Panel recommends tests before US eavesdrops on foreign leaders

An outside panel appointed by the White House to review the eavesdropping National Security Agency's operations recommended on Wednesday new criteria that should be met before the United States engages in surveillance of foreign leaders.

Before spying on such leaders, US officials should determine if there are other ways to obtain the necessary information and weigh the negative effects if the surveillance becomes public, panel members wrote in one of 46 recommendations. (Reuters)