Snowden leaves Hong Kong for Moscow, with Cuba among possible destinations

By James Pomfret

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A former U.S. security contractor charged by Washington with espionage was allowed to leave Hong Kong on Sunday, his final destination not confirmed, because a U.S. request to have him arrested did not comply with the law, the Hong Kong government said.

Edward Snowden, who worked for the National Security Agency, had been hiding in Hong Kong since leaking details about U.S. surveillance activities to news media.

The United States wanted him to be extradited to face trial and is likely to be furious about reports that he was travelling to Moscow on Sunday before flying on to Cuba and Venezuela.

"It's a shocker," said Simon Young, a law professor with Hong Kong University. "I thought he was going to stay and fight it out. The U.S. government will be irate."

A source at Russia's Aeroflot airline said Snowden would fly from Moscow to Cuba on Monday and then planned to go on to Venezuela. The South China Morning Post earlier said his final destination might be Ecuador or Iceland.

The WikiLeaks anti-secrecy website said it helped Snowden find "political asylum in a democratic country".

It added in an update on Twitter that he was accompanied by diplomats and legal advisers and was travelling via a safe route for the purposes of seeking asylum.

"The WikiLeaks legal team and I are interested in preserving Mr Snowden's rights and protecting him as a person," former Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon, legal director of WikiLeaks and lawyer for the group's founder Julian Assange, said in a statement.

"What is being done to Mr Snowden and to Mr Julian Assange - for making or facilitating disclosures in the public interest - is an assault against the people."

Assange has taken sanctuary in the Ecuadorean embassy in London and said last week he would not leave even if Sweden stopped pursuing sexual assault claims against him because he feared arrest on the orders of the United States.

U.S. authorities have charged Snowden with theft of U.S. government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence to an unauthorized person, with the latter two charges falling under the U.S. Espionage Act.

The United States had asked Hong Kong, a special administrative region (SAR) of China, to send Snowden home.

"The U.S. government earlier on made a request to the HKSAR government for the issue of a provisional warrant of arrest against Mr Snowden," the Hong Kong government said in a statement.

"Since the documents provided by the U.S. government did not fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law, the HKSAR government has requested the U.S. government to provide additional information ... As the HKSAR government has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr Snowden from leaving Hong Kong."

It did not say what further information it needed.

The White House had no comment.

CHINA SAYS U.S. "BIGGEST VILLAIN"

Hong Kong, a former British colony, reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 and although it retains an independent legal system, and its own extradition laws, Beijing has control over Hong Kong's foreign affairs. Some observers see Beijing's hand in Snowden's sudden departure.

Iceland refused on Friday to say whether it would grant asylum to Snowden, a former employee of contractor Booz Allen Hamilton who worked at an NSA facility in Hawaii.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said earlier this month that Russia would consider granting Snowden asylum if he were to ask for it and pro-Kremlin lawmakers supported the idea, but there has been no indication he has done so.

The South China Morning Post earlier quoted Snowden offering new details about the United States' spy activities, including accusations of U.S. hacking of Chinese mobile telephone companies and targeting China's Tsinghua University.

Documents previously leaked by Snowden revealed that the NSA has access to vast amounts of internet data such as emails, chat rooms and video from large companies, including Facebook and Google, under a government program known as Prism.

China's Xinhua news agency, referring to Snowden's accusations about the hacking of Chinese targets, said they were "clearly troubling signs".

It added: "They demonstrate that the United States, which has long been trying to play innocent as a victim of cyber attacks, has turned out to be the biggest villain in our age."

Venezuela, Cuba and Ecuador are all members of the ALBA bloc, an alliance of leftist governments in Latin America who pride themselves on their "anti-imperialist" credentials.

(Additional reporting by Fayen Wong in Shanghai, Nishant Kumar in Hong Kong and Andrew Cawthorne in Caracas; Alexei Anishchuk and Steve Gutterman in Moscow, and Tabassum Zakaria in Washington; Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Anna Willard and Sonya Hepinstall)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-nsa-contractor-snowden-leaves-hong-kong-moscow-080843121.html

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Westwood dedicates show to Bradley Manning

MILAN (AP) ? Vivienne Westwood, the British designer known for her eccentric fashion, dedicated her latest menswear collection to Bradley Manning, an American soldier currently on trial in the U.S. for leaking classified material to the website WikiLeaks. He was arrested in May 2010 in Iraq.

During the show for next summer, presented Sunday, the second day of Milan Fashion Week, models walked down the runway wearing a large badge with a picture of the soldier on it, and the word "TRUTH" written at the bottom in bold white letters on a red background.

At the end of the show, the designer herself came out for a runway bow wearing the same badge.

The collection was casual chic with African references, from the striped linen used for a long Kaftan shirt or a summer suit, to baggy pants and breeches, to geometric prints, to toe sandals and flip flops.

The show opened with a series of summer khaki slacks worn over classic shirts, perfect for a toney summer evening.

