Panel Recommends Limits on NSA Spying
A special panel appointed by President Barack Obama has released its report on U.S. surveillance activities. Obama ordered the report and a wider government-wide review earlier this year amid leaks by exiled former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.
Leaks by Edward Snowden about NSA eavesdropping programs created a huge problem for the U.S. intelligence community, and for Obama.
Obama has described the programs, approved and modified at various points by Congress and overseen by a special court, as important to keeping Americans safe, but has called for more "self-restraint" by the NSA.
Revelations added significant new layers to what is known about government information gathering, including data on telephone calls and activities on the Internet.
In its 300-page report, the Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies makes 46 recommendations.
One is to end bulk storage of so-called "metadata" of the telephone records of Americans by the government, in favor of storage by private companies or a third party, rather than the NSA.
It also says the government should not "as a general rule" and without "senior policy review, be permitted to collect and store all mass, undigested, non-public personal information about individuals to enable future queries and data-mining for foreign intelligence purposes."
Other recommendations include: requiring a court to approve individual searches of phone and Internet data, and limiting the NSA's emergency authority regarding tracking of known targets of counterterrorism surveillance who enter the United States.
The panel urges a new process to identify "uses and limits of surveillance on foreign leaders and in foreign nations." It says decisions should consider negative effects, and whether other means or targets of collection could reliably reveal needed information.
The review group met with Obama on Wednesday although its report was submitted last week.
Press secretary Jay Carney said the decision to release the report was made because of "inaccurate and incomplete" media reports about its content.
He said Obama will be "very deliberate" in assessing the document during his upcoming holiday vacation and speak to the nation in January, when a separate overall internal U.S. government review is completed.
"The president has made clear that even as we review our efforts and make some changes in how we do things, we will not harm our ability to face those threats; that is his number one obligation as commander-in-chief," he said.
Carney said there is no doubt that the Snowden leaks created an intense focus on the surveillance issue, both in the U.S. and abroad.
The official U.S. position on Snowden remains unchanged, with the White House saying he should return to the U.S. to face felony charges.
The White House disagrees with suggestions that Snowden receive amnesty to prevent him from releasing additional information that could further damage U.S. security and relations with allies.
The Obama administration faced more pressure this week from a federal court ruling that found the bulk collection of data about telephone calls made by Americans is likely unconstitutional.
Obama also faced pressure from high-tech executives who met with him. They are reported to have urged aggressive reforms, and voiced concern about damage to U.S. credibility and business interests abroad.
Interviewed on CBS's 60 Minutes, NSA chief General Keith Alexander denied that the agency is collecting email or monitoring the phone conversations of Americans, saying the NSA's job is foreign intelligence.
He said the NSA can target communications of a U.S. person only with a probable cause finding under a court order. But he voiced concern about any decision to allow phone records to reside with private phone companies.
Source-VOA
UK to airlift Britons from South Sudan amid fighting
The UK has sent an aircraft to South Sudan to evacuate Britons amid fighting following a reported "coup attempt".
The Foreign Office said British nationals in the country should make contact if they wish to leave from Juba airport on Thursday.
There has been fighting this week in the capital Juba, and President Salva Kiir has declared a night-time curfew.
The Foreign Office has temporarily withdrawn some staff and dependants from the British embassy in Juba.
Some commercial flights have resumed at Juba airport.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "To date over 150 British nationals have contacted us, many of whom want help leaving the country."
These included some non-embassy staff, the spokeswoman added.
The Foreign Office said its embassy in Juba remained open although the situation was being reviewed on a "constant basis".
It has advised against all travel to within 40km of South Sudan's northern border with Sudan, Jonglei State and Juba, and all but essential travel to the rest of South Sudan.
President Kiir has accused ex-vice-president Riek Machar of staging the coup - a claim he denies.
The UN called for political dialogue to end a crisis that has left hundreds dead and sparked fears of a civil war.
On Wednesday, Mr Kiir said he was willing to enter into talks with Mr Machar but that he did not know what the result would be.
The United Nations has estimated that up to 500 people have been killed in fighting between rival factions following a coup attempt against the president by soldiers loyal to his former deputy.
Secretary general Ban Ki-moon said that about 20,000 people had taken refuge with the UN in Juba.
Tunisia's Ennahda and opposition 'agree on caretaker PM'
Tunisia's governing Islamist Ennahda party and the opposition have agreed in principle on a new prime minister to lead a caretaker government.
The deal will reportedly be presented to other political parties at national talks later, aimed at ending the political deadlock.
Ennahda agreed to relinquish power in September, following anti-government protests.
A cabinet of independent figures is to supervise new elections.
"We reached an agreement that will be presented tomorrow (Friday)," said Houcine Abassi, leader of the UGTT labour union, which is mediating the talks between Ennahda and the National Salvation Front-led opposition.
