NSA Australia allies 'spied on US law firm' in Indonesia row

Australian spies tapped a US law firm representing Indonesia in a trade dispute with the US, new leaks say.

The 2013 document obtained by the New York Times does not identify the US law firm, but says the Australians offered the intercepts to their allies at the US National Security Agency (NSA).

Previous allegations of Australian spying on Indonesia has led to worsening ties.

The alleged documents have been leaked by ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

Last month, Mr Snowden alleged that the NSA conducted industrial espionage.

In an interview with Germany's ARD TV channel, the former contractor said the agency would spy on big German companies that competed with US firms.

The February 2013 document says the Australian Signals Directorate monitored a US law firm used by the government of Indonesia for trade talks, according to the New York Times (NYT).

The Australians said that "information covered by attorney-client privilege may be included" in the intelligence they offered to share with the NSA, it says.

It is not clear which trade talks were involved.

Indonesia has recently been embroiled in a number of disputes with the US - one over the US ban of clove cigarettes, another centring on the exports of prawns which the US alleged were being sold at below-market prices.

Chicago-based firm Mayer Brown was identified by the newspaper as having advised the Indonesian government at the time. The firm has not commented, nor has the Indonesian government or the NSA.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot refused to confirm the alleged document, adding that intelligence-gathering was used "to protect our citizens and the citizens of other countries".

"We certainly don't use it for commercial purposes," Mr Abbot said.

In November, Indonesia suspended co-ordinated military co-operation with Australia amid an ongoing row over reports that Canberra spied on Jakarta officials, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The suspension included operations to stop people-smuggling, joint military exercises and intelligence exchange.

The NSA is prohibited from targeting Americans inside the US without warrants, but it can intercept the communications of Americans if they are in contact with a foreign intelligence target abroad.

In August last year, Russia granted Mr Snowden asylum for one year, after he leaked details of US electronic surveillance programmes.

The US has charged Mr Snowden with theft of government property, unauthorised communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence.

Each of the charges carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence. Earlier this week he said he has "no chance" of a fair trial in the US and has no plans to return there.

John Kerry urges climate action in Indonesia address

US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged the global community to act against climate change in a keynote speech during a visit to Indonesia.

He said that there was scientific proof of climate change threatening not only the environment, but also the world economy.

He said "the window of time is still open" to prevent the worst consequences, but that it was closing.

The US, along with China, is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.

On Saturday, both nations issued a joint statement pledging to do more to curb their carbon dioxide output.

Steps include reducing car emissions and improving the energy efficiency of buildings.

Mr Kerry said that while those nations with bigger emissions had to do more to help solve the problem, "that doesn't mean other nations have a free pass".

Nations with lower emissions must not "repeat the mistakes of the past", he said.

'Point of no return'

Mr Kerry was speaking in Jakarta, his latest stop on a regional tour.

He began his trip in South Korea on Thursday, and arrived in Indonesia on Saturday after visiting China.

It is part of President Obama's "pivot to Asia" policy, begun in 2012, shifting the US foreign policy focus more towards Asia and away from Europe and the Middle East.

In his Jakarta speech, Mr Kerry underscored the way in which climate change is affecting Asian countries.

He also highlighted the possible effects on the global economy, including "potentially catastrophic effects" on the global supply chain.

He warned against "complacency", pointing out that last year carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere reached their highest ever level.

Mr Kerry wants to help broker a global climate treaty in 2015 that will commit the US and other nations to historic reductions in fossil fuel pollution, the BBC's Washington correspondent Kim Ghattas reports.

Environmental groups have criticised the Obama administration for not doing more to reduce US fossil fuel use. Late last year, the US president appointed a new adviser on climate change.

John Podesta, a former White House chief of staff, will help Mr Obama prepare executive actions that bypass Congress, where there is deadlock on the issue.

The talks in Paris next year are aimed at finding a new international climate agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol which ends in 2020. The US never ratified the Kyoto agreement, signed in 1997.

Environmental groups have criticised President Barack Obama for not doing more to reduce US carbon dioxide emissions.

On Saturday, the US and China said they would "collaborate through enhanced policy dialogue, including the sharing of information regarding their respective post-2020 plans to limit greenhouse gas emissions".

Last year, a landmark report by the UN's climate panel found scientists were 95% certain that humans were the "dominant cause" of global warming since the 1950s.

Pro and anti-Maduro marches gather thousands in Venezuela

Supporters and opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have taken to the streets of the capital, Caracas, in rival marches.

The demonstrations come at a time of growing political tension in Venezuela.

Three people were killed during anti-government protests on Wednesday, and some 100 students were arrested.

Mr Maduro accused the opposition of stirring up trouble as part of a coup plot and urged his supporters to march for peace on Saturday.

