YEMEN - UNREST

YEMEN #Yemen Sa'naa /fierce gunfire / rebel advance on the capital / TV station down / 40 ppl killed Thu./ UN envoy w/ rebels / flights suspended    #Yemen Sa'naa /fierce gunfire / rebel advance on the capital / TV station down / 40 ppl killed Thu./ UN envoy w/ rebels / flights suspended UN envoy would be Jamal Benomar >> flown in for talks w/ rebel leader Abdulmalik Al Houthi pic.twitter.com/x9SUXJY8we >Moroccan-born / political prisoner 8-yrs Morocco (1976–83) / uni lecturer politics / POST Carter admin H/Rights director Carter Ctr ----------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE also earlier news: Massive unrest - 'tens of thousands' protest in Sanaa #Yemen - re cutting of fuel subsidies & political - http://goo.gl/LZoeDc #Iran diplomat Nour Ahmad Nikbakht who was abducted in Sana'a in July is in good health conditions [Fars News] - Sana'a = #Yemen capital

UK - Attack on free speech & democracy (Lobbying Act - aka 'Gagging Act') || And GCHQ's John Sawers Interview

UK GCHQ - Sawers ----------------------------------------   Sir John Sawers GCHQ head has a nibble & chat re #Snowden revelations & reforming MI6 - http://goo.gl/4Fnkrv  - he looks shifty to me Ø      Governor of Ditchley Foundation 2 promote international, *especially* Anglo-American relations ... [wikipedia] ... LOL Ø      12 annual conferences/ invitees drawn from senior levels of politics, business, the armed forces, media & academia. Ø      Hey, it's the Who's Who of corporate & US butt-kissers - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ditchley_Foundation … Ø      Sawers drew up plans to train & equip a Syrian rebel army of 100,000 to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad !! [wikipedia] GCHQ chief's holidays interrupted by " beheadings of two American hostages by Islamist jihadis" .. proceeds to sell need 4 intell @ lunch ----------------------------------------   LOBBYING ACT - aka 'Gagging Act' #UK govt quietly pushed thru Lobbying Act critics claim is highly UNDEMOCRATIC - dubbed 'Gagging Act' - http://on.rt.com/9012gg  > #ukPolitics >anti-lobbying bill passed Fri. UK govt set 2 silence & criminalise dissent 12 mth prior 2 any major election!! - #ukPolitics But electioneering propaganda in newspapers & political parties’ election spending OK.  Bill is de-facto pro-establishment. Ø      Trade Union Congress (TUC) as a “chilling attack on free speech.” --- #ukPolitics ----------------------------------------   COMMENT The way legislation is pushed through -- and the nature of the legislation -- is understandably a concern. With this sort of thing going on, it sure doesn't look like UK's a democracy. For the low-down on the guy that heads GCHQ (until November, I think it is), check out the Financial Times article - here.

Hacker, Cybersecurity, Internet, Surveillance, Cryptography

CYBER-SECURITY #Hacker - TOR users become FBI's No.1 hacking target after legal power grab - http://goo.gl/uaE0ac  - Rule 41. Fed Rules Crim Procedure FBI snitch Hector Xavier “Sabu” Monsegur >> cyber-attacks against foreign governments while under FBI control http://goo.gl/uaE0ac  ---------------------------------------- Follow this Twitter if interested in cryptography https://twitter.com/matthew_d_green  >> computers & cryptography @ Johns Hopkins University - #hacker #USA #Surveillance #cybersecurity - proposed Fed Rule 41 Crim Procedures - info - http://goo.gl/tiXgQ7  >>> FBI overseas hacking >> Note: "Board of Editors include individuals with significant government experience ..." >> How independent is info? #Hacker #surveillance - QUANTUM networks spread http://goo.gl/U41C95  - QKD - photons in partic. quantum states 2 gen. secure crypto key #hacker / standard cryptography relies on hard mathematical probs > can theoretically be cracked given enough computing power. /newscientist Battelle n-f-p science r/sch / plans 2 use use existing fibre-optic network 2 test larger quantum network to link Ohio to WA / newscientist #China wide-area QKD network experiment done / QKD b/w Beijing & Shanghai is due completion by 2016 Perform/ decrease w/ dist. b/w nodes /req. trusted node b/w 2 parties 2 establish link w/ each of them /+ need quant/ repeater #IT #Cryptography - Research shows that it is possible to hack QKD systems (due to flaws in hardware)!! - 2 address prob. / newscientist #Cryptography - QKD can't hide that you are talking to someone - but can 2 send a SMALL amt data w/out notice IF disguise MSG inherent noise http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22329873.000-quantum-internet-could-keep-us-safe-from-spying-eyes.html?page=2 ----------------------------------------   COMMENT The 'cryptography' isn't strictly cryptography; I think it is something to do with quantum engineering instead. Interesting stuff.   The New Scientist article (link above) is very well written because it's so easy to read.   Check this stuff out, it's really cool.

