accompanyingarmy missions in Afghanistan,Mali, Lebanon and Sudan. ... It remains unclear if Markus R. has sold this particular document to any intelligence or spy agency."

“It may be that in states where entire neighborhoods and soon entire towns are Muslim, it is already too late. In those places, politicians and activists may be unable to prevent a genuine conflict between civilizations."

"The European Union accused Google
of cheating consumers , competitors
by distorting search results to favor
its own shopping service, after a five-
year investigation that could change
the rules for doing business online.”

"In killing and maiming unarmed
civilians, these defendants acted
unreasonably ... In combination,
the sheer amount of unnecessary
human loss and suffering due to
the defendants' criminal conduct
on Sept. 16, 2007, is staggering.”

"Her first presidential loss
to an initially unknown
outsider named Obama hit
her hard. It never left her
and it noticeably shapes the
the current campaign. ...
the Clinton team should
contemplate the fact that
the announcement of her
candidacy hasn't triggered
major voter enthusiasm.”

"As the two antagonistic leaders
prepared to meet face to face at
the Summit of the Americas, they
used preliminary events in the
host nation Panama to project
their differing perspectives.”

Controversy over plans by Czech
President Milos Zeman to accept
Russia's invitation to 2015 Victory
Day celebrations has been raging
all week, culminating today.

"Cuba expected to be struck
from list of state sponsors of
terrorism, while Kerry and
Cuba Foreign Minister Bruno
Rodriguez counterpart sit
down for highest-level talks
in more than five decades.”

"America is the real terrorist
and everyone knows that. My
boys are the best of the best.”

"Rosa Maria Paya, one of Cuba's
most high-profile dissidents,
has been arrested on arrival in
Panama, ahead of a historic
meeting this week between
Barack Obama and Raul Castro.”

Obama: ‘It is a good deal’ -- ‘Key
parameters’ for nuke deal with
Iran reached -- Deal to be done
by 30 June -- E.U. and U.S. will
terminate economic sanctions --
Fordow to be nuclear physics site.

"President Obama's wavering and
procrastination and his back and
forth between threats, retreats
and interventions has severely
damaged U.S. credibility. ... One
requires a remarkable set of eyes
to discern a strategy in all this
rather than a frantic, haphazard
and event-driven mess. ”

"UKIP candidate Jeremy Zeid
called for President Obama to
be kidnapped by the Israelis
like Nazi war criminal Adolf
Eichmann for declassifying a
document in Israel's once
undeclared nuclear program.”

"If none of the mobile phones and notably
none of the SIM cards found at the scene
have not been analysed – because the fact
is that the data can be retrieved – that
suggests a problem with the investigation'”

"French authorities initially denied the
existence of the clip, which allegedly
relays in a 'few seconds' scenes of chaos
and passengers screaming 'My God' in
several languages. But they are now
calling on anyone in possession of such a
film to 'hand it over to investigators.'”

"Facebook tracks the web
browsing of everyone who
visits a page on its site even
if the user does not have an
account and even when they
have explicitly opted out of
tracking in the E.U., research
commissioned by the Belgian
data protection agency shows.”

"French authorities initially denied the
existence of the clip, which allegedly
relays in a 'few seconds' scenes of chaos
and passengers screaming 'My God' in
several languages. But they are now
calling on anyone in possession of such a
film to 'hand it over to investigators.'”

"So this is what we have come to:
more often than not it seems that
sentences have already been
formulated, whether based on
mere conjecture and/or because
they have been decided on the
spot, from the first few minutes.”

"We have an opportunity to
realize our chances if no side
to the talks tries to raise the
stakes at the last moment to
get something more instead of
keeping a balance of interests.”

"It has also never been clear how
the pair, who had claimed to be
having sex, smoking cannabis and
watching the French film Amelie
at the time of the murder, became
accomplices of Rudy Guede, the
then 21-year-old drifter who is
now the only person to have been
convicted of Kercher's murder.”

