Prism scandal: the NSA had intercepted 56,000 private emails per year

 

The National Security Agency (NSA) may have "inadvertently" and illegally intercepted private emails to 56,000 per year between 2008 and 2011 as part of a program that a secret court found that may have violated the laws and the Constitution of the United States, show documents published Wednesday, August 21.

These previously classified secret documents were declassified by the White House, trying to fall the scandal caused by revelations of Edward Snowden computer on the extent monitoring programs for U.S. intelligence agencies. 

According to U.S. officials, the documents show that programs to collect information that led the NSA to intrude "inadvertently" on the private lives of Americans were identified , s and corrected.

The interception of emails between U.S. citizens should normally be authorized by a warrant.

But this was not the case, which led to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), a secret court that oversees intelligence activities in question in 2011 on the legality , shares of the NSA. 

The extrajudicial collection of tens of thousands of emails seemed "in certain respects, lacking legal and constitutional basis," has found John Bates, a magistrate of the FISC, in October 2011, we read in one of declassified documents Wednesday.

According to U.S. officials and a court document declassified by the White House, the NSA has decided to "destroy" these collected "inadvertently" and strengthen its procedures.

"When there is a complex operation in terms of technology, in which thousands of people are involved, there are bound to be mistakes," pleaded one American intelligence official. 

NSA happen annually screened some 250 million emails in the world and millions of telephone conversations.

Reuters

RAILWAY ACCIDENT: Derailment in Spain: the train driver refuses to answer police

 

Francisco José Garzón Amo, the driver of the train that derailed Wednesday, July 25 at the entrance to the station of Saint-Jacques de Compostela, has not spoken. Placed in custody at the hospital where he was treated for 20 hours on Thursday night, he refused to answer police questions.

Investigators suspect him of having driven too fast: he had himself acknowledged when he radioed the station from his cabin where he got stuck after derailment, having driven 190 km / h instead of 80 km / h at the entrance to the corner before the station, twice the speed limit.

The final toll of this disaster always seems a little fuzzy. During the press conference the head of the police, the number of 78 retrouvésa body was raised, while the official death toll rose to 80 so far dead. Of the 72 bodies identified, there are several foreigners: one French, one Algerian, a Mexican and an American.

52 years old, the prime suspect for 30 years working on the Renfe, the public company of the Spanish railways, and since 2000 as a driver. Friday, many Spanish media showed screen captures his Facebook page, which has since been deleted, where the man boasted of up to 200 km / h.

But human error can not be the only cause. The investigation focuses also on possible gaps in the braking system. As evidenced by a video of webcast Thursday monitoring the train going at breakneck speed in a very dangerous curve. train "braked too late," headlined the Friday newspaper "El Pais".

With news

FOOTBALL: The Argentine "Tata" Martino, new coach of FC Barcelona

 

Less than a week after the announcement of the departure of Tito Vilanova, who must undergo a new operation of his cancer, FC Barcelona has already hired a new coach.

The Catalan club officially announced Tuesday, July 23, have offered the services of Argentine Gerardo Martino.

"FC Barcelona reached an agreement with Gerardo Martino to become the first coach of the football team for the next two seasons. The drafting and signing of the contract are pending, "reads the official website of the Spanish Champion team.

Since the beginning of the week, the Spanish press was already echoing the arrival of Argentine coach, who should bring in his luggage his current deputy Jorge Pautasso and its pre physical separator, Elvio Paolorroso.

"A game-oriented offensive"

Known as the "Tata" (grandfather in Spanish), the new coach of the Blaugrana, aged 50, has directed several clubs in South America. This was made known in 2007 as coach of the Paraguay he had conducted in 2010 in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.

Since 2011 he was the head of the Argentine team of Rosario, Newell's Old Boys, where he played as a midfielder in the 80s. Last month, he led his players to victory in the final tournament of the Argentine championship.

Hailing from Rosario as Lionel Messi, Gerardo Martino has already favored by the star of FC Barcelona. "I love Gerardo Martino. It is a great coach," said last year was the star striker to the newspaper Ole.

