Paris Metro CCTV shows Chelsea fans sought by police

Images of three men being sought by police in connection with an incident of alleged racism by Chelsea fans on the Paris Metro on Tuesday evening have been released.

BBC

NSA helped British steal cell phone codes

Britain’s electronic spying agency, in cooperation with the U.S. National Security Agency, hacked into the networks of a Dutch company to steal codes that allow both governments to seamlessly eavesdrop on mobile phones worldwide, according to the documents given to journalists by Edward Snowden.

The Guardian

Chelsea racist fans in Paris

In the video, a member of the French public is repeatedly seen to be pushed off a Metro train by fans while trying to board because he’s black, with the fans responsible chanting: “We’re racist, we’re racist, and that’s the way we like it, we like it, we like it.”

British white trash Benjamin Maybury charged with punching and abusing teen driver

Briton Alan Benjamin Maybury, 33, allegedly punched polytechnic student Lum Kwok Weng, 19, in his face causing mild swelling and a small superficial cut. He is also accused of using abusive words by shouting expletives at the teen.

Russian researchers expose breakthrough U.S. spying program

The U.S. National Security Agency has figured out how to hide spying software deep within hard drives made by Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba and other top manufacturers, giving the agency the means to eavesdrop on the majority of the world's computers, according to cyber researchers and former operatives.

Reuters

A taste of Yunnan in Thailand

The tiny northern town of Mae Salong bears a distinctive Chinese past - and present

The numbers game: mathematicians and NSA

Snowden’s revelations unsettled many mathematicians - but not enough to sever ties with NSA

China ‘not ready to win wars’, says US report

Corruption, poor-quality personnel and outdated command structure among problems faced by the PLA, according to a study commissioned by a US congressional committee

Beijing and US poised to join forces in hunt for rich Chinese fugitives

Senior US officials will meet in August with their Chinese counterparts to discuss the possibility of repatriating Chinese officials who have fled to America with billions of dollars of allegedly stolen government assets, according to a State Department official.

US historians protest against Japan’s attempt to censor US publisher’s textbook over sex slaves

A group of American history scholars have protested against Japan’s attempts to pressure US publisher McGraw-Hill that references World War II sex slaves, saying no government should have the right to “censor history”.

Beijing cracks down at home to slow visits to overseas casinos

Crackdown on junket organisers in China is aimed at slowing trips by VIP players to Asian casinos beyond already embattled Macau

Chinese scars endure 70 years after Unit 731 liberation

AFP

‘Soft’ Repression: The Struggle for Democracy in Singapore

Opposition politicians face some daunting obstacles in Singaporean politics.

The palace of shame that makes China angry

There is a deep, unhealed historical wound in the UK's relations with China - a wound that most British people know nothing about, but which causes China great pain. It stems from the destruction in 1860 of the country's most beautiful palace.

BBC

Investors in gold buyback scheme alarmed by firm’s silence

More than 20 investors who put around $7 million into a gold buyback scheme run by local firm Suisse International are now worried that they cannot get their money back.

America: Australia's Dangerous Ally

Australia should not embrace America, writes its former prime minister, but preserve itself from Washington’s reckless overreach.

The National Interest

UK spy agency GCHQ intercepted emails of journalists from top international media

The British surveillance agency GCHQ’s bulk surveillance of electronic communications has scooped up emails to and from journalists working for some of the US and UK’s largest media organisations, analysis of documents released by whistleblower Edward Snowden reveals.

Singapore empty homes may climb to highest since 1998 on curbs

Shameless Japan wants to rewrite history

McGraw-Hill Education rejected a request by the Japanese government to change passages in a history textbook about women who were forced to serve in Japanese military brothels during World War II.

“Scholars are aligned behind the historical fact of ‘comfort women,’ and we unequivocally stand behind the writing, research and presentation of our authors,” it said.

WSJ

Guardian

Pope Francis says freedom of speech has limits

The pontiff said religions had to be treated with respect, so that people's faiths were not insulted or ridiculed.

To illustrate his point, he told journalists that his assistant could expect a punch if he cursed his mother.

BBC