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Daily Archives: 21. Dezember 2014
CIA Overview of EU Schengen Border Control
The second document in this release, „Schengen Overview“, is dated January 2012 and details guidelines for border officials in the EU‘s Schengen zone and the threats their procedures might pose in exposing the „alias identities of tradecraft-conscious operational travelers“, the CIA terminology for US spies travelling with false ID during a clandestine operation. It outlines how various electronic systems within Schengen work and the risks they pose to clandestine US operatives, including the Schengen Information System (SIS), the European fingerprint database EURODAC (European Dactyloscopie) and FRONTEX (Frontières extérieures) – the EU agency responsible for easing travel between member states while maintaining security.
CIA Travel Advice To Operatives
Today, 21 December 2014, WikiLeaks releases two classified documents by a previously undisclosed CIA office detailing how to maintain cover while travelling through airports using false ID – including during operations to infiltrate the European Union and the Schengen passport control system. This is the second release within WikiLeaks‘ CIA Series, which will continue in the new year.
Inquiry in Anthrax Mailings Had Gaps, Report Says
Dec. 19, 2014
A congressional inquiry into the F.B.I.’s scientific work on the anthrax mailings of 2001 has identified major gaps in genetic evidence that purportedly links the germs to Bruce E. Ivins, the Army microbiologist blamed for attacks that killed five people, sickened 17 others and shook the nation.
The Government Accountability Office study, requested in 2010 and made public on Friday, echoes earlier criticism from the National Academy of Sciences. In 2011, its expert panel found that the bureau’s analysis of the genetic evidence “did not definitively demonstrate” a firm link between the mailed anthrax spores and a sample taken from Dr. Ivins’s laboratory at Fort Detrick in Maryland, and more generally was “not as conclusive” as the bureau had asserted.
Palestinians seem to agree to postpone vote to next year
US Administration believes the vote should be postponed until after the Israeli March elections
Proposal of New Provisions Applicable to All Services of the secret TISA negotiations
Negotiation of unrestricted data movement, internet neutrality and how electronic signatures can be used strike to the heart of individuals’ rights. Governments must come clean about what they are negotiating in these secret trade deals‘.
Read the complete and original text here.
#Abbas, SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH! BRING IN THE UN RESOLUTION! OR GO TO HELL!
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Abbas Threatens ‚Palestinian People Will Explode‘
„I won‘t talk about using weapons against Israel and I will only use diplomatic means, but if the Palestinian people loses hope, in the end they will explode and no one can prevent that,“ Abbas said according to Reshet Bet journalist Gal Berger.
#Abbas / #Israel have lost their best man in Cairo: General el-Tohamy..
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Ground operation follows deceptive measures aimed at Hamas
(18. Juli) The Israeli delegation shared the iftar, the meal breaking the daily Ramadan fast, with Egyptian intelligence chief Gen. Mohammed Ahmed Fareed al-Tohami and his senior advisors.
„The Israel delegation shared the Iftar with EG intel chief Tohami and his senior advisors“
(18. Juli)
Egypt convicts man of spying for Israel
Suez Canal shipping services manager gets ten years after allegedly passing confidential information to Mossad about naval movements through the strategic waterway.
Roth was fired because DC Jewish leaders demand ‘acquiescence’ to Israeli positions — Kushner
There’s been a lot of fallout over the heinous decision by the Washington Jewish Community Center to fire Ari Roth, the artistic director who had staged a drama that explored the Nakba, from the Israeli perspective. Yet the firing was necessary: it demonstrates that the Jewish establishment has solidified on the McCarthyite right in the wake of the Gaza slaughter.
Nachdem wegen des Leistungsschutzrechtes die LSR-Verlage aus den ganzen deutschen Suchmaschinen rausgeflogen waren, hat Springer jetzt einen Weg gefunden, zumindest bei t-online.de wieder gelistet zu werden.
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Greek PM offers 2015 election once bailout talks complete
Speaking in an unscheduled television address, Samaras said Greece had a duty to complete negotiations with the European Union and International Monetary Fund to exit its bailout accord next year.
Iran nuclear diplomat gets key post as head of foreign oil deals
Amir-Hossein Zamaninia is a veteran diplomat who was sidelined under hardline former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before resurfacing as adviser on the nuclear negotiations revived by moderate President Hassan Rouhani.
Lebanon says it needs French helicopters quickly to fight jihadis
France and Lebanon signed a $3 billion Saudi-funded deal in early November to provide French weapons and military equipment to the Lebanese army, which has few resources to deal with the instability on its border and has been seeking to modernize its military hardware.
Egypt retires hardline intelligence chief
No reason was given in a statement for the departure of Mohamed Farid al-Tohamy, who had been a consistent advocate of the fierce security crackdown on Mursi‘s Muslim Brotherhood that has seen hundreds killed and thousands jailed.