His brother, Matias Messi, has also welcomed his arrival on his Twitter account saying: "Welcome to Tata! Everything goes well, and continues on track. "

According to the Catalan daily Sport, the new coach of Barça supporter "of a game vocation clearly offensive." He became the fourth coach of Argentine club history after Helenio Herrera (1958-1960), Roque Olsen (1965-1967) and César Luis Menotti (1983-1984).

With news

Crash in San Francisco: a third victim has died

 

A third person, injured July 6 in the crash of Asiana flight 214 to San Francisco, succumbed to his injuries, said Friday the San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH).

The victim, a "minor" whose condition was "critical" for a week, died Friday morning, said in a statement setting .

His death adds to those of two Chinese girls, declared dead the day of the crash.

"A minor who was injured in the crash of Asiana Airlines died this morning. This is a girl who was in critical condition and died of his injuries, "said the hospital.

"Parents have asked us not to give additional information (on the victim) for the moment," added the facility.

Two injured treated SFGH, which hosted the largest number of injuries after the accident, are still in critical condition.

The first results of the investigation into the cause of the crash, led by the U.S. Agency Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), indicate that the aircraft was much too slow and too low in its approach to the runway.

The tail section broke off after hitting a dike separating the trail of a body of water. The plane then crashed into the stomach, before catching fire.

The pilot of the plane, which was being qualified on the Boeing 777 co-pilot and his instructor, which was the first flight as a trainer, have started talking among themselves low speed of the aircraft at the last minute, less than ten seconds before the crash, according to conversations recorded by the black boxes.

The Asiana Airlines flight 214, the second South Korean company, was carrying 307 people, 123 of which are from the accident unscathed.

AFP

TENNIS: Wimbledon: Bartoli at the gates of the feat

 

All the lights are green for Marion Bartoli. The French argument that the semi-final of Wimbledon Thursday in a 2013 edition where all the favorites have already fallen. In the last four of the London tournament, all exploits are possible, the last four players who have never won a Grand Slam tournament.

The French 28 years old, seeded 15, is opposed to the amazing Belgian Kirsten Flipkens (No. 15). Face it, Marion Bartoli hopes to repeat the feat in 2007 when she was eliminated in the semifinals on the grass of Wimbledon, another much more famous Belgian Justine Henin. The Auvergne was then granted his first and only one Grand Slam final, before losing against Venus Williams.

Despite this beautiful memory, Marion Bartoli prefer not to show confidence. "It's totally different from 2007. Then I end up with the status of favorite. There are only four players. We all have a chance to win, "she said at a press conference.

The French leader is wary of this Belgian who had imposed Wimbledon junior ten years ago: "If Kirsten is, is that it plays excellent tennis. In 2007, I played Justin Henin and I had no luck on the paper. It is she who will be the most enterprising. "

Bartoli, although surrounded

In support of this challenge, Marion Bartoli can count on a new environment. Since the beginning of the year, the player asked his father and mentor Walter, with whom she maintained a close relationship, take a step back. It is now driven by Thomas Drouet, the former sparring partner of Bernard Tomic.

"Marion Bartoli, this is really a great person, a great human. I did not expect that at all for the first Grand Slam where I found the coach, "said the young coach, the French recruited after the it had been violently assaulted by the father of Tomic last May.

The Wimbledon semi-finalist also benefits from advice Amelie Mauresmo, captain of France's Fed Cup. Bartoli can not do without the presence of his senior, who had not planned to stay so long in London: "I'll tie on a chair and she will no longer be able to from. This is not a mascot but we will organize to keep it. "

"He'll have to get organized," said Mauresmo who considers Bartoli's opponent will not be easy to maneuver, "Flipkens not change badly, she is able to serve and volley occasionally. The slice backhand. It's a different game than we usually see on the circuit. "

The other semi-final will oppose the Polish Agnieszka Radwanska (No. 4) to Germany's Sabine Lisicki (25 °).

