President Trump abandoned the Iran nuclear deal last year in an act of "diplomatic vandalism" to spite Barack Obama, according to a new leaked diplomatic cable purportedly written by British ambassador Kim Darroch in 2018.

Darroch also reportedly told a U.S. official that Christopher Steele, the author of the discredited anti-Trump dossier that the FBI used to justify secretly monitoring members of the Trump team, was "absolutely legit." Steele, in producing the dossier and several of its false or unsubstantiated claims, was funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee.

The leaked diplomatic documents were published by the The Mail on Sunday, days after the paper published several anti-Trump messages Darroch sent to Downing Street from 2017 to present.

As the "tanker wars" continue Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned his British counterpart Jeremy Hunt in a telephone call on Saturday that Iran plans to continue its oil exports "under any conditions".

Zarif also repeated Iranian demands for the UK to release the Grace 1 oil tanker, seized over a week ago after it was boarded by Royal Marines off Gibraltar. It had been carrying 2 million barrels of Iranian oil and was alleged to have been bound for Syria, in violation of EU sanctions; however, Tehran has accused the UK of fundamentally doing the United States' bidding.

In a public statement posted to Twitter, Hunt informed Zarif that the UK would release the tanker if it received guarantees it would not go to Syria.

The British government appears to be more and more aping a Monty Python-type farce with each passing day. Soon the absurd ensemble will be complete if either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt becomes the next prime minister.

This week the mandarins at the Ministry of Funny Walks ruled that two internationally respected Russian news media channels were banned from attending a global conference on “press freedom”.

RT and another Russia-based news outlet Sputnik were refused permission by the British government to participate in the Global Conference for Media Freedom, held in London.

The UK government can appeal a High Court ruling that its decision to license the sales of arms to Saudi Arabia was unlawful, the Court of Appeal decided on Friday.

The court, however, upheld a ban on future arms sales to the kingdom made as part of the landmark decision last month in the court battle over the legality of Riyadh's war in Yemen.

As a result of the ban, 57 applications for export licenses to sell arms to Saudi Arabia will not be allowed to proceed as the government reviews its practices, according to the Department for International Trade.

Lawyers for the London-based Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) had argued that the sales are in breach of international humanitarian law because of the disproportionate harm the weapons cause to civilians.

Like a person going up in an escalator while asserting they are going down, the British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has a bizarre way of trying to assure Iran that war is not on the cards.

Hunt, who is vying to become Britain’s new prime minister, stated on camera that “he wants to de-escalate” the danger of a military confrontation with Iran over mounting tensions in the Persian Gulf.

That was only days after he vowed to dramatically increase Britain’s military spending and in particular, boost the country’s naval firepower – citing Iran as the main threat to British commercial shipping interests.

After a leak revealed that the British Ambassador to the USA had called Trump "inept, insecure and incompetent" (leading to the ambassador’s resignation and a round of Twitter insults between Trump and senior Tory officials), London’s Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu publicly warned journalists not to publish government leaks, threatening to imprison them if they do: "The publication of leaked communications, knowing the damage they have caused or are likely to cause may also be a criminal matter.

I would advise all owners, editors and publishers of social and mainstream media not to publish leaked government documents that may already be in their possession, or which may be offered to them, and to turn them over to the police or give them back to their rightful owner, Her Majesty’s Government."

SOURCE: KURT NIMMO
On Thursday evening, social media posts claimed the UK flagged and Japanese owned crude oil tanker Atlantic Pioneer had crossed over into Iranian territorial waters. According to the Marine Traffic website, on Friday morning the tanker was in the Gulf of Oman.

BREAKING: #UK flagged ship, #AtlanticPioneer, has officially entered recognized #Iran|ian waters. Time to see what Iran does, if anything. pic.twitter.com/gn05YCtUAe

— Evan McLean (@TheEvanMcLean) July 12, 2019

I don’t know if these social media reports are accurate, but considering the recent behavior of the US and Britain, I cannot discount it. The US, with the help of the UK, is attempting to goad the Iranians into taking action and thus providing a pretext to get the next neocon war going.

