HomeNewsletterAbout Newsletter
Volume No. 4,   Issue No. 4,   September 2005

In pursuance of a decision of the Board of Governors in 2001, the IISSM Newsletter was first hosted in June 2002. For a very modest beginning and with very limited circulation, it has, with support and encouragement from all, since virtually grown into a full-fledged News Magazine, as some friends have patronisingly said.

The Newsletter is basically an attempt to collect information of interest and concern, primarily pertaining to the field of security. The material so gathered is then shared with all with the hope and belief that the readers/ viewers may have the benefit of looking at things at one place at their convenience. True to its motto of promoting professionalism by sharing knowledge, IISSM considers it a privilege to provide this service free of cost. Incidentally, over the years, the clientele of the IISSM Newsletter has got expanded to cover friends and well-wishers in the non-security sector as well.




HomeNewsletterEditorial
Volume No. 4,   Issue No. 4,   September 2005

Ups and Downs in Security

The two great pieces of news for the month of August, 2005, were: the safe landing of “Discovery” and the discovery of the 10th planet in the solar system. Human civilization will survive!

White Aceh rebels in Indonesia have followed the suit of the IRA, Iraq remained the focal point of the “war on terrorism”. But the assassination of the SriLankan Foreign Minister in Colombo was the high-water mark of the month of August. Reports also suggest Al Queda seeking new pastures in the Balkans as well as in Africa. 400 blasts in 30 minutes all over Bangladesh could possibly the curtain-raiser for a bigger drama to be duly unfolded.

The internal security scenario in Nepal and India continued to be vitiated by the Maoist extremists. If not arrested in time, a grave threat of considerable security implications may emerge from the large scale, and what seems to be planned, circulation of fake currency in India with operational bases in neighbouring countries.

The Indian policing system has been showing substantial improvement in application of science and technology in work as also in the field of communication. Spycams have been envisaged covering forest areas. The Delhi Police has once again issued a very detailed Advisory touching on how to react to terrorist threat situations. Kudos to them for such sustained attempt at educating the members of the public! The ‘top ten guidelines’ for good security practice, received from a distinguished friend, are worth taking due note of by one and all.

While in the wake of London bombing of July, private security agencies and consultants in the UK are being cornered by the Police, there have been developments of great import in this field in India. Leaders of private security agencies have geared up and mobilized fellow professionals for brainstorming exercises over what suggestions could be offered to the government of India in the framing of central rules following the historic enactment of the Act for Regulation of Private Security Agencies in June this year. This has indeed been a very healthy development and the storm-troopers deserve highest commendation and appreciation of all. IISSM had put in its efforts in the past. It extends full moral support and prays for enough strength in the sinews and elbows of the leaders in the profession.

And, do not miss the news of road-map for Euro-English and beware robots replacing human services at a fast space. Please read on the General Information File.


D. C. Nath, IPS (Retd.)
Former Special Director, IB (MHA), Govt. of India
Editor-cum-Executive President & CEO
International Institute of Security and Safety Management
New Delhi, India




HomeNewsletterIISSM News
Volume No. 4,   Issue No. 4,   September 2005




Terrorism File

Car bomb kills seven in Iraq...
Baghdad – A car bomb exploded at an Iraqi police checkpoint south of Baghdad on Sunday, killing seven civilians and wounding...







Security File

Theft in Navy war room sparks probe...
New Delhi – Some classified information stored in a computer in Navy’s war room of South Block, Government of India...







Cyber Crime

Keep Thieves Out of Your Bank Account...
An estimated 2 million people were victims of checking account theft last year, with online thieves being responsible for most of those...







Crime File

Northeast hit by biopirates...
New Delhi – August 24, 2005 - In one of the two cases of herbal theft reported in the recent past, seeds were smuggled out...







Science and Technology

Security system that can raise alarm and knock intruders out...
Chennai-based entrepreneur Mr. Uma Magesh has invented a device that ensures that people don’t need to spend sleepless...







General Information

TN gets first Internet radio...
Madurai – July 31, 2005 – The People Education for Action and Community Emancipation (Peace) Trust in Dindgul has...







Industry News

Formation of APDI Board of Governors & Executive Board...
I have been interacting with co professional who showed keen interest in the healthy formation as well development of our association APDI. It is....




HomeNewsletterIISSM NewsTerrorism File
Volume No. 4,   Issue No. 4,   September 2005

   
 

Car bomb kills seven in Iraq

Baghdad – A car bomb exploded at an Iraqi police checkpoint south of Baghdad on Sunday, killing seven civilians and wounding 12, the police said. The explosives-packed vehicle had been left by the side of the road, and was detonated remotely.

Reuters
Hindustan Times – August 1, 2005.

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Laden still giving direct orders

London – Osama bin Laden is still giving direct orders for al-Qaeda attacks, Saudi Arabia’s next ambassador to the United States said on Sunday. The outgoing Saudi ambassador to Britain Prince Turki al Faisal said some of the most recent attacks attributed to al-Qaeda in the oil-rich kingdom had been directly ordered by the mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.

Reuters
The Times of India – August 2, 2005.

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At least 29 killed on Iraq’s terror Tuesday

Baghdad – At least 23 people were killed in rebel attacks across Iraq on Tuesday. A suicide car bomber blew himself up close to a US military convoy, killing four people and wounding 23 others. In separate attacks, gunmen opened fire on a group of people leaving a city hospital where they had gone to see the body of a Sunni cleric, murdered on Monday. Five people were killed. Two employees of the finance ministry were shot dead on their way to work in Baghdad. One police colonel died in a drive-by shooting. In another incident, a civilian was killed when a suicide car bomber attacked a police patrol in the center of Baquba. Four Iraqi soldiers were killed when a bomb hidden inside a dead dog hit an army patrol in Balad. Three other people working at a US base in Baiji were killed when the bus they were travelling in was ambushed by armed gunmen, while a construction worker was shot dead. An engineer was gunned down in the northern town of Dhuluiyah, and a man was killed in a Baghdad bookshop when a bomb reportedly hidden in a suitcase blew up. On Monday, six US marines were also killed near Haditha, a town on the Euphrates river, said an army officer.