With news

Egypt: The army launched a 48-hour ultimatum to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi

 

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the chief of staff of the Egyptian army, gave Monday a "last chance" for political leaders to "take their responsibilities to historical circumstances in which the country faces. " In a message read on television message, the military command said that within 48 hours, the people's demands to be satisfied, saying the country could not afford to lose time.

The army could announce his own road

If this deadline is not met, the armed forces announce their own roadmap and measures to overcome the crisis, said Al-Sissi. He also said that the army, which has managed the transition from the fall of Hosni Mubarak in February 2011 and the election of Mohamed Morsi summer , last, no longer wished to be involved in politics or government.

This statement was greeted by an explosion of joy on the part of anti-Morsi gathered in Tahrir Square, the nerve center of the dispute. "Morsi is not our President, Sissi with us," chanted the demonstrators.

General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, however, did not explicitly ask for the resignation of President Mohamed Morsi, main claim millions of opponents who showed Sunday, June 30

With news

FRANCE: The hidden face of Chinese weddings Tours

 

For over four years, from 2007 to 2011, more than 200 Chinese couples marched in the city of Tours. They came especially from China to symbolically celebrate what they call their "romantic honeymoon". "All Chinese people like the French marriage," showed at the time a bride.

The mayor of Tours Jean Germain, had personally the idea of ​​this operation to develop the economic activities of traders in the town and castles. "The Chinese, they sell us a lot. But we have to sell tourism. And the Loire and the city of Tours, this is very difficult to be relocated, "he explained in 2007.

From marriage to divorce

But the wedding of your dreams quickly turned to divorce. Lise Han, former special assistant to the mayor of Tours, is now suspected of fraud. This young Taiwanese woman was in charge of the entire organization of marriages find couples, to come and settle every detail of the ceremony. The contracts were then transferred to a small business, which it had formerly management, but that it had officially severed all ties to avoid conflict of interest.

Yet in 2011, the newspaper "The Chained Duck" revealed that in reality Lise Han was still a shareholder in this company. She even placed successively her husband and her ex-husband at the head of the structure. For three years, this woman and attributed juicy public contracts with bills sometimes amounting to more than EUR 50 000, were used to fund gala dinners and trips China for city officials.

Time in prison

The former project manager of the Town Hall is now under investigation for fraud, as well as her husband and ex-husband. In recent days, she even sleeps in prison for not paying his bail.

But through his lawyer, Lisa Han pleads good faith and blames the mayor. "I wish the justice go a little faster. Because it's 14 months of preliminary investigation. It is six months of information with judges. And Mayor Jean Germain has never been confronted with my client while it's been six months since I ask, "said Christophe Moysan me.

For his part, the mayor remains silent. He does not give interviews, preferring to reserve his speech to justice. He himself filed a complaint for fraud after the discovery of unjustified double bills. Despite this unflattering interlude, he hopes soon to celebrate the Chinese new marriages.

Focus Christophe DANSETTE Claire DEBUYSER China France City Wedding Tourism

EGYPT: Cairo foiled attacks against France and the United States

 

A source close to Al-Qaeda cell dismantled last weekend in Egypt, preparing for suicide car bomb against the embassies of France and United States in Cairo for "protest against the military intervention of France in Mali", reported Wednesday's national news agency MENA, quoting sources close to the investigation.

Saturday, Egyptian authorities announced the arrest of three Egyptian militants close to al-Qaeda. The defendants were in possession of 10 kg of aluminum nitrate, used to make bombs, had said the interior minister, Mohamed Ibrahim, during a press conference at Cairo without specifying the nationality of suspects. The official MENA news agency had in turn assured that the suspects were Egyptians.

According to the survey of the security services, the three members of the arrested cells are part of the prisoners who escaped detention in the early days of the revolt, in January 2011 , Egypt.

Two of them had been extradited to Algeria and Iran in 2009 and imprisoned in Egypt. The three members of the cell would be recognized in contact with Al-Qaeda but denied planning attacks, according to the findings of the survey cited by Mena.