No further details were given.
The current political crisis was triggered by the assassinations of two opposition leaders earlier in this year.
The murders of prominent left-wing figure Chokri Belaid in February and opposition politician Mohammed Brahmi in July led to intensified anti-government protests.
Ennahda condemned the killings but the opposition accused it of failing to rein in radical Islamists.
The political wrangling that followed has threatened to disrupt a democratic transition that began after Tunisians threw out their decades-old authoritarian government at the beginning of the 2011 uprisings, widely referred to as the Arab Spring.
Ennahda agreed in September to three weeks of talks, after which it was due to hand power to an independent transition leadership and set a date for parliamentary and presidential elections.
After months of deadlock, negotiations began October 25. But the talks were suspended shortly afterwards with the two sides unable to agree on a future prime minister.
The UGTT then gave political leaders until Saturday to reach a decision.
Before the 2011 ousting of Tunisia's longtime leader, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, the country had been known as one of the most secular in the Arab world.
The opposition has accused Ennahda of being too tolerant of radical Islamists trends.
Source-BBC
NZ defeat Windies by an innings and 73 runs
New Zealand defeated West Indies by an innings and 73 runs on the third day of the second test at the Basin Reserve on Friday.
Scores: New Zealand 441 all out (Taylor 129, Watling 65, Best 4-110, Gabriel 2-86, Sammy 2-92)
West Indies 193 (Samuels 60, Edwards 55, Boult 6-40, Southee 2-58, Anderson 2-20) and 175 (Powell 36, Edwards 35, Chanderpaul 31 not out, Boult 4-40,Southee 3-24, Wagner 2-67)
Source-CMC
Rooney's whopping £45m earnings puts him top of Britain's football's rich list
His Manchester United team may be floundering in ninth in the Premier League table, but star striker Wayne Rooney tops the rich list for English footballers.
The usual suspects make up the top 10, with Rio Ferdinand, Chelsea pair Frank Lampard and John Terry and Steven Gerrard all in the top five, but West Ham's Joe Cole is the surprise inclusion, coming in sixth ahead of the likes of Ashley Cole, Michael Carrick and Ashley Young.
James Milner is the youngest player on the list at 27.
Rooney, 28, is head and shoulders above his nearest rival, United team-mate Ferdinand, with an estimated net worth of a staggering £45million.
The man England are banking their World Cup hopes on earns approximately £250,000 a week before taxes on his current deal, and also earns through endorsement deals such as Nike.
Ferdinand, 35, is £8m behind Rooney with an estimated net worth of £37m, according to a rich list from Wealth-X. The defender has numerous business interests including the Rosso restaurant and his #5 magazine.
Chelsea's Frank Lampard is third on the list, with £31m, while former England captain John Terry shares fourth spot with the current England skipper Steven Gerrard, both with £29m.
There is then a sizable drop to sixth place, where surprise name Joe Cole, worth £22m, sits. Cole has his own business venture, Joe Cole Promotions, and owns various properties including in the Caribbean and Dubai.
He earned £90,000 per week while at Liverpool, and the club also gave him a £3m pay-off when he exited Anfield.
Cole also received £2m from Hello! magazine for the wedding photos from his marriage to Carly Zucker in 2009, but donated the money to charity.
Chelsea's third player on the list, Ashley Cole, has an estimated worth of £20m. The left back was previously higher on the list, but his divorce from Cheryl Cole in 2010 impacted hugely on his assets.
Injured Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick is worth £16m, while Ashley Young and James Milner, the youngest player on the list at 27, share the final spot both worth an estimated £13m.
Source—Daily Mail
West Indies announce ODI squad
The West Indies Cricket Board advised that its selection panel has chosen a 15-member squad for a series of five One-day Internationals against New Zealand, starting later this month.
The players in the ODI squad not currently taking part in the Test series in New Zealand have assembled in Barbados for a week-long training camp that ends next Sunday at the Sagicor West Indies High Performance Centre on the Cave Hill campus of the West Indies.
The camp will include a series of training matches against players drawn from Barbados and the Sagicor WIHPC.
Lendl Simmons will arrive a couple days late for the camp due to personal reasons.
Neither Chris Gayle nor Kieron Pollard was considered for selection due to injury.
Gayle was sidelined following a hamstring injury sustained during the tour of India last month and Pollard is recovering from a knee injury.
The joining ODI players are due to arrive in New Zealand on December 21.
A squad for the two Twenty20 Internationals at the back-end of the tour will be announced subsequently.
Squad
Dwayne Bravo (Captain), Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Johnson Charles, Narsingh Deonarine, Kirk Edwards, Jason Holder, Nikita Miller, Sunil Narine, Kieron Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons.
TCI Basketball Federation starts the 19th Annual High School Basketball Tournament.
