Angela Merkel has said she expects the US not to break German laws in data collection. A newspaper has reported that Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service knew about the US National Security Agency’s snooping for years.

The online espionage activities of the National Security Agency have firmly established themselves as an election talking point in Germany.

"I expect a clear commitment from the US government that they will adhere to German law in the future when on German soil," Merkel said, adding that she did not yet know whether German laws were breached by the NSA or other bodies in the past. "We are friends and allies. We are in a defense alliance and we need to be able to rely on each other."


Ends versus means
The Christian Democrat said that while cooperative efforts to combat terrorism were important and would continue, boundaries should be defined, preferably on an international scale.
"Not everything that is technically feasible - and more and more will be in the future - should be allowed," Merkel said. "The ends don't justify the means here, in our view."

The chancellor added that she would sound out EU leaders on a continental data protection standard agreed by all, saying strong German data protection laws could do nothing to help people using websites based abroad.
"We have a truly excellent federal data protection law, but if Facebook is registered in Ireland, then Irish law applies, and that's why we need a unified European directive," Merkel said. The chancellor also said that, so far as she was aware, her communications had not been tapped.



Asleep at the wheel?
Opposition politicians have sought to pounce on the government's reaction to the NSA spying allegations, claiming that German authorities must have known about the activities and arguing that the government's response was too soft once Snowden went public.

"Mrs. Merkel has sworn as chancellor to protect the German people from harm," Social Democrat challenger Peer Steinbrück said in an interview with the mass-circulation Bild am Sonntag, calling for a parliamentary probe into possible dereliction of duty. "I envisage damage limitation as something rather different."

"Whoever is at the wheel carries the responsibility, regardless of whether they're awake or have dozed off," Steinbrück surmised.

Steinbrück's colleague, SPD secretary general Andrea Nahles, said Merkel's Sunday interview offered only "trivialities."

Meanwhile the daily newspaper Bild reported Monday that Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service has known about NSA snooping for years. Bild reported that the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) had, for example, asked US intelligence services for help when German citizens were kidnapped abroad.

"We know of a long cooperation between the German intelligence service and US agencies," an official quoted by the newspaper said. "The government has not made the details of this cooperation public, except for to a parliamentary committee."

Election countdown

September 22: Germany votes
41% - CDU poll rating
5 % - pro-business Free Democrats (CDU allied)

If the elections were today "Frau" Merkel could not form a government. 

 Sorce: msh, mkg/av (AFP, dpa, Reuters)

Sixteen Russian and five Chinese naval ships sailed through an international strait north of Hokkaido from midday Saturday to the Sea of Okhotsk, the Defense Ministry said Sunday.
Russia and China conducted a joint naval drill off the coast of Vladivostok from July 5 to 12, but the purpose of their passage through the Soya Strait is not known, a ministry official said.
The Russian fleet, including missile cruisers, missile destroyers, a supply ship and a hospital ship, traveled through the strait Saturday afternoon, while the Chinese fleet, comprising two missile destroyers, two frigates and a supply ship, passed through the strait early Sunday, the ministry said.

Former U.S. National Security Agency analyst Edward Snowden met with Russian human rights activists, lawyers and government officials Friday to seek their support in securing asylum in Russia in order to later travel safely to South America, leaving Russia with little wriggle room to remain neutral.
“I do intend to ask for political asylum in Russia. I believe that the legal means to stay in Russia safely, to attempt to move to Latin America, is to request asylum in the Russian Federation. I can only at this time formally accept asylum in Russia because of the limitations on my ability to travel,” Snowden told his handpicked audience.
The meeting took place in an unidentified room of Sheremetyevo Airport's transit zone, where Snowden has been apparently stuck for three weeks after the United States revoked his passport. Snowden's guests were followed by dozens of frenzied journalists as they made their way to a special door meant for staff only. The drama reached its peak when the overcrowding on the escalator made it malfunction and journalists had to rush up the frozen stairs.
Snowden's plea for Russian protection marks his second attempt to obtain legal status in Russia.  On July 2, he withdrew a request after President Vladimir Putin said he could only stay in Russia if he stopped inflicting damage against “our American partners.”
This time, Snowden reasoned that his request was not at odds with Putin's condition, as he was not actually inflicting damage against the U.S.
“He called on the organizations present to intervene in support of his asylum claim. He also said that he did not find Putin's remark problematic because, as he says, he did not do any harm to the United States and he did not plan to do any,” Tanya Lokshina, senior researcher at Moscow's Human Rights Watch office, said after the meeting, noting that Snowden “looked like a schoolboy.”
Snowden also asked for assistance in convincing international organizations to petition the U.S. and European Union to allow him to travel, since such organizations require applicants to come to them, and he is stuck in the airport, Lokshina said.
The Russian government is clearly watching the situation closely, as representatives of Russia's secret services were evidently present at the meeting, said Sergei Nikitin, head of Moscow's office of Amnesty International.

“If you see men in suits with military bearing and a heavy look on their faces, then who do you think these people are, school teachers?” he said.