Absent were the usual Westwood menswear gimmicks such as skirts or high heels. Instead the designer made her runway appearance wearing colored stockings with "climate" written on one leg and "revolution" on the other, showing that truth is not her only battle.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/westwood-dedicates-show-bradley-manning-193924148.html

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A Weather App That Suggests The Best Times To Do Things

If there are weather apps, calendar apps and to do list apps, there should be an app that spits out an optimal schedule for you to follow. What's the point of jogging in the rain and then doing laundry when the sun comes out? Or maybe you like to run in the rain because it cools you off. Or you're really pale and trying to avoid direct sun. Whatever. It's between you and Foresee now.

Basically Foresee has you input the activities you like/want to do and then asks you to give specific weather parameters for each, from temperature to precipitation and even cloud cover. Foresee compiles data from WeatherUnderground and then recommends activities for your day (no notifications yet, but apparently they're on their way). When you figure out your plan you can share it to Facebook or Twitter. The app design is appealing, but it still seems kind of time consuming to add the fine details of each activity. On the other hand, if there's something you do once in a while under certain conditions, like clean your gutters, it could be a worthwhile thing to check. Anything that minimizes planning so you can actually do stuff is a net gain. Foresee is $1 for iOS only. [AppAdvice]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-weather-app-that-suggests-the-best-times-to-do-things-548511936

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Obama speech on U.S. climate measures could come Tuesday: sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is likely to roll out a number of measures on climate policy, potentially including a strategy to limit greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants, in a speech on Tuesday, sources familiar with the plans told Reuters.

The potential move on power utilities, which account for roughly 40 percent of the nation's carbon dioxide emissions, will come as Obama sets the fight to curb climate change as a priority for his second term.

Regulations are still pending on yet-to-be-built power plants, after the Environmental Protection Agency in April missed a deadline to roll out emissions rules.

But environmentalists have been pushing the administration to go after a bigger target, and set tighter standards for the roughly 1,400 coal-fired burners that are already feeding the nation's electric grid.

Earlier this week, the White House's top energy and climate adviser, Heather Zichal, said that Obama will take several steps to make tackling climate change a "second-term priority".

"In the near term, we are very much focused on the power plant piece of the equation," she said at an energy and environment forum.

Besides framing power plant emissions in the context of climate change, many of the steps outlined by Obama to curb demand for carbon-based fuels are likely to be modest.

The president is likely to talk about the importance of conserving energy, for example.

On Wednesday in Berlin, Obama said the United States understood it had to do more to fight climate change and he pledged that more action was coming.

"Our dangerous carbon emissions have come down, but we know we have to do more. And we will do more," he said in a speech.

Controlling carbon dioxide, a byproduct of burning coal and other fossil fuels, is seen as a vital step in confronting climate change.

"The president has telegraphed very clearly that he intends to continue progress on this issue," said White House spokesman Jay Carney, who declined to comment on whether an announcement would come next week.

The timing of the announcement may yet be delayed, sources said. Obama is scheduled to fly to Africa on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, several environmental groups said that they would delay planned lawsuits against the EPA for failing to set standard for new power plants, as they await the White House's proposals.

"We're hopeful the President will announce common sense action to protect our economy and the health of all Americans from the very real threat of climate change," said Fredd Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund.

On Wednesday, Zichal said the administration plans to expand energy efficiency standards for appliances and accelerate clean energy development on public lands. Other elements might include raising onshore oil and gas royalties, which was suggested by the administration earlier this year.

(Reporting by Patrick Rucker, Valerie Volcovici and Jeff Mason in Washington, additional reporting by Scott DiSavino in New York; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-speech-u-climate-measures-could-come-tuesday-213522845.html

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Ex-Enron CEO gets 10 years cut from sentence

HOUSTON (AP) ? Ex-Enron Corp. CEO Jeffrey Skilling ? seen by many as exemplifying the worst in corporate fraud and greed in America ? could be released from prison in about four years after a federal judge on Friday shaved off a decade from his original sentence of more than 24 years.

Skilling's resentencing during a packed courtroom hearing brought one of the country's most notorious financial scandals ? the collapse of the once-mighty energy giant ? to a conclusion that upset some former Enron workers.

Ex-Enron worker Diana Peters, the only victim who spoke at the resentencing hearing, said afterward in a phone interview that Skilling should have to serve his entire original sentence.

"Jeffrey Skilling has never taken any responsibility for his actions," said the 63-year-old Peters, who lives in Huntsville, north of Houston. "He has no remorse for the end result of what happened."

Even before Friday's resentencing, which was part of a court-ordered reduction and a separate agreement with prosecutors, Skilling had already been set to have his sentence of about 8? years shortened after an appeals court vacated his original sentence by U.S. District Judge Sim Lake.

The appeals court ruled that a sentencing guideline was improperly applied. However, Skilling's resentencing was delayed for years as he unsuccessfully sought to overturn his convictions, including appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Justice Department said in order to resolve a case that's gone on for more than 10 years, it agreed to an additional reduction of about 20 months as part of a deal to stop Skilling from filing any more appeals. Federal prosecutors say it will allow for $41.8 million of Skilling's assets to be distributed as restitution to victims of Enron's 2001 collapse.