Government supporters began arriving at Venezuela Square, in central Caracas, in the morning.

They were dressed predominantly in red or in Venezuela's national colours - blue, yellow and red.

'Alarming reports'

Hours later Mr Maduro addressed thousands of his supporters in Bolivar Avenue. The march was broadcast live on national television.

"I call all the people to the streets in order to defend peace," he said.

He warned that his government would not give in to those he described as "fascists," including former president of neighbouring Colombia, Alvaro Uribe.

"Alvaro Uribe is behind this, financing and directing these fascist movements.

"He intended to use a Venezuelan television channel [NTN24] to do the same they did on 11 April 2002," Mr Maduro said, referring to a failed military coup against the late President, Hugo Chavez.

Mr Uribe, a centre-right politician, was a fierce enemy of Mr Chavez and accused the late president of supporting Colombia's largest rebel group, the Farc.

Mr Maduro said police had been looking for opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, accused of ordering "all these violent kids, which he trained, to destroy half of Caracas to then go into hiding".

Mr Lopez has not been seen in public since an arrest warrant was issued for him on Wednesday.

The United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, has issued a statement expressing concern by the rising tensions in Venezuela.

"We are particularly alarmed by reports that the Venezuelan government has arrested or detained scores of anti-government protestors and issued an arrest warrant for opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez," read the statement.

Opposition demonstrators, including a movement known as Mothers in White, gathered at Las Mercedes neighbourhood in eastern Caracas.

Thousands of people, mostly wearing white, marched towards the Courts of Justice building and stopped for a memorial ceremony to the three demonstrators killed on Wednesday: Bassil da Costa, Juan Montoya and Robert Redman.

Student leader Enrique Altimari said the main aim of their "peaceful protest" was to "pay tribute to the victims".

'Not after dark'

He said the march would end before night fell, to avoid a repeat of the incidents of Wednesday.

The three victims were shot dead by unknown gunmen as the opposition marches came to an end.

"The streets at night are not a safe place for us. We would not be achieving any goal and would only fall in the trap set up by violent pro-government groups," Mr Altimari said.

The opposition march ended before dusk with clashes between police, who fired tear gas in attempts to disperse the crowd, and demonstrators who hurled stones.

Reports say three people were injured.

The main opposition grievances are high inflation, crime and the shortage of some staples.

The government has blamed the shortages on "saboteurs" and "profit-hungry corrupt businessmen".

Venezuelan politics has become increasingly polarised.

Mr Maduro was elected last April by a narrow margin, defeating the centre-right candidate, Henrique Capriles, who denounced electoral fraud.

A former union leader, Mr Maduro was a close ally of President Hugo Chavez, who died of cancer last March after 14 years in office.

Mr Capriles says the government's left-wing policies have led to economic collapse, including high inflation - 56.2% in 2013, according to official figures.

Data protection: Angela Merkel proposes Europe network

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is proposing building up a European communications network to help improve data protection.

It would avoid emails and other data automatically passing through the United States.

In her weekly podcast, she said she would raise the issue on Wednesday with French President Francois Hollande.

Revelations of mass surveillance by the US National Security Agency (NSA) have prompted huge concern in Europe.

Disclosures by the US whistleblower Edward Snowden suggested even the mobile phones of US allies, such as Mrs Merkel, had been monitored by American spies.

Classified NSA documents revealed that large amounts of personal data are collected from the internet by US and British surveillance.

Mrs Merkel criticised the fact that Facebook and Google can be based in countries with low levels of data protection while carrying out business in nations that offer more rigorous safeguards.

"Above all, we'll talk about European providers that offer security for our citizens, so that one shouldn't have to send emails and other information across the Atlantic," she said.

"Rather, one could build up a communication network inside Europe."

Sensitive

There was no doubt that Europe had to do more in the realm of data protection, she said.

A French official was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying that the government in Paris planned to take up the German initiative.

Personal privacy is a sensitive issue in Germany where extensive surveillance was carried out under the Nazis and in communist East Germany.

A foreign policy spokesman for Mrs Merkel's Christian Democrats, Philipp Missfelder, recently said revelations about US spying had helped bring relations with Washington down to their worst level since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Germany has been trying to persuade Washington to agree to a "no-spy" agreement but without success.

Scottish independence: Barroso says joining EU would be 'difficult'

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has said it would be "extremely difficult, if not impossible" for an independent Scotland to join the European Union.

Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr he said an independent Scotland would have to apply for membership and get the approval of all current member states.

Scotland's Finance Minister described his comments as "pretty preposterous".

John Swinney said Mr Barroso's view was based on a false comparison.

The referendum on Scottish independence will be held on 18 September, with voters being asked the Yes/No question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"

New state

In his interview with Andrew Marr, Mr Barroso said: "In case there is a new country, a new state, coming out of a current member state it will have to apply."