Nikitin also said that whoever was taking care of Snowden seemed to be doing it quite well, as Snowden himself clearly stated that the conditions he enjoyed in Moscow were good. At the same time, according to Nikitin, Snowden said he had not yet been able to improve his Russian despite listening to hundreds of airport announcements each day.
The head of Russia's Federal Migration Service, Konstantin Romodanovsky, told Interfax on Saturday that the agency had not yet received Snowden's asylum application. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's foreign ministers in Kyrgyzstan on the same day that the government was not in contact with Snowden.
Putin discussed the Snowden situation with U.S. President Barack Obama over the phone Friday, though no details of that conversation have been made public.
All participants of the meeting, including both pro-Kremlin State Duma Deputy Vyacheslav Nikonov and human rights organizations — the offices of which have been raided by government authorities in recent months — agreed that Snowden had a strong case to seek asylum in Russia.
The asylum request leaves Russia with fewer options to remain neutral in the matter. The Kremlin has publicly indicated a desire to be rid of Snowden, whose presence in Russia has hurt already strained U.S.-Russia ties, but signals Friday pointed to a possible change in attitude.
State Duma speaker and strong Putin ally Sergei Naryshkin told Rossia 24 television that he thought Russia should grant Snowden asylum, assuming he fulfilled the condition set by Putin. And lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, a member of the Public Chamber who has represented outspokenly pro-Putin film director Nikita Mikhalkov and United Russia lawmaker Iosif Kobzon, said he had agreed with Snowden to help him in preparing his asylum request, according to Interfax. The application process would take between two and three weeks, he said.
Obama's spokesman, Jay Carney, said Friday that “providing a propaganda platform for Mr. Snowden runs counter to the Russian government's previous declarations of Russia's neutrality and [claims] that they have no control over his presence in the airport.”
It was unclear from Snowden's statements regarding his attitude toward the U.S. whether he intended to stop leaking secret U.S. documents, for which the United States wants to charge him with espionage, or whether he believes that he is actually helping the U.S. by leaking the information.
United Russia parliamentarian Alexei Pushkov, who heads the State Duma's International Affairs Committee, said on Twitter that Russia had acted correctly in not extraditing Snowden.
“Russia did the right thing in not giving up Snowden. There are things more important than a momentary gain. Pragmatism in foreign policy is not the same as cynicism,” Pushkov wrote.

Source: The Moscow Times

The leader of Spain's opposition socialist party has called on the prime minister to resign. The move comes as more allegations are published about corruption, a slush fund for government ministers and complicity.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has come under growing pressure since the newspaper El Mundo published alleged secret accounting documents that indicated he had received illegal cash payments from the treasurer of his People's Party (PP), Luis Barcenas while serving in a previous government.

"It is untenable for the prime minister to remain in office a moment longer," Socialist leader Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said on Sunday.

The PP denies reports alleging the existence of a slush fund, in which bribes from construction companies were reportedly channelled to Rajoy and other party leaders for nearly two decades.

Barcenas is due to testify in court on Monday. He is charged with tax fraud, bribery and other crimes and was jailed last month as a flight risk. He gave an interview to El Mundo last week and handed over what he said was the original ledger detailing payments to party officials, including Rajoy.

On Sunday, El Mundo published an alleged transcript of text messages between Rajoy and Barcenas, in which the prime minister offered his support after prosecutors filed charges against Barcenas. Rajoy's text messages place him uncomfortably close to Barcenas: "Luis, nothing is easy but we'll do what we can. Cheer up," said one message from 2012.

In January, when the slush fund allegations broke, Rajoy sent Barcenas a message saying, "Luis, I understand. Stay strong. I'll call you tomorrow. A hug."

"There have been lies, resounding silence in terms of explanations and collusion, as shown by these text messages," Socialist leader Rubalcaba told a news conference.

A spokeswoman for Rajoy declined to comment on the report.

jm/jr (dpa, Reuters, AP)

By Steve Scherer

ROME (Reuters) – A senior parliamentarian in the anti-immigration Northern League party has likened Italy’s first black minister to an orangutan.

1. Cecile Kyenge, an Italian citizen born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been the target of repeated racial slurs since her appointment as integration minister in April.

Roberto Calderoli, vice president of Italy’s Senate, said on Saturday at a political rally in the northern town of Treviglio, “I love animals – bears and wolves, as everyone knows – but when I see the pictures of Kyenge I cannot but think of, even if I’m not saying she is one, the features of an orangutan.”

He said the success of Kyenge encouraged “illegal immigrants” want to come to Italy, and she should be a minister “in her own country”, according to media reports.

Most of the racist taunts – “Congolese monkey”, “Zulu” and “the black anti-Italian” – have come from far-right groups.

Last month, a Northern League member in the European parliament was expelled from the eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and Democracy group for making racist remarks about her.

Mario Borghezio had attacked Kyenge for wanting to impose “tribal traditions” in Italy as member of a “bonga bonga” government, an apparent play on the so-called “bunga bunga” parties of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Opposition politician Calderoli, twice a cabinet minister under Berlusconi, is often offensive.

In 2006, he was forced to resign as reform minister after displaying a T-shirt mocking the prophet Muhammad during a state news broadcast. Later the same year, after Italy won the Football World Cup, he made racist comments about the French team.

While Italy had won the cup with ethnic Italians, France had lost because its players were “niggers, Muslims and communists”.