It is difficult to describe as anything other than a hatchet job the BBC Panorama special this week that sought to bolster claims that the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn has become “institutionally antisemitic”.

The partisan tone was set from the opening shot. A young woman whose name was not revealed tearfully claimed to have been abused with antisemitic taunts at a Labour Party conference.

The decision not to disclose their interviewee’s identity is understandable in the circumstances. It would have discredited the whole narrative Panorama was trying so hard to build.

The woman’s name is Ella Rose, a senior official in the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM), an organisation representing Jewish and non-Jewish members of Labour at the forefront of attacks on Corbyn. Rose has a secret past too: she once worked at the Israeli embassy in London.

Over the past two days, British oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf have reportedly been spotted under escort by Royal Navy vessels. Although the reason for this has not been officially explained, the situation comes amid threats by Tehran to seize British ships in response to the arrest of its tanker in Gibraltar.

The UK Department for Transport has issued a recommendation to British commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz to exercise caution and put their security in a heightened state in case they are approached by "aggressive" Iranian patrol boats, Sky News reported, citing anonymous sources.

The British Foreign Office has banned Russian outlets RT and Sputnik from attending the upcoming Global Conference on Media Freedom in London, citing their predilection for “disinformation”.

“We have not accredited RT or Sputnik because of their active role in spreading disinformation,” said a Foreign Office spokeswoman.

“It takes a particular brand of hypocrisy to advocate for freedom of press while banning inconvenient voices and slandering alternative media; sadly, the world has learned to expect just that from the UK Foreign Office,” RT said in a statement in response.

The Electronic Intifada is publishing the first photos of the police spy who infiltrated a Palestine solidarity group in the UK 15 years ago.

As we reported in December, the spy was an officer with the “anti-terrorist” Special Demonstration Squad.

During his time undercover in the London chapter of the International Solidarity Movement between 2004-2007, he gave his name as “Rob Harrison.”

His real name is not yet known, but the cover name was released in December by an independent official inquiry into undercover policing.

An intruder broke into the Royal Family HQ in central London at 2am while the Queen slept just metres away.

The man was able to gain access to the grounds of Buckingham Palace where he allegedly tried to “bang down the doors”.

It wasn’t until four minutes later that he was apprehended by police, reports The Sun.

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman confirmed to Daily Star Online that the man was arrested on suspicion of trespass.

She said: “The 22-year-old man was arrested at approximately 02:00hrs on Wednesday, 10 July by officers from the Met's Royalty and Specialist Protection Command after he climbed over the front gates at Buckingham Palace.

“The man was not found in possession of any offensive weapons and the incident is not being treated as terrorist-related.

“He remains in custody at a central London police station.”

Boris Johnson – the man likely to be Britain’s next prime minister – is widely seen as an elitist buffoon.

By searching a little, it is nonetheless possible to find at least one incisive comment that Johnson has made.

He has described the 1917 Balfour Declaration as “bizarre,” “tragicomically incoherent” and “an exquisite masterpiece of Foreign Office fudgerama.”

Johnson appeared to understand the absurdity of how Arthur James Balfour, Britain’s foreign secretary during the First World War, supported establishing a “Jewish national home” in Palestine, while pretending that the step would not harm the indigenous Palestinians.

Amid an awkward diplomatic row between the UK and US following leaked cables sent from Britain's ambassador to the United States back to London which described President Trump as "inept," "insecure" and "incompetent," the United Kingdom joined France Tuesday in being among the only US allies to heed the administration's call to bolster forces in Syria.

Notably Germany has rebuffed the US request to deploy additional troops as part of the "anti-ISIS coalition" primarily in Syria's north and east after US special envoy James Jeffrey told Die Welt’s Sunday edition that,"We want ground forces from Germany to partially replace our soldiers." This as the Pentagon plans a draw down in line with Trump's longtime promise to the American public of a "full" and "complete" withdrawal which has been long delayed since last year over concerns that either pro-Assad and Iranian forces or Turkey could fill the vacuum.

Washington will cut its ties with British ambassador Kim Darroch, President Donald Trump has announced. According to leaked cables, Darroch called the Trump administration “dysfunctional,” “inept,” and “incompetent.”