He said it was important that "accession to the European Union will have to be approved by all other member states of the European Union."

He went on: "Of course it will be extremely difficult to get the approval of all the other member states to have a new member coming from one member state."

Mr Barroso cited the example of the Spanish not recognising Kosovo.

He said: "We have seen Spain has been opposing even the recognition of Kosovo, for instance. So it is to some extent a similar case because it's a new country and so I believe it's going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible, a new member state coming out of our countries getting the agreement of the others."

However, Mr Barroso made clear that it was up to the people of Scotland to decide their future, and he said he did not want to interfere in that process.

In its White Paper on independence, launched in November, the Scottish government said the country would look to gain membership through Article 48 of the Treaty of the European Union.

It said such a move could be achieved within 18 months of a "Yes" vote.

Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics programme, Mr Swinney said: "I think President Barroso's remarks are pretty preposterous.

"He's set out his position linking and comparing Scotland to the situation in Kosovo.

"Scotland has been a member of the EU for 40 years - we're already part of the European Union."

'Agreed process'

Mr Swinney said there was no indication any member state would veto Scotland's membership, including Spain where Catalan separatists are pushing for independence.

He added: "The Spanish Foreign Minister said if there is an agreed process within the United Kingdom by which Scotland becomes an independent country then Spain has nothing to say about the whole issue.

"That indicates to me quite clearly that the Spanish government will have no stance to take on the question of Scottish membership of the European Union."

Ukraine protesters end occupations

Protesters have ended their occupation of Kiev's city hall and other buildings in the Ukrainian capital.

Protesters unhappy with President Yanukoych's ditching of an agreement with the EU have held the building for more than two months.

Officials promised to drop charges against demonstrators if they left all government buildings by Monday.

Protest leaders say they have now fulfilled the government's conditions for an amnesty.

The BBC's David Stern in Kiev says protesters have also partially dismantled barricades on a street in central Kiev.

The protests started in November when President Viktor Yanukovych abandoned plans to sign a far-reaching association agreement with the EU.

Instead, he advocated closer trade relations with Russia, which dominated Ukraine for centuries until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Prisoners released

People began walking out of the building on Sunday morning.

The Swiss ambassador in Kiev entered the building soon afterwards in order to help transfer the building to the control of the authorities.

Switzerland currently holds the rotating presidency of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

On Friday authorities released the last of 243 prisoners who were arrested during the unrest.

Mr Yanukovich passed an amnesty law earlier this month and agreed to negotiate with the opposition after at least four people were killed in protests.

This weekend, some opposition members continued to call for his departure, and another demonstration is due to place in Kiev's central Independence Square.

"The only subject of negotiation with Yanukovych is the conditions of his departure," jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko said on Saturday.

She went to accuse the Ukrainian president of being under the control of Russia's Vladimir Putin, his major international backer.

Egypt's Morsi stands trial on spying and teror charges

Deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has begun a new trial, on charges of espionage and conspiring to commit acts of terror.

He and 35 others are accused of working with Lebanese and Palestinian groups to carry out attacks in Egypt.

The charges are one of four prosecutions that the Islamist former leader now faces.

Mr Morsi was ousted by the military last July following mass street protests against his rule.

Since then there has been a severe crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood group, as well as on other activists seen as hostile to the military-backed government.

The Brotherhood has been declared a terrorist organisation and authorities have punished any public show of support for it.

Other senior Brotherhood figures are also facing a raft of charges, including supreme guide Mohammed Badie and his deputy and former presidential candidate Khairat al-Shater.

At least 1,000 people have died in clashes between security forces and pro-Morsi protesters since he was deposed, with thousands more arrested.

Morsi defiant

Mr Morsi was brought to Cairo's police academy on Sunday morning by helicopter from the Burj al-Arab prison where he is being held.

In this latest trial, Mr Morsi is accused of collaborating with the Palestinian movement Hamas, Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iran's Revolutionary Guards. If convicted he could receive the death penalty.

Proceedings in two other trials have already begun:

• The first opened in November on charges of inciting the killing of protesters near the presidential palace when he was in office in 2012.
• In January another trial opened concerning his escape from prison in a jailbreak in 2011, during which police officers were killed.
• The fourth trial will be on charges of insulting the judiciary.

Mr Morsi's supporters say he and other senior Brotherhood leaders are the victims of politically motivated prosecutions.

In his previous court appearances Mr Morsi has struck a defiant tone, refusing to recognise the legitimacy of the court and insisting that he is still the rightful president.

During that court appearance, from inside a glassed-in defendants' cage, he shouted: "I am the president of the republic. How can I be kept in a dump for weeks?"