US authorised NSA to spy on Pakistan among 193 countries

WASHINGTON: US spy agency, National Security Agency (NSA), had been authorised to spy on most countries and some international bodies and political parties, Geo News reported Tuesday.

Under a 2010 certification approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA), NSA was permitted to spy on 193 foreign governments as well as foreign factions, political organisations and other entities, Washington Post reported.

According to the certification, the agency would require new certification approved by the court to permit such surveillance under Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act.

Sparing Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand with whom US has broad no-spying arrangements, the NSA was allowed to spy on 193 countries including Pakistan.

The list also includes two factions of foreign nations Palestinian Authority; Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on NSA’s radar.
What was most shocking revelation was the fact that under the FISA court certification NSA was even authorised to spy on foreign-based political organisations including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) from Pakistan and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from India.

The list also includes the Amal movement of Lebanon, Bolivaria Continental Coordinator, Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and te National Salvation Front.

Besides foreign countries, governments and political organisations NSA was also authorised to spy on international bodies such as the UN, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank and many others.

Polls in 48 countries in 2014

LAHORE: India is one of the 48 countries going to polls during 2014, though the number of its voters (over 814 million) is far greater than any other nation.

This year the number of voters in India is larger than the population of Europe, making this the biggest election the world has ever seen. In the past five years, India has added a population greater than that of the Philippines to its voter rolls.

Having a population in excess of 1.2 billion, the world’s largest democracy of India has set up a solitary polling both in a remote section of the Gir forests, Gujarat, for just a single voter. Overall, some 930,000 polling stations have been established countrywide. During the last Indian electoral exercise, the oldest winning candidate was of the age of 94 years and the youngest had won a seat at the age of 26 years.

Some 28,314 voters, classified as “Transgender persons,” will be exercising their right of franchise in the 2014 Indian ballot that will lead to an elected government, which will actually be representing nearly one out of every 5 people on the planet!The shortest-lived Indian government was once formed by the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), which could last just 13 days on the throne.

Fans not stopped from flying flags of other countries: BCB

DHAKA: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said that fans are not being barred from flying the flags of foreign nations at stadiums during the World Twenty20.

The BCB reverted an earlier decision banning local fans from flying flags of other nations after intervention by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

On Tuesday, the hosts of cricket's World Twenty20 threatened to ban local supporters from stadiums if they are seen carrying the flags of any of the other teams competing in the tournament.

The order came after an outcry over images of locals waving Pakistani flags during the recently concluded Asia Cup, also held in Bangladesh.

Following the BCB announcement, the ICC sought a clarification from the cricket board.

Bangladesh fans barred from waving flags of other countries

 

DHAKA: The Bangladeshi hosts of cricket’s World Twenty20 threatened to ban local supporters on Tuesday from stadiums if they were seen carrying the flags of any of the other teams competing in the tournament.
The order came after an outcry over images of locals waving Pakistani flags during the recently-concluded Asia Cup, also held in Bangladesh.A Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) spokesman said the board had issued a directive after it “noticed that some local fans were flying foreign flags flouting the country’s flag rules.

“We’ve received instructions in this regard,” the spokesman told AFP, without clarifying. “As such we’ve ordered security officials and guards to make sure Bangladesh fans cannot carry or fly flags of foreign nations in the stadiums.” The BCB order came on the eve of Bangladesh’s 44th Independence Day celebrations.

This was not the first time that Bangladeshi fans were seen supporting the Pakistan cricket team. A considerable number of Bangladeshi fans support Pakistani cricketers and they very often cheer the success of the Pakistani cricket team and the good performance of the cricketers.

The ban on Bangladeshi fans supporting the Pakistani team came reportedly after pressure by some elements in the government as their politics mainly focus on anti-Pakistan rhetoric.On the other hand, there are also voices in the Bangladeshi corridors of power which have objected to the ban and are using their influence to reverse the same.

According to the latest reports, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has also taken notice of the ban on Bangladeshi fans supporting other countries and sought an explanation from the Bangladeshi cricket bosses.