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Now the new business arrangement Morneau presented to Canadians seems like a good one. Not that he came up with it himself. It is, after all, what Section 27 of the Conflict of Interest Act lays out — that cabinet ministers and other prominent persons on the Hill either sell their shares or go into a blind trust. It’s what he should have done from the beginning.

Morneau even gave media and his company the impression, back in 2015, that this is exactly what he was going to do from the beginning. But along the way it seems that he, or one of his representatives, paused and looked around to see if there was any possible way he could keep the shares on hand. How else did he come up with the idea to do what he eventually did: take the shares out of his name and into a corporation that he controlled?

That meant he held the shares “indirectly”, which ethics commissioner Mary Dawson apparently confirmed to him did not violate the Act. However she made clear that she did not specifically counsel that he take this course of action. Far from it, as Dawson had told the government back in 2013 that this was a loophole that should be closed (and never was). So while it didn’t violate the letter of the law, it darn well violated the spirit of the law.

It seems Morneau’s priority wasn’t following Section 27. It was finding some creative way to keep his shares while not breaking that section.

Some observers thought Morneau was going to resign Thursday. Far from it. He said he had “naively” thought consulting with the ethics commissioner was enough. He talked about how the public and press were “getting distracted about my personal situation,” as if people’s genuine concerns were a trifle and a waste of his time.

It was disappointing to see this tone from a minister who had previously behaved in a manner above reproach.

One almost wants to join the pile-on calling for Morneau’s resignation, were it not for the fact that there’s no obvious alternative in the Liberal caucus with sufficient experience to take his place. Canadians are now stuck with the devil they know.

afurey@postmedia.com<|endoftext|>The European Court of Justice has delivered a major blow to government mass surveillance and data retention practices by a ruling that upholds basic privacy rights and safeguards access to EU citizens’ online data communications.

The ECJ has ruled that indiscriminate storage of private citizens’ communications data is in breach of EU law.

Common Dreams reports:

The European Union’s highest court on Wednesday issued a landmark ruling against mass surveillance in a judgment that challenges key portions of the U.K.’s so-called “Snooper’s charter,” a sweeping surveillance bill that was set to become law by the end of the year.

The decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which directly calls into question both the British law and a similar bill in Sweden, finds that indiscriminate storing of private citizens’ communications data is illegal under EU law.

The court’s ruling finds that data retention is only allowable when government agencies are investigating a “serious crime,” such as terrorism.

The “general and indiscriminate retention” of emails allowed by the the “Investigatory Powers Act,” or Snooper’s charter, is therefore illegal, the Guardian reports.

“Today’s judgment is a major blow against mass surveillance and an important day for privacy,” said Camilla Graham Wood, legal officer with the rights organization Privacy International. “It makes clear that blanket and indiscriminate retention of our digital histories — who we interact with, when and how and where — can be a very intrusive form of surveillance that needs strict safeguards against abuse and mission creep. Unfortunately, those safeguards are not present in the Investigatory Powers Act, which is why it’s a Snooper’s Charter.”

The Guardian notes:

The finding came in response to a legal challenge initially brought by the Brexit secretary, David Davis, when he was a backbench MP, and Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, over the legality of GCHQ’s bulk interception of call records and online messages.

Davis and Watson, who were supported by Liberty, the Law Society, the Open Rights Group and Privacy International, had already won a high court victory on the issue, but the government appealed and the case was referred by appeal judges to the [CJEU]. The case will now return to the court of appeal to be resolved in terms of U.K. legislation.

The long-awaited judgment “raises significant questions about whether vast swathes of the [Snooper’s charter] should now be repealed,” observes Privacy International.

The advocacy group summarizes the key portions called into question by the decision:

In particular, the judgment raises concerns about the viability of the mandatory communications data retention powers (Part 4 of the Investigatory Powers Act), which are carried over from DRIPA. Under the new Act, communications data — which includes the who, when and where of our telephone calls, emails and instant messages — can be subject to a retention order for up to 12 months for reasons that go far beyond what is strictly necessary for fighting serious crime.

