Free Republic

Vietnamese government agents apparently targeted several U.S. lawmakers and journalists with spyware using public posts on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, according to an investigation by Amnesty International and a consortium of media outlets. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Sens. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) were all tagged in posts earlier this year that featured malicious links to install Predator, a spyware similar to Pegasus, the investigation found. McCaul, who serves as the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was allegedly targeted in a reply to a tweet from Taiwan’s Ministry of...

BRUSSELS - Iran could improve its chances of playing a role on the sidelines of Syria peace talks this month by working with Damascus to stop the bombardment of civilians and improve humanitarian access, US officials said on Monday. "There are ... steps that Iran could take to show the international community that they are serious about playing a positive role," one of the officials said in Brussels. "Those include calling for an end to the bombardment by the Syrian regime of their own people. It includes calling for and encouraging humanitarian access." Another official made clear that the comment...

Al Jazeera uncovers evidence that influential Americans tried to help the now-deposed Libyan leader cling to power. Al Jazeera news producer Jamal Elshayyal recently gained access to the Tripoli headquarter of Libya's intelligence agency. Among the documents scattered throughout the demolished building were secret files indicating that influential Americans advised Muammar Gaddafi since the beginning of the Libyan uprising. Here is his account of the discovery: The destruction by NATO airstrikes of Libya's intelligence headquarters at the heart of Tripoli has transformed the once-feared building into a symbol of how Gaddafi's regime has been all but toppled. Guarding the compound...

Tehran, Feb 9, IRNA -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi here Sunday denied the news published in Washington Post on contact between Iran and US officials regarding Iraq. The daily recently claimed that Iranian and US officials met in Europe to discuss the crisis in Iraq. Responding to a question on Ariel Sharon's re-election as Zionist regime's prime minister, he said the signals received from the Zionist authorities are not promising and the new election proves that the Zionist regime still believes in pursuing an iron fist policy and seeks to violate Palestinian rights. "We should observe future developments but...

MOSCOW (AP) — Improving ties between Russia and the United States faced a test Tuesday, as two high-level American officials arrived in Moscow days after President Vladimir Putin's government announced plans to step up cooperation with Iran and build six nuclear reactors there. The visit by Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Undersecretary of State John Bolton were planned before Friday's approval by the Russian government of a 10-year plan to dramatically expand ties with Iran beyond its existing contract to complete a nuclear reactor at Bushehr. The $800 million deal has been a sticking point in Russian-American relations for years...

Bush administration officials who met recently with former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu asked why Israel is not getting rid of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, Netanyahu told Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in a meeting yesterday, according to a source close to him. While in the US, Netanyahu met with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Netanyahu updated Sharon on his recent mission to bolster support for Israel in the US. Last night, Netanyahu headed back to the US for more meetings, and will be appearing before AIPAC. He also told Sharon it...