Robot prototypes battle for cash prize in Singapore
[news.cnet.com] It’s back. TechX Challenge, the Singapore death-bot battle, has spit out six finalists who are competing for the S$1 million prize and a chance to further this city state’s vision of an army on autopilot. The competition is sponsored by Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA). The stated objective is to develop an […]
EFF reveals vastly expanded search policy at US borders
Probable cause a thing of the past [theregister.co.uk] In a move that could affect millions of people around the world, the US government has quietly relaxed a two-decade-old policy that limited the reading and copying of papers and electronic data carried by travelers crossing into American borders, according to recently released documents. Under guidelines that […]
Israel Unleashes First ‚Skunk Bomb‘
[blog.wired.com] Possibly because of excitement over the Russia-Georgia conflict last month, little attention was given to a new development in chemical warfare – the first use by the Israeli police of a new, smelly weapon to disperse demonstrators: Israeli police say the new crowd-control method, which they call a "skunk bomb," was used for the […]
Security and Human Rights, Counter-terrorism and the United Nations
[libertysecurity.org] In this brief, Amnesty International considers the impact of terrorism on human rights, examines UN work on counter-terrorism, notably of the Security Council, and conducts a brief review of the type of human rights violations committed in the pursuit of counter-terrorism measures, citing a range of country examples from every region of the world.
French UAVs Protect Pope From Above
[botjunkie.com] These days, even the Pope needs a little more than just the standard amount of protection from the heavens. And he’s got it, in France anyway, courtesy of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company Eagle I MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) UAVs. The Eagle 1s were on station when the Pope visited Lourdes last […]
Denmark: Fighters+Lovers Convicted and Acquitted
[fightersandlovers.org] Today the entrepreneurs behind the clothing company Fighters+Lovers has been convicted for supporting terror. There crime was to sell fancy T-shirts as a solidarity project. The indicted hot dog vendor and show room manager was acquitted. "Apparently T-shirts has become terrorism. The sentence demonstrates that the terror-legislation doesn’t work" says a surprised Bobby Schultz, […]
Kopernikus: Observing our planet for a safer world
[europa.eu] Kopernikus is the new name of the European Commission’s earth observation activities previously known as GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) so far. The name Kopernikus was announced by Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen, today at a dedicated conference in Lille, organised in cooperation with the French presidency of the EU. The objective of […]
USA: Photo Ticket Cameras to Track Drivers Nationwide
Vendors plan to add spy technology to existing red light camera and speed camera installations. [thenewspaper.com] Private companies in the US are hoping to use red light cameras and speed cameras as the basis for a nationwide surveillance network similar to one that will be active next year in the UK. Redflex and American Traffic […]
Robo-Pigeon UAVs Transport Medical Supplies
[botjunkie.com] It’s always nice to see innovative uses of military hardware designed to -gasp- help people for a change. The South African National Health Laboratory Service has been testing prototype UAVs designed to transport (or even airdrop) testing materials and medical supplies to communities that are otherwise impossible or nearly impossible to get to.
Army And Academia Partner on Nanotechnology in New Center
[smalltimes.com] The U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the State University of New York at Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering have teamed to speed the development and commercialization of nanotechnology-enabled sensors and electronic devices. A memorandum of agreement signed by the two parties establishes the Center of National Nanotechnology Innovation and Commercialization, headquartered at […]
European Space Policy: Security and Defence
[eur-lex.europa.eu] Following the adoption of the Space Council Resolution in May 2007, this Report provides an overview on the main progress achieved in the first year of the implementation of the European Space Policy (ESP), as elaborated jointly by the European Commission and the Director General of the European Space Agency (COM(2007)212). The need to […]
New Statewatch Report
The Shape of Things to Come by Tony Bunyan [statewatch] The EU is currently developing a new five year strategy for justice and home affairs and security policy for 2009-2014. The proposals set out by the shadowy "Future Group" set up by the Council of the European Union include a range of highly controversial measures […]
US intelligence community launches its own social network
[heise-online.co.uk] A new web site, described as a "Facebook for spies" and sponsored by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence, has been created. The site is intended to provide a method of information sharing between all 16 US government intelligence agencies, according to a report from CNN. Called A-Space the system goes […]
Eight Members of RNC Activist Group Lodged with Terrorism Charges
[democracynow.org] Ramsey County prosecutors have formally charged eight members of a prominent activist group with conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism. The eight members of the RNC Welcoming Committee are believed to be the first persons ever charged under the 2002 Minnesota version of the federal PATRIOT Act. The activists face up to seven-and-a-half […]
Paris: Third European Security Research Conference
[src08.fr] The Third European Security Research Conference (SRC’08) will be held in Paris on 29 and 30 September 2008. Organised under the French Presidency of the European Union, this event will bring together more than 1,200 representatives from the worlds of research, industry and European institutions. SRC’08 is organized by the Ministry of Higher Education […]
Award-Winning Researchers Work to Predict Human Behavior and Emotions
[arizona.edu] Turning speculation into predictability is the objective of a human decision-making model University of Arizona researchers have developed – an effort that has earned international recognition for the team. Young-Jun Son, an associate professor in systems and industrial engineering at the UA, worked with one of his doctoral students, Seungho Lee, to create a […]
The European strategy group in the civil security research domain ESRIF
[esrif.eu] ESRIF stands for the "European Security Research and Innovation Forum". It is a European strategy group in the civil security research domain that was established in September 2007. Its main objective is to develop a mid and long term strategy for civil security research and innovation through public private dialogue by 2009. ESRIF was […]
Brit firm to demo serious flying robo-saucer in 2009
[theregister.co.uk] A small British company developing a unique form of hovering aircraft says it will soon demonstrate a new and much more serious version of its technology. GFS Projects of Peterborough was registered in 2002, following early efforts by former hovercraft engineer Geoff Hatton to develop a working "flying saucer" aircraft based on the Coanda […]
Secret reports on new five year plan for „European Home Affairs“
[edri.org] A new secret report, made available by Statewatch, drafted by the "Future Group" of Interior and Justice Ministers from six EU member states (Germany, France, Sweden, Portugal, Slovenia, and Czech Republic) suggests a series of proposals to boost EU integration in policing and intelligence-gathering, including the creation an EU-US Area of cooperation for "freedom, […]
Reinforcing the Surveillance of EU Borders: The Future Development of FRONTEX and EUROSUR
[libertysecurity.org] This paper assesses the implications of the European Commission Communications on the evaluation and future development of FRONTEX (European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union) and the establishment of EUROSUR (European border surveillance system). It emphasises that the evaluation of the […]