OCO-2-Satellit liefert erstaunliche Daten zur globalen Kohlendioxid-Konzentration
Konzentration von Kohlendioxid in der Atmosphäre über waldreichen tropischen Gebieten und Meeren am höchsten – Regionen des blühenden Lebens
NASA’s missions reveal the origin of theta auroras
Auroras are the most visible manifestation of the sun’s effect on Earth, but many aspects of these spectacular displays are still poorly understood. Thanks to the joint European Space Agency and NASA’s Cluster mission combined with data from a past NASA mission called the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration, or IMAGE, a particular type of very high-latitude aurora has now been explained.
The Science of Magnetic Reconnection
Understanding vast systems in space requires understanding what‘s happening on widely different scales. Giant events can turn out to have tiny drivers — take, for example, what rocked near-Earth space in October 2003. On Oct. 28, 2003, and again on Oct. 29, massive solar flares erupted on the sun, sending X-rays zooming through the solar system. Along with the flares, the sun expelled giant clouds of solar material, called coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. The CMEs slammed into Earth‘s magnetic field pushed material and energy in toward Earth. This created what‘s called a geomagnetic storm.
Metropolis
1927 [ Restored Version ]
Imperialism and the Politics of Torture
The US Senate Report documenting CIA torture of alleged terrorist suspects raises a number of fundamental questions about the nature and operations of the State, the relationship and the responsibility of the Executive Branch and Congress to the vast secret police networks which span the globe – including the United States.
The Senate Report’s revelations of CIA torture of suspects following the 9/11 bombing is only the tip of the iceberg. The Report omits the history and wider scope of violent activity in which the CIA has been and continues to be involved. CIA organized large scale deathsquad activities and extreme torture in Vietnam (Phoenix Project); multiple assassinations of political leaders in the Congo, Chile, Dominican Republic, Vietnam, the Middle East, Central America and elsewhere; the kidnapping and disappearance of suspected activists in Iraq and Afghanistan; massive drug-running and narco-trafficking in the “Golden Triangle” in Southeast Asia and Central America (the Iran-Contra war).
Vielleicht ist die #Edathy-Affäre entstanden, weil Politiker in einer Parallelgesellschaft leben
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Edathy-Affäre: Sigmar Gabriel wehrt sich gegen Heuchler-Vorwurf
Daraufhin habe Gabriel ihm eine SMS mit einem Hilfsangebot geschickt. Darin schrieb Gabriel: „Hallo Sebastian, es tut mir sehr leid für dich. Wenn du Hilfe brauchst, melde dich. Es kommen auch wieder bessere Zeiten. Dein Sigmar“. Der SPD-Vorsitzende bezeichnet sein Handeln als „Gebot der Menschlichkeit“.
Stenografischer Bericht 71. Sitzung Berlin, Freitag, den 1. Dezember 2006
Dr. Dieter Wiefelspütz (SPD): Aber es gibt an einem Punkt einen Dissens – wenn ich das richtig sehe, ist das, was ich Ihnen jetzt hier vortrage, auch die Auffassung von Herrn Schäuble; aber er mag dazu selber Stellung nehmen –: Wenn deutsche Behörden aus dubiosen nachrichtendienstlichen Quellen Erkenntnisse haben, die für die Gefahrenabwehr in Deutschland von überragender Bedeutung sind, spielt es keine Rolle, wie diese Erkenntnisse entstanden sind. Vielfach weiß man das auch nicht. Sie sind dann
nicht gerichtsverwertbar, völlig klar. Kein deutsches Gericht würde solche Informationen verwerten.
Aber wenn es in Deutschland Informationen gibt – möglicherweise
auch, ohne deutsche Beteiligung, auf schändlichem Wege gewonnene –, dann muss man sie zur Kenntnis nehmen.
(Volker Kauder [CDU/CSU]: Richtig!)
Alles andere wäre völlig unverantwortlich, Frau
Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger.
(Beifall bei der SPD und der CDU/CSU)
Ich will Ihnen deutlich sagen – möglicherweise ist das ein Dissens zwischen Ihnen und mir; ich habe über diesen Punkt häufiger auch mit Kollegen debattiert –: Bei der Gefahrenabwehr in Deutschland wird, wenn es um Leib und Leben geht, jede Information auf den Tischen der deutschen Sicherheitsbehörden, die plausibel ist, natürlich verwertet. Wir sollten ehrlicherweise zugeben, dass darunter auch die eine oder andere Information sein kann, von der wir nicht wissen, wie sie entstanden ist.
Das ist nun einmal so in dieser Welt.