The judgment also demands a rethink of the government’s significant expansion of data retention powers to so-called ‘Internet Connection Records’, which could include the retention of browsing histories for the past 12 months.

The judgment may also mean that the U.K. government is forced to increase safeguards, such as judicial authorization and notification, for data that it keeps about us. These were shown to be lacking in DRIPA. The judgment could mean that the government will need to introduce new safeguards for accessing communications data (including Internet Connection Records) and other intrusive powers contained within the new law.

“In addition to rejecting generalized retention and narrowing down access to serious crime with independent authorization, the CJEU has further established that as a rule only the data of people suspected of direct involvement in […] crimes can be accessed,” observes the U.K.-based Open Rights Group. “Accessing other people’s data must be an exception and also based on specific evidence of how this may help investigations.”

Wood added: “The court has rightly recognized that our communications data is no less sensitive than the content of our communications. This is something that the U.K. government has willfully ignored, allowing a large number of public bodies to access our personal data without a warrant. The government must now urgently fix the Investigatory Powers Act, so that access to our data is properly authorized.”<|endoftext|>An ISIS operative arrested and criminally charged in Ohio this month has confirmed that the terrorist group has cells in Mexico, according to federal authorities. Judicial Watch has reported this for years, documenting it in a series of articles as part of an ongoing investigation on the connection between drug cartels, corruption and terrorism on the southern border. In fact, last spring Judicial Watch broke a story about an ISIS camp just a few miles from El Paso, Texas in an area known as “Anapra” situated just west of Ciudad Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

Though a number of high-level law enforcement, intelligence and military sources on both sides of the border have provided Judicial Watch with evidence that Islamic terrorist cells are operating in Mexico, the Obama administration has publicly denied it, both to Judicial Watch and in mainstream media outlets. Now we have a terrorism suspect in custody proudly affirming it. His name is Erick Jamal Hendricks and the U.S. has charged him with conspiring to provide ISIS and ISIL material support. Hendricks created a sleeper cell with at least ten members, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ), and claims that some of his jihadist “brothers” are just south of the U.S. border in Mexico. The 35-year-old lived for a short time in Charlotte, North Carolina and was arrested and charged in Ohio last week. Hendricks tried to “recruit people to train together and conduct terrorist attacks in the United States,” according to the government’s criminal complaint.

Hendricks contacted another ISIS operative, referred to as “CW-1”, who was arrested last summer, about working with him and several other terrorists to carry out attacks. “Hendricks allegedly told CW-1 that he ‘needed people’ and wanted to meet in person; that there were several ‘brothers’ located in Texas and Mexico; that he was attempting to ‘get brothers to meet face to face;’ and that he wanted ‘to get brothers to train together,'” according to a DOJ announcement. Hendricks and his sleeper cell targeted U.S. military members and a woman who organized a “Draw Muhammad” cartoon contest in Garland, Texas last May. Two men in body armor with assault rifles tried to carry out an attack in the Dallas suburb building where the event took place but were shot dead by police. The FBI says Hendricks was connected with the terrorism-related shooting. Federal prosecutors reveal that Hendricks vetted CW-1 by testing his religious knowledge and commitment to jihad, to die as a martyr and his desire to enter Jannah (paradise), the feds say.

The Hendricks case points to a broader issue of, not only homegrown terrorism, but the immense threat along the southern border. Islamic terrorists are training in southern border towns near American cities and have joined forces with Mexican drug cartels to infiltrate the United States. Judicial Watch has investigated this national security crisis for years and interviewed local, state and federal law enforcement officials as well as military sources on both sides of the border. Besides exposing ISIS camps just miles from Texas, Judicial Watch has verified that Mexican drug cartels are smuggling foreigners from countries with terrorist links to stash areas in a rural Texas town called Acala. Judicial Watch also uncovered a massive FBI scandal involving a narco-terror ringleader with ties to ISIS and Mexican drug cartels. As part of the FBI cover-up the agency facilitated the ringleader’s release from a Chicago jail last year.<|endoftext|>Rogue Legacy coming to Mac & Linux, will support save slots Rogue Legacy is coming to Mac and Linux through a new patch, which will also add save slots. A second patch will release shortly thereafter with new content at no extra charge.

