Spying and the ‘moral high ground’

May 20, 2014 - Daily News Briefing

Winning and holding the “moral high ground” is never easy for nations pursuing their national interests.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered troops deployed near Ukraine to return to their home bases and praised the launch of a dialogue between the Ukrainian government and its opponents even as fighting continued in the eastern parts of the country. Putin specifically ordered Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to pull back forces involved in “planned spring drills” in the Rostov, Belgorod, and Bryansk regions to their home bases, the Kremlin said.

A federal judge on Monday struck down Oregon’s voter-approved ban on gay marriage, saying it is unconstitutional. US District Judge Michael McShane said the ban unconstitutionally discriminates against same-sex couples and ordered the state not to enforce it. State officials earlier refused to defend the constitutional ban in court.

A coalition led by Iraq’s Shiite prime minister emerged Monday as the biggest winner in the country’s first parliamentary elections since the US military withdrawal in 2011, electoral officials said, as the embattled premier is seeking a third term in office despite political turmoil and rising violence. The results boost Nouri al-Maliki’s chances for a new term, though he still needs to approach other groups in order to secure a broader majority coalition inside parliament that will get the first crack at forming a government.

The NBA charged Donald Sterling on Monday with damaging the league and its teams with his racist comments, setting up a June 3 hearing after which owners could vote to terminate his ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers. The league also said the banned owner has engaged in other conduct that has impaired its relationship with fans and merchandising partners. “All of these acts provide grounds for termination under several provisions of the NBA constitution and related agreements,” the league said in a statement.

Watched over by riot police, hundreds of Chinese workers left Vietnam Monday on ships chartered by their government after deadly unrest broke out last week amid a dispute over sovereignty claims in the South China Sea. The decision to evacuate workers by sea will play well in China, where the government is under pressure to look after its citizens abroad.

Priming itself for the age of Internet-delivered video, AT&T Inc. said it would buy DirecTV for $48.5 billion in cash and stock, or $95 per share. While DirecTV doesn’t help the telecom company compete in the online video space immediately, cost savings from the merger and the extra cash flow will improve its ability to compete with the cable giant that would be formed by Comcast Corp.’s proposed $45 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable.

Serbian authorities ordered the urgent evacuation of 12 villages and towns along the raging Sava River on Monday, including one where soldiers, police, and volunteers have been working around the clock to protect Serbia’s main power plant. The coal-fired plant supplies electricity for half of Serbia and most of Belgrade.

Compiled from wire service reports

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

Compiled from wire service reports

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

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