"Our greatest festival will stay
with us through the centuries.
Hollande, Cameron and Obama
- not to mention leaders of
'New Europe' - are no more
than ripples in the water. Their
presence will not add to the
honor of May 9th, and their
absence will not diminish its joy.”

"Let me come straight to the point
the Dutch way - straightforward and
without lame excuses: Please retire.
Forget your presidential ambitions.
Enough is enough. Please don't do it.”

"We discussed his journey
and he gave us a nuanced
accounting of how mass
surveillance operated and
what doesn't . ... He also
gave us his point of view
on what comprise effective
anti-terrorism measures
and what doesn't. ... I am
impressed by his courage.”

“The Saudi decision to unveil
the international coalition in
Washington suggests that the
Obama Administration, rather
than the Riyadh regime, may
be the driving force behind
the intervention in Yemen.”

"The European Commission has
warned E.U. citizens that they
should close their Facebook
accounts if they want to keep
information private from U.S.
security services, finding that
current Safe Harbour law does
not protect citizen's data.”

"The European Commission has
warned E.U. citizens that they
should close their Facebook
accounts if they want to keep
information private from U.S.
security services, finding that
current Safe Harbour law does
not protect citizen's data.”

"The democratic experience
of the Arab world remains a
fragile one. ... Nevertheless,
the Arab world and Islamic
worlds are not synonymous. .
It's not hard to find examples
of democracy in Islamic states.”

This is France 24's live feed with
coverage of the crash Germanwings
flight 4U9525. French prosecutors
has announced that the aircraft
was intentionally crashed by ci-pilot.

"The co-pilot of the Germanwings
jet that crashed in the French Alps
deliberately forced the plane into
the descent that led to the disaster,
the prosecutor said. He pressed a
button that accelerated the Airbus
A320's descent when alone in the
cockpit. 'It was a voluntary action.'”

"White House confirms support
for the military effort, claiming
international mandate to end the
'widespread instability and chaos'
that drove out Yemeni president.”

"They said they would stop notifying us
of plots and other intelligence matters.”

"Ricky Jackson and two brothers were
convicted on the basis of the testimony
of a 13-year-old boy who said that he
witnessed the killing of Harold Franks.
The boy, Eddie Vernon, was on a bus a
block away with other children at the
time. He later recanted his account.”

"The White House has made clear its
dismay at Prime Minister Netanyahu's
sweeping victory in the Israeli polls
with a stinging rebuke of 'divisive
rhetoric' used by the Israeli leader in
the closing stages of the election. ...
Furthermore, Obama has not called
to congratulate him on his victory.”

"Brits are used to syrupy American
tributes to the 'special relationship'
that binds the countries together,
but this week, we heard rather
different sound:: frustrated growls.”

“The alliance is unlikely to amount
to much immediate collaboration
on joint operations. It may, in fact,
be more of a cry for help, given
the recent string of defeats Boko
Haram has sustained in recent days.”

"Britain’s laws governing the
espionage agencies and mass
surveillance require a total
overhaul to make them more
transparent, comprehensible
and up to date, parliament's
Intelligence and Security
Committee said in a landmark
report that was prompted by
the Snowden revelations.”

"'The harm to Wikimedia and the
hundreds of millions of people
who visit our Web sites is clear:
Pervasive mass surveillance has a
chilling effect,' Mr Wales wrote.
'It stifles freedom of expression
and the free exchange of ideas
that Wikimedia exicts to enable.'”

"This debate cannot be allowed
to run on forever. ... We need
to have it, address the issues
arising from it and move on,
sooner rather than later.'”

"They have shared their cruel deeds on
the Web in order to attract the world's
attention. Now the jihadists are pushing
their use of social networking further.
... Islamic State seeks to improve on its
online success: three days ago it launched
its own social network called 'Kilafahbook'!”

"The Californians snuck off
from their tour group on
Saturday and began carving
in their initials with a coin.
They managed a 'J' and an 'N'
around 8cm high, then took
a selfie with their handiwork.”

