Anti-criminal site of the EU became a source of viruses
Written on 25 January 2008 by adminThe site created in the context of EU’s anti-criminal program, became a source of computer viruses. Internet - edition The Inquirer informs, that address www.ctose.org should have contained the resource with the information on criminal investigations. However now users see messages on various services, from reservation of hotel rooms to insurance, and at an attempt to study contents of the resource they receive warnings of virus attacks.
The site Ñ?tose.org (Cyber Tools On-line Search for Evidence), planned as a part of the international network for carrying out of computer investigations, was open in 2003 with the assistance of Europol, Interpol and FBI. The Inquirer marks, that the activity of the project has been gradually brought to a stop, because of lack of financing.
In Russia extremist crime rate has sharply increased
Written on 23 January 2008 by adminRussian Ministry of Internal Affairs has published the statistics on number of the crimes committed in 2007. The data have been made public by the first Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Alexander Chekalin within the framework of the scientific conference on problems of national safety.
Tchekalin, in particular, has informed about 3 million 572 thousand crimes of various character (according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs). In 2006, according to the official statistics, 3,8 million crimes were fixed,
Every seventh crime in Russia in 2007, has told the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, has been committed because of drunkenness.
According to the representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the greatest danger in Russian conditions originates from the organized crime. He has informed about functioning of about one thousand ethnic criminal groups in Russia. In 2007, told he, they have revealed 37,5 thousand crimes committed by the organized crime and detained 10,8 thousand leaders and active participants of the organized criminal groups.
British government concentrates attention on extremist websites
Written on 22 January 2008 by adminHome Secretary Jackie Smith has declared intention of the government to close all extremist Internets-sites, writes The Guardian. Search and closedown of the sites connected to terrorists are a part of the governmental strategy on extermination of radical groupings in Great Britain.
Minister is going to meet with representatives of the largest GB’s providers to discuss with them an optimum way of elimination of dangerous sites. According to the data of the Institute for the Study of Middle East mass-media, extremist websites are located on servers of such known Internets-providers as Google, Yahoo and MSN.
The government has made the decision to remove all sites connected to terrorist groupings, in particular, to “al-Qaeda”, after appearance on the Internet pages with threats to the British Prime minister and appeals to creation of English al-Qaeda branch.
US fears terrorism threat from Europe
Written on 18 January 2008 by adminSecretary of the Department of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff has declared, that Europe can shortly turn into “base for terrorists” and the most serious threat for US safety can come therefrom, transfers Reuters.
In the interview to BBC’s World News America he has noted about the recently growth of terrorism in Europe.
In support of his words he has referred to bomb attacks in Madrid and London, and also to undertaken by terrorists attempt at airport Heathrow to carry aboard the planes directed to the USA liquid explosive.
Besides Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security has paid attention, that to Europe arrive many citizens from the countries of the Middle East and Southern Asia who then commit bomb-attacks.
As he said, the USA will strengthen check of all arriving from Europe, as citizens of the EU can come in the USA without visa. At that he has mentioned, that strengthened control measures should not prevent tourism.
Microchips under skin for criminals in Great Britain
Written on 16 January 2008 by adminIn the United Kingdom the government elaborates the program on implantation of microchips to trace the location of criminals. For the time being the matter concerns pedophiles, but some are afraid, that ordinary simple citizens will be the next.
British government plans to implant microchips under skin to criminals and trace their location with which help of the satellite. Such externally good undertaking is called to relieve British prisons; however observers believe, that this measure put in jeopardy observance of human rights, writes The Independent.
Originally it was planned to install electronic gauges in special bracelets. However the new technologies have pushed the suggestion to implant a microchip under a skin of a criminal.
Microscopic device as two grains of rice can contain the information about a person and his documents of the case in court. It is supposed, that a special capsule from a strong glass will be injected under a skin of a wrist. Inside a capsule there is a chip, a copper aerial and a condenser.
Latvians illegally turn Russians, Byelorussians and Ukrainians into Europeans
Written on 15 January 2008 by adminThe police of Latvia disclosed the criminal group consisted of government officials who trade in the Latvian passports.
19 officials are detained on suspicion of counterfeiting and sale of EU passports.