There is a clear and undeniable link between the entrenched and calcifying class stratification in British society and the inept chaos in which we currently find ourselves. The gene puddle from which the elite siphons its ranks has become shallow and fetid. Those who make the laws in government, oversee the civil service that will implement them, adjudicate on them in court or assess them in newspapers, are drawn from such a narrow social layer that they might as well be the same person. Even when they do not form a majority, their critical mass is such that they set the tone, define the culture and shape the parameters for what is institutionally permissible.

A top court in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar has ruled that an Iranian supertanker illegally seized in the Strait of Gibraltar can be detained for up to 14 more days.

“The Supreme Court has issued today’s order on the basis that there are reasonable grounds to consider that the detention of the Grace 1 is required for the purposes of compliance with the European Union (EU) Regulation 36/2012 on sanctions on Syria,” Gibraltar’s government said in a statement on Friday.

Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said on Thursday that the territory’s police and customs agencies, aided by a detachment of British Royal Marines, had seized the Iranian “Grace 1” vessel on suspicion of carrying crude oil to Syria, which has been under EU sanctions since 2011.

Earlier in the day, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran will in 60 days announce further nuclear obligations it will discontinue as the third step of scaling down its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Germany is extremely concerned about Iran breaching the limit set for uranium enrichment and urges it to reverse this decision, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.

“Germany – like our E3 [UK, France, Germany] and EU partners – is extremely concerned by Iran’s announcement that it has begun enriching uranium beyond the concentration of 3.67%,” it said in a statement.

Germany will wait for the confirmation from the IAEA nuclear watchdog.

“As E3 and EU we have repeatedly called on Iran not to take further measures that further undermine the nuclear deal. We strongly urge Iran to stop and reverse all steps that are inconsistent with Iran’s commitments,” it continued.

On March 4, 2018, former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were ‘poisoned by a nerve agent’ in Salisbury, UK. Many details do not match up and what happened in reality remains a mystery (though we all know the villain, thanks).

It was on March 4, 2018 that the Skripals were admitted to a hospital in Salisbury. Within days, British Prime Minister Theresa May would claim they had been poisoned by a nerve agent called “novichok” and that it was “highly likely” the Russian government was behind the hit.

A war of words, sanctions and diplomatic expulsions followed, with relations between London and Moscow at their worst since the Cold War, and maybe worse than that. There has been no shortage of often fanciful theories emanating from UK officialdom and NATO-backed “open-source detectives” such as Bellingcat, but none have taken the world closer to knowing what actually happened.

The grandson of iconic South African leader Nelson Mandela has condemned attempts by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) to shut down London’s Palestine Expo event, at which he is slated to speak this weekend.

A statement issued today by Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela and the Royal House of Mandela read: “We wish to express our outrage and disgust at the intimidation tactics of the U.K. Lawyers for Israel. We say to them and all who seek to deny our basic human rights such as freedom of expression – hands off BDS, hands off Palestine Expo.”

The statement came after it was revealed that UKLFI – a pro-Israel legal group – has made several attempts to cancel Palestine Expo, which will take place at the Olympia London this weekend. UKLFI claimed that the organisers of the Palestine Expo – UK-based NGO Friends of Al-Aqsa – are “major promoters” of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

White House national security adviser John Bolton on Thursday welcomed Britain’s seizure of an oil tanker loaded with Iranian oil bound for Syria, saying the United States and its allies will continue to prevent Syrian and Iranian governments “from profiting off this illicit trade.”

British Royal Marines seized a giant Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar on Thursday for trying to take oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions, a dramatic step that drew Tehran’s fury and could escalate its confrontation with the West.

Following the exposure of Belgium's mishandling of Muammar Gaddafi's frozen funds, it turns out that the British government has been collecting taxes on the former head of state's blocked UK assets. British and US lawmakers have discussed the legality of London's move and shared prognoses on whether the money will ever be returned to the Libyans.