The Department of Sports in conjunction with the Department of Education, the newly formed Secondary School Sports Association and the TCI Basketball Federation will be hosting the 19th Annual High School Basketball Tournament.
The Tournament is set to kick off on Wednesday 11th December, 2013 to Friday 14th December at the Gus Lightbourne Sports Complex, down town, Providenciales.
This has been an exciting term for all High schools culminating now in their student athletes displaying their talent in Basketball. This year the Department is seeing for the first time, ten of the eleven High Schools competing. This will be a week of surprises for all student athletes.
Admission $5.00 Students and $7.00 Adults, come out, support and cheer for your school. First tip off begins promptly at 11am Wednesday morning.
Games will be held throughout the day so come on down, even during your lunch break to support the schools. See who will be this year's winners. Ten High Schools - only one can walk away with first place. See you there.
Day 1 – Wednesday 11th December, 2013
11:00am Game 1 – Holy Family vs. TCI Middle School
1:00pm Game 2 – Wesley Methodist vs. British West Indies Collegiate
2:30 pm Game 3 – Maranatha Academy vs. TCIPS Comprehensive
5:30pm Game 7 – Loser of game 3 vs. Loser of game 2
7:00pm Game 6 – Winner of game 2 vs. Clement Howell High
Day 2 – Thursday 12th December, 2013
9:30am Game 4 – Helena J. Robinson vs. Raymond Gardiner High
10:30am Game 5 – Marjorie Basden vs. Winner of game 1
5:00pm O P E N I N G C E R E M O N Y
Paul Walker Reportedly to Be Cremated
More details of an upcoming funeral for Paul Walker have come out. A source tells E! News that the late actor's remains will be cremated and his ashes will be interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles, where a private service is planned to take place this weekend.
As reported before, the funeral would be private and attended by family and close friends only. A larger gathering is also planned after the small funeral, but it will also be for invited people only and no media or press will be allowed in.
The Los Angeles County coroner's office released the actor's body to his family on December 10. His father Paul Walker Sr. and brother Cody Walker were spotted at Forest Lawn Cemetery on Wednesday, apparently looking for a grave site plot to lay the "Fast and Furious 6" star to rest.
Recent report suggested that plastic road markers called Botts' Dots might have caused the car crash that killed Walker and his friend Roger Rodas on November 30. According to TMZ, experts told the family that the speeding Porsche in which he was riding hydroplaned on the plastic markers, causing the driver to lose control.
In 2004, Porsche released a memo to dealers to warn potential buyers about control problems with the Carrera GT. "This vehicle cannot drive over a Foster Beer can that is lying on its side. It will crush the can and damage the carbon fiber under panels," the memo read, "You need to be aware of what type of road surface you are on (dips, pot holes, seam heights, etc.)"
Source-AceShowbiz.com
Demi Moore Reportedly Sold Engagement Ring From Ashton Kutcher
Words on the street are, Demi Moore is selling her engagement ring from Ashton Kutcher. The "LOL" actress is ready to move on from her third husband now that their divorce has been finalized.
Moore, according to RadarOnline.com, sold the $250,000 jewelry to a high-end Beverly Hills jeweler earlier this month. She made sure that her identity remained hidden throughout the sale. "Ashton broke her heart. Anything that reminds her of him makes her sad, and she wants to be happy," a friend of the star claimed.
Since her divorce from Kutcher was finalized last month, Moore reportedly embarked on a holiday to cleanse herself. She allegedly flew for a three-day trip to India, in which she met her spiritual guru, Hargopal Kaur Khalsa. "Demi says she's now at peace with the divorce but she felt she needed to clear her head of any negative energy," a source said.
There are also rumors that Kutcher is getting ready to propose to girlfriend Mila Kunis. "Demi now insists she is fully cleansed of Ashton and is even ready to welcome Mila into her life," the source added. Moore herself is in good term with her second husband, Bruce Willis, with whom she has three daughters.
Rumors aside, Moore was seen all smile after attending a yoga routine on Tuesday, December 10.
Source-Ace.Hollywood
Bolt, Fraser-Pryce headline local Sportsman, Sportswoman of the Year nominees
Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce headline the list of nominees for the 2013 RJR Sports Foundation National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards.
Bolt, who won three gold medals at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, is joined by fellow sprinters Warren Weir - the World Championships 200m silver medallist and Diamond Race winner; 100m World Championships bronze medallist Nesta Carter and boxer Nicholas Walters.
Fraser-Pryce, who also won three gold medals in Moscow, is nominated for the Sportswoman of the Year award along with boxer Alicia Ashley, swimmer Alia Atkinson and cricketer Stafanie Taylor.
The People's Choice Performance of the Year nominees are Jermaine 'Tuffy' Anderson, Javon Francis, Dane Nelson, Khadija Shaw and Yanique Thompson.
The National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards ceremony will be held on January 10.
Source-Go.Jamaica