NSA leaker charged with espionage, theft

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Justice Department has charged former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden with espionage and theft of government property in the NSA surveillance case.

Snowden, believed to be holed up in Hong Kong, has admitted providing information to the news media about two highly classified NSA surveillance programs.

A one-page criminal complaint unsealed Friday in federal court in Alexandria, Va., says Snowden engaged in unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified communications intelligence information. Both are charges under the Espionage Act. Snowden also is charged with theft of government property. All three crimes carry a maximum 10-year prison penalty.

The federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia where the complaint was filed is headquarters for Snowden's former employer, government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton.

The complaint is dated June 14, five days after Snowden's name first surfaced as the leaker of information about the two programs in which the NSA gathered telephone and Internet records to ferret out terror plots.

The complaint could become an integral part of a U.S. government effort to have Snowden extradited from Hong Kong, a process that could turn into a prolonged legal battle. Snowden could contest extradition on grounds of political persecution. In general, the extradition agreement between the U.S. and Hong Kong excepts political offenses from the obligation to turn over a person.

Hong Kong had no immediate reaction.

In Iceland, a business executive said Friday that a private plane was on standby to transport Snowden from Hong Kong to Iceland, although Iceland's government says it has not received an asylum request from Snowden.

Business executive Olafur Vignir Sigurvinsson said he has been in contact with someone representing Snowden and has not spoken to the American himself. Private donations are being collected to pay for the flight, he said.

"There are a number of people that are interested in freedom of speech and recognize the importance of knowing who is spying on us," Sigurvinsson said. "We are people that care about privacy."

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, welcomed the charges. "I've always thought this was a treasonous act," he said in a statement. "I hope Hong Kong's government will take him into custody and extradite him to the U.S."

Michael di Pretoro, a retired 30-year veteran with the FBI who served from 1990 to 1994 as the legal liaison officer at the American consulate in Hong Kong, said "relations between U.S. and Hong Kong law enforcement personnel are historically quite good."

"In my time, I felt the degree of cooperation was outstanding to the extent that I almost felt I was in an FBI field office," said di Pretoro.

The U.S. and Hong Kong cooperate on law enforcement matters and have a standing agreement on the surrender of fugitives.

However, Snowden's appeal rights could drag out any extradition proceeding.

The success or failure of any extradition proceeding depends on what the suspect is charged with under U.S. law and how it corresponds to Hong Kong law under the treaty. In order for Hong Kong officials to honor the extradition request, they have to have some applicable statute under their law that corresponds with a violation of U.S. law.

Disclosure of the criminal complaint came as President Barack Obama held his first meeting with a privacy and civil liberties board as his intelligence chief sought ways to help Americans understand more about sweeping government surveillance efforts exposed by Snowden.

The five members of the little-known Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board met with Obama for an hour in the White House Situation Room, questioning the president on the two NSA programs that have stoked controversy.

One program collects billions of U.S. phone records. The second gathers audio, video, email, photographic and Internet search usage of foreign nationals overseas, and probably some Americans in the process, who use major providers such as Microsoft, Google, Apple, and Yahoo.

___

Associated Press writer Jenna Gottlieb in Reykjavik, Iceland, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nsa-leaker-charged-espionage-theft-001952096.html

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Gunmen kill 11 foreign tourists in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (AP) ? Gunmen killed 11 foreign tourists before dawn Sunday as they were visiting one of the world's highest mountains in a remote area of northern Pakistan, police said.

The tourists from Russia, China and the Ukraine were shot dead at the base camp of Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest mountain in the world, said local police chief Barkat Ali. It's unclear if they were planning to climb the mountain or were just visiting the base camp, which is located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan.

The police chief learned about the attack when the tourists' local guide called the police station around 1 a.m. local time on Sunday, said Ali.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Pakistan is home to several insurgencies and internal conflicts but Gilgit-Baltistan is generally a peaceful area, although it has experienced some sectarian violence between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in recent years. The area is a popular destination for tourists because it includes a large number of very tall mountains in the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges, including K2, the second highest mountain in the world.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gunmen-kill-11-foreign-tourists-pakistan-052935406.html

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Zombies roam the animal kingdom ? and some of them might be after us

David Hughes / Penn State

One fungus took over the brain of this zombified ant, but the first fungus was sabotaged by a different type of parasitic fungus.

By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News

The zombies in "World War Z" are just actors ??but in the animal world, zombies are a fact of life. Evolution can come up with some fiendish twists: For example, there are some species that bend other creatures to their will to keep their bizarre life cycles going. Or just to feast on their delicious braaaains.

To celebrate the premiere of "World War Z," here's a top-ten list of zombies from the animal kingdom, finishing up with a particularly pernicious parasite that can pose a risk to humans:

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Zombie ants: There are special kinds of?zombifying fungi that infect carpenter ants?in Thailand and Brazil. The fungus?grows into the ant's brain and compels it to climb down and clamp onto to the low leaves that provide the fungus with its favored breeding ground. After the ant dies, the fungus sprouts from its head and shoots out spores to infect other ants. But this zombie isn't invincible: Scientists recently discovered a different kind of fungus that can?castrate the zombifying fungus before it spreads.

