The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner has condemned a government contractor Edward Snowden who leaked information about a controversial surveillance programme.
“He is a traitor. The disclosure of this information puts Americans at risk. It shows our adversaries what our capabilities are and it’s a giant violation of the law.”
Congress is asking intelligence officials for more information about the mass monitoring of phone calls and internet use revealed by Mr. Snowden who is now in Hong Kong.
Google has asked the US Department of Justice to be allowed to publish the total number of security information request they receive from the government to prove it is not granted unrestricted access to use its data.
The South African President Jacob Zuma has said the whole nation is praying for Nelson Mandela to recover quickly. The 94-year-old former president remains in intensive care at a hospital in Pretoria where he’s been treated for a lung infection. Mr. Zuma said he was confident the doctors treating him were doing a good job. Mr. Mandela was admitted to hospital on Saturday. He’s been visited by family and security has been stepped up at the hospital.
News from the BBC
The Lower House of the Russian parliament has passed a controversial bill which bans the distribution of information about homosexuality to children. It also outlaws gay parade rallies. Gay activists say the law stigmatizes homosexuals. As MPs debated the bill Russian police arrested about 20 gay rights campaigners outside parliament during clashes with anti-gay groups.