In the past 10 days, two separate courts have handed down "diametrically opposed" rulings on the legality of the NSA's bulk telephony metadata collection programs. One, decided by a federal trial judge in Washington, found that the program was "likely unconstitutional"; the other, decided today by a federal trial judge in New York, found that the exact same program to be A-okay under our nation's statutory and constitutional law.
SUU KYI'S PARTY TO CONTEST 2015 MYANMAR ELECTIONS →
It was the first time the National League for Democracy party announced it would take part in the polls, which Suu Kyi had said cannot be fair unless the constitution is changed.
"I want to say that the NLD will contest the 2015 elections," National League for Democracy spokesman Nyan Win said at a news conference.
How al-Qaeda Changed the Syrian War →
Talk to any Syrian you meet on the Syrian-Turkish border these days, and in less than five minutes the conversation is likely to turn to Da’ash—the Arabic acronym for the rebel organization known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria, or ISIS.
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Since its appearance last April, ISIS has changed the course of the Syrian war. It has forced the mainstream Syrian opposition to fight on two fronts. It has obstructed aid getting into Syria, and news getting out. And by gaining power, it has forced the US government and its European allies to rethink their strategy of intermittent support to the moderate opposition and rhetoric calling for the ouster of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad...
More Than Half of the World's Terrorists Attacks Happen in Just Three Countries →
While the total number of terrorist attacks around the world has been steadily rising, it is also an increasingly concentrated phenomenon. New data released today by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism based at the University of Maryland shows that just three countries for the year 2012—Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan—accounted for 54 percent of attacks and 58 percent of fatalities that year. India, Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen, and Thailand were the next five most frequently targeted.
South Sudan government 'agrees to truce' →
Seeing more reports of this. Good news, even if it's a chaotic situation.
Bangladesh troops sent out to try to stem election violence →
Tens of thousands of troops fanned out across Bangladesh on Thursday in a bid to stem political violence ahead of next month's elections, which the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has boycotted.
Time for a little Bitcoin discussion →
Thought 1: Is Bitcoin money?
Absolutely...
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Bitcoin is money. You can store some wealth in it. But how does it stand up as a platform competitor in payments? On the stability front, it is pretty awful.
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However, it does have some other features. First, it may actually be a better platform in some countries than others. This is why the demand for Bitcoins is heavily related to the stability of other currencies. Where US dollars are hard to come by, Bitcoin can offer a safer haven for wealth.
Second, you can potentially deal in Bitcoins and exchange them with others without going through a financial institution or holding cash. That makes them potentially useful for operating outside of the watch of governments. This can be a benefit or a curse.
Report on Syrian Malware →
Cyber warfare's actually pretty old. Tech and strategy continue to evolve.