Die deutschen Behörden haben die Pflicht, Informationen, die sie bekommen haben, aus welchen Quellen auch immer, zu
analysieren und im Interesse der Sicherheit unserer Bürgerinnen und Bürger zu verwerten. Anderes wäre unehrlich. Insoweit gibt es möglicherweise zwischen Ihnen und mir einen Dissens.
(Beifall bei der SPD und der CDU/CSU – Dr. Barbara Höll [DIE LINKE]: Sie rechtfertigen damit Folter!)
LAW ON TERROR
(01.12.2006) Anti-Terrordatei: Bereits 1.4 Millionen Verdächtige / Bundestag nickt “Ermächtigungsgesetz” ab / Wiefelspütz bestätigt öffentlich die Verwendung von Informationen aus Folter
Der Spiegel, die Folter und 9/11
In dieser Woche titelt der Spiegel markig „Die dunkle Seite der Macht – Wie Amerika seine Werte verlor“. Dass aber nicht nur der atlantische Partner, sondern auch das Blatt selbst sich in dieser Hinsicht kritische Fragen gefallen lassen muss, ist im aktuellen Heft kein Thema. Ein Rückblick.
SPD-Politikerin Susanne Gaschke schreibt in der Welt über die verlorene Ehre von Sebastian Edathy. Keine Pointe.
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Ich meine: Was hat uns der islamische Raum je gebracht? Also außer Architektur. Medizin. Naturwissenschaften. Ok Zahlen. Aber was sonst??
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Update On Ten-Year Campaign To Give Copyright Industry Another Monopoly: WIPO‘s Broadcasting Treaty
Say what you will about the copyright industry, but it certainly doesn‘t give up. No matter how many times a bad idea is fought off, sooner or later, it comes back again. The best example of this is probably WIPO‘s Broadcasting Treaty, which Techdirt has been covereing for a decade: in 2004, 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2013. This campaign to give broadcasters yet more monopoly rights — as if they didn‘t have enough already — is still underway, and the EFF provides us with a timely update on the current state of play:
Weltorganisation für geistiges Eigentum
Die Weltorganisation für geistiges Eigentum (englisch World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO; französisch Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle, OMPI) wurde am 14. Juli 1967 mit dem Ziel gegründet, Rechte an immateriellen Gütern weltweit zu fördern. 1974 wurde die WIPO Teilorganisation der Vereinten Nationen. Die WIPO ist Ausgangspunkt des Zusammenarbeitsvertrags (PCT) von 1970, des WIPO-Urheberrechtsvertrags von 1996 und des Patentgesetzvertrags (englisch Patent Law Treaty) von 2000.
Papst empfängt Leiter der Weltorganisation für Geistiges Eigentum
(09.06.) Papst Franziskus hat den Generaldirektor der Weltorganisation für Geistiges Eigentum (WIPO), Francis Gurry, am Montag, 9. Juni, im Vatikan empfangen. Über den Inhalt der Unterredung machte der Vatikan wie üblich keine Angaben
Verfassungsschutz schaltet Stellenanzeigen: Schlapphüte verzweifelt gesucht
Das Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz sucht per Stellenanzeige neue Mitarbeiter für den Bereich „Observation“.
„Es ist kein Witz, sondern ein normaler Vorgang“, versichert der Behördenleiter, nachdem sich niemand auf die Anzeige gemeldet hat.
Mississippi Attorney General Dares Reporters To Find Any Evidence Of Hollywood Funding… So We Did
The saga of Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood and his cozy ties to Hollywood continue to come out.
Newly-Released Documents Show NSA Claiming An Email Address Is A ‚Facility,‘ Skirting Probable Cause Requirements
If it‘s late Friday afternoon and the public‘s attention is focused elsewhere, it must mean it‘s time for another document release from James Clapper‘s office (ODNI). The heavily-redacted documents dumped by the ODNI deal with the precursors to the FISA Amendments Act (FAA): the Terrorist Surveillance Program (TSP) and 2007‘s interim legislation (Protect America Act or PAA) that bridged the gap between the TSP and the FAA.
The most interesting document in the release is an April 3, 2007 order [pdf link] from the FISA court which contains some rare hesitation from a FISA judge (Roger Vinson) as he deals with the NSA‘s desire to capture communications without providing probable cause support for its actions.
Funding for Netanyahu‘s Likud primary campaign all from abroad
PM has raised nearly $140,000 so far, with 14 Americans and one person in Spain financially backing his bid.
Senat verabschiedete Budgetgesetz – Zeller zufrieden
Nach einem Sitzungsmarathon ist der Maxiänderungsantrag der Regierung zum Stabilitätsgesetz 2015 am Samstag gegen 5 Uhr morgens vom Plenum des Senates angenommen worden.