On Sunday, politicians, including some from his own party, lambasted Calderoli, with some calling for him to resign as Senate vice president. In an official statement and on Twitter, Prime Minister Enrico Letta said the comments were unacceptable.

“They go beyond all limits. Full solidarity and support to Cecile. Forward with your and our work,” Letta said.

Kyenge is campaigning to make it easier for immigrants to gain citizenship, and she backs a law that would automatically make anyone born on Italian soil a citizen.

Calderoli said he had no intention of resigning and offered only a qualified apology, saying it was “immediately clear to everyone present” that his comment was made in the context of a political rally, Ansa news agency reported.

“I did not mean to offend and if minister Kyenge was offended I am sorry, but my comment was made within a much broader political speech that criticised the minister and her policies,” he said.

Kyenge has not made an official statement, but she told AGI news agency that Calderoli should reflect on how he wanted to represent Italy as a senior Senate member.

“I don’t want to address Calderoli the person, but as a representative of an institution: Reflect on what you want to represent through your language,” she said.

(Editing by Louise Ireland)

Francois Hollande has said France needs to ensure upkeep of train lines after a derailment left six people dead. Earlier on Sunday, African troops marched alongside France’s military in the Bastille Day parade.

A main point in the French president's interview with top television journalists on Bastille Day was the train wreck that killed six outside of Paris on Friday.

"We must do much more to maintain traditional lines, existing lines," Hollande said during the interview. "The first conclusion we will draw is to ensure that, in the significant investments being made in the coming years, the priority is on traditional intercity lines," he added.

On Saturday afternoon, Pierre Izard, the SNCF railway's general manager responsible for infrastructure, had told reporters that investigators found that a joint had moved from its normal position, which may have caused the train wreck. However, officials also found that another train had traveled through the station without incident just before the wreck, and a further investigation would be carried out to determine why the joint may have malfunctioned when it did.

With his popularity at rock-bottom, Hollande, a socialist, used the interview to defend his 14 months in office since taking over from the conservative Nicolas Sarkozy.

'Recovery is here'

"The economic recovery is here," Hollande said during the television interview. "I will increase taxes only if necessary, ideally as little as possible," he added.

Hollande also used the interview to address economic issues such as how France would handle EU-mandated budget cuts planned for this year. These include proposed changes to France's pension schemes, which have already sparked calls from unions for general strikes.

No fracking

"As long as I am president, there were will be no exploration for shale gas," Hollande said. "We can see some consequences in the United States" from the technique, he added.

Hollande said that France would maintain its ban on the exploration for shale gas throughout his five-year term. He said the fracking technique used to extract shale gas presented too many "risks to groundwater."

Since 2011, France has banned energy companies from exploiting shale gas over fears of environmental risks from the potential air and water pollution involved in fracking.

And a parade

As France mourned the six killed near Paris, Hollande also commented on what he called the success of the country's first military intervention since he took office a year ago. "Their presence is a tribute to those who actively helped to banish terrorism of the Malian territory," Hollande said of the African troops marching in Paris.

"It's a victory that was won," Hollande said in the interview with the France 2 and TF-1 television stations in the garden of the presidential Elysee Palace. "Look at what happened. It was a victory for Africa, a victory against terrorism, and pride that
we must have."

 "I was saluted in Africa, not for what I said but for what I did," Hollande said of his visits to the continent this year.

In all, 4,800 troops marched past the presidential stage in central Paris, where Hollande stood next to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Bastille Day marks the July 14, 1789, storming of a prison that helped spark the French Revolution. This year, 241 horses, 265 vehicles, 58 planes and 35 helicopters participated. Among the assembled soldiers were German troops from Donaueschingen's 292nd Battalion and the German-French Brigade.

mkg/jm (Reuters, AFP)

Former U.S. National Security Agency analyst Edward Snowden told Russian human rights activists and government officials on Friday that he would apply for asylum in Russia while determining a way to obtain safe passage to South America, the activists and officials said.

Meeting in a room at Sheremetyevo Airport, where Snowden has been apparently stuck for three weeks after the United States revoked his passport, the world-famous fugitive said receiving political asylum in Russia would be the only way to guarantee his safety because of his inability to travel, the activists and officials told journalists after the meeting.

On June 30, Snowden announced that he had asked Russia for asylum only to revoke his request after President Vladimir Putin said the next day that the former spy agency employee could stay only if he stopped "inflicting damage on our American partners."

The Kremlin has publicly indicated a desire to be rid of Snowden, whose presence in Russia has hurt already strained U.S.-Russia ties, but signals Friday pointed to a possible change in attitude.

State Duma speaker and strong Putin ally Sergei Naryshkin told Rossia 24 television that he thought Russia should grant Snowden asylum, assuming he fulfills the condition set by Putin. And Lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, a member of the Public Chamber who has represented outspokenly pro-Putin film director Nikita Mikhalov and United Russia lawmaker Iosif Kobzon, said he had agreed with Snowden to help him in preparing his asylum request, according to Interfax.

According to those present at Friday's meeting, Snowden asked for help in convincing Putin to let him stay in Russia, saying he did not plan any actions aimed at harming the U.S. and therefore met Putin's condition.

