International-Relations

Germany Opens Criminal Investigation Into NSA Tapping of Merkel's Phone

| Importance: 7/10

Germany’s chief federal prosecutor Harald Range opened a formal criminal investigation into allegations that the U.S. National Security Agency tapped Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cellphone, marking the first time a major U.S. ally launched criminal proceedings against American intelligence …

Angela Merkel Harald Range NSA Edward Snowden Barack Obama nsa-surveillance international-relations germany diplomatic-consequences
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NSA Monitored Angela Merkel's Phone and 35 Other World Leaders

| Importance: 9/10

The Guardian newspaper reported, citing documents obtained from Edward Snowden, that the National Security Agency monitored the phone conversations of 35 world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The leaked NSA memo, dated October 2006, revealed that senior U.S. government officials …

NSA Angela Merkel Barack Obama Edward Snowden nsa-surveillance edward-snowden international-relations diplomatic-crisis foreign-surveillance
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Brazil's President Cancels US State Visit Over NSA Spying on Dilma Rousseff

| Importance: 8/10

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff canceled a scheduled state visit to Washington in response to revelations that the NSA had intercepted her personal phone calls, text messages, and emails, as well as conducting extensive surveillance of Brazil’s state-owned oil company Petrobras. The …

Dilma Rousseff Barack Obama NSA Edward Snowden Glenn Greenwald +1 more nsa-surveillance diplomatic-consequences international-relations brazil petrobras
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Russia Grants Snowden Temporary Asylum After 39 Days in Moscow Airport

| Importance: 9/10

After spending 39 days confined to the transit zone of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport, Edward Snowden was granted temporary asylum in Russia for one year on August 1, 2013. Russian authorities had restricted Snowden to the airport terminal after observing that U.S. authorities had …

Edward Snowden Russia Vladimir Putin Anatoly Kucherena Sarah Harrison edward-snowden asylum russia international-relations diplomatic-crisis
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Snowden Flees Hong Kong for Moscow Seeking Asylum Amid U.S. Diplomatic Pressure

| Importance: 9/10

Edward Snowden boarded an Aeroflot commercial flight from Hong Kong to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on June 23, 2013, accompanied by Sarah Harrison of WikiLeaks, just days after the U.S. filed espionage charges and requested his extradition. The Hong Kong government allowed Snowden to leave …

Edward Snowden WikiLeaks Sarah Harrison Hong Kong government State Department edward-snowden asylum international-relations hong-kong russia +1 more
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