The number of court-approved warrants allowing the US government to run secret surveillance in the US rose 18% last year, the Justice Department says. Some 2,072 applications were made to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, a report to House leaders said. The FBI issued about 9,200 “national security letters” seeking information about 3,500 US citizens or legal residents in 2005, the report added. The figures give the latest measure of expanding US anti-terrorism activities. Full Story