RUSSIA - Internet | Oligarchs

RUSSIA INTERNET ----------------------------------------  #Internet - Security officials & IT giants may make #Russia sector of net independent http://on.rt.com/v8synu  - [as counter to]     #USA     internet kill-switch #USA - NSA whistleblower Edward #Snowden says NSA unintentionally caused the November 2012 internet blackout in #Syria Obama gives himself control of all communication systems in USA - July 2012 http://on.rt.com/jko4gg  - WH / EO Press http://goo.gl/S15En5  #Russia govt may take over functions of ru + .рф .. b/c negotiations 2 make ICANN body less dependent on #USA going nowhere / #Internet #Russia / runet organically grew from foreign parts of infrastructure >> #China developed own segment of #internet & keeps tight control #NorthKorea -- Wow, Nth Korea has its own internet!!! OLIGARCHS   ----------------------------------------  #Russia Sept 19. /ITAR-TASS/. AFK Sistema chairman Vladimir Yevtushenkov remains under house arrest - http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/750354 ----------------------------------------

Egypt - Owned by Foreign Oil Companies - $6 BILLION DEBT

EGYPT ----------------------------------------   WOW!!! >> #Germany #Canada #Italy, Tunisian & ors (?) -- oil & gas exploration deals @ $187m signed by #EGYPT >> http://goo.gl/I8pV39 >"Egypt has started repaying ... debt to foreign oil companies, which had reached more than $6 BILLION" -- So Egypt pays THEM! ----------------------------------------    COMMENT Found this snippet interesting. It looks like Egypt's paying the money out instead of the other way around, which I would have expected. Check out the debt to foreign oil companies!  Egypt sounds like it's owned. This info tells you who is particularly cosy with Egypt, I'm guessing.

China Telcom Expansion / China Invests in India - Sino-Indian Border Dispute Resolution

CHINA Business / Telecommunications #China telecom device maker (allegedly the back-door dudes!!) - new research + development org opens #France - http://goo.gl/HFUBEL  >> back-door info >> http://www.zdnet.com/former-pentagon-analyst-china-has-backdoors-to-80-of-telecoms-7000000908/ … >> Huawei to invest: USD203.3 million to build a new R&D centre in Bristol, Britain. [NOTE:  Huawei currently has a R&D unit in Britain's Ipswich.] >> "Huawei launched a new innovation centre in Walldorf, #Germany, in August 2014" -- http://goo.gl/HFUBEL ----------------------------------------   INVESTMENT & BORDERS - INDIA #China + #India kiss & make up>USD$20b China investment in India infrastructure + manuf/ + border dispute resolution http://goo.gl/yko7MX >Border to be resolved by demarcating the Line of Actual Control (LAC) /legal recognition in Sino-Indian agreements 1993/96 ---------------------------------------- COMMENT China appears very prosperous and relations have improved, so all seems to be going well for China  - in these parts of the world, at least.

SWEDEN: ECJ - VAT - UK implications

SWEDEN #Sweden has another corporate boot-licker? Social Democratic party leader, Stefan Lofven - http://goo.gl/hpNxRV  - Uh-oh EU - CoJ - Ruling (VAT) - Implications #EU Court of Justice ruling: Sweden can tax Skandia US 4 providing IT 2 Swedish unit as a separate entity re VAT >>http://goo.gl/DkZLus  #UK "could add hundreds of millions of pounds of taxes to banks & insurers" - British Banker Assoc - no comment. LOL! >"doing ..business internally as a global institutions could become 20% more expensive" - But UK law 'wriggle room' .. KPMG NOTE:  CAR INDUSTRY CAN RECLAIM VAT ... FINANCIAL CANNOT ---------------------------------------- COMMENT Should be interesting to see which way the UK goes. Guessing government -- which is corporations controlled -- is going to try to dodge the unpopular tax that affects financial institutions.