Skilling, 59, who has been in prison since 2006, declined to make a statement during Friday's hearing.

His attorney, Daniel Petrocelli, said he disagrees with claims that his client, who "still maintains his innocence," never expressed remorse for what happened at Enron. He said Skilling wasn't aware of the illegal activities of others but "took complete responsibility for all the actions" at the company.

Petrocelli said the reduction, combined with time off for good behavior and other factors, means Skilling is likely to be released by 2017.

During the hearing, prosecutor Patrick Stokes criticized Skilling for continuing "to cast himself as a victim" and said Skilling "is anything but a victim."

"Mr. Skilling was not only at the pinnacle of Enron, he was at the pinnacle of the fraud schemes," Stokes said.

Once the money from Skilling's assets is added, about $560 million in restitution will have been collected for victims of the Enron scandal, Stokes said.

Former Enron employee George Maddox said he still blames Skilling for his losing $1.3 million in retirement savings when Enron collapsed. Maddox worked for 30 years as a plant manager with the company.

"Long sentences are for no one but poor people," said Maddox, 79, who lives in the East Texas town of Van and is now supporting his 16-year-old grandson and himself mainly on Social Security income.

Even with the reduced sentence, Skilling's prison term is still the longest of those involved in the Enron scandal. He was the highest-ranking executive to be punished. Enron founder Kenneth Lay's similar convictions were vacated after he died of heart disease less than two months after his trial.

Philip Hilder, a Houston attorney who represented several ex-Enron executives who cooperated with prosecutors, called Skilling's new sentence "a fair resolution" to his case.

But Andrew Stoltmann, a Chicago-based attorney who represented 10 people who lost money in Enron's collapse, called the new sentence "a slap in the face" to ex-Enron workers and investors.

Skilling was convicted in 2006 on 19 counts of conspiracy, securities fraud, insider trading and lying to auditors for his role in the downfall of Houston-based Enron. The company, once the seventh-largest in the U.S., went bankrupt under the weight of years of illicit business deals and accounting tricks.

The U.S. Supreme Court said in 2010 that one of Skilling's convictions was flawed when it sharply curtailed the use of the "honest services" fraud law ? a short addendum to the federal mail and wire fraud statute that makes it illegal to scheme to deprive investors of "the intangible right to honest services."

The high court ruled prosecutors can use the law only in cases where evidence shows the defendant accepted bribes or kickbacks, and because Skilling's misconduct entailed no such things, he did not conspire to commit honest services fraud.

The Supreme Court told a lower court to decide whether he deserved a new trial; the lower court said no.

Enron's collapse put more than 5,000 people out of work, wiped out more than $2 billion in employee pensions and rendered worthless $60 billion in Enron stock. Its aftershocks were felt across Houston and the U.S. energy industry.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano at http://www.twitter.com/juanlozano70 .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-enron-ceo-gets-10-years-cut-sentence-210206372.html

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Protected areas provide African birds with stepping stones to survival

June 20, 2013 ? The protected area network in Tanzania is playing a vital role in the survival of savannah bird species as they move west in response to climate and environmental changes, according to new research led by the University of York.

Using data on savannah birds from the Tanzanian Bird Atlas project -- which has documented Tanzanian bird distributions over recent decades -- the researchers found that they are using protected areas as stepping stones as they move to areas further west where dry seasons are getting longer, with movements of up to 300km noted.

Much debate has centred on the effectiveness of the current protected area network to protect biodiversity in the face of climate and environmental changes.

However, the new study, which is published in Ecology Letters, not only provides the first evidence of climate-driven shifts for an African bird community, but suggests that continued maintenance of existing protected areas -- which include national parks and game reserves -- remains an appropriate response to the challenge of climate and environmental changes.

Lead author Dr Colin Beale, from York's Department of Biology, said: "Although the protected area network was set up for mammals, our research shows it is assisting dry bush species of birds to respond to land degradation, caused by over-grazing, conversion to crops and the loss of trees, as well as climate change.

"We discovered that rather than declining in value as birds move in response to climate changes, protected areas in Tanzania are becoming increasingly valuable as land degradation exerts pressures elsewhere. Our research suggests that protected areas are buffering the bird community against extinction due to land degradation and offer stepping stones for species that are altering their distribution in response to climate change."

The study, which also involved researchers from Queens University Belfast and Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland, compared data for 139 Tanzanian savannah bird species, such as hornbills, francolins, the Rufous-tailed Weaver, Fischer's Sparrowlark and the Pangani Longclaw. Data from 1960 to 1989 was compared to data post 2000.

Unlike previous assessments of the efficiency of the protected area network in the face of climate change, the new study is based on observed changes rather than modelling.

Neil Baker, from Tanzania Bird Atlas, said: "This study once again emphasises the value of the long term collection of reliable, meaningful data and the vital role of the citizen scientist. Indeed, with so few professionals in the Afrotropics this is the only way to collect this information. With the accuracy of satellite derived variables improving and with widespread use of hand held GPS units, georeferenced observations will allow even more accurate assessments of population movements in the near future."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/TLhxZo7tP4s/130620071523.htm

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