Neither the late Muammar Gaddafi nor the citizens of Libya have access to the whopping £12 billion in assets the former head of state had in the UK, but Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs has collected around £17 million in taxes on the assets since 2016, according to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee's latest report.

The disclosure has prompted some British lawmakers to demand that London use the money earned in interest on the frozen accounts to compensate the victims of the Irish Republican Army (IRA); the organisation was supplied with weapons and explosives by the Gaddafi government in the 1980s.

The decision not to roll over the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) if Britain crashes out of the European Union without a deal on October 31 could have a huge impact on businesses selling goods to the Canadian market. Britain has insisted Canada roll over CETA, even in the event of a no deal Brexit, but the North American country is awaiting the outcome of any further talks between London and Brussels before making a final decision, a source at the Department for International Trade told BuzzFeed News. The same source told the news website British trade officials are “furious” at the embarrassing rejection, having spent the best part of a year trying to convince Canada to extend CETA.

Canada is a major trading partner of the UK, accounting for 1.6 percent of the country’s exports.

Tory leadership favourite Boris Johnson has said Britain must leave the European Union on the new October 31st Brexit deadline to prove Russia’s Vladimir Putin wrong about liberalism.

Speaking at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, the Russian leader had told the press that “The liberal idea has started eating itself,” and that the “those who propagate those ideas are separate from [the people]” who live under them.

He argued that the recent migrant influx encouraged by Germany’s Angela Merkel and other European liberals, in particular, amounted to an infringement of their citizens’ rights, saying: “People [want to] live in their own country, according to their own traditions, why should [this] happen to them?”

He also took potshots at the British government over the way it is replacing Theresa May as prime minister, sniping that the Russian system “is different from what you have in Great Britain. We are a democratic country.”

The frontrunner in the race to become the next leader of the Conservative Party and UK prime minister wrote an extensive piece for a British newspaper on Sunday to comment on a recent interview by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said that liberal ideas were no longer supported by a majority of people in Western nations.

Brexit – Will It Become A Reality? Theresa May, now that she’s left office, is declaring her regrets for not having followed through on the Brexit referendum – too bad Theresa, that’s what you get when you’re a throwaway stooge for the establishment that bought and paid for you to begin with because you had no integrity.

There is “absolutely no evidence” that outside forces such as Russia used Facebook to target users and influence Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, the world’s biggest social network said on Monday.

Nick Clegg, head of global affairs at Facebook and Britain’s former deputy prime minister, said the network had run two full analyses of its data held in the run up to the 2016 referendum and found no evidence of a significant attempt by outside forces to influence the outcome.

Opponents of Brexit have repeatedly questioned whether the Kremlin played a role in the vote by promoting stories online on issues such as immigration in a bid to sway opinion. Britain has said it found no evidence that Russia interfered in the vote and Moscow has repeatedly denied even trying.

BORIS Johnson has been warned he could last just 24 hours as Prime Minister before MPs oust him. Senior Tories are said to have told the leadership hopeful’s team it is highly likely a vote of no confidence being plotted by Jeremy Corbyn would succeed.

The British government licensed arms deals worth over £14m ($17.8m) to Israel last year even as Israeli soldiers were accused of intentionally firing on Palestinian protesters at the Gaza border in what the UN says may be potential war crimes.

Weapons approved for sale included ammunition, components for assault rifles, and other types of arms which could be used for repression, according to newly released details from the Department of International Trade (DIT), compiled by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT).

Minutes of Ministry of Defence (MoD) meetings have confirmed the role of Britain’s Guardian newspaper as a mouthpiece for the intelligence agencies.

Last week, independent journalist Matt Kennard revealed that the paper’s deputy editor, Paul Johnson, was personally thanked by the Defence and Security Media Advisory Notice (or D-Notice) committee for integrating the Guardian into the operations of the security services.

Minutes of a meeting in 2018 read: “The Chairman thanked Paul Johnson for his service to the Committee. Paul had joined the Committee in the wake of the Snowden affair and had been instrumental in re-establishing links with the Guardian.”

D-Notices are used by the British state to veto the publication of news damaging to its interests. The slavish collusion of the mainstream media ensures that such notices function as gag orders.

