Paul Furlong photo

Opinions on Snowden are split
drastically over his disclosures


Some national security advocates are calling for the prosecution of ex-federal employee Edward Snowden, who leaked details of a top secret U.S. surveillance program. But Snowden’s supporters say he should be protected as a whistleblower for exposing U.S. constitutional violations of civil liberties.

To many who support increased security even at the cost of some personal privacy, Snowden, the National Security Agency contractor who exposed vast government surveillance programs, is a villain. 

The information he revealed included NSA programs to collect phone records and gain access to the Internet usage of millions of Americans. U.S. officials say the programs are legal and the data they gathered has stopped several terrorist plots. 

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, wants Snowden to be tried for espionage.

“It's dangerous to our national security, and it violates the oath of which that person took. I absolutely think they should be prosecuted," said Rogers.

But to others who think the NSA has exceeded its legal authority, Snowden is a hero for speaking out.  Jesselyn Radack is with the Government Accountability Project.

“I think he is a whistleblower, and it was incredibly brave, well thought out, risky action that he took for the benefit of people in this country. So I can’t think of a better definition of a hero," said Ms. Radack.

She says the NSA data mining programs that Snowden leaked intrude on the privacy of Americans beyond the limits set by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 2008 and the Patriot Act.

“So the laws have been clearly broken and he definitely disclosed information that reveals massive waste, abuse and patent illegality on a grand scale that I have not seen in a long time," said Ms. Radack.

President Obama has said that while the programs are classified, they are authorized by Congress. White House spokesman Jay Carney declined Monday to comment on the ongoing investigation, but said the president has tried to balance privacy rights with keeping Americans safe. 

“I think the president’s record on making the kinds of changes that he promised he would make to the ways that we pursue our fight against al-Qaida and our fight against terrorists and extremists, he has lived up to," said Carney.

Snowden is currently in Hong Kong and plans to seek asylum from any countries that he says believe in protecting free speech and global privacy.

The 29-year-old man appears to be a high school dropout who rapidly moved through U.S. intelligence circles.

Snowden grew up in North Carolina and Maryland. In an interview with British newspaper The Guardian, he said he never completed high school, but studied computing at a Maryland community college and obtained a general educational development diploma.

The Guardian quoted the U.S. military as saying Snowden enlisted in the army reserve as a special forces recruit in May 2004 but did not complete the training and was discharged four months later.

Snowden told the paper that his military career was cut short after he broke both his legs in a training accident.

The Guardian said Snowden got his first job as a security guard for the U.S. National Security Agency, or NSA, which assigned him to a covert facility at the University of Maryland.

The paper said Snowden's talent for computer programming helped him to move on to a job with the Central Intelligence Agency as an information technology security specialist. It says the CIA stationed him with diplomatic cover in Geneva, Switzerland, by 2007. The CIA generally refuses to confirm or deny employment with the agency.

Snowden told the paper that he left the CIA in 2009 and took on several jobs as a private contractor for the NSA, including assignments at the computer company Dell and a U.S. military facility in Japan.

U.S. defense consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton said it hired Snowden earlier this year at an office in Hawaii. It said he had been employed for less than three months when he told reporters that he was the source of leaks on the U.S. surveillance programs.

The company expressed shock at the revelations and said that if confirmed, Snowden's actions represent "a grave violation of the code of conduct and core values of our firm."

Neighbors said Snowden lived in a house near Honolulu for several months, sharing it with his girlfriend. They say he kept largely to himself and stored an usually large number of boxes in his garage.

The Guardian said Snowden is an Internet freedom advocate, placing stickers on his laptop bearing the names of groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Tor Project.

It also quoted him as saying voted for a third party candidate in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Snowden says he believed in the promises of President Barack Obama, who won that election, and waited to see how Obama would govern before exposing the secret programs.

Snowden said he eventually disclosed the information in part because Obama, in his view, continued the policies of his predecessor.


Extradition from Hong Kong
could be highly complex


Experts said Monday that any attempt to extradite the man who says he leaked details about the U.S. government's secret monitoring of phone calls and Internet use from Hong Kong could be long and complicated.

The U.S. and Hong Kong signed an extradition treaty in 1996, just before the British handed over control of the territory to China, in which both parties agreed to hand over fugitives. While Hong Kong is a semi-autonomous Chinese territory, Beijing can veto extraditions if it believes returning a suspect to a foreign country would impinge on its essential public interest or policy.

