Wozniak feels partially guilty about NSA surveillance program

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOa3ut9iR4GVx32Erb0LoXTynnRaF-x0A6xBQ2Csy9LhRUYmwIPXMebCnE632N7ydLzSqhB5qIcUdHUr7Y84FPblXHzZ50YZCrmOceLl_25l-0xnw8Hzge-HvtKUwbKfm3KBf22vKlMyo/s1600/2014-06-21-image-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOa3ut9iR4GVx32Erb0LoXTynnRaF-x0A6xBQ2Csy9LhRUYmwIPXMebCnE632N7ydLzSqhB5qIcUdHUr7Y84FPblXHzZ50YZCrmOceLl_25l-0xnw8Hzge-HvtKUwbKfm3KBf22vKlMyo/s1600/2014-06-21-image-15.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /> During a recent appearance on Piers Morgan Live, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak admitted that he felt a little guilty – but not totally – about the fact that computers and technology created by people like him were being used to snoop into the affairs of Americans. As he goes on to say, computers were intended to overcome a lot of government restrictions.<br /><br />Wozniak said inventors created computers to free people up and give them instant communication anywhere in the world. With them, people could share any thought they had freely. Inventors didn’t realize that in the digital world, there were a lot of ways to use technology to control people, snoop on them and make things possible that weren’t, Woz noted.<br /><br />Things used to be different though. As an example, the Apple co-founder recalled the old days of mailing letters. You simply licked the envelope, sealed it and when you received an envelope that was still sealed, it meant nobody had seen it – you could have a private communication. Now because that same message is being sent via e-mail, it’s no longer private and anyone can listen.<br /><br />Along the same lines, Woz said he was a fan of someone like NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. He said he felt the same way about Snowden that he felt about Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. Ellsberg is a man that Woz said changed his life and taught him a lot.<br /><br />

Security Wozniak feels partially guilty about NSA surveillance program

 During a recent appearance on Piers Morgan Live, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak admitted that he felt a little guilty – but not totally – about the fact that computers and technology created by people like him were being used to snoop into the affai…

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Afghanistan presses Pakistan to free Taliban prisoners

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFxV3G6GLSuTF05vM4dI8yIsf16wz6ikBfCdUeUM2JOkUj1cX-j2ZuDcneSpsnwPPXEmeLkhq5-_jG7MgPNtSQ_evCYjP-Ae8xoxyTB8m7mAqCulaeFisRQJmo1qAY-AtuIclgEtgSF30/s1600/51c66b95b26da.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFxV3G6GLSuTF05vM4dI8yIsf16wz6ikBfCdUeUM2JOkUj1cX-j2ZuDcneSpsnwPPXEmeLkhq5-_jG7MgPNtSQ_evCYjP-Ae8xoxyTB8m7mAqCulaeFisRQJmo1qAY-AtuIclgEtgSF30/s1600/51c66b95b26da.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>KABUL: Pakistan could secure peace in Afghanistan by releasing dozens of senior Taliban prisoners to help kick-start the process, the Afghan foreign ministry said on Saturday, in remarks that underscore the issues vexing peace talks in Qatar.</b><br /><br />The ministry’s statement was a response to comments by the Pakistani foreign ministry on Tuesday, which welcomed the opening of a Taliban office in the Qatari capital of Doha, saying the country stood “ready to continue to facilitate the process to achieve lasting peace”.<br /><br />“The release of these prominent Taliban leaders would provide the High Peace Council of Afghanistan with the opportunity to start peace talks with them,” it added, referring to a body set up by President Hamid Karzai in 2010 to seek a negotiated end to the 12-year war with a Taliban-led insurgency.<br /><br />The Taliban opened their Doha office this week amid hopeful signs of movement in a long-stalled peace process.<br /><br />But the opening ceremony caused a stir, with the Taliban envoys raising the Taliban flag and signs proclaiming the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”, the name used during their brief rule from 1996 to 2001.<br /><br />This prompted Mr Karzai to cancel plans for an Afghan peace delegation to travel to Qatar and suspend talks with the United States over a vital security pact in the belief it had failed to ensure the Taliban did not misuse the office.<br /><br />Pakistan is seen as crucial to stability in Afghanistan as most foreign combat troops look to leave the country in 2014, given close political and economic ties.<br /><br />Afghanistan has long sought the release of, or at least access to, dozens of senior Taliban officials captured in Pakistan.<br /><br />Mr Karzai is known to particularly desire the release of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Taliban leader Mullah Omar’s former second in command and a hugely influential figure in the insurgency.<br /><br />Baradar was the day-to-day commander responsible for leading the Taliban campaign against US and Nato troops, until his capture in 2010 in Karachi.<br /><br />Afghan officials believe Baradar could play a key role in talks with the insurgents, acting as a go-between with Taliban leaders, including Mullah Omar.