Cellar Door Games is close to releasing the Mac and Linux versions of their chivalrous roguelike, Rogue Legacy. The studio has told Shacknews that it is splitting their upcoming patch into two pieces to help expedite the process. In addition to bringing the game to new platforms, the first patch will also add save slots, which will allow multiple friends to forge their family tree on a single computer.

A second patch will include unspecified free content and is set to release after the Mac/Linux support patch. "We're still working on it, but we wanted to push up the first patch since we think it's important enough," Cellar Door's Teddy Lee told Shacknews. "We don't wanna go into specifics since things are still in flux, but we can say that it will be free."

Rogue Legacy is available now on PC and is coming soon to PS4, PS3, and Vita.<|endoftext|>United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Texas man was indicted by a federal grand jury for mailing threatening communications.

Carlos Kidd, age 33, was indicted in the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota on November 6, 2012, for mailing threatening letters to a federal judge in North Dakota. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Klein in Bismarck, North Dakota, on January 24, 2013, and pled not guilty to the indictment. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 10 years’ imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine. The charge is merely an accusation, and Kidd is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Kelderman is prosecuting the case. Kidd was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. A trial date has not been set.<|endoftext|>Prime Minister Rami al-Hamdallah on Tuesday chaired the first meeting of the Palestinian cabinet in Gaza for three years in a move towards reconciliation between the mainstream Fatah party and Islamist group Hamas.

Hamas seized the Gaza Strip in 2007 in fighting with Fatah forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas and has ruled the impoverished desert enclave of two million people since then.

The cabinet session was the first in Gaza since 2014, Hamdallah told his ministers, and a major step in a reconciliation process promoted by neighbouring Egypt and other US-allied Arab countries.

"Today, we stand before an important, historical moment as we begin to get over our wounds, put our differences aside and place the higher national interest above all else," he said.

'We are not prepared to accept bogus reconciliations in which the Palestinian side apparently reconciles at the expense of our existence' - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would reject any reconciliation deal between the two leading Palestinian factions unless the Iran-backed Islamist movement Hamas disarmed.

"We are not prepared to accept bogus reconciliations in which the Palestinian side apparently reconciles at the expense of our existence," Netanyahu said in a statement.

"Whoever wants to make such a reconciliation, our understanding is very clear: recognise the State of Israel, disband the Hamas military arm, sever the connection with Iran - which calls for our destruction," Netanyahu added.

The PA has signed a peace deal with Israel, but Hamas has not.

In video message, Sisi celebrates 'opportunity'

But Cairo, which has been a key backer of attempts at reconciliation, welcomed the development.

In a pre-recorded speech addressing the two main Palestinian movements on Tuesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that Palestinian reconciliation could be an "opportunity" for wider regional peace, and called for global support for the initiative.

"The whole world is waiting for your efforts to achieve reconciliation among the Palestinian people and appreciates your determination to address all obstacles," he said.

"There is a chance to realise peace in the region, providing all the parties are united."

The video was played as Egyptian intelligence head Khaled Fawzy met with Hamas and Palestinian Authority leaders in the Gaza Strip.

"I am confident the major world powers, when they see the Palestinian parties are fully aware of the nature of this phase and the importance of dialogue to achieve the goal of peace, will help to realise this peace," he added.

Hamdallah crossed into Gaza on Monday and was welcomed by a Hamas honour guard and hundreds of Palestinians.

Young people in Gaza greet the arrival of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah (MEE/Mohammed Asad)