Edward Snowden, who says he worked as a contractor for the highly secretive National Security Agency in the United States, said he disclosed the country's surveillance programs because he grew increasingly concerned about the extent of the monitoring. He had taken up residence in a Hong Kong hotel, and on Sunday he urged two newspapers he had leaked information to, Britain's Guardian and The Washington Post, to disclose his identity.

A New York lawyer who has handled international extradition cases, Robert Anello, told a reporter that any extradition of Snowden could take years, and be a complicated decision for China.

“Whether or not they would decide to override it and keep him is a political issue that would be a very involved decision. I mean, given China’s relationship with the U.S., which at least appears to be relatively good these days, one might argue against it. On the other hand, if his computer is full of important information that would be of interest to a foreign government, they would have an interest in overriding it and maintaining him there," said Anello.

Ultimately, Anello said he thinks "the odds are very substantial" that the United States will be able to extradite Snowden.

Snowden told the Guardian he went to Hong Kong because it "has a strong tradition of free speech."

The Hong Kong government said only that it would abide by its laws, and could not comment on individual cases. U.S. authorities say they are in the initial stages of investigating the leaks, and no formal criminal charges have been filed.

One Hong Kong legal expert, Ronny Tong, said he is not certain that even if the U.S. charges Snowden with offenses related to his acknowledged leak of the documents to the two newspapers it would lead to his extradition.

"If he is being indicted for the crime of espionage in United States, again I am not sure that that would suffice in Hong Kong, because in Hong Kong there is no law as yet which covers espionage or covers the leakage of national interest because we have failed in passing Article 23 legislation, which is the national security legislation in Hong Kong," said Tong.

Another expert, Shi Yinhong at the U.S. Research Center at Renmin University, questioned whether the Chinese government would want to approve Snowden's release to U.S. authorities.
 
"I also think that the Chinese government also will consider the indirect negative impact upon Chinese international prestige, because it's not in Chinese interest to help the U.S. government to take someone who has done nothing criminal against China, but maybe who will get some international sympathy," said Shi.

Snowden also expressed interest in seeking asylum in Iceland, but officials in the North Atlantic island nation said he would have to appear in person to seek asylum there.

In a lengthy interview with the Guardian, Snowden said his dismay grew over time at the extent of the U.S. surveillance of phone and Internet records. He said he believed that Americans not suspected of any wrongdoing were being targeted.

"Even if you're not doing anything wrong, you're being watched and recorded," said Snowden.


Farm bill in Senate drops
one subsidy, adds another


The U.S. Senate has cut a $5 billion-per-year farm subsidy program as part of a bill shaping U.S. farm policy and much more. But lawmakers have added new subsidies that critics say could end up hurting other countries’ farmers more than the old program did.

The $955 billion farm bill passed the Senate with a wide, bipartisan majority. It cuts about $24 billion from the budget over 10 years, in part by doing away with $5 billion a year in what are called direct payments. Farmers got those payments in good years and bad.

High crop prices, historic farm profits and tight federal budgets made that subsidy politically unpopular.

Getting rid of it was one big change in the new bill, says the Agriculture Committee chairwoman, Debbie Stabenow.

“It’s a reform bill. It ends subsidies and moves us in the direction of risk management, and we are very proud of the work that we have done," said Sen. Stabenow.

The Senate bill helps farmers manage the risks of bad weather as well as bad markets. It offers crop insurance to farmers raising crops that have not previously been eligible. And it provides farmers with payments if prices drop below a certain point.

Stabenow says it’s intended to help the farmers who provide the U.S. with a safe, affordable food supply.

But critics say the bill goes too far. Montana State University economist Vince Smith says the new guarantee against market drops could get the U.S. in trouble with the World Trade Organization.

“When prices fall from the current levels, subsidies to a whole plethora of crops go up. Well, that’s exactly when countries like Brazil will bring trade dispute cases claiming price suppression in world markets," said Smith.

Brazil already has won a World Trade case against the United States over cotton subsidies. Smith says the new farm bill could revive that dispute.

The bill also permits $60 million to be spent buying emergency food aid closer to where a crisis is happening, rather than shipping food from the U.S. Supporters say it’s faster and cheaper and could save more lives.

Eric Munoz with the anti-poverty group Oxfam says it’s a step forward. But he points out that it’s just $60 million out of a food aid budget of more than $1 billion.

