Daily Archives: 21. Dezember 2014


21.12.2014 - 21:43 [ Wikileaks ]

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.

21.12.2014 - 21:42 [ Wikileaks ]

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.

21.12.2014 - 17:12 [ New York Times ]

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.

21.12.2014 - 16:40 [ AWP - Associated Whistleblowing Press ]

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.

21.12.2014 - 16:23 [ Mondo Weiss ]

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.

21.12.2014 - 13:34 [ Watts Up Whith That? ]

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.

21.12.2014 - 13:23 [ NASA ]

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.

21.12.2014 - 13:04 [ James Petras ]

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).

21.12.2014 - 12:57 [ Bundestag ]

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!)

21.12.2014 - 12:47 [ Radio Utopie ]

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

21.12.2014 - 12:43 [ Heise ]

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.

21.12.2014 - 12:29 [ Techdirt ]

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:

21.12.2014 - 12:28 [ Wikipedia ]

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.

21.12.2014 - 12:18 [ Techdirt ]

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.

21.12.2014 - 12:09 [ Stol.it ]

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.

21.12.2014 - 11:30 [ Mondo Weiss ]

‘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.

21.12.2014 - 11:28 [ Haaretz ]

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.

21.12.2014 - 11:18 [ Techdirt ]

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.

21.12.2014 - 10:52 [ RT ]

‚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.

21.12.2014 - 10:51 [ campact! ]

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.

21.12.2014 - 06:29 [ NYT ]

Fuel Rods Are Removed From Damaged Fukushima Reactor

Tepco still faces the far more challenging task of removing the ruined fuel cores from the three reactors that melted down in the accident. These reactors were so damaged — and their levels of radioactivity remain so high — that removing their fuel is expected to take decades. Some experts have said it may not be possible at all, and have called instead for simply encasing those reactors in a sarcophagus of thick concrete.