Zombie bees: A parasitic fly known as Apocephalus borealis can inject its eggs into a honeybee's abdomen, where the fly larvae mature. The parasitized bees abandon their hives and walk in circles ? but eventually they fall over. "It really painted a picture of something like a zombie," says San Francisco State University's Andrew Core. About seven days after infection, the mature larvae burst out from the dead bees' bodies, renewing the gruesome circle of life. It gets worse: The zombie bees are spreading.

Zombie birds: Great tits look so cute when they're perched on a branch. You'd never know that they have a taste for bat brains. In Hungary, the birds listen for the calls sent out by the cave-dwelling pipistrelle bats when they rouse themselves from hibernation. Then they track down the groggy bats, crack their skulls open and eat their brains. Researchers found that the trick is passed down from one generation of great tits to the next, providing an example of cultural transmission in avian species. The great tits helped inspire the title of Becky Crew's book about bizarre biology, "Zombie Birds, Astronaut Fish and Other Weird Animals." ??

Zombie caterpillars: You don't want to be around when a zombified caterpillar turns to goo. There's a species of baculovirus that infects gypsy moth caterpillars and sends them up into the treetops to die. When the caterpillar's body liquefies, the ooze drips down onto other caterpillars?? creating more zombies. Scientists say a single gene in the virus interferes with the caterpillar's hormones, apparently triggering the uncharacteristic urge to climb during the day.?

Zombie crabs: A tiny barnacle called Sacculina?can latch onto male crabs?and blast them with so much estrogen that they dig empty nests, made to order?for the barnacle to lay its eggs inside. If the crab host happens to be a female, no problem: The barnacle merely wipes out the host's reproductive system, and then sets her digging.

A zombie cricket jumps into a pool and dies, which gives the mind-controlling parasitic worm inside the cricket its opportunity to swim away.

Zombie crickets: Parasitic hairworms have been known to invade crickets, take over their nervous system and then force their?buggy hosts?to drown themselves?so that the grown worm can swim out and look for a mate. Scientists aren't exactly sure how crickets pick up the parasite,?but it may involve ingesting water or bugs that contain hairworm larvae.

Zombie fish: What could be ickier than having a zombie crustacean eat out your tongue?? and then take its place in your mouth?That's what the beastie known as Cymothoa exigua does to spotted rose snappers. C. exigua latches onto the fish's tongue and sucks the blood out of it until it falls off. Then it attaches itself to the stub that's left behind, and changes its diet from blood to fish mucus. The fish and the parasite carry on that way for the rest of their lives. If you're freaked out by the "Alien" movies, do not look at this picture.

Zombie ladybugs:?Dinocampus coccinellae, a species of parasitic wasp, lays a single egg inside the abdomen of a ladybug. The wasp larva eats its way through the ladybug's insides, then pops out and spins a cocoon. End of story for the ladybug, right? Not necessarily. The ladybug often lives on as one of the undead, partially paralyzed on top of the cocoon. There's evidence that the wasp larva provides resources to keep the ladybug alive, while the ladybug provides an extra layer of protection from bugs that might otherwise eat the larva.?

Zombie spiders: Another kind of zombifying wasp targets the orb spider known as Plesiometa argyra. The wasp temporarily paralyzes the spider, lays an egg on the tip of its abdomen, and leaves it to mature. The orb spider goes about its business, weaving its usual circular webs ? until, one night, the wasp larva sends a chemical signal to the spider's brain. The spider spins a weird-looking web, seemingly designed to provide shelter from rain, wind and predators. The next day, the larva kills the spider ??and moves into the home it programmed the spider to build. ??

Zombie rats ... and humans??The most insidious zombie of the animal world may well be the tiny parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, or Toxo for short. This parasite can reproduce sexually only in cat intestines, which poses a challenge when the little critters wind up in cat poop. Here's how Toxo gets back inside the cat: When mice or rats nibble on the poop, they also gobble up some of the Toxo parasites. The parasites migrate to the brain, where they release chemicals that make the rodents lower their guard when they're around cats. Scientists think that Toxo-infected mice start to regard the smell of cat pee as something sexy rather than a cause for alarm. The cats eat the smitten rats, and the Toxo life cycle begins again.

The scary part is that Toxo can find its way into the human nervous system as well. About 30 percent of the world's population is thought to be infected. Pregnant women should be careful about avoiding infection, because the parasite can pose a risk to the unborn baby. There's also some evidence of a connection between Toxo and changes in mood or personality, and perhaps even conditions such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. The linkage isn't rock-solid, and most of those who are infected suffer no apparent effects. But if you need a plot device for your next zombie-movie script, Toxo is a good place to start.

More science of zombies:

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Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the NBC News Science Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with NBCNews.com's stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

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Video: Flood evacuations in Canada

Heavy flooding in western Canada could force evacuation of as many as 100,000 people, city officials in Calgary, Alberta, said Friday.

Torrential rains and widespread flooding throughout that province washed out roads and bridges, floated away cars, couches and refrigerators, and left at least one person missing.

