Personal Privacy Laws: Britain: Mass spying on UK citizens ‘essential,’ say MPs in landmark report

A British Parliamentary report examining the mass collection of private communications by UK security agencies has defended the practice as “essential.”

The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) report, published on Thursday, said only a “tiny” proportion of data collected was ever seen by human eyes.
 
Intelligence agencies “do not seek to circumvent the law” and must seek the “specific authorization” of a cabinet minister before spying on individuals in the UK, the ISC said.

However, the committee also said the current legal framework surrounding surveillance “lacks transparency” and is “unnecessarily complicated.”

The ISC called for a single law to be introduced to regulate UK security services and their bulk collection of private communications.

Read more: Mass spying on UK citizens ‘essential,’ say MPs in landmark report — RT UK

U.S. Struggles to Build a Strong Infrastructure - ranks 12th in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report for 2014-15 - by Albert R. Hunt

If Washington were a rational place, a major measure to rebuild roads, bridges, ports and airports would be a slam dunk.

Few doubt the need. The United States has underinvested in infrastructure: It was ranked 12th in The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report for 2014-15. Road repair needs are pervasive, a quarter of bridges require upgrades and the fast-rail system falls further behind other countries every year.

There is a broad consensus that infrastructure investment is a significant job-creator. It is embraced by the Chamber of Commerce, the A.F.L.-C.I.O. and many governors and mayors of both parties.

Republican congressional leaders want selective big accomplishments to prove they can govern. President Obama wants a few more successes in his final years. Infrastructure is one of the very few areas where they are on roughly the same page.

Moreover, the Highway Trust Fund, which finances federal transportation projects, expires in May.

Yet there is little reason to be sanguine. There likely will be a short-term fix for the highway fund. But the necessary longer-term systemic investments will be kicked down the road, a casualty of partisan gridlock.

Read more: U.S. Struggles to Build a Strong Infrastructure - NYTimes.com

Insurance Industry - SURE: International Insurance Highlights With A Special Focus On Europe

Check out the Spring 2015 edition of Sure!   

Sure! is a compilation of press reports as well as market research conducted by Koster Verzekeringen BV, in order to gain more insight into the developments concerning the insurance industry as it relates to the overall global economic climate, social structure and the political environment.

In the Spring 2015 edition of Sure! Solvency II remains on top, as more and more effects of it's impact are felt around the European Union, radically changing the way insurance companies used to conduct their business. The objective of Solvency II, as aspired by the European Commission, is to create additional transparency and a more harmonized insurance industry throughout the European Union.

The Spring 2015 edition of Sure! also provides insight on how some specific EU member states are being affected by Solvency II , including France, Germany, Italy, Britain, in addition to recent developments in Greece and the Netherlands related to the insurance industry.

EU-Digest

EU Banking Industry - Credit and Debit Cards: EU backs cap on bank card transaction fees

It is estimated some 760 million payment cards are used throughout the EU with the average amount spent around 49 euros.

The new rules could come into force by the end of the year and will apply to both cross-border and domestic card-based payments which costs businesses around Europe an estimated 10-billion euros a year.

Some consumer groups have expressed fear that banks may try to claw back some of the costs through other charges.

Note EU-Digest: Good job EU Parliament ! Lets hope US Banks will also be forced to cut their charges for debit and credit card transactions by the US Congress, but it is not likely. Using an a debit card in the US at a location different from the one issued by your bank will incur from $1.50 to $ 3.00 per transaction. Charges for using your US Credit card for purchases or cash withdrawals will range between 3 to 8% of the transaction amount.

Read more: EU backs cap on bank card transactions | euronews, economy

Middle East: Protection of Christians in the Middle East must become an international priority

The Middle East, the cradle of Christianity and human civilization, has been swept by a wave of extremism, while its interfaith and civilizational contradictions have become sharply aggravated.

Normal life and the very existence of many religious communities have been put under threat.

Since the beginning of the so-called Arab Spring, Russia has urged the world community to prevent religious extremists from hijacking the processes of change. Russia has been advocating settling the crises by political and diplomatic means and promoting the long overdue reforms via national dialogue.

We spoke for a search for peace and accord between all religious groups, including various denominations of Islam and Christianity.

A dramatic situation has taken shape in Syria, which has historically been a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country. Its life was based on a unique model of peaceful and mutually respectful co-existence of various religious communities. Now this model is being destroyed as a result of connivance with extremists and attempts to use them in the struggle against President Assad.

Terrorist groups are engaging in an orgy of violence in Syria and Iraq, which is being accompanied by the destruction of dozens of Christian churches, including ancient shrines, and by a Christian exodus.

Jihadists are perpetrating heinous crimes on the lands of “the caliphate” and are forcibly imposing obscurantist views by killing Christians, including clergymen, burning them alive, selling them into slavery, robbing them of their property, driving them from their lands or taking them hostage. It is hard to find words in reaction to the brutal massacre of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians that has been perpetrated in Libya recently.

The Christian exodus from the Middle East is likely to have the most negative influence on the structure of Arab societies and the preservation of the historical and spiritual legacy that is important for all humankind.

Note EU-Digest: Can only happen if Muslim Nations, including Saudi Arabia, accept democracy with all its "trimmings"; freedom of expression, religion, equal rights for women and men, in fact democratic secularism, as the main pillar of their political thinking. Similar to what Turkey did after Ataturk created the Turkish Republic.

Read more: Protection of Christians in the Middle East must become an international priority — RT Op-Edge

Dutch VVD-PVDA Coalition Government In Deep Trouble After Resignation of Justice Minister, Secretary, in Drug Payoff

Dutch Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten and his state secretary, Fred Teeven, have resigned after "misleading" or as a parliamentarian said "for blowing smoke" to members of parliament over a 2001 compensation payment to a convicted drug trafficker.

Mr Opstelten had said the trafficker was paid less than he actually was for money wrongly confiscated by the state. He also said details of the payment - authorized by Mr Teeven as the prosecutor during that time - had been lost, but it turned not to be so.

The resignations are a blow to the conservative party VVD as it faces an election.

Mr Opstelten and Mr Teeven are both from the conservative wing of the party which governs the Netherlands together with the labor party, and is faces a challenge from Geert Wilders' far-right Freedom Party in provincial elections this month.

The resignations are also expected to place a strain on the Conservatives coalition with the Labour party, which has been very critical of Mr Opstelten and Mr Teeven.

This tidal wave of political unrest in the VVD-PVDA coalition could very well be"the straw that breaks the camels back" of the Dutch Government..

EU-Digest

Dutch jihadists should die before returning to Netherlands says Dutch P.M Mark Rutte

NL Times writes that Prime Minister Mark Rutte thinks it is better if Dutch jihadists who traveled to join the fight in Syria and Iraq die there instead of returning to the Netherlands. He said this in the RTL election debate last night.

This statement met opposition from all the other party leaders involved in the debate, with the exception of Geert Wilders (PVV), who was absent due to illness.

Alexander Pechtold (D66) called Rutte’s (VVD) position “unworthy of a Prime Minister” and stated that Rutte was expressing the ideas of Wilders by endorsing the position. “I find that you really can not say: go die in the desert” Pechtold thinks that the Netherlands should bring returned jihadists to justice.

Note Almere Digest: "Come on Mr. Pechtold, stop playing the "goodie-goodie man' - you don't win elections that way. 

Specially not against Mark Rutte, who is fighting for his political life and Geert Wilders, who is willing to say or lie about anything to show he is a "true" nationalist who only has the interest of the people and his country at heart."

Almere-Digest