"I want the U.S. to succeed," Snowden said, according to Human Rights Watch deputy Russia director Tanya Lokshina, as reported in a tweet by New York Times reporter Ellen Barry.

Snowden also asked for assistance in convincing international organizations to petition the U.S. and European Union to allow him to travel, since such organizations require applicants to come to them, and he is stuck in the airport, Lokshina said, according to tweets by Barry. He also thanked the countries that have offered him asylum already, which include Venezuela and Bolivia, and said his goal was to travel to South America eventually.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Interfax that he had no confirmation of Snowden's latest asylum request to Russia but that the condition for receiving it had not changed.

It was unclear from Snowden's statements regarding his attitude toward the U.S. whether he intended to stop leaking secret U.S. documents, for which the United States wants to charge him with espionage, or whether believes he is actually helping the U.S. by leaking the information.

United Russia parliamentarian Alexei Pushkov, who heads the State Duma's International Affairs Committee, said on Twitter that Russia had acted correctly in not extraditing Snowden.

“Russia did the right thing is not giving up Snowden. There are things more important than a momentary gain. Pragmatism in foreign policy is not the same as cynicism,” Pushkov wrote.

Snowden did not appear before the hundreds of journalists who gathered at Sheremetyevo in anticipation of the meeting and gave few details on his life at the airport to the meeting's participants, saying just that he felt fine and safe, according to Lokshina.

The Moscow Times 

Pierlugi Bersani, former center-left coalition leader  and Silvio Berlusconi

If you are wondering why the Italian Democratic Party wasn’t  able to win the elections, here’s a sample regarding the coherence of the  statements of the former Democratic Party leader:

“I didn’t want to make an alliance with Beppe Grillo, I’m not mad! I don’t admit the existence of parties or movements where only one person takes the decisions.” (Pierluigi Bersani, former chef of the Democratic Party).

The democratic Party is now allied with Berlusconi’s party (PDL). The former Italian Prime Minister is the undisputed leader of his party and of the center-right coalition since its foundation in 1994.

The European Union has officially approved Latvia as the 18th member of the eurozone, which uses the bloc's common currency. The Baltic country is set to adopt the euro on January 1, 2014.

European Union finance ministers from the 28-member bloc gave their final approval for Latvia to join the eurozone during a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, making it the 18th member of the currency union and the second from the Baltics.

The EU's current presidency holder, Lithuania, announced the news via its Twitter account.

"ECOFIN has taken final decision approving Latvia's euro membership from 2014,” the posting on the micro-blogging web site said.

Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis (pictured above) confirmed the news shortly afterward. "Yes we are joining the euro as of January 1 next year," he said, adding that it was "good news not only for Latvia but also for Europe and the eurozone."

It was also announced that Latvia’s current currency, the lat, will be converted at a rate of 0.7028 lats per euro.

Before Tuesday's final approval, Latvian Finance Minister Andris Vilks said his country was “ahead of the cycle," adding that they were now focussed on growth rather than austerity.

After its real-estate bubble burst amid the world financial crisis in 2008, Latvia faced massive economic problems leading to a 7.5-billion-euro ($9.7 billion) bailout by the EU and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Now, after following an austerity plan to recovery, the country boasts the EU's highest growth rate, which came in at more than five percent year-on-year in 2011 and 2012. Its deficit and debt levels are also among the lowest in the bloc.

However, only about a third of Latvia's two million inhabitants have expressed support for euro accession in recent polls, with many fearing that the euro will bring price hikes.

hc/pfd (AFP, AP, dpa)

The ratings agency Standard & Poor's has downgraded Italy’s credit score by one place. S&P noted that the country's creditworthiness might well take a further hit in the not-too-distant future.

The New York-based agency announced on Tuesday that it was cutting the sovereign debt of Italy from BBB+ to BBB over worries that the country might not be able to absorb the effects of a worsening recession.

"The rating action reflects our view of a further worsening of Italy's economic prospects coming on top of a decade of real growth averaging -0.04 percent," S&P said in a statement.

S&P said that excessive rigidity in the Italian labor and product markets was the main reason for the country's poor economic performance. It said there was an expectation that gross domestic product (GDP) would shrink by 1.9 percent this year. A previous prediction was that GDP would shrink, but only by 1.4 percent.

There was further bad news, in that the agency gave Italy a negative outlook. That means it considered there was "at least a one-in-three chance that the rating could be lowered again in 2013 or 2014."

Big debts, little hope

The agency noted that a stagnant economy would make it more difficult for the Italian government to trim public debt, which currently stands at some 130 per cent of GDP. The figure is one of the highest among developed economies, S&P observed.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) last week also cut its growth forecast for Italy. It said that the eurozone's third largest economy remained in a weak state and that unemployment was "unacceptably high."

Syria's opposition has elected a new president to represent it as the battle on the ground rages. Meanwhile, two members of a German aid group who went missing in Syria are said to be alive, well, and on their way home.

The opposition coalition also elected three vice presidents: Salem al-Muslit, Suhair Atassi and Mohammed Farouk Taifour, a senior official with Syria's Muslim Brotherhood. The coalition voted for Badr Jamous as secretary-general.

