Police investigate rioters‘ text messages
THE chain of text messages that led to the riot in Sydney’s central business district on Saturday leaving 23 people injured, including six police officers, was being traced by detectives last night. More arrests were expected in addition to those of the six men already charged, after about 400 protesters tried to storm the US […]
Cyber security strengthened at EU institutions following successful pilot scheme
The EU institutions have reinforced their fight against cyber threats by establishing the EU’s Computer Emergency Response Team, or CERT-EU, on a permanent basis. This decision follows a successful one-year pilot for the team, which drew positive assessments from clients and peers. Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič said: „The EU institutions, like any other major organisations, are […]
Italy renegotiates migrant arrangement with Libya
The Italian government is renegotiating its arrangement on immigration with the new Libyan government, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Giulio Terzi. Speaking at a press conference in Malta yesterday Mr Terzi said Italy had started fresh negotiations with the transitional government after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi last year. In 2009 the Italian government, then […]
EU components used in Belarus spy drones, NGO says
By Nikolaj Nielsen A German-based firm has said that some of its engines may have been used for Belarus spy drones despite EU sanctions. The company, 3W Modellmotoren in Rodermark in southwest Germany, which makes stroke engines for small airplanes, told EUobserver on Monday (10 September) that dealers might have sold some of its technology […]
Indian riot cops drive nuclear protesters into the sea
Indian riot police fired tear gas to break up thousands of protesters on a beach near the country’s largest nuclear power project, due to fire up within weeks despite months of opposition. Demonstrators waded into the crashing waves or escaped in fishing boats as hundreds of police advanced, television images showed. Rocks were thrown at […]
Rio police begins to use drones to control drugs and crime in the city’s shanty towns
A battalion of Special Forces (BOPE) from the Brazilian city of Rio do Janeiro started using unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones to air monitor the drugs trade and gangs in shanty towns surrounding the “marvellous city”. The VANTS (Portuguese for UAV) manufactured by the Brazilian Military Engineering Institute with Israeli technology are being flown currently […]
Serbia Not Considered to be A Safe Third Country Of Asylum
79. UNHCR has worked closely and intensively with the Serbian asylum authorities both before and after Serbia assumed responsibility for the conduct of the asylum procedure in April 2008. Despite some incremental improvements notably with regard to reception standards, Serbia’s asylum system has been unable to cope with the recent increases in the numbers of […]
[USA] Chiefs: Police UAVs aren’t Predator drones
Guideline document includes recommendations on ways to employ aircraft for law enforcement purposes By Kevin Johnson The nation’s largest consortium of police officials calls for the limited use of unmanned drones in local law enforcement operations and urges that the controversial aircraft — popular weapons on international battlefields — not be armed. The first national […]
Minority Report: Fiction Has Become Reality
by John W. Whitehead “The Internet is watching us now. If they want to. They can see what sites you visit. In the future, television will be watching us, and customizing itself to what it knows about us. The thrilling thing is, that will make us feel we’re part of the medium. The scary thing […]
‘Anti-Maltese’ Frontex rules are declared null
by Ivan Camilleri Malta yesterday welcomed a decision by the EU court to nullify Frontex rules that were considered to act against its interests in its fight to control irregular immigration. The rules, enacted by the European Council (member states) in 2010 against Malta’s wishes, were declared “null and void” by the ECJ after the […]
A revival of the old routes in the Aegean?
New border crossings into Greece Recently the greek news are talking of a revival of the old routes into Greece through the Aegean islands. Since two years Evros has been the main entrance for sans-papiers into Greece with steadily increasing numbers of arrivals. Since the beginning of the governments massive pogrom against sans-papiers in Athens […]
Tragedy in Aegean Sea on 6 Sept 2012
It is with great sadness that we, the Association for Solidarity with Refugees (Mülteci-Der), took note of the boat accident that happened this morning near Baradan Bay, Menderes, in Izmir, which led nearly 60 deaths. About the causes leading to this tragic event, we would like to express the following: Until 2010, the media frequently […]
Tanzanian TV journo covering police-opposition clash killed
A top Tanzanian editor named police on Tuesday accountable for the death of a television journalist. Daudi Mwangosi died on Sunday during clashes between anti-riot police and supporters of the opposition CHADEMA party. A police commissioner denied police responsibility, but said he had ordered a joint military-police inquiry into the killing. Photos of the victim […]
Bulgaria to Launch Integrated Surveillance System at Turkish Border
Bulgaria will launch an integrated control and surveillance system on its Turkish border on Tuesday. The system will be officially launched by Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov in the border town of Svilengrad, the Ministry has said in a press release. In accordance with the Schengen Facility National Indicative Program 2007-2009 a contract was concluded […]
Tanzania: Police Fire Live Bullets At Civilians
By Mugini Jacob ANTI-RIOT police have shot dead two civilians at the North Mara Gold Mine which is operated by African Barrick Gold (ABG) in the Northern Tarime District. Mara Regional Police Commander for Tarime Special Police Zone, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Justus Kamugisha confirmed the latest killings at the mine. Anti-riot police were […]
MUSIS: Can Europe Share Space Surveillance, Seamlessly?
Latest updates: Italians buy their own optical satellite; MUSIS B1 is done; MUSIS-FA Systems & Satellite details. Europe has a number of military satellite programs underway at the moment, but cooperation has been mostly haphazard and bilateral. Hence the ideal of MUSIS, a Multinational Space-Based Imagery System that would bring future sets of optical and […]
US: Police groups urge limit on drones
Public unease on privacy issues spurs call for usage restrictions Faced with a skeptical public uneasy about the potential impact of drones on personal privacy, three leading law enforcement groups on Friday endorsed industry-backed guidelines limiting the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). It’s the latest move in the drone sector’s ongoing fight against the […]
Borderline Europe criticizes EU border controls
Aid organization Borderline Europe has been honored with the 2012 Aachen Peace Prize for its criticism of what it calls the EU’s harsh border control policies that leave the union with blood on its hands. Refugees coming to Europe seem to top the headlines only when major tragedies strike – but the drama persists even […]
Software Meant to Fight Crime Is Used to Spy on Dissidents
Morgan Marquis-Boire works as a Google engineer and Bill Marczak is earning a Ph.D. in computer science. But this summer, the two men have been moonlighting as detectives, chasing an elusive surveillance tool from Bahrain across five continents. What they found was the widespread use of sophisticated, off-the-shelf computer espionage software by governments with questionable […]
In Italy, an ambiguous justice
This article “En Italie, une justice ambiguë”, was first published (in French) in “Mediapart” on 20 July 2012, http://blogs.mediapart.fr/edition/les-invites-de-mediapart/article/180712/en-italie-une-justice-ambigue by Salvatore Palidda (Genoa University) Translation by Statewatch. Everyone recalls the violence, abuses of power and torture by numerous police officers against demonstrators during the Genoa G8, as well as the violence by the self-styled “black […]