When Pope John Paul II visited Damascus in May 2001, Bashar used his welcoming speech to denounce the Jews, saying, “They tried to kill the principles of all religions with the same mentality in which they betrayed Jesus Christ and the same way they tried to betray and kill the Prophet Muhammad.”   read more

Until now, U.S. customs law banning imports of items produced by forced or child labor had gone largely unenforced because of two words: "consumptive demand" — if there was not sufficient supply to meet domestic demand, imports were allowed regardless of how they were produced. "It's embarrassing that for 85 years, the United States let products made with forced labor into this country, and closing this loophole gives the U.S. an important tool to fight global slavery," said Sen. Sherrod Brown.   read more

"There's no question that [rate of rising sea levels in] the 20th century is the fastest," said professor Bob Kopp, lead author of the study. "It's because of the temperature increase in the 20th century which has been driven by fossil fuel use." Sea level rise in the 20th century is mostly man-made, the study authors said. If greenhouse gas pollution continues at the current pace, both studies project increases of about 22 to 52 inches.   read more

Under the rule, restaurant owners must now post distinct triangle icons with salt-shaker images inside on menus next to items that top the recommended daily limit of 2,300 milligrams of sodium, about a teaspoon's worth. It is but the latest in a series of healthy eating measures pioneered by New York City public health officials that have been challenged in the courts, including an upheld requirement that chains post calorie counts on menus.   read more

Phillip-Browne is now aligned with the ruling Team Unity Party and took criticism from the opposition Labour Party for being appointed as ambassador with no experience in foreign service. “I suspect when the Labour government got in, people got rewards,” Phillip-Browne said in response. “. . . Everywhere that happens, and that’s why you find quite often, people in senior positions...they usually change when the government changes.”   read more

A federal judge advanced a lawsuit seeking records on how U.S. Customs and Border Protection mines various personal data to form "risk assessments" on travelers. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton rejected the department's rationale for stonewalling the documents. Khaliah Barnes, the lead attorney for EPIC, celebrated the ruling. "It represents another step towards greater public understanding of a secret government database," she said.   read more

Apple is challenging government efforts to overcome encryption on at least 14 electronic devices nationwide in addition to the phone of a San Bernardino. At an October hearing, Zwillinger said Apple feared the government would try "pushing the law to a new frontier" by forcing the company to modify software or change its products. "We're being forced to become an agent of law enforcement, and we cannot be forced to do that with our old devices or with our new devices," he said.   read more

For the first time, mass surveillance opponents can dig into evidence on the NSA's phone and Internet spying programs, a federal judge ruled Friday. The NSA said the claims are barred by the state secrets privilege, but Judge White found the FISA Act authorizes citizens to seek damages for violations of federal privacy laws. "This is an important step forward to lifting the cloak of secrecy that has thus far shielded the NSA from judicial scrutiny," said EFF's David Greene.   read more

An oil and gas company was found to have been using hydraulic fracturing, and neither residents nor local governments knew about it. The result has been an unlikely battle over fracking in Florida that is picking up steam across the state. The discovery outraged local government officials and environmentalists, who said they were worried about the effects of toxic chemicals and acids on Florida’s soil and water. Nearly 80 counties and cities have passed ordinances to ban or oppose the methods.   read more

"The first step in our urgent work together to protect Lake Erie from toxic algae, harmful algal blooms and other effects of nutrient runoff is to establish these important phosphorus limits," EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said. Scientists say fertilizers and livestock manure from the region's farms are the primary generators of the type of phosphorus that feed harmful algae, although sewage from urban treatment plants and failed septic tanks also contributes.   read more

Yosemite officials say signs at the soon-to-be-rebranded locations won't be taken down when their new names take effect Tuesday -- only covered up, so that the old monikers might return. The short-term signage will identify the Ahwahnee Hotel -- which was built in the 1920s as grand destination that could host presidents and dignitaries, and is believed to trace its name to the local Indian population -- as the Majestic Yosemite Hotel, a shift some guests regard as sacrilege.   read more

Rosenworcel cited research showing that 7 in 10 teachers now assign homework that requires web access. Yet one-third of kindergartners through 12th graders in the U.S., mostly from low-income and rural households, are unable to go online from home. The Obama administration announced its own program to help address the problem, deploying free and affordable broadband into public housing. The Lifelline plan has drawn strong criticism from some Republicans.   read more

Rep. Mac Thornberry topped the list of recipients with $941,700 in contributions made by employees of and political action committees sponsored by companies that do business with the Defense Dept. Thornberry's single largest group of donors, $153,400, are affiliated with defense giant Lockheed Martin. The company is manufacturing the F-35 Fighter, the single most expensive military project in history. Thornberry's congressional district abuts the district where the F-35 is manufactured.   read more

Coming days before an Academy Awards where a second straight year of all-white acting nominees has enflamed an industry-wide crisis, the report offers sobering statistics that further evidence a deep discrepancy between Hollywood and the American population in gender, race and ethnicity. The portrait is one of pervasive underrepresentation, no matter the media platform, from CEOs to minor characters. "The landscape of media content is still largely whitewashed," the study concludes.   read more

Intelligence agencies later scrubbed Jinx’s statements from an online transcript that had been available to the public on a government website. Schulz told Judge Army Colonel James Pohl that the transcripts were judicial records made in open court and the public had a constitutional right to view them. Chief Prosecutor Martins said the transcript was not an official judicial record but a draft. He said experts determined Jinx’s statements would be damaging to national security.   read more

U.S. officials say the techniques they propose pose no risk to the privacy of other iPhone users. Security experts say it's not so simple. "It's a very dangerous proposition to claim that this capability could not be re-used," said Virtru's Ackerly. Apple says it's unrealistic to think that governments won't ask to use the same program again in other cases. Experts echoed that concern, and also say it may simply be impossible to keep the program from falling into the wrong hands.   read more

The data reveal generational differences with respect to Americans’ tendency to visit historic sites. With each birth cohort, Americans of all ages have been less likely to visit historic sites. For example, those born from 1938 to 1947 had a 45% likelihood of having visited a historic site in the previous 12 months when they were ages 35–44, while those who were born in the 1968–1977 period had only a 23% likelihood of having visited a historic site when they were the same age.   read more