Afghanistan presses Pakistan to free Taliban prisoners

KABUL: Pakistan could secure peace in Afghanistan by releasing dozens of senior Taliban prisoners to help kick-start the process, the Afghan foreign ministry said on Saturday, in remarks that underscore the issues vexing peace talks in Qatar.The mini…

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Snowden left Hong Kong 'legally', HK govt confirms

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhulbyxznv0OUZRsunP6EI1Cb28rs8FuVGEIAC7G6O_UY0CPGmchHkQnUIB3ljVzI4ivRKqyzSfZrlzHXe3HT8J89DhjPdzLNcZ0skn-Qjlw40ydCfhq34CLSPI_QaHammIJCz11ResQ/s1600/51c6b2e88cbf5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhulbyxznv0OUZRsunP6EI1Cb28rs8FuVGEIAC7G6O_UY0CPGmchHkQnUIB3ljVzI4ivRKqyzSfZrlzHXe3HT8J89DhjPdzLNcZ0skn-Qjlw40ydCfhq34CLSPI_QaHammIJCz11ResQ/s1600/51c6b2e88cbf5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>HONG KONG:Former US intelligence technician Edward Snowden departed Hong Kong on Sunday through “legal” means, the local government confirmed.</b><br />“Snowden today voluntarily left Hong Kong for a third country through legal and normal means,” a Hong Kong government spokesman said in a press statement.<br /><br />The statement added that Hong Kong had “not obtained adequate information”to handle a provisional arrest warrant for Snowden issued by the United States.<br /><br />Moreover Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said on Sunday that he was unaware of the location or plans of former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.<br /><br />The South China Morning Post reported that Snowden had left Hong Kong on a flight for Moscow and that his final destination may be Ecuador or Iceland.<br /><br />Asked whether Snowden was en route to Moscow and whether he had ask for asylum, Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said he did not know. A Russian Foreign Ministry official declined immediate comment.<br /><br />US authorities have charged Snowden with theft of US government property, unauthorised communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence to an unauthorised person, with the latter two charges falling under the US Espionage Act.<br /><br />The United States had asked Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, to send him home.

Snowden left Hong Kong 'legally', HK govt confirms

HONG KONG:Former US intelligence technician Edward Snowden departed Hong Kong on Sunday through “legal” means, the local government confirmed.“Snowden today voluntarily left Hong Kong for a third country through legal and normal means,” a Hong Kong g…

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Australian soldier killed in Afghanistan

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6isd4zMatoyLdOvvHEwqzbMptIqEt4RQ5kymd6LiulyNs2XrCWxb0DTr_4RqapdvX-D6b0DPW48yBSty74-jLrj5g2tjD6udhpzocs129eKDFh8qvTLVabVLIq0aNdvbxBt3gU4byn0/s1600/51c68de7462a0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6isd4zMatoyLdOvvHEwqzbMptIqEt4RQ5kymd6LiulyNs2XrCWxb0DTr_4RqapdvX-D6b0DPW48yBSty74-jLrj5g2tjD6udhpzocs129eKDFh8qvTLVabVLIq0aNdvbxBt3gU4byn0/s1600/51c68de7462a0.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>SYDNEY: A decorated Australian special forces commando has been killed in action in southern Afghanistan, becoming the nation's 40th casualty in the protracted conflict.</b><br /><br />Chief of Defence David Hurley said Sunday the soldier died from small arms fire during an operation to disrupt an insurgent network.<br /><br />Another special forces soldier was shot and seriously wounded and an airman injured in Saturday's incident.<br /><br />“Members of the patrol provided immediate first aid to the casualties,”General Hurley told reporters in Canberra.<br /><br />“Sadly, despite their efforts, they could not save one of their mates.”The special forces soldier who died, who has not been named, was on his fifth tour of Afghanistan and had previously served in Iraq and East Timor.<br /><br />The two others wounded in the attack are recovering in Afghanistan, with the soldier who was shot able to contact his family.<br /><br />“As with each of these incidents, I will also appoint an inquiry officer to fully examine the circumstances surrounding this event,” Hurley said.<br /><br />The death comes as Australia is preparing to wind down operations in Afghanistan where its main base in Tarin Kot, Uruzgan province, is expected to close by the end of the year.<br /><br />Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who on Saturday had attended the opening of a memorial for those lost in Afghanistan in Queensland, said every death “hits the nation hard”.<br /><br />“Our last loss was in October last year and I think many have probably lulled themselves into a false sense of security that we would see no more losses in Afghanistan,” she told reporters in Canberra. “...for many, this will be a very painful reminder that the risk is not over, the danger isn't gone.”Australia still has some 1,550 troops in Afghanistan but plans to pull about 1,000 out at the end of this year.<br /><br />Gillard said despite this drawdown, there would still be “more work to do in Afghanistan, and so we will see that mission through”.<br /><br />The prime minister said Australia would continue to provide assistance and training to Afghan local forces beyond 2013 and she has left open the possibility of a continuing role for Special Forces beyond the end of their current mission in 2014.