SOURCE: NEW EASTERN OUTLOOK

Another pivotal battle is being fought over Hong Kong between Beijing and political forces backed by the special administrative region’s former British colonial masters.

At the heart of the battle is a proposed law that will allow suspects to be extradited to mainland China, Taiwan or Macau.

The BBC in its article, “Hong Kong lawmakers fight over extradition law,” would claim:

Critics believe the proposed switch to the extradition law would erode Hong Kong’s freedoms.

By “critics,” the BBC is referring to US and British-backed opposition, with the article specifically linking recent protests against the proposed law to the US-funded “Umbrella Movement” demonstrations in 2014.

The slow, incremental erosion of Western influence in Hong Kong and elsewhere across Asia-Pacific appears to be ending what has been centuries of European and then American primacy over the region.

BRITAIN will consider joining its “strongest ally” the United States in attacking Iran, Jeremy Hunt said.

The Foreign Secretary, who is battling to be the UK’s next Prime Minister, said the country would consider requests for military support “on a case-by-case basis.”

With old trade wars reigniting and new ones being invented, telecommunications is faced with an existential crisis. To survive, it must establish a global standard for a globe that no longer seems to want one.

Former British foreign secretary and now one of two candidates for the post of UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, previously dismissed claims of being linked "with" Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon, although acknowledged knowing him in person.

Former chief strategist for the US president, Steve Bannon revealed in a video, obtained by The Observer that he helped former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to prepare his speech in the House of Commons following the latter’s resignation from the British government over Brexit disagreements. In that speech, Johnson specifically ripped Prime Minister Theresa May's plans for withdrawing the UK from the European Union.

** JOIN THE PROTEST - Weds 26 June, 17:00 - Outside Downing Street

The first time I ever spoke to Boris Johnson, almost certainly Britain's next prime minister, was when my phone rang in London's Soho back in 2002 and a now familiar voice boomed “I want to interview Saddam Hussein.”

At the time I was the only British politician still traveling to sanctions-stricken Iraq and the only one who met regularly with the Iraqi leadership in the run-up to the war. As a sweetener, Boris, for it was he, threw in that he didn't “believe all that stuff” about weapons of mass destruction. Not that such disbelief was ever enunciated publicly of course. I passed on his request but the Iraqis, never having heard of him, turned down the request.

His call and its follow-up pressure taught me several things about the future foreign secretary and soon-to-be prime minister.

Following Theresa May’s announcement in May that she would resign as Prime Minister, 10 leadership contenders launched bids to replace her. On 22 July, the new leader of the Conservative Party will be chosen from remaining candidates through a postal ballot of the 160,000 party members.

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt have secured their places as the final contenders for Tory Leadership, making it through the MP votes and onto the members' ballot.

In the final vote for MPs, Boris Johnson remained the frontrunner after securing 162 votes, with Jeremy Hunt in second place with 77 votes, and Michael Gove failing to scrape into the final round with just 75 votes.

We are a group of Lib Dem members who, in an era of spin and alternative facts, feel passionately about the need to tell the truth. Failing to do this can have disastrous consequences, as we saw with the dodgy dossier on Iraq, and with Brexit.

We are heartened by the Party’s recent showing in the European elections, yet deeply troubled by the leadership’s public statements giving credence to, and lending our voice to, accusations that the Labour Party is a den of antisemitism. It has continued making these statements even after receiving messages seriously questioning their accuracy.

Two infamous anti-Palestinian activists in London pleaded guilty to charges of harassment and threatening behavior on Wednesday.

Jonathan Hoffman, a former leader in the Zionist Federation, and Damon Lenszner changed their earlier not-guilty pleas in exchange for government prosecutors dropping related assault charges.

The incident took place in October last year when the pair attacked Palestine solidarity protesters calling for the boycott of a Puma store in Carnaby Street, central London.

Hendon Magistrates’ Court, in Northwest London, imposed a fine and costs totaling $350 on Hoffman, and about $300 costs and charges on Lenszner, whose lawyer said he was unemployed.

Britain does not merely supply the bombs that fall on Yemen – it provides the personnel and expertise that keep the war going. But is the government breaking the law?

UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid announced Monday that the government is planning to resettle "thousands" more refugees non-stop from the Middle East, Africa and beyond "starting from next year, and for years to come."

Every time you think the corporatocracy’s manufactured anti-Semitism hysteria cannot possibly get more absurd, they somehow manage to outdo themselves. OK, stay with me now, because this is a weird one.

Apparently, American Hitler and his cronies are conspiring with some secret group of “Jewish leaders” to stop British Hitler from becoming prime minister and wiping out all the Jews in Great Britain. Weird, right? But that’s not the weird part, because maybe American Hitler wants to wipe out all the Jews in Great Britain himself, rather than leaving it to British Hitler … Hitlers being notoriously jealous regarding their genocidal accomplishments.

Washington Post obtains recording of secretary of state telling NY Jewish leaders that if Labour did win British elections under Corbyn, White House 'won’t wait for him to do those things... It’s too risky'

Outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed to stop the UK leaving the EU without a deal by aligning with Remainers in the Tory Party including Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Amber Rudd and Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond.

The Labour leader proved to be the voice of caution when the British political class have rushed towards war in the past

In leaked comments from a recent meeting with Jewish leaders, the US secretary of state cites the need to ‘push back’ against a potential Corbyn victory

The freezing of Venezuelan gold by the Bank of England is a signal to all countries out of step with US interests to withdraw their money, according to economist and co-founder of Democracy at Work, Professor Richard Wolff.
He told RT America that Britain and its central bank have shown themselves to be “under the thumb of the United States.”

“That is a signal to every country that has or may have difficulties with the US, [that they had] better get their money out of England and out of London because it’s not the safe place as it once was,” he said.

As the pressure increases after Norwegian and Japanese oil tankers were attacked last week, Britain has joined the US, Saudi Arabia and others in accusing Iran of carrying out the attacks.

As Thomas glances up to give her his pink voucher, a tattoo becomes visible on his neck: Stacy, his girlfriend's name. She and their children -- Cleo, 10, and Kaydn, 8 -- are also here. They're the ones Thomas is most worried about.

He says, "The Job Center sanctioned us and cut our payments, even though we had two job interviews." The woman in the green apron shakes her head. "That's a nightmare," she says, adding, "I start ranting when I hear this. Don't get me there."

Thomas nods and says that it makes his blood boil when he thinks about it. Many others are in a similar predicament: Millions of Britons struggle to make ends meet and hunger has become rampant in the country. Over 14 million people -- including workers, the unemployed and children -- live below the poverty line, and more than half of them are food insecure. For them, it's a daily struggle to put food on the table. More than 4 million children are affected.

he SAS and other UK Special Forces (UKSF) are poised to receive a new mission countering Russian and other forces around the world.

The plan is called 'Special Operations Concept' and has been drawn up by the senior officer in charge of the special forces, the Director Special Forces (DSF).

According to people familiar with what's in it, part of the concept involves changing both the structure of the military's secretive units and what they do.

The plan is currently being considered by military chiefs, Whitehall insiders tell me, and will soon be sent to ministers and is likely to be approved.

Britain's Home Secretary has revealed he has signed a request for the extradition of WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange to the US, where he is accused of violating the Espionage Act.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today program, Sajid Javid said that he signed and certified the papers on Wednesday, with the order going before the UK courts on Friday.

He’s rightly behind bars. There’s an extradition request from the US that is before the courts tomorrow but yesterday I signed the extradition order and certified it and that will be going in front of the courts tomorrow.

How will wealthy Brexiteers profit from Brexit? The surprising truth about the world's most secretive tax network for the wealthy.

SOURCE: RT
UK domestic counter-intelligence service MI5 has been accused in High Court of violating data collection and storage privileges by storing private citizens’ information in bulk without proper protections.
MI5 has no control of its storage of vast volumes of people’s calls, messages, web browsing history, as well as other personal data that the agency has managed to obtain on the basis of surveillance warrants, which were often issued under false pretext, the High Court heard on Tuesday in a legal challenge brought by the human rights organization Liberty.