A form of organised crime never properly discussed or integrated into the literature. I mentioned the possibility of ideology being a variable in the analysis of organised crime, and here’s a clear example. Right wing attacks get away without being called terrorism, because they use lower forms of violence. Fists and clubs rather than guns. … TRACKING HATE CRIMES A TRICKY BUSINESS
The splendidly named Mr. Hustinx, criticises the European Commission, which failed in its legal obligation to consult him on its proposal for a centralised fingerprints database. The Commission also proposed minimum standards for biometrics in passports, which is not objectionable in itself, but the European Data Supervisor should have been consulted. I must find the … EU DATA PROTECTION CHIEF CRITICISES FINGERPRINT PLAN
We could do with lots of these. Preferably not just: have they ticked the boxes, but: have they really been successful and do we remember what the goals were? This one is a bit too much oriented to more powers, more committees, and no comment on regular review of information stored to ensure gossip doesnt … THE STREET REVIEW: A REVIEW OF INTEROPERABILITY BETWEEN THE AFP AND ITS SECURITY PARTNERS
Some great stories in the Moscow Times. This one raises questions about the crimes of the powerful and the use of semi-official youth groups to keep the media compliant. The story is about a hacking campaign against Kommersant and the question of who is behind it and why the police don’t intervene to stop these … TOILET PAPER, SPAM AND A POLITICAL HIT
Identification of a problem, but no discussion of the organisations responsible. Classic problem: cheap to obtain in countries of origin, expensive on the fat cats’ plates. Caspian Sea said to be the source of the best, but whitefish roe and North Atlantic Salmon roe too every bit as good, says Wikipedia. So are we talking … CRACKDOWN ON THE CAVIAR SMUGGLERS
Little changes in the world. A “take from the rich, give to the poor” figure with his band of supporters operates deep in Madhya Pradesh. If he is doing half of what is attributed to him, he must have quite a financial network too, unless his money is kept in cash under a tree somewhere. … ROBIN HOOD IS ALIVE AND WELL AND WORKING IN INDIA
We have seen this story before, but here’s a little more detail for those of you who suspected there might have been some exaggeration involved.
Thoughtful op-ed piece from the New York Times. Yet again, the moderates are being squeezed between a rock and a hard place. I wonder if there is a research piece on ideology and organised crime to be written? Must also do a comparison of 60s Marxism and anarchism with contemporary extremism. Not for content, but … WHY RADICAL ISLAM JUST WON’T DIE
Independent winding up the middle classes on a Saturday morning. This is the big cover story. “Of course we don’t know for sure scientifically, but the high rate of dioxin is most likely linked to what the buffaloes ate,”an unnamed Italian “expert” is quoted as saying… OK there is a crisis of rubbish collection in … ITALY, TOXIC WASTE, THE MAFIA AND MOZARELLA
Washington Post piece ilustrating the problems of competing national and local agencies not sharing intelligence. You would think someone somewhere would have learned by now. But the battle for resources id much more bitter than the battle with terrorists…Discuss [Oops, i did it again!] Is this problem worse for the US than for other countries, … IN NEW YORK, A TURF WAR IN THE BATTLE AGAINST TERRORISM
