The outgoing director of GCHQ has used his farewell speech to praise the UK surveillance agency’s practices. In the wake of Edward Snowden’s revelations, Sir Iain Lobban called the agency’s work a “mission of liberty, not erosion of it.” http://rt.com/uk/197924-gchq-director-defends-surveillance/
Hundreds of thousands of Muslims begin the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-02/muslim-pilgrims-in-mass-movement-as-hajj-begins/5787120
* Mass executions, abductions by IS deemed war crimes * UN rights chief denounces “staggering array” of abuses * Iraqi air strikes cause “significant civilian deaths” (adds detail, quotes, byline)… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/02/islamic-state-in-iraq-report_n_5918882.html