“It is a very small portion of a relatively large program. So I think we’re just at the beginning, really, of creating the kind of flexibility for food aid that we’d like to see on a much larger scale," said Munoz.

But farm groups, food processors and shippers object to changes that they say will cost American jobs.

The changes are not included in the version of the farm bill the House of Representatives is expected to begin debating in the next few weeks. And the House and Senate are even further apart on domestic food aid programs.


China's emissions raise
world totals to a record


China led a rise in global carbon dioxide emissions to a record high in 2012, more than offsetting falls in the United States and Europe, the International Energy Agency said on Monday.
 
Worldwide CO2 emissions rose by 1.4 percent to 31.6 billion tons, according to estimates from the Paris-based agency.
 
China is the biggest emitter and made the largest contribution to the global rise, spewing out an additional 300 million tons. But the gain was one of the lowest China has seen in a decade, reflecting its efforts to adopt renewable sources and improve energy efficiency.
 
In the United States, a switch from coal to gas in power generation helped reduce emissions by 200 million tons, bringing them back to the level of the mid-1990s.
 
Even though the use of coal increased in some European countries last year due to low prices, emissions in Europe declined by 50 million tons because of the economic slowdown, growth in renewables, and emissions caps on industrial and power companies, the agency said.
 
Japan's CO2 emissions increased by 70 million tons, as efforts to improve energy efficiency failed to offset increasing use of fossil fuels after the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011.
 
Scientists say global average temperature rise needs to be  limited to below 2 degrees Celsius this century to prevent devastating climate effects like crop failure and melting glaciers.
 
That would only be possible if emission levels are kept to around 44 billion tons of CO2 equivalent by 2020.
 
However, the International Energy Agency said the data shows the world is on a path to an average temperature rise of between 3.6 and 5.3 degrees Celsius.
 
“Global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 are projected to be nearly 4 billion tons higher than a level consistent with attaining the 2 degree target, highlighting the scale of the challenge still to be tackled just in this decade,” the agency said.
 
The International Energy Agency urged governments to quickly adopt four policies that would ensure climate goals could be reached without harming economic growth. They are: improving energy efficiency in buildings, industry and transport; limiting the construction and use of inefficient power plants; halving methane emissions; and partially phasing out fossil fuel subsidies.
 
These would reduce global energy-related emissions by 8 percent or 3.1 billion tons of CO2 equivalent in 2020, the International Energy Agency said.
 
“Delaying stronger climate action to 2020 would come at a cost: $1.5 trillion in low-carbon investments are avoided before 2020, but $5 trillion in additional investments would be required thereafter to get back on track,” the agency said.
 
International negotiators are meeting in Bonn, Germany, until Friday for U.N. talks aimed at getting a new global climate treaty, which would cut emissions, signed by 2015.
 
However, the talks got off to a slow start last week due to attempts by three nations to amend one of the meeting's many agendas to discuss how future decisions should be made.


State Department faces claims
of coverups and misconduct


A U.S. television network is alleging that State Department officials have tried to cover up alleged sexual misconduct by American diplomats serving overseas.

The U.S. broadcaster CBS News says it has obtained a memo from the State Department's Inspector General reporting that several recent investigations into misconduct overseas were influenced or manipulated.

The CBS News report says the memo cites specific examples. Among them are allegations that a State Department security official in Beirut engaged in sexual assaults on foreign nationals hired as embassy guards. There also are allegations that members of former secretary of State Hillary Clinton's security detail engaged prostitutes while on official trips in foreign countries.

The CBS News report says members of the State Department's security force were told to stop investigating a U.S. ambassador suspected of patronizing a prostitute in a public park. It quotes the memo as saying that "Hindering such cases calls into question the integrity of the investigative process, can result in counterintelligence vulnerabilities and can allow criminal behavior to continue."

Asked if she challenges any of those allegations, State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said Monday she would not comment about ongoing investigations.

"We hold all employees to the highest standards. We take allegations of misconduct seriously and we investigate thoroughly. All cases mentioned in the CBS report were thoroughly investigated or under investigation, and the department continues to take action," Ms. Psaki said.

Ms. Psaki says officials have responded to the recommendations in the Office of the Inspector General report regarding the Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

"Diplomatic Security has taken the further step of requesting an additional review by outside experienced law enforcement officers on top of the OIG inspection so that officers with law enforcement experience can make expert assessments about our current procedures," Ms. Psaki said.

