US spymaster James Clapper has said that learning foreign leaders’ intentions is a “top tenet” of overseas surveillance operations. “Leadership intentions is kind of a basic tenet of what we collect and analyze,” Clapper told the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday. The Director of National Intelligence was reacting to growing international outrage over reports that the US National... 

Romania has begun building a military base that will become part of a controversial US-led NATO missile defense system stationed in Europe. The launch of the construction works in southern Romania was attended on Monday by both Romanian President Train Basescu and US Under-Secretary of Defense for Policy James Miller. The construction is taking place at the Deveselu Military Base and is scheduled... 

In an overwhelming UN vote, 188 countries have called on the US to lift its 53-year trade embargo on Cuba. Havana has slammed the financial sanctions as a flagrant violation of human rights and said they are tantamount to genocide. The recording-breaking opposition to the embargo saw Israel isolated as the only country to vote in support of the US. Palau, the island nation that got behind the US last... 

The European Union is considering a possible imposition of sanctions on the United States as a response to Washington’s massive spying activities on its closest European allies. German officials said Monday that the EU is considering suspending a data-sharing agreement between the EU and the US. The agreement allows the United States access to funds transferred through the private, Belgium-based... 

Spain’s public prosecutor has opened a preliminary inquiry into allegations that the US spy agency has conducted illegal surveillance operations on millions of Spanish citizens. Spain’s Attorney General Eduardo Torres-Dulce called for an information gathering process to determine whether a crime was committed and if Spain should consider opening a formal investigation, his office said in a statement... 

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has censured alleged spying by the US National Security Agency (NSA) on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone communications. “Nobody, no democratic nation, will permit this violation of sovereignty and human and civil rights,” Rousseff said on Thursday, adding, “There will be a growing reaction” from... 

Press TV has conducted an interview with David Duke, former member of the House of Representatives, about Iran’s deputy ambassador to the UN warning Netanyahu against any miscalculation by planning to attack Iran in response to Netanyahu’s threat of acting alone to stop Iran nuclear program. What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview. Press TV: First of all, what do you... 

Like the curious incident of the dog that didn’t bark in the nighttime in the classic Sherlock Holmes story Silver Blaze, the most revealing thing about the latest NSA spying revelations which made world headlines last week was the non-barking of the UK. While leading politicians of other European countries and officers of the EU itself were keen to express their concern over the latest revelations... 

Julian Assange giving a speech from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London on August 19, 2012 Ecuador has threatened to launch a legal action against Britain over the status of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange if London rejects a bilateral commission proposal. In an interview with the South American country’s public radio on Friday, Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said Quito will have no... 

President Obama was aware of NSA spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel since 2010, German media have revealed. An NSA spokeswoman later denied the allegations. According to German Bild am Sonntag newspaper, which cited US intelligence sources, National Security Agency chief Keith Alexander briefed Obama on the bugging operation against Merkel in 2010. “Obama did not halt the operation but... 

Leader of the al-Nusra Front, an Al-Qaeda affiliated fighting force in Syria, has been killed, state television reported. According to reports Abu Mohammad al-Golani, has been killed in the Western province of Latakia. Syrian State TV did not provide any further details. There has been no immediate comment from opposition groups. However reports are emerging that al-Golani was not killed as he was... 

Germany has summoned the US ambassador to Berlin over reports that the United States spied on cell phone conversations of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle is scheduled to personally meet with US Ambassador John B. Emerson on Thursday. Germany, France and several other countries have expressed concerns about US spying after American surveillance whistleblower... 

EU leaders say their relations with the US have been undermined by reports of NSA spying on European leaders and ordinary citizens. A partnership with America should be built on respect and trust, they said in a joint statement. The statement was released Friday amid the ongoing summit of top European politicians in Brussels. It said the reports of American surveillance in Europe have raised “deep... 

North Korea, not exactly known as a vacation destination, has opened a water park to improve its seriously dismal image. The Munsu Water Park, located east of the capital of Pyongyang, recently hosted an ostentatious opening. See photos here. Of course, the average citizen will not be able to afford the fun of a water slide. “The standard of living has deteriorated to extreme levels of deprivation... 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called President Obama over the German government’s suspicions the US could have tapped her mobile phone. Barack Obama assured Merkel that his country is not monitoring her communications. Earlier, the German government spokesman said that Berlin had information the US National Security Agency (NSA) could have been spying on Merkel. “We swiftly sent a request...