"The top beneficiary of the strong
Middle Eastern market remains the
United States, with $8.4 billion
worth of Middle Eastern exports in
2014, compared to $6 billion in 2013.”

"The first state intervention by
Washington in the history of the
Internet, it reflects the fact that
government cannot leave the
ubiquitous digital revolution to
regulate itself, and without a
basic set of common rules that
are fair and democratic. ”

"Following the court's verdict, the case
will move back to the German judges. If
they grant Shepherd asylum, it would
certainly set a precedent for follow-on
cases from other conscientious objectors
- as well as lay the ground for diplomatic
friction between Berlin and Washington.”

“The prime minister's attacks
on the U.S. government may
be brinkmanship – but they
could be genuine attempts to
goad Obama into military action.”

"Germany is befuddled, as always,
by the unbridled patriotism of
their North American friends.
Here, the military isn't a source
of pride, and combat deaths
aren't widely discussed.”

"According to IS, the prophesied period
of the second Caliphate has now begun.
Importantly, this also marks the start of
the 'End of Days,' which is accompanied
by a massive, apocalyptic clash between
forces of the Caliphate and non-believers.”

"George W Bush's creation is
inefficient, wasteful and
disrespectful of citizen privacy.
If Republicans want to shut it,
Democrats should let them.”

" Putin’s visit to Budapest shows
that he's shaking hands in Europe,
and not only as part of the peace
process in Minsk, but that he is
accepted in a European capital far
from being the worst.”

"The stolen encryption keys would
enable the spy agencies to monitor
mobile communications without the
approval or knowledge of telecom
firms and foreign governments. ...
the hack would allow spies to put an
aerial up on the embassy in Berlin
and hear anyone's calls in the area.”

"In comments to reporters
traveling with him to Sierra
Leone, Mr. Fallon compared
the threat from President
Putin to the Islamic State and
warned that NATO had to be
ready to respond to further
aggression in 'whatever form.'”

"If ceasefire holds, the
Minsk agreement offers
Russia a dignified way of
accepting Ukraine as an
independent state. The
Kremlin needs this small
measure of diplomatic
ambiguity, not petulant
accusations that
it is acting in bad faith.”

"The court said Poland failed to
launch a proper investigation
into human rights violations on
two individuals who had been
tortured at the CIA black site/
prison camp in 2002 and 2003.”

"It was the will of the program
gods that 50 Shades of Grey
would be released in thousands
of movie theaters around the
world just as Dominique Strauss-
Khan is performing in another
theater - a courtroom - in Lille,
France. This shows that reality
always exceeds the imagination.”

"Alan Robock, a climate scientist
at Rutgers University has asked
secretive government agencies
to be open about their interest
in radical work that explores
how to alter the world climate.”

"I'd learned of lots of things the CIA
had done that haven’t followed the
rules and that wasn’t how I wanted
my tax money spent. ... I think this
research has to be open and global,
so there isn't any question of using
it for hostile purposes.”

"In deciding to expand during the
euphoric years after Soviet collapse,
the West neglected one of the
basic rules of realistic global policy
- the rule of the balance of power.”

"The separation between Russia
and Europe is a tragedy. That
the Americans may welcome it
is their right and their problem.
We don't want a revival of the
Cold War between Europe and
Russia. ... Crimea chose Russia ...
we can't reproach them for it.”

"In plain language ... if Merkel's crisis
diplomacy fails Ukraine will receive
weapons. What all of us will then have
to pay, who knows? Not even McCain.”

The now legendary criminality of the
world's big banks, in this case Swiss
Bank HSBC, has been exposed in mind-
boggling fashion by whistleblower
Herve Falciani, who is now being
referred to as ' Snowden of banking.'

People on which the world's leading
powers rely to develop policies in the
military/security sphere discuss the
crisis in Ukraine, the battle against
Islamic State, and a variety of other
challenges dominating the world.
These are the most significant videos
from the Munich Security Conference.