The main buyers of illegal passports were Byelorussians, and also Russian and Ukrainians. According to representatives of the Latvian security police, these documents were not a usual counterfeit - their owners were registered in all electronic systems of the country, and thus they became full citizens of the EU.
Police representatives emphasized that all persons who illegally got the Latvian passports, have already been determined, however in the interests of investigation their names are not called yet. For the time of criminal group’s activity (2004-2005) they have given more than 100 passports, at that the price for each of them changed from 70 up to 100 thousand euros.
Unprecedented number of journalists has been killed in 2007
Written on 11 January 2008 by admin86 journalists died in 2007. This number was published on January, 2, 2008 by “Reporters without Borders”. In comparison with 2002 the number of the killed has grown by 246 percents. More than a half of victims - 48 people - are killed in the Middle East, 17 - in Asia, 12 - in Africa, two - in Europe and countries of the former USSR. The most dangerous countries for the press are Iraq where 47 journalists have died, Somalia (8) and Pakistan (6).
The longest death-roll of journalists has been fixed by “Reporters” in 1994: 103, and more than a half of them have been killed covering Civil war in Rwanda.
France Presse marks that the International federation of journalists (IFJ), which has published the annual report on December, 31, informed about 171 killed journalists in 2007.
According to “Reporters without Borders”, every day in 2007 two journalists were arrested somewhere in the world. In Pakistan - 195 times, on Cuba – 55 and in Iran 54.
“Reporters without borders” have published also the fresh data on “cyber-dissidents”. 65 persons, who have express their opinions about politics in blogs or at forums, are in prison. 2676 blogs, forums and websites have been closed for a year. The most rigid Internet - censorship is carried out by authorities of Chinese People’s Republic: 50 bloggers are arrested and 2500 sites are closed in this country.
Turkey has passed the revolutionary antitobacco law
Written on 10 January 2008 by adminThe parliament of Turkey has approved the bill of a complete ban of smoking in public places.
The bill forbids smoking in places of entertainments, including cafes and restaurants, stadiums, transport, in a taxi, in particular, trains, and also commercials of tobacco products, their mentioning in films, serials and in musical clips.
Infringement of the law will be punished with the penalty up to 4,3 thousand dollars. So, only for a cigarette stub thrown in the street or a pack from cigarettes the infringer should pay 18 dollars.
The new law of Turkish legislators was induced by a sad statistics: annually in 65-million Turkey about 160 thousand people die from the illnesses caused by smoking. On the official data of the local Ministry of Health, about 40 % of Turks in the age of 15 years and elder are smokers, who consume about 17 million packs of cigarettes a day.
The bill should be approved by the president of Turkey, and after the approval it will come into force from the moment of its publication in the governmental Official newspaper.
5 tons of cocaine are confiscated in Portugal
Written on 9 January 2008 by adminThe police of Portugal has confiscated 5 tons of cocaine and has arrested six suspected people during the operation conducted together with law enforcement bodies of the neighbor Spain.
Police representative has informed, the illegal cargo was found on a vessel in the port of Lisbon.
The cargo has arrived from Venezuela and was intended for sending to the north of Spain. Cocaine has been hidden among containers with quick-frozen fish. Among the arrested persons - citizens of Portugal, Spain and Columbia.
It is the second-largest consignment of the cocaine which has been found in Portugal.
The record was set in 2006 when the police found 8 tons of “white death”.
Last years Portugal has turned into a large trans-shipment point for drug transfer from Latin America to Europe. In 2006 police has managed to confiscate over 35 tons of cocaine, about 9 tons of hashish, and also fair quantity of heroin and ecstasy.
Death penalty in China will be more humane
Written on 7 January 2008 by adminThe Chinese officials declare planned transition to more humane way of a death penalty: in the long term shootings will be completely replaced with a lethal injection.
It has declared by the vice-president of the Supreme National Court of China Tsian Sinchang.
As he said, this step has been positively taken by condemned and members of their families. To this day the most widespread way of execution in China is shooting.
China does not publish official statistics on the amount of the passed death sentences in the country.
But according to the remedial organizations Amnesty International, China executes more people, than any other country in the world - in 2006 there were carried out 1010 death sentences.
Among crimes which are punished by death - corruption, murder, rape, drug-smuggling.
However Minister of Justice has rejected an opportunity of full refusal from death penalty, referring to necessity of public safety maintenance.
