With the passing of another busy week, another batch of news stories caught our attention. Here is a short, but relevant, selection of news stories from the past week.
NSA Ruling
(NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland. Photograph: Patrick Semansky/ AP)
About a year ago, a man named Edward Snowden leaked thousands of documents that revealed the extent of governments spying on its own citizens. Fast forward to June 25th, when the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled that for law enforcement to search an individual’s cell phone or mobile device, there must be a warrant that allows the officers to do so. Regarding particular technologies or searches, the Supreme Court has historically been “very nervous about weighing in on the constitutionality,” which shows the significance of the NSA ruling. While many privacy rights activists were thrilled with the ruling, from the government’s point of view, the ruling presented the opposite of a victory. This story is something that will continue to stay in the news, so the general public will most likely want to stay in the know about the topic.
For more information about the ruling, see the following links:Why the Supreme Court Cellphone Ruling Is a Really Big DealSCOTUS cellphone ruling resonates in NSA fight
Rebekah Brooks Acquitted of All Charges
(Rebekah Brooks and husband Charlie Brooks. Photograph: Getty Images)
The next news highlight has some ties to the story on the NSA ruling. If you had been following the news about the disgrace of the former newspaper The News of the World, then you may have heard of the name Rebekah Brooks. This week, many former editors of the News of the World, including Brooks, who was CEO of the paper from 2009 to 2011, received their verdicts in the trial that alleged that some editors of the News of the World hacked the phones of hundreds of people, including celebrities and members of the royal family. Reacting to the verdict, Brooks stated she was innocent against the crimes she was charged with, and she feels “vindicated by the unanimous verdicts.”
World Cup Update
(Columbia players console Japan’s Nagatomo after the match Photgraph: Getty Images)
The World Cup continued this week, with the group stage coming to a close and moving on to the knock-out round. In the end, the following 16 teams made it alive to the next stage of the tournament:Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Uruguay, the Netherlands, Mexico, Costa Rica, Greece, France, Nigeria, Germany, Algeria, Argentina, Switzerland, Belgium, and the USAHere are some of the top stories:-Japan failed to make it through to the knock out round-Luis Suarez faces a four month ban from all football activity, according to FIFA’s ruling (Apparently getting bitten by Suarez is more likely than getting bitten by a shark)-Brazil made it through to the next game after winning a thrilling game against Chile, which ended in penalty kicks
Former American Apparel CEO’s Woes
(Dov Charney. Photograph: Raghu Manavalan/ Marketplace)
Dov Charney, the ousted CEO of American Apparel Inc, has been trying to seize back control of the company that he founded. However, the adoption of a stockholder rights plan by American Apparel Inc. would prevent Charney from doing so. Prior to this, the former CEO had stated his “intent to acquire control or influence over the company” in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 27th. According to American Apparel Inc., “the rights plan is designed to limit the ability of any person or group, including Dov Charney, to seize control of the company without appropriately compensating all American Apparel shareholders.” So why was Charney ousted in the first place? According to the board of the company, Charney allegedly misused company funds and forced a former employee to be his “sex slave.” Yikes!
For more information on this story, see the following links:Blocking Charney from Taking ControlAllegations against Charney
John Kerry’s Visit to the Middle East
(US Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, among others. Photograph: Jason Reed – Pool/Getty Images)
US Secretary of State John Kerry visited Baghdad this week, meeting with current Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. This meeting took place at a time of unrest, with the Sunni-affiliated ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, seizing control of crucial areas in Iraq, and inching closer to the capital of Baghdad. There have been many calls for Maliki to resign, after many US officials have blamed Maliki, a Shiite, for creating tensions between the Shiites and Sunnis. Kerry also held meetings in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as well as in Paris, France to meet various Sunni Arab leaders in the Middle East in an effort to coordinate a response to ISIS’s offense.
For more in-depth coverage of this story, see the link below:John Kerry Meets With Saudi King Abdullah, Syrian Opposition Leader Jarba
Check back next week for more!