"As a member of the European
Parliament, I am party to the
transatlantic trade deal's inner
workings. I'm sworn to secrecy,
but this much I can say: Trans-
Atlantic treaty is undemocratic.”

"In Moscow and Europe,
the ideological battle to
discredit the West is in full
swing. Suddenly, concern
and distress has gripped
Washington over a Russian
question it thought had
disappeared from the radar.”

"The regime that governs the
sharing between U.K. and U.S
of electronic communications
intercepted in bulk was illegal
until last year, a secretive
British tribunal has ruled.”

"Not a single British spy has been
held accountable for mass
surveillance, unlawful spying or
snooping on private emails and
phone calls. ... Until today. ...
In years to come we will look
back on today as an essential win
against the surveillance state.”

"With a political career based entirely
within New Jersey, Christie must seek
to show himself as a leader of broader
experience, especially if the Democrat
candidate ends up being Hillary Clinton,
the former American secretary of state.”

"The new analysis provides clear
proof that Regin is in fact the
cyber-attack platform belonging
to the Five Eyes alliance, which
includes the U.S., Britain, New
Zealand, Canada and Australia.”

"The main sticking point is special
rights provided to investors, who
would be able to challenge nations
in special dispute settlement panels
that would bypass national courts. ”

"They had no plan for what
would happen after the
invasion. ... The approach
was, ‘The Americans are
heading this up. They will
have a detailed plan. We
need to follow them. ...
The civil war and violent
chaos that followed the war
created the conditions for
the Islamic State to grow."

"There are clear shared
interests between the
fanatical Islamists and
xenophobic, extremist
European forces. Each
will tend to radicalize
the other in a scenario
of 'civil war' that aligns
with the objectives of
this organiztion of global
intolerance and barbarity.”

“Escalating inequality is
the work of a global elite
that will resist every
challenge to its
closely vested interests.”

This is in essence a new version of
An Inconvenient Truth. Mr. Gore
presents the latest research into
climate change and the danger of
not responding to it, including to
critical infrastructure. This time
Gore comes armed not just with
slides but some very interesting
video to back up the evidence.

"Most of the former soldiers,
reportedly numbering around
ten, including ex-paratroopers
and French Foreign legionnaires,
are said to be fighting for ISIL."

"Some measures under consideration
are so sweeping they would allow the
monitoring of private communications
of every citizen. They should instead
focus on targeting those reasonably
suspected of intending to carry out
attacks or spurring others to do so."

"Informal co-operation that worked
well between most technology firms
and communication companies and
security services broken by the
Snowden files hasn't been repaired."

Why do we keep hammering away at
the issue of mass surveillance? ... A
document released from the Snowden
documents today shows the routine
interception of e-mails and data from
leading journalists and investigative
reporters and their storage in an
archive easy to access by GHCQ agents.

"The message is that rising
inequality is dangerous. It
is bad for growth and it is
bad for governance. We
see a concentration of
wealth capturing power
and leaving average people
voiceless and their interests
uncared for [by leadership]."

"The E.U. needs to start preparing for
the next such event, because it will
certainly come. Europe needs to find
new impetus in the fight against terror.
Ten years have passed since the horrid
attack on the London underground,
and our vigilance has diminished."

"The failure that has put all
the world in danger is at
the level of politics - not
security. It was political
leaders who got rid of
Saddam Hussein in Iraq,
Muammar Gaddafi in Libya
and have tried to displace
Bashar al-Assad in Syria
without thinking through
the likely consequences."

"The list contains the identities
of agents working at Germen
embassies across the globe, in
addition to those accompanying
army missions in Afghanistan,
Mali, Lebanon and Sudan. ... It
remains unclear if Markus R. has
sold this particular document to
any intelligence or spy agency."

“It may be that in states where
entire neighborhoods and soon
entire towns are Muslim, it is
already too late. In those places,
politicians and activists may be
unable to prevent a genuine
conflict between civilizations."