With news

TELECOMMUNICATIONS: Facebook called home on Smartphone

 

Mark Zuckerberg is about to end more than three years of rumors, expectations and extrapolations about a possible Facebook phone. The young CEO of the king of social networks must disclose, Thursday, April 4 to 19 hours (French time), the "new home on Android [operating system for mobile Google, Ed ] "from his website with over one billion fans.

It probably should not be a 100% pure smartphone Facebook. Since the first articles in 2010 on the U.S. site TechCrunch very informed about this, officials of the social network and always very officially denied work on the construction of a TV , mobile phone home. The announcement Thursday would indeed still following TechCrunch, a launching pad to a telephone Taiwanese manufacturer HTC – HTC called First – with an entirely new interface , to the glory of LY social network.

Facebook would have worked in recent months, even years, to transform Android smartphones with best friends addicted to updating their status. For this new interface, after unveiled the HTC, could also be installed on Samsung smartphones and other devices of the Galaxy Android (60% of market share of smartphone sales in the world), explains AndroidPolice, a blog specializing in the mobile world.

And advertising in all this?

The interface replaces the traditional presentation of applications on an Android smartphone and would add functions to quickly access various services of Facebook (Facebook like camera, instant messaging, social networking or yet the application to make phone calls to his son on Facebook contacts Skype model). 

For the social network, the success of the offensive in the mobile world is crucial. Since 2012, Mark Zuckerberg encourages all its employees to "think mobile first," recalls Bits, the technology blog of the American newspaper "The New York Times." More than 600 million users spend priority by their smartphone to access Facebook, recognize site managers.

Problem: Facebook saw almost as through advertising and "mobile users" are much less likely to consult on a mobile phone than from a traditional computer. Redecorating smartphones in the colors of the social network, Mark Zuckerberg & co increase the chances that users see advertising.

Remains whether the world really need a smartphone that would ostensibly before Facebook. This innovation may, in fact, resemble "the solution to a problem that does not exist," says the "New York Times" s January Dawson, an analyst specializing U.S. and in telecommunications. For this expert, "Facebook fans" are already widely used by different applications published on the social network for smartphones miss nothing of what their many virtual friends.

UNITED STATES: An anti-jihad campaign authorized in the New York subway

 

An advertising campaign comparing radical Islamists to wild will be spread over the walls of the subway in New York on Monday, a conservative blogger who received the endorsement of the American justice system.

"In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel, fight jihad, "reads the provocative posters. The conservative writer Pamela Geller, already known to have militated against an Islamic center to be built near the site of the attacks of 11 September 2001, has been successful U.S. courts to conduct this new campaign.

"Hands tied"

Posters should be put up on the walls of a dozen stations from Monday. Describing the message "insulting" the direction of the New York subway had first refused to exhibit signs of Pamela Geller. But justice has authorized the U.S. saying it was protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion and expression.

"We have their hands tied," said the spokesman Metro New York The Associated Press, adding that the board was now " obliged to publish this campaign. "

It should last a month, at a cost of 6000 dollars per show (about 4600 euros). In San Francisco, the same posters were displayed during a similar campaign in bus, sparking a public backlash. Several posters were vandalized, users replacing the phrase slogan "defeat jihad" by "overcoming racism."

"Islamoréalisme"

Pamela Geller is not his first attempt. Organization, "American Freedom Defense Initiative" (Initiative for American freedom), had already launched an advertising campaign in New York with the slogan: "It is not Islamophobia but the islamoréalisme. "

Pamela Geller has also announced that it would file a complaint against the Washington Metro. The administrative authority for transportation in the U.S. capital has refused to publish the posters when violent protests against anti-Islam video shake the Muslim world.

Considered "the figurehead of the most visible and the most flamboyant of the anti-Muslim" U.S., according to the agency specialized in monitoring extremist groups, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Pamela Geller says she is not worried about re-violence that have claimed the lives of over 30 people, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens.

"I do not intend to sacrifice my freedom just to not offend the savages," she says.