The meeting represents the second attempt in recent months to unify the opposition. The SNC counts on little support inside Syria, where civilians primarily concern themselves with trying to survive the third summer of a conflict that has killed more than 93,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes. In late May, the opposition leaders met for more than a week in Istanbul, but failed to elected new leaders or devise a strategy for possible peace talks that the U.S. and Russia have been trying to convene in Geneva.

'Pray for him'

Although the German Foreign Ministry announced the release of two citizens, the fate of a third missing person is unknown. The Grünhelme (Green Helmets) aid organization announced last weekend that three of its members were missing and were believed to have been kidnapped. According to Grünhelme, they were taken by unknown persons on May 14, from the town of Harem in Syria's Idlib district.

Edward Snowden not on Bolivian president's diverted plane 

A jet carrying the Bolivian president is on its way home after being forced to land at Vienna airport because of the refusal of some European countries to let it pass through their airspace. Eva Morales was returning from a visit to Moscow. He called it "an excuse to scare, intimidate and punish me". 

The US government has admitted that it had been in contact with other nations about potential flights involving Edward Snowden, the NSA whistleblower. The State Department would not comment on whether it had made any specific respresentations over Morales's flight.

Bolivian and Austrian authorities insisted Snowden was not on the plane. The extent to which the Austrian police officers searched the jet was unclear.

An Austrian official told AP that Morales's aircraft asked controllers at Vienna airport to land because there was "no clear indication" that the plane had enough fuel to continue on its journey. 

Bolivia's UN ambassador has said that the country will file a formal complaint with the United Nations over the "kidnapping" of Morales. A number of South American leaders voiced outrage at the incident, including the Argentinian president Cristina Kirchner and Rafael Correa, the president of Ecuador.

Ecuador's foreign minister Ricardo Patino says Ecuador has found a hidden microphone inside its London embassy, where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is living, and it would disclose who controls the device. Patino described it as "another instance of a loss of ethics at the international level in relations between governments"

The Complete Coverage

Flight of the plane in real time

Source: The Guardian 

Exclusive: Greece has three days to deliver or face consequences - EU officials

(Reuters) - Greece has three days to reassure Europe and the IMF that it can deliver on conditions attached to its bailout in order to receive its next tranche of aid, four euro zone officials said on Tuesday.

Our trade turnover has reached a new level of $2 billion. Our companies have vast investment plans valued at over $20 billion. Each of our plans is being implemented successfully,” said President Putin about negotiations with Nicolas Maduro in the Kremlin on Tuesday.

A record high in trade was mostly due to Russian export growth of 211.4%. "This is the result of several large contracts concerning military and industrial hardware supplies," said President Putin.

Putin praised Maduro for taking up the baton from his predecessor Hugo Chavez, “one of the most brilliant leaders of Latin America”. “I am very glad to note that you … continue the development of relations between Russia and Venezuela,” he added. Maduro responded by saying he had “inherited” a great love for Russia.

“President Chavez always had a great respect and love towards Russia. And we inherited this love for Russia. And we came here to confirm our wish to strengthen and broaden our strategic alliance with Russia,” Maduro replied.

Joint energy projects are traditionally high on the agenda. Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft and Venezuelan national company Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) have signed a cooperation agreement for offshore projects. On top of that, the Venezuelan energy giant signed an agreement to build a combined heat and power plant in Venezuela that runs on petroleum coke.

PDVSA has a 60% interest in the Petrozamora joint venture (JV) and Gazprombank Latin America Ventures B.V. (GPB Global Resources Group) - 40%. The JV is developing the Lagunillas Tierra and Bachaquero Tierra fields, discovered in 1926 and 1938 respectively, in the state of Zulia near Lake Maracaibo. The project to boost oil recovery at the fields was approved by the parliaments of both countries in February 2012. The agreement is for 25 years.

Russia’s third largest bank by assets Gazprombank agreed with PDVSA on $1 billion to finance a scheme for extraction in the South American country, said deputy chief at Gazprombank Alexandr Muranov. This comes under the framework of Gazprombank-PDVSA joint venture Petrozamora – an investment outfit that is already producing.

Joining finance is also in the cooperation pipeline. A Russian-Venezuelan bank and a Russian commercial mission will open in Caracas soon, Maduro said “The Russian-Venezuelan bank will be represented in Beijing. Its Venezuelan office will open shortly,” with its money to be invested in Venezuelan development, Maduro explained.

Source: RT

The European Parliament has stripped far-right French lawmaker Marine Le Pen of her legal immunity so she can be prosecuted over a remark she made about Muslims in 2010. She now faces charges of inciting racial hatred.

The leader of France's far-right National Front, Marine Le Pen, lost her right to legal immunity as a European Parliament deputy on Tuesday, which has exposed her to possible prosecution for inciting racial hatred.

Le Pen faces the charges for a 2010 comment comparing Muslim street prayers to the occupation of France by Nazi Germany during WWII.

Last year, prosecutors from France's eastern city of Lyon made the request to override Le Pen's right to immunity - which is traditionally granted to all members of parliament.

A majority of parliamentarians voted to ratify the decision a parliament official said after the hearing. The vote was followed by the parliament's judicial affairs committee recommendation last month that Le Pen's immunity be stripped.

