-
China proposes anti-terror legislation
Chinese lawmakers are considering new laws that would legally define terrorism and help organize counterterror operations; Legislator Sui Mingtai said anti-terror laws do exist, but current laws do not provide enough legal ground for anti-terror operations; the proposed legislation will help clear the way for future efforts to combat terrorism including freezing assets and publishing the names of known terrorists
-
-
Sector Report for Wednesday, 26 October 2011: Disasters & Emergencies
This report contains the following stories.
Plus 1 additional story.
-
-
Turkish PM criticizes builders for unsafe practices
Sunday’s 7.2 tremor in Turkey killed at least 460 people, injured 1,350, destroyed more than 2,000 buildings, and displaced thousands; Turkish prime minister harshly criticizes Turkish builders, saying negligence amounts to murder
-
-
Jersey first responders learn to rescue large animals
Last weekend first responders from Green Village, New Jersey and nearby New Vernon and Madison gained a unique set of skills — rescuing large animals
-
-
Sandia's rescue robot wins technology prize
The remote-control robot contains color video cameras, a thermal imaging camera, microphones, and sensors that act as eyes and ears for rescue crews and provide air-quality information; two-way audio enables survivors to communicate with rescuers
-
-
DC officials receive priority disaster phone access
During major disasters or a terrorist attack, phone lines quickly become inundated with traffic which makes it nearly impossible for residents to make calls or send texts; to ensure that local officials have the ability to communicate during disasters, DHS recently issued special calling cards to members of the Washington, D.C. City Council that allow their calls to take priority during moments of heavy phone traffic
-
-
Sector Report for Thursday, 13 October 2011: World Report
This report contains the following stories.
Plus 7 additional stories
-
-
India urges UN to adopt anti-terror convention
Last week, India urged the United Nations to adopt the Comprehensive Convention against International Terrorism; speaking to the UN General Assembly, India’s deputy chairman Rahman Khan argued that the UN’s global counterterrorism strategy would be incomplete if it did not pass the convention; “India believes that adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) would provide a solid legal basis for the fight against terrorism. In our view the UN global counter-terrorism strategy is incomplete in the absence of such a comprehensive convention,” Khan said.
-
-
Indian police: revenge, jealousy drive terrorism hoaxes
Indian police are urging lawmakers to pass stricter laws that punish individuals who make fake terrorist threats via e-mail or phone; authorities say the majority of hoaxes are generated by jealous lovers or teenagers playing pranks; law enforcement agencies have been forced to devote a large portion of their time and resources to verify the authenticity of fake threats
-
-
U.K. debuts new "passenger friendly" airport checkpoint at Gatwick
On Tuesday, the U.K.’s aviation minister said that due to the “real and ongoing threat of terrorism” airport security must remain at elevated levels; speaking at Gatwick airport during the unveiling of a new security checkpoint, Theresa Villiers noted that while security levels must remain high, it must also be done in a “more passenger-friendly way”; “It’s entirely possible to do two things at once - maintain the highest levels of security and deliver them in a passenger-friendly way,” she said; Gatwick’s new security checkpoint area features nineteen passenger lanes that can process almost 5,000 people an hour with each passenger taking less than five minutes to be searched
-
-
New London police commissioner criticizes response to summer riots
Bernard Hogan-Howe, the new head of London’s Metropolitan Police, criticized the agency for its failure to deploy enough officers in time during the August riots; Hogan-Howe added that Scotland Yard is currently reviewing its use of intelligence, resources, and tactics to ensure a more flexible response to future riots; Hogan-Howe’s comments come as part of testimony before the Commons Home Affairs Committee
-
-
Turkey vows to continue cross-border counterterrorism operations
On Wednesday, Turkey’s deputy premier Besir Atalay said that the country would continue cross-border counterterror operations in Iraq against the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), an extremist organization; speaking on Turkey’s NTV channel, Atalay said the government would not leave any security vacuum for the PKK to operate and that northern Iraq would not be a base for terrorism anymore
-
-
One of Gaddafi's sons captured
Mo’tassim Gaddafi, one of embattled Libyan dictator’s Muammar Gaddafi’s sons, was captured on Wednesday in Sirte; rebels say he was capture while trying to escape the town; he was taken to Benghazi where he was questioned; Mo’tassim was Libya’s former national security advisor
-
-
Pakistan upholds death sentence for killer of Governor Salmaan Taseer
On Tuesday a Pakistani court upheld the death sentence for Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, the assassin of Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Punjab, the largest Pakistani province; Qadri confessed to the killing of Taseer citing the governor’s criticism of the country’s controversial blasphemy law as the reason; Qadri appealed the death sentence arguing that the anti-terrorism court that originally conducted his trial did not have the authority to sentence him to death; the Islamabad High Court upheld the original ruling
-
-
Indian official: Pakistan trying to bleed India dry through a thousand cuts
On Tuesday a top Indian official condemned Pakistan stating that the country was trying to bleed India dry through a thousand cuts by threatening to attack Indian businesses; “This (Jihadi) brand of terrorism is primarily sponsored by our neighboring country in the west whose—- policy is to conduct war against India by all other means and bleed us through a thousand cuts. This naturally includes the targeting of anything…with a view to damaging, degrading or destroying the engines of economic growth and critical centers of power and strength of our country,” said U K Bansal, the internal security secretary of the Union Home Ministry; Bansal’s comments came as part of a speech in New Delhi
-