Australian soldier killed in Afghanistan

SYDNEY: A decorated Australian special forces commando has been killed in action in southern Afghanistan, becoming the nation's 40th casualty in the protracted conflict.Chief of Defence David Hurley said Sunday the soldier died from small arms fire d…

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Hometown of Taliban captive US soldier rallies in his support

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoYtTvyQnF3doz6iVre9sgBpXiDhUg_rX9ovBIg7uJkjekznO3OrdKxhktzoGkyY01l-KThx9xvSM_BPt9Rmci2ctP-3K0-kxbXV60uYB6DewlEvPdQSjESjesqh1iMJHEhziTihVhz4/s1600/51c60386f1404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoYtTvyQnF3doz6iVre9sgBpXiDhUg_rX9ovBIg7uJkjekznO3OrdKxhktzoGkyY01l-KThx9xvSM_BPt9Rmci2ctP-3K0-kxbXV60uYB6DewlEvPdQSjESjesqh1iMJHEhziTihVhz4/s1600/51c60386f1404.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>HAILEY: Hundreds of supporters rallied on Saturday in the central Idaho, hometown of prisoner-of-war Bowe Bergdahl, to call for the safe return of the US Army sergeant believed to be held captive by Taliban militants in northwestern Pakistan</b>.<br /><br />The rally, expected to be the largest yet for the only known American prisoner of war tied to the Afghanistan conflict, marks the latest effort by residents of Hailey, a close-knit town of 7,000, to draw attention to Bergdahl's plight and push for his release.<br /><br />Bergdahl, now 27, was serving with an Alaska-based infantry unit when he disappeared from his base in southern Afghanistan in June 2009 and was taken captive by the Taliban.<br /><br />Saturday's gathering in Hailey caps a week of renewed hope for Bergdahl's release amid reports of a potential prisoner exchange as part of planned peace talks between the United States and the Taliban.<br /><br />But the latest bid to end Afghanistan's 12-year-old war appeared to lose momentum late this week after news that the Taliban would open an office in Qatar - a step seen as paving the way for peace talks - drew the fury of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.<br /><br />As many as 1,000 motorcyclists from US clubs tied to helping the causes of veterans and prisoners-of-war were expected on Saturday afternoon to escort Bergdahl's father, Bob, to a local park, where he and his wife would speak in a rare public appearance.<br /><br />Through a family spokesman, Bob Bergdahl declined an interview with Reuters ahead of the rally.<br /><br />In a statement earlier this month, Bergdahl said he and his wife had received a letter from their son that gave them hope he is well despite his circumstances.<br /><br />The trees on Hailey's main street have been decorated with yellow ribbons for four years to show that the town - sandwiched between a world-class trout stream and the towering Sawtooth Mountains - has not forgotten its native son.

Hometown of Taliban captive US soldier rallies in his support

HAILEY: Hundreds of supporters rallied on Saturday in the central Idaho, hometown of prisoner-of-war Bowe Bergdahl, to call for the safe return of the US Army sergeant believed to be held captive by Taliban militants in northwestern Pakistan.The rall…

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