Marine Le Pen was first elected to the European Parliament in 2004. She took over the leadership of France's National Front in 2011, replacing her father, Jean-Marie, who founded the right-wing party.

The National Front promotes conservative social values and has maintained a reputation for outspokenness against Muslim immigration to France. During the 2012 presidential election, the party garnered nearly 18 percent of the vote.

Not backing down

On Monday, Le Pen repeated her 2010 comment.

She said her crime was to have "dared say what the French think."

"I will go to court with my head held high to explain that there have to be people in this country who tell the French the truth," she told LCI television, calling the charges a "thought crime."

If found guilty, she would face a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a possible 45,000 euro ($59,000) fine.

hc/dr (Reuters, AFP, dpa)

by Catherine Bremer

(Reuters) - A budget minister stashing cash in Switzerland, accusations that politicians tapped a senile heiress for campaign funds and allegations that a 403 million euro payout to an ex-convict businessman was rigged; French politics seems awash in sleaze.

President Francois Hollande may pay dearly for the spectacle of public figures grilled over scandals that highlight wealth swilling about the corridors of power while France at large suffers tax hikes and unemployment. But his potential rival at future presidential polls, Nicolas Sarkozy, fares little better

A survey by pollster BVA found 7 in 10 respondents view most politicians as corrupt. Yet among the lower-paid workers Socialist Hollande wants to keep behind him, honesty is the top quality they want in their leaders - even ahead of competence.

"Sleaze is not new, but people's tolerance is lower than it used to be. When the cake is smaller, you get angrier when you see it divided into unequal parts or if someone takes a piece illegally," said political analyst Yves Sintomer.

"Surveys show a growing distrust towards politicians."

Hollande, his popularity further imperiled by a looming pension overhaul likely to stir street protests, faces a test early next year with municipal and European elections

The rash of scandals making headlines this month has tarred left- and right-wingers alike, despite Hollande's promises to clean up political life when he defeated conservative Sarkozy in May 2012.

Disgruntled voters are already shifting behind the far-right National Front, which scored a resounding 47 percent in a by-election runoff in a southwestern town this month, and calls from parliament this week for further tax rises will not help.

"When people feel that everybody is corrupted more of them are going to vote for an anti-system party," said Sintomer.

Last week, TV viewers watched Hollande's ex-budget minister Jerome Cahuzac squirm as a parliamentary panel asked why he hid a Swiss bank account. On a different channel another black sheep Socialist, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, fielded Senate committee questions about the role ofbanks in tax evasion.

The sight of Strauss-Kahn, whose glittering career as IMF head and presidential hopeful came to a juddering halt over a 2011 sex scandal involving a New York hotel maid, and the hand-wringing Cahuzac on show together was excruciating for Hollande.

DREADFUL WEEK

The same week, tycoon Bernard Tapie, a onetime Socialist minister who switched sides to support Sarkozy's 2007 election bid, was interrogated over four days in custody in a probe into an arbitration payment he received once Sarkozy was president.

That case has sucked in France Telecom CEO and former finance ministry official Stephane Richard, now under formal investigation, and his boss at the time, conservative ex-finance minister and current IMF head Christine Lagarde.

"It was an absolutely dreadful week for our institutions. We are promised more tortuous episodes and all people really know is that in these cases it's the taxpayer who pays," said Christophe Barbier, editor of news magazine L'Express.

A 70-year-old with a mop of dyed caramel hair, Tapie became a self-made business tycoon after dropping early dreams of being a pop star or racing driver. An owner of sports teams, he was briefly jailed in 1997 on a soccer match-fixing conviction.

The probe into the 2008 payout to settle a dispute with a state bank over a share sale is one of several affairs weighing on Sarkozy's hopes of staging a comeback for the 2017 election.

In a combative TV appearance, Tapie, who embodies the kind of opulent lifestyle many French revile, said he was blameless. But the investigation could still be politically damaging for Sarkozy, despite the fact that he was covered by presidential immunity at the time of the affair.

In a separate sleaze affair last week, investigating judges recommended Sarkozy be dropped from an investigation into whether L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt was duped into handing over money to fund his 2007 election campaign.

But another case returned with reports that a Lebanese businessman had admitted paying illegal kickbacks to fund the presidential campaign of ex-prime minister Edouard Balladur in 1995, when Sarkozy was budget minister and campaign spokesman.

(editing by Mark John and Ralph Boulton)