Mud slides also forced closure of the Trans-Canada Highway, the Associated Press reported, isolating the mountain towns of Banff and Canmore.

The uploader of this video, Kevin Heinrichs, marked it as footage of people being evacuated during severe flooding in the High River area of Alberta on Thursday. Rescuers employed heavy machinery to try to move people to safety.

In this video, uploaded Thursday to YouTube by Tristan Zaba, a house floats down Bragg Creek, which has obviously swelled to a torrent, and smashes against a bridge.

This video was posted to YouTube by prairieboy18, showing flooding in downtown Calgary itself, including MacLeod Trail and the Stampede Grounds where the city's famed rodeo is held.

This dawn-light view Friday of Louise Bridge in Calgary, showing the swollen Elbow River, was uploaded to YouTube by Dong Kim.
The Elbow began carving out the structure around this bridge southwest of Bragg Creek, Alberta, on Thursday. The bridge carried Highway 66, but later collapsed, according to the uploader of this video, Andrew Morrison.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/news/video-canada-flood-victims-evacuated-huge-bulldozer-floating-145638179.html

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National Beef Recall: E. Coli Possibly Contaminated 22,000 Pounds Of Ground Meat, USDA Says

More than 22,000 pounds of beef are feared contaminated with E. coli, the U.S. Department of Agriculture?s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Tuesday.

A recall spanning at least 13 states concerns 22,737 pounds of ground beef packaged by National Beef Packing Co. of Liberal, Kan., and affects 10-pound packages of the following products:

? ?National Beef? 80/20 Coarse Ground Chuck, package code ?0481.?
? ?National Beef? 81/19 Coarse Ground Beef, package code ?0421.?
? ?National Beef? 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck, package code ?0484.?

The packages of ground meat have a use/sell by date of June 14, 2013, and bear the establishment number ?EST. 208A? inside the USDA mark of inspection, according to a press release by the FSIS. The beef was produced on May 25, 2013, and shipped to retail establishments in Texas, Tennessee, Kansas, Mississippi, Illinois, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Arizona.

There is concern that some contaminated products may have been frozen and stored in consumers' freezers.

The recall resulted from routine FSIS inspection. No cases of illness associated with these products have yet been reported.

E. coli are potentially deadly bacteria that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illnesses.

The FSIS advises consumers are advised to fully cook their meat so that its internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit, as it is the only way to ensure that harmful bacteria are killed.

Last year, a massive recall of more than 890,000 pounds of beef from Canada ended up affecting 30 states in the U.S., eventually extending to 1,500 types of products representing one third of the total Canadian beef supply. Between four an 22 incidences of illness stemming from the tainted beef were reported, all in Canada.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/20/national-beef-recall-e-coli_n_3473287.html

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Engadget Podcast 349 - 06.21.13

"You don't have Facebook? Then how do you get on Farmville?," asks Brian as Peter explains his disdain for the world's largest social network. While Tim was relatively mum on that subject, it turns out he broke his Google Glass... somehow. So, while the aforementioned bearded wizard works on getting a replacement -- and 3D printing a better case -- feel free to hear about this week's biggest stories in consumer electronics by streaming our newest episode below.

Hosts: Tim Stevens, Peter Rojas, Brian Heater

Producer: Joe Pollicino

Hear the podcast:

Filed under: Podcasts

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/21/engadget-podcast-349-06-21-13/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Viber - Free Phone Calls & Text 3.0 (for iPhone)

By Max Eddy

The iPhone ?revolutionized the mobile market, but the actual phone and messaging experience hasn't changed too dramatically. Viber (free, App Store) is a VoIP app that aims to improve your talk and text experience with some remarkable new tools. It might even save you a little money in the process, with free voice and text messages to other Viber users.

Starting Up
Setting up Viber is fairly straightforward: just enter your phone number and a user name, then enter the activation code Viber sends via SMS. I was impressed when setting up Viber on my Samsung Galaxy S III when the app automatically detected the activation text?a feature surely impossible in iOS.

For better or worse your Viber account is tied to your existing phone number.? This means you'll have to create a new account when you migrate to a new phone, though the developers tell me your data should still be available. However, the big advantage is that Viber will automatically detect which of your contacts is already using the service.

?This is in stark contrast to Google Voice, which lets you create a new, independent phone number that will redirect to the devices of your choosing. Viber is focused more on communication, so look at Google Voice if you want to merge multiple phone numbers behind a single number.

Using Viber
Once you're up and running, Viber will automatically import all your contacts into its own directory. From here you can quickly call or send messages using either Viber or your normal data plan. This is smart, since it encourages you to use Viber as your one-stop-shop for voice and messaging.

The other sections are for messaging, recent calls, a keypad, and settings. The interface is very iOS, with tabs running along the bottom bar, but I preferred the Android version's streamlined approach which condensed the app down to three sections.

Viber is obviously keen to use design features that iOS users are familiar with, but I'd like to see a more imaginative and elegant design that looks like an iOS app.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/EZ4qlfd4-W0/0,2817,2419773,00.asp

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