ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

October31, 2013 (San Diego’s East County ) --ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Family of woman killed in drone strike arrive in U.S. for Congress Visit (RawStory)
• Bank of America is found guilty in Countrywide mortgage fraud (Los Angeles Times)
• Report: Memos Unmask Pakistan's Approval Of Drone Strikes (NPR)
• Warrantless surveillance evidence faces court test in 'terrorist' case (The Guardian)

WORLD

• German paper says Obama aware of spying on Merkel since 2010 (Reuters)
• U.S. Spying Update: Europe Fumes And Protesters Rally In D.C. (NPR)
• NSA monitored calls of 35 world leaders after US official handed over contacts (The Guardian)
• Germany, France demand 'no-spy' agreement with U.S.  (Reuters) 
• US spying in Europe: Will it backfire on Google and Facebook? (CS Monitor)

For excerpts and links to full stories, scroll down.

U.S.

Family of woman killed in drone strike arrive in U.S. for Congress Visit (RawStory)

Drawing on a pad of paper in a Washington DC hotel, Nabeela ur Rehman recalled the day her grandmother was killed. “I was running away,” the nine-year told the Guardian. “I was trying to wipe away the blood.”

Bank of America is found guilty in Countrywide mortgage fraud (Los Angeles Times)

A civil jury finds Bank of America liable for mortgage fraud at Countrywide Financial, which the bank bought in 2008. The verdict could embolden other investigations.

Report: Memos Unmask Pakistan's Approval Of Drone Strikes (NPR)

The Washington Post says CIA documents and diplomatic memos expose one of the worst-kept secrets of recent years: That while they condemn them in public, Pakistani leaders privately endorse U.S. strikes aimed at terrorists in their country

Warrantless surveillance evidence faces court test in 'terrorist' case (The Guardian)

 The Justice Department has said for the first time that it intends to use information gained from one of the government's warrantless surveillance programmes against an accused terrorist, setting the stage for a probable supreme court test of the Obama administration's approach to national security. / The court has so far turned aside challenges to the law on government surveillance, saying people who bring such lawsuits have no evidence they are being targeted.

WORLD

German paper says Obama aware of spying on Merkel since 2010 (Reuters)

 A German newspaper said on Sunday that U.S. President Barack Obama knew his intelligence service was eavesdropping on Angela Merkel as long ago as 2010, contradicting reports that he had told the German leader he did not know.

U.S. Spying Update: Europe Fumes And Protesters Rally In D.C. (NPR) -- In Washington, the ACLU and other rights groups are holding a rally Saturday called Stop Watching Us — video of which is being live-streamed. In the rally that coincides with the 16th anniversary of the signing of the Patriot Act, protesters are gathering to deliver a petition to Congress that organizers say was signed by more than 580,000 people, calling for transparency and accountability in U.S. surveillance.

NSA monitored calls of 35 world leaders after US official handed over contacts (The Guardian)

 The National Security Agency monitored the phone conversations of 35 world leaders after being given the numbers by an official in another US government department, according to a classified document provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Germany, France demand 'no-spy' agreement with U.S.  (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel demanded on Thursday that the United States strike a "no-spying" agreement with Berlin and Paris by the end of the year, saying alleged espionage against two of Washington's closest EU allies had to be stopped.

US spying in Europe: Will it backfire on Google and Facebook? (CS Monitor)

 A public backlash against reported US surveillance activities in France, Germany, and Italy could lead to tough new laws that put American technology companies in the tough spot of being forced to defy either US authorities or the European Union