WASHINGTON (AP) — National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, believed to be in legal limbo in the Moscow airport, is expanding his requests for asylum to another 19 countries, including China, according to WikiLeaks.
WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy group that has adopted Snowden and his cause, on Monday night posted a statement said to be from Snowden that slammed President Barack Obama for "using citizenship as a weapon."
"Although I am convicted of nothing, it has unilaterally revoked my passport, leaving me a stateless person," Snowden says in the statement. "Without any judicial order, the administration now seeks to stop me exercising a basic right. A right that belongs to everybody. The right to seek asylum.
"Their purpose is to frighten, not me, but those who would come after me."
WikiLeaks legal adviser Sarah Harrison delivered the requests for asylum to an official at the Russian consulate at the Moscow airport on Sunday, according to the website. WikiLeaks says some of the requests have already been delivered to the appropriate embassies.
The WikiLeaks statement said requests were made to China, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, India and several European countries. Snowden had planned earlier to seek asylum in Ecuador and has requested asylum in Russia.
The asylum requests reported by WikiLeaks and the Snowden statement could not be independently authenticated.
Snowden, who has been on the run since releasing sensitive NSA documents, is believed to have been in Moscow airport's transit zone since his arrival from Hong Kong on June 23. The U.S. has annulled his passport, and Ecuador, where he had hoped to get asylum, has been giving mixed signals about offering him shelter.
After Snowden applied for political asylum to remain in Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters in Moscow that Snowden would have to stop leaking U.S. secrets if he wanted asylum there — and he added that Snowden seemed unwilling to stop publishing leaks of classified material.
At the same time, Putin said he had no plans to turn over Snowden to the United States.
The expanded requests for asylum come as the Obama administration contends with European allies angry about the release of documents that alleged U.S. eavesdropping on European Union diplomats.
Obama, in an African news conference with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, said the U.S. would provide allies with information about new reports that the NSA had bugged EU offices in Washington, New York and Brussels. But he also suggested such activity by governments would hardly be unusual.
"We should stipulate that every intelligence service —not just ours, but every European intelligence service, every Asian intelligence service, wherever there's an intelligence service — here's one thing that they're going to be doing: They're going to be trying to understand the world better, and what's going on in world capitals around the world," he said. "If that weren't the case, then there'd be no use for an intelligence service."
The latest issue concerns allegations, published in the German newsweekly Der Spiegel, of U.S. spying on European officials. French President Francois Hollande demanded Monday that the U.S. immediately stop any such eavesdropping and suggested the widening controversy could jeopardize next week's opening of trans-Atlantic trade talks between the United States and Europe.
"We cannot accept this kind of behavior from partners and allies," Hollande said on French television.
German government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin, "Eavesdropping on friends is unacceptable." He declared, "We're not in the Cold War anymore."
Even before the latest disclosures, talks at the upcoming free-trade sessions were expected to be fragile, with disagreements surfacing over which items should be covered in or excluded from an agreement. The United States has said there should be no exceptions. But France has called for exempting certain cultural products, and other Europeans do not appear eager to give up longtime agricultural subsidies.
Obama said the Europeans "are some of the closest allies that we have in the world." But he added: "I guarantee you that in European capitals, there are people who are interested in, if not what I had for breakfast, at least what my talking points might be should I end up meeting with their leaders. That's how intelligence services operate."
Nonetheless, Obama said he'd told his advisers to "evaluate everything that's being claimed" and promised to share the results with allies.
Meanwhile, the Interfax news agency said a Russian consular official has confirmed that Snowden had asked for asylum in Russia.
Interfax cited Kim Shevchenko, the duty officer at the Russian Foreign Ministry's consular office in Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, as saying that Snowden's representative, Harrison, handed over his request Sunday.
"If he wants to go somewhere and there are those who would take him, he is welcome to do so," Putin said. "If he wants to stay here, there is one condition: He must stop his activities aimed at inflicting damage on our American partners, no matter how strange it may sound coming from my lips."
Obama said "there have been high-level discussions with the Russians" about Snowden's situation.
"We don't have an extradition treaty with Russia. On the other hand, you know, Mr. Snowden, we understand, has traveled there without a valid passport, without legal papers. And you know we are hopeful that the Russian government makes decisions based on the normal procedures regarding international travel and the normal procedures regarding international travel and the normal interactions that law enforcement has. So I can confirm that."
Putin didn't mention any Snowden effort to seek asylum in Russia, and spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to say what the Russian response might be. Putin insisted that Snowden wasn't a Russian agent and that Russian security agencies hadn't contacted him.
Three U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly discuss the Snowden case, said Washington's efforts were focused primarily on persuading Russia to deport Snowden either directly to the United States or to a third country, possibly in eastern Europe, that would then hand him over to U.S. authorities.
In a sign of the distrust generated by the Der Spiegel report, the German government said it had launched a review of its secure government communications network and the EU's executive, the European Commission, ordered "a comprehensive ad hoc security sweep."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday he didn't know the details of the allegations, but he still played them down, maintaining that many nations undertake various activities to protect their national interests. Kerry failed to quell the outrage from allies, including France, Germany and Italy.
A spokesman for Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council, said, "The European Union has demanded and expects full and urgent clarification by the U.S. regarding the allegations."
According to Der Spiegel's report, which it said was partly based on information leaked by Snowden, NSA planted bugs in the EU's diplomatic offices in Washington and infiltrated the building's computer network. Similar measures were taken at the EU's mission to the United Nations in New York, the magazine said.
It also reported that the NSA used secure facilities at NATO headquarters in Brussels to dial into telephone maintenance systems that would have allowed it to intercept senior officials' calls and Internet traffic at a key EU office nearby.
As for Snowden, White House national security spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said the White House won't comment on specific asylum requests but reiterated its message to all countries that he "needs to be expelled back to the U.S. based on the fact that he doesn't have travel documents and the charges pending against him."
Regarding possible effects on U.S. interactions with Russia, she said it remains the case "that we don't want this issue to negatively impact the bilateral relationship."
___
Associated Press writers Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Sarah Di Lorenzo in Paris, Frank Jordans and Geir Moulson in Berlin, Elena Becatoros in Athens, Raf Casert in Brussels, Deb Riechmann in Brunei, Nicole Winfield in Rome, Julie Pace in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Brazil have defeated Spain to win their third consecutive Confederations Cup. Fred scored two and Neymar added another as the hosts dominated from minute one at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