Asked about allegations against a current U.S. ambassador, Ms. Psaki said she would not talk about specific cases.

"But I can say broadly that the notion that we would not vigorously pursue criminal misconduct in a case, in any case, is preposterous. And we've put individuals behind bars for criminal behavior. There is record of that. Ambassadors would be no exception," Ms. Psaki said.

Ms. Psaki says the State Department "would never condone any undue influence on any report or investigation." She dismissed the memo's reported conclusion that contact between the secretary of State's security detail and prostitutes is endemic, saying, "It's not at all."


Microsoft and Apple announce
new products at expositions


Apple and Microsoft unveiled new products Monday at separate high-tech conference events.

Apple’s biggest news, announced during the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, was the unveiling of its next OS X operating system, which is called Mavericks. The name breaks a decade-long tradition of naming operating systems after big cats. Instead, Mavericks is named after an undersea rock formation near Half Moon Bay, California, that produces big waves.

“We do not want to be the first software release in history to be delayed by a lack of cats,” joked Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering.

Federighi said Mavericks will increase battery life and reduce boot time, as well as incorporate a tab system similar to those found in web browsers for multiple displays within Mavericks. The operating system will incorporate maps as well as iBooks, the company said.

iPhones and iPads also will be getting new software, as the company plans to roll out iOS 7, the next generation of its mobile operating system.

The most striking aspect of iOS 7 is the flat design of the screen icons and overall look. New features, according to Apple, include better battery life, faster multitasking, a better version of Apple’s web browser, Safari, and perhaps biggest of all, applications will automatically update during times when the  mobile device is not being used heavily..

Apple CEO Tim Cook called the new mobile operating system the “biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the iPhone.”

On the hardware side, the company unveiled the new Mac Pro, which has been completely revamped from a silver box to a black cylinder one eighth the size of the old version.

The computer will be available later this year.

Microsoft’s splash came during the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the gaming industry's annual trade show, when the company announced the next-generation Xbox One.

"The platform features and capabilities of Xbox One allow developers to push the boundaries of creativity and push the genre in new directions," Phil Harrison, Microsoft's vice president, told the crowd at University of Southern California's Galen Center.

The gaming console will depend heavily on cloud computing, meaning it will need to have a constant Internet connection. Microsoft is calling the Xbox One, to be released in November,  an “all-in-one" entertainment solution.

 
Amazon begins Web site
in India for online sales


Hoping to tap the growing potential in India for online commerce, the world’s largest online retailer, Amazon has launched its first shopping Web site in India.

The amazon Web site in India offers seven million books and 12,000 movies and TV shows. In the coming weeks, it will add more products such as mobile phones and cameras.

The U.S. online retailer will not sell its own products in India, because Indian laws prohibit companies that carry goods from more than one brand from selling directly to consumers on the web.  Instead the Web site serves as a marketplace, selling goods of local retailers.
 
Last year, Amazon launched a site in India which allowed customers to compare prices online, but not purchase items.

The company enters a market where digital shopping is still in its nascent stages, but is expected to grow rapidly, said Shabori Das at market research firm Euromonitor.   

“Internet retailing is expected to witness a year of growth of nearly 17 percent in the next five years, and this makes India among the top 20 fastest growing Internet retailing markets in the world," said Das. "These will be driven by various products such as apparel, footwear and consumer electronics.”

Online retailers are eyeing India’s huge young, urban population as potential customers. Only about 12 percent of Indians have access to the Internet -- much less than in countries like China. 

But at about 150 million, the total number of Internet users in India is still the third largest in the world. And this will grow exponentially as more people get connected to the web.

These growing numbers have made entrepreneurs confident that online shopping in India will grab a larger slice of total retail.

However the path to big profits may not be easy for online retailers. Online retail adds up to $10 billion at present, but a large chunk is air tickets.

Das at Euromonitor said that most online stores are struggling to make money. To win customers, many companies have to offer facilities such as cash on delivery. And persuading people to shop online is a challenge.

“Most of the online retailing companies, despite the fact that their volume sales are high, their net profit is still in losses. If you see the cost of the item, along with its packaging, free shipping, together will be higher than the price the consumer is paying to the retailer. Finally, there is this reluctance among consumers whether the product being bought is in good condition, whether the money they are paying is worth it or not,” said Das.
 
With the entry of companies like Amazon, the competition to win new customers is only going to get tougher.