Vor der Endabstimmung musste sich die Regierung Renzi einem Vertrauensvotum unterziehen. Für das Kabinett stimmten 162 Senatoren, 37 votierten dagegen. Das Budgetgesetz muss bis Ende dieses Jahres noch ein letztes Mal von der Abgeordnetenkammer abgesegnet werden, um in Kraft zu treten.
‘Clock is ticking’ till next round of Gaza escalation, and war
The Aug. 26 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Palestinian militant groups stipulated that Israel would immediately expand the fishing zone off Gaza’s coast, allowing fishermen to sail as far as six nautical miles from shore, and would continue to expand the area gradually. Since then, there have been widespread reports that Israeli forces have at times opened fire at fishermen within those new limits, and the zone has not been expanded.
Palestinians under heavy pressure to delay UN Security Council vote
Despite previous Palestinian announcements that they would request such a vote immediately – even if the move would fail because of the inability to enlist nine votes or owing to an American veto – it transpires that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is in no hurry to ask for such a vote, and it seems the matter will be postponed for a while, possibly for weeks.
You’re on a roll, Mr. President, now abstain from vetoing the Palestinian bid to the UN Security Council
Now is the moment for President Obama to finally do something serious about Israel’s monstrous apartheid.
Egypt‘s Sisi meets Qatari envoy, signaling possible detente
Saudi King Abdullah last month called on Egypt to back a deal under which Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain agreed to end an eight-month diplomatic dispute over Qatar‘s support for the Brotherhood and promotion of „Arab Spring“ revolts.
U.S. Ambassador to Egypt: Who Is Stephen Beecroft?
In 2003, Beecroft was named special assistant to Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, and the following year was special assistant to Secretary of State Colin Powell. Beecroft remained in the job when Condoleezza Rice took over the State Department.
Egypt receives 10 Apache helicopters from U.S.: sources
In another sign of improving relations between the two countries, Stephen Beecroft, the new U.S. ambassador to Egypt, arrived in Cairo on Thursday. The previous ambassador left the post more than a year ago following Mursi‘s ouster.
Iran’s military budget growth connected with staff salaries
The Iranian government has offered a 32.7 percent rise in defense expenditure in next year’s budget bill compared to the current year’s budget, most of which will be assigned to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Iran insists on implementing missile system deal with Russia
He said that Russian side has illegally canceled the contract under the pressure from Israel and the US, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported Dec. 20.
Russians used the international sanctions as an excuse to repeal the agreement meanwhile the contract was signed before the sanctions, he said.
Nothing Changes: Cops Still Threatening Citizens, Breaking Laws To Shut Down Recordings
The NYPD should know better. In August, it handed a $125,000 settlement to a man it arrested for recording officers performing a stop-and-frisk. A month earlier, the ACLU sued the NYPD in federal court to prevent the NYPD from arresting the people recording them. It‘s even clearly stated in the NYPD policy manual that „bystanders are allowed to film [officers] as long as they‘re not interfering with the officers‘ duties and/or police operations.“
(19.12.) And yet, the message hasn‘t gotten through. A man was harassed and had his cellphone battery stolen by an officer who claimed he was interfering with an arrest occurring 30 feet away. NYPD officers have tried other tactics as well, such as laughably claiming a cellphone could be a gun. A man is choked to death by an NYPD officer — with the whole incident being recorded — and police officers claim the citizens who record cops are to blame.
But the message hasn‘t gotten through.
Iowa Dept. Of Transportation Announces Plan To Give Police Officers, Security Personnel Full Access To Your Smartphone
Raise your hand if you think this might be a bad idea.
‚Narrow-mindedness‘: Israel slams UN demand it pay Lebanon for oil spill damage
Israel has been highly critical of a UN General Assembly resolution that calls it to compensate Beirut for the damages caused by a major oil spill that was a result of an Israeli air force strike during the Israel-Hezbollah War in July 2006.
„It‘s the sort of UN decision that we‘re used to, mixing alternative history, manipulation politicization and self-interested narrow-mindedness,“ the Israeli mission to the UN said in a statement Friday night, AP reports.
Telekom wünscht sich zu Weihnachten ein Zwei-Klassen-Internet
Derzeit wird auf EU-Ebene über eine Verordnung zum Telekommunikationsmarkt beraten. Diese Verordnung soll nach dem Willen des EU-Parlaments auch einen Abschnitt zur Netzneutralität enthalten. Vor der Abstimmung im EU-Parlament haben mehr als 175.000 Menschen den gemeinsamen Appell von Digitaler Gesellschaft, European Digital Rights, dem Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband und Digitalcourage für Netzneutralität mitgezeichnet. Doch die Entscheidung des EU-Parlaments war erst ein Etappensieg auf dem Weg zu einer verpflichtenden Gleichbehandlung von Datenpaketen in ganz Europa. Einige Regierungen wollen im EU-Rat die weitgehenden Forderungen des Parlaments wieder beschneiden.