The result was never in doubt Sunday evening at the Maracana. Brazil’s impressive talent put on quite a show against a visibly tired Spain, who had clearly not fully recovered from playing 120 minutes of football in humid conditions during the semifinal on Thursday.
The hosts took the lead just two minutes into the match after Fred pounced on a failed clearance. Hulk sent a cross into the box from the left wing, two Spain defenders failed to clear ball, and Fred got a foot on it before goalkeeper Iker Casillas could grab it.
The goal ignited the crowd inside the Maracana, and the hosts fed off the energy. Brazil put enormous pressure on Spain for the entire first half. Andres Iniesta and Xavi were hardly given any time on the ball, making an already rusty-looking Spain appear even more unpolished.
Around the 40-minute mark it looked like Pedro would score the equalizer for the Spanish team. Receiving the ball on the right wing, he beat goalkeeper Julio Cesar with a low, placed shot. But a sprinting David Luiz beat the ball to the goal line and, amazingly, he blocked the shot.
Instead it was Brazil who would get the next goal. Just a minute before halftime Oscar played a ball to Neymar on the left side of the box. The young superstar took one touch and ripped a powerful shot into the top corner of the net, leaving Casillas no chance.
The goal capped what was a fantastic half for the hosts, who went into the locker room with a well-deserved 2-0 lead.
Spain capitulate
Just two minutes after the restart, things got worse for Spain. Picking up the ball near half field, Hulk played a wonderful through pass to Fred on the left wing, and he sent a low finish past Casillas to seal his brace.
In the 55^th minute, it looked like Spain were given a lifeline when substitute Jesus Navas went down in the box. The referee called a penalty, and it was Sergio Ramos who stepped up to take it. But the defender put his effort wide, making it clear that Sunday was not Spain’s night.
In minute 68, things got worse for the Spanish. Gerard Pique committed a reckless tackle on Neymar during a counter attack, and the ref had no choice but to award a red card. Down to 10 men, Spain’s faint hopes were all but dashed. The match ended 3-0 with Brazil as the champions.
The victory is Brazil’s third straight in the Confederations Cup after wins over Argentina and the United States in the 2005 and 2009 editions of the tournament.
Sunday’s performance marks what has been an impressive tournament for the Brazilians. Because they are already qualified as hosts for the 2014 World Cup, Brazil have had no competitive matches to speak of in recent years. But the hosts showed at this summer’s tournament that they have the talent to beat the world’s best. With their home crowd behind them, they’re already favorites to win next summer’s big show.

Source: DW

(CNN) -- European officials reacted with fury Sunday after a report that the U.S. National Security Agency spied on EU offices.

The European Union warned that if the report is accurate, it will have tremendous repercussions.

"I am deeply worried and shocked about the allegations," European Parliament President Martin Schulz said in a statement. "If the allegations prove to be true, it would be an extremely serious matter which will have a severe impact on EU-US relations. On behalf of the European Parliament, I demand full clarification and require further information speedily from the U.S. authorities with regard to these allegations."

German Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger "said if the accusations were true it was reminiscent of the Cold War," ministry spokesman Anders Mertzlufft said, adding that the minister "has asked for an immediate explanation from the United States."

The German newspaper Der Spiegel reported that "the U.S. placed bugs in the EU representation in Washington and infiltrated its computer network. Cyberattacks were also perpetrated against Brussels in New York and Washington."

The information came from secret documents obtained by Edward Snowden, which the paper "has in part seen," according to the report. "A 'top secret' 2010 document describes how the secret service attacked the EU's diplomatic representation in Washington."

Ben Rhodes, White House deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, said he had not seen the report and "would not comment on unauthorized disclosures of intelligence programs. The intelligence community would be the most appropriate to do that."

Rhodes added that "those are some of our closest intelligence partners, so it's worth noting that the Europeans work very closely with us. We have very close intelligence relationships with them."

U.S. intelligence officials have not responded immediately to the report.

European Union spokeswoman Marlene Holzner, in a e-mail to CNN, said, "We have immediately been in contact with the U.S. authorities in Washington DC and in Brussels and have confronted them with the press reports. They have told us they are checking on the accuracy of the information released yesterday and will come back to us."

Snowden, who has acknowledged leaking classified documents, is in Russia and seeking asylum in Ecuador.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden asked Ecuador "to please reject" the request for asylum, according to Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said, "The sooner he selects his final destination point, the better both for us and for himself."

A top Russian lawmaker said Sunday that Russia must not hand Snowden over to the United States.

"It's not a matter of Snowden's usefulness to Russia, it's a matter of principle," Alexei Pushkov -- who heads the international affairs committee at the Duma, the lower house of parliament -- said on Twitter.

"He is a political refugee and handing him over is morally unacceptable," he said.