Web videos of Oakland shooting fuel emotions, protests
More than 100 people were arrested in downtown Oakland on Wednesday night when a protest turned violent, fueled at least in part by videos that quickly spread online of a subway policeman fatally shooting an unarmed man while he was lying on the ground restrained by another officer.
NYPD Wants to Jam Cell Phones During Terror Attack
[blog.wired.com] The New York Police Department wants to be able to shut down cell phones, in case of a terrorist attack. During last month’s massacre in Mumbai, terrorist handlers over micromanaged via mobile phone the assaults on the hotels, train stations, and Jewish center that killed more than 170 people. In testimony today before the […]
USA: Air Force to Kick-Start Troubled Satellite Contest
[blog.wired.com] Last year, the Air Force Transformational Satellite (TSAT) program — which is supposed to provide secure, high-bandwidth satellite communications for the future military — ran into serious trouble. The Pentagon postponed a contract award, and it seemed likely the new satellite constellation would not be in orbit until 2020. If the program ever got […]
USA: New video shows BART officer shooting Hayward man in the back
[mercurynews.com] A BART police officer struggling to handcuff a 22-year-old man, stood up over the facedown Hayward resident and fired a single shot into his back while a handful of officers watched, a video taken by a train passenger apparently shows. The attorney for the family of Oscar Grant III, fatally shot by an unidentified […]
CIA tracking 4000 UK terror suspects
[theage.com.au] The CIA has begun an unprecedented intelligence-gathering operation in Britain to help MI5 monitor 4000 terrorist suspects. More than four out of 10 CIA operations to prevent attacks on US soil are now conducted against targets in Britain. This has led to friction between British and American spies, with some US intelligence officers irritated […]
US Army to Use iPhone and iPod Touch for Tactical Training
[palluxo.com] Imagine a warfighter in a remote area performing an unfamiliar mission with a short timeframe to educate himself on that mission. Now imagine the same warfighter receiving critical instructions, even training and experimentation, with the ease of his cell phone or iPod®. A new mobile, collaborative training system will enable this capability to become […]
USA: More Groups Than Thought Monitored in Police Spying
New Documents Reveal Md. Program’s Reach [washingtonpost.com] The Maryland State Police surveillance of advocacy groups was far more extensive than previously acknowledged, with records showing that troopers monitored — and labeled as terrorists — activists devoted to such wide-ranging causes as promoting human rights and establishing bike lanes. Intelligence officers created a voluminous file on […]
Guns ‚link several Greek attacks‘
Weapons used to shoot a police unit in Greece overnight are linked to two previous attacks, including one by an anti-US militant group, police say. [bbc.co.uk] A 21-year-old officer is in critical condition after being shot in the body and leg before dawn on Monday. The attack followed weeks of protests after police shot a […]
Poland: NATO summit in Cracow
[de.indymedia.org] The next NATO defence ministers meeting in Krakow is on 19-20 February 2009. One of the subjects will surely be missile defense. This is a subject which the defense ministers deal with, before it goes to the meeting of the government leaders (Strasbourg 4 April 2009). It will be the first NATO meeting after […]
CALL FOR A MOBILIZATION AGAINST THE LAW “PACCHETTO SICUREZZA”
On January 19th in the Italian Parliament the voting procedure to approve the law "Pacchetto sicurezza" (DdL 733) will begin. This law will result in migrants facing greater segregation and increased racism. [roma.indymedia.org] The new law will mean: – that migrants who go to hospital can be reported to the police if they do not […]
Police ‚encouraged‘ to hack more
The Home Office has signed up to an EU strategy against cybercrime that "encourages" police across Europe to remotely access personal computers. [news.bbc.co.uk] The plan has sparked fears that the government is looking to increase police powers to hack into people’s computers without a court warrant. UK police already do a "small number" of such […]
New law in Russia ends jury trials for ‚crimes against state‘
President Dmitry Medvedev signs the controversial measure with little publicity. A pending Putin-backed law widens the definition of treason. Government critics fear the stage is set for a crackdown. [latimes.com] Russian President Dmitry Medvedev paused in the last, quiet hours of a dying year to sign into law a controversial bill that eliminates jury trials […]
Flying Car Could Become Israel’s Robotic Ambulance
[blog.wired.com] A group of Israeli technology and defense firms are working on what could become the world’s first robotic aircraft for evacuating, and even treating, soldiers injured on the battlefield. Let’s just hope the technology is a little slicker than the concept art (right). Israel’s Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies is working […]
Europol: Operational projects 2007
[europol.europa.eu] In 2007, Europol dealt with a total of 16 operational projects (Analysis Work Files, AWFs). All projects focus on priority crime areas identified for 2007. They address specific operational targets to support live investigations in the member states or focus on issues brought forward in the framework of the Police Chiefs Task Force. In […]
Private firm may run UK spy über-database
Former top prosecutor slams planned ‚data hellhouse‘ [theregister.co.uk] A private sector firm may be given the job of maintaining a proposed super-database tracking the telephone and internet records of Brits. The option of turning over the task of running the planned communication database to a private firm, due to feature in a Home Office consultation […]
Special Report: The USA’s Transformational Communications Satellite System (TSAT)
[defenseindustrydaily.com] As video communications is integrated into robots, soldiers, and UAVs, and network-centric warfare becomes the organizing principle of American warfighting, front-line demands for bandwidth are rising faster than the US military can add it. The Transformation Communications Satellite (TSAT) System is part of a larger effort by the US military to address that need, […]
Netherlands to crack down on animal rights extremism
[xinhuanet.com] The Netherlands will set up a special police unit to address radical actions against individuals and companies by animal rights activists, the Home Affairs Ministry said. The special team, which also includes members from the public prosecution department and the Dutch intelligence service, will try to prevent dangerous intimidation practices by extreme animal rights […]
U.S. Military Preparing for Domestic Disturbances
[newsmax.com] A new report from the U.S. Army War College discusses the use of American troops to quell civil unrest brought about by a worsening economic crisis. The report from the War College’s Strategic Studies Institute warns that the U.S. military must prepare for a “violent, strategic dislocation inside the United States” that could be […]
SAIC Announces Acceptance of Greek Command, Control, Communications, Coordination, and Integration (C4I) System
[prnewswire.com] Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) (NYSE: SAI) announced today that the Greek Government formally accepted the Command, Control, Communications, Coordination, and Integration (C4I) system designed to address public safety and security needs of the Greek Police, Fire Brigade, Coast Guard and Ambulance Service.
IMF warns of economic riots
Ariz. police say they are prepared as War College warns military must prep for unrest [phoenix.bizjournals.com] A new report by the U.S. Army War College talks about the possibility of Pentagon resources and troops being used should the economic crisis lead to civil unrest, such as protests against businesses and government or runs on beleaguered […]