Foreign Service Updates

North Korea warns US envoy Mark Lippert of ‘bigger mishap’ than a knife attack if he continues insulting NorK NorK says Lippert has: "bad habit of rashly engaging in scheming chatter distorting the truth and instigating war" http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=262264 Iran Protest outside SaudiArabia embassy re Yemen invasion http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/04/18/406799/Iranians-slam-Saudi-war-on-Yemen China Journalist Gao Yu, a Chinese news veteran & critic of Communist Party / 7yr sentence leaking state secrets sentence denounced Fmr law professor says:  political party’s internal documents cannot be regarded as a ‘state secret. http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1324846-chinese-regime-sentences-senior-journalist-to-7-years-on-charges-of-leaking-state-secrets/ IRAQ Friday: Irbil - capital semi-autonomous Kurdistan region - car-bomb explodes outside US consulate & compound *common in Iraq, but rare in Ibril* http://www.dw.de/is-targets-us-consulate-in-irbil-suicide-attack/a-18390760 Ireland  / Venezuela Venezuela – Dublin solidarity rally at US Embassy 2pm Sunday http://www.anphoblacht.com/contents/24913  Canada Officials In Hungary To Seek Information On Roma Exodus From Miskolc 40-50 local Roma families emigrated http://hungarytoday.hu/cikk/canadian-officials-budapest-seek-information-roma-exodus-miskolc-44835 Ukraine Zaporizhstal CEO Rostyslav Shurma Ukraine 4th largest steel maker {Rinat Akhmetov} invested abt $120 million in production modernisation William H. "Chip" Laitinen Economic Officer, Office of US Ambassador to Ukraine, approves http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/261154.html India India appointments / Ambassadors to: > Egypt > Venezuela http://netindian.in/news/2015/04/17/00033396/sanjay-bhattacharyya-appointed-ambassador-egypt UK Ugandan High Commission in London worker sentenced to 6yrs prison /£4.8 million tobacco duty evasion http://en.starafrica.com/news/ugandan-jailed-in-uk-for-tax-evasion.html NZ New Snowden docs reveal NZ spies & America's top govt hackers cooked up plan to spy on China http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/snowden-documents-reveal-attempt-to-spy-on-china/ Op "Frostbite" NZ intel plan to spy on China GCSB worked with the NSA's hacker team - TAO 2013 doc = plan had verbal approval same month PM John Key was in China pledging NZ friendship China is NZ largest trading partner bilateral trade =  $20-billion pa Greens Russel Norman says spy revelations put that at risk Spying on Chinese diplomatic communications in NZ to curry favour with US govt  spy agencies = pointless & reckless "The fact that John Key must have personally approved this operation will add insult to injury ..."  "John Key is willing to subvert NZs broader international economic & political interests to please the US Government" http://www.odt.co.nz/source/nzme/339554/leaked-papers-show-plan-spy-china SouthAfrica President Jacob Zuma cancelled trip to Indonesia to deal with xenophobic violence Jan 2015: Soweto violence = 6 killed / looters rampaged South Africa violence sparked angry responses in other African nations http://en.prothom-alo.com/international/news/64223/Zuma-seeks-to-reassure-foreigners Canada Canadians rally nationwide against Bill C-51 anti-terrorist bill PM office picketed / protests scheduled aim to protect & maintain democratic freedoms NDP & Green party oppose the bill 3rd reading Mon, then law http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2015/04/18/22351896.html Pakistan Scholars of Islamic law attend dinner at  Saudi Embassy updates on Yemen Pakistan ready to lay down life to defend Saudi Arabia Pakistan SaudiArabia Yemen Sounds like they're wanting to wage religious war? Saudi Consul says support to Houthis considered attack on sovereignty of SaudiArabia Claims it is 'joint war' SA + Yemen vs rebels http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-37083-Troops-should-be-sent-for-protection-of-S-Arabia-whenever-necessary-Ulema India Shaken by Corporate Espionage Scandal, Defence Ministry issued a series of security alerts &  directives Yikes! Cell phone can be used as effective, unobtrusive, listening device for eavesdropping even when switched off http://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/Spy-Alert-Cellphones-Banned-at-South-Block-Meetings/2015/04/19/article2771047.ece Poland / FBI Poland’s ambassador to US sent letter of protest to FBI Director James Comey over alleged historical revisionism  FBI director Comey:  suggested that Poland shared responsibility for the Holocaust http://sptnkne.ws/eqT USA - Domestic FBI forensic overstated hair 'match' evidence in 95% of 268 trials prior 2000 14 of 32 executed or died prison Note:   pattern-based forensic techniques in question eg hair & bite-mark comparisons = 25% of 329 cases DNA-exoneration http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/fbi-overstated-forensic-hair-matches-in-nearly-all-criminal-trials-for-decades/2015/04/18/39c8d8c6-e515-11e4-b510-962fcfabc310_story.html COMMENT Odds and ends that caught my attention. Best is probably the New Zealand spying outed by Snowden documents. FBI 'overstated' evidence story is pretty shocking. Didn't realise you can 'uptalk' science.  Imagined science was sure thing.