Agencies
The Times of India – August 3, 2005.

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Bomb kills 14 US Marines in Iraq

Baghdad – A roadside bomb explosion tore through a US assault vehicle in Iraq on Wednesday, killing 14 American Marines and a civilian. The blast was the second major attack against Marines in the area in the past three days. On Monday, six Marines were killed in clashes with insurgents in Haditha, and a seventh was killed by a car bomb blast in Hit.

Reuters
The Indian Express – August 4, 2005.

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Nepal Maoists kidnap 22 students

Kathmandu – August 3, 2005 – Maoist rebels have kidnapped nine junior civil servants and 22 students in two districts of Nepal, the police said on Wednesday. “A group of nine junior civil servants returning to their office at Basantpur in Palpa district was forced by a group of rebels to go with them to the nearby Chure jungle on Tuesday evening,” a police officer said.

(AFP)
The Asian Age – August 4, 2005.

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"Terrorism On Most Companies' Radar"
Fairfield County Business Journal (CT) (08/01/05) ; Scott, Andrew


The likelihood of terrorism-induced emergencies has jumped to the top of many firms' priority lists, causing them to create emergency response plans. ExxonMobil Chemical Co. recently tweaked its original emergency plan in order to deal with a terrorist event. Workers understand their roles in the execution of the plan and know where the emergency equipment, such as, flashlights and walkie-talkies, and contact lists are located. Other companies have set up alternative locations for their operations and disaster recovery plans to ensure that the business continues to run in the event of a catastrophe.

Security Management – August 3, 2005

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10 killed as crucial Iraq meet put off

Baghdad – Rebels killed 10 people in Iraq on Friday as a crucial meeting of national leaders called to settle constitutional problems was postponed because of an emergency session of the Kurdish autonomous parliament. Talibani had called the meeting to break the deadlock on drafting a new constitution.

AFP
The Asian Age – August 6, 2005.

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Violence surges in Iraq, 32 killed

Baghdad – Insurgents killed at least 32 people in a series of attacks in Iraq. Seven Iraqi soldiers were killed and 17 wounded when a suicide bomber blew up a truck in front of an Iraqi army headquarters in central Tikrit. Three other Iraqi soldiers were killed when gunmen attacked their patrol in south Baghdad, and two other people working in the oil ministry were also shot dead by gunmen in south-east Baghdad. In Samawa, one civilian was killed land 14 wounded as demonstrators clashed with police during a protest about lack of jobs and public services. Two people were also killed in Baquba when a roadside bomb exploded in the town center, targeting a police patrol. Seven Iraqis were killed at Al-Sharqat when their bus hit a roadside bomb on Sunday. Eleven others were also killed in separate rebel attacks.

AFP
Hindustan Times – August 8, 2005.

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UK fears child fidayeen

The terrorist could be preparing to use women and children as suicide bombers in further attacks on trains and other soft targets in London, internal Scotland Yard documents have warned. “Terrorists will try to use our actions against us and will adapt their methods, use women or even children,” the document states, which was released this weekend, on the orders of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

David Leppard / Sunday Times, London
Hindustan Times – August 8, 2005.

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US shuts offices in Saudi for two days citing threat

Dubai – United States diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia will be closed for at least two days to response to possible threats against American buildings, embassy officials said on Sunday. A statement posted Saturday on the embassy website warned of “ongoing security concerns in the region, including for sea borne vessels traveling in the southern Red Sea”, Reuters reported.

Hassan M. Fattah/NYT News Agency
The Times of India – August 9, 2005.

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US military drafts terror war plans

Coloradosprings – August 8, 2005 – The US military has devised its first-ever war plans for guarding against and responding to terrorist attacks in the United States, envisioning 15 potential crisis scenarios and anticipating several simultaneous strikes around the country, according to officers who drafted the plans. The command’s plans comprise two documents. One, designed CONPLAN 2002 (SHORT FOR CONCEPT DOCUMENT), is an umbrella document drawing together previously issued orders for homeland missions and covers air, sea and land operations. The other, identified as CONPLAN 0500, deals specifically with managing the consequences of attacks represented by the 15 scenarios.

Bradley Graham
The Indian Express – August 9, 2005.

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Maoists slay 40 Nepalese soldiers

Kathmandu – Maoist rebels killed at least 40 soldiers in northwest Nepal after a night-long fierce fighting, army officials said on Tuesday. All the soldiers were taken into control, lined up and shot from the back, the Royal Nepalese army said. The rebels have said their 26 of their soldiers were killed during the fight. The Maoists claimed they have captured huge cache of arms.

Yuvraj Acharaya/TNN
The Times of India – August 10, 2005.

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Terror alert in Saudi Arabia

US intelligence has been tracking suspected Saudi militants moving from Iraq back to Saudi Arabia amid new warnings that terrorists could strike against western embassies in the oil-rich kingdom. The British embassies in Saudi Arabia warned on Monday of “credible reports that terrorists are in the final stages of planning attacks”.

Hindustan Times – August 10, 2005.

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‘Terror’ attacks in Philippines, 24 wounded

Zamboanga, Philippines – At least 24 people were injured when two powerful blasts ripped through this southern Philippines city on Wednesday. Police said the first explosion hit a mini-bus and a motorcycle at a parking lot, wounding at least four people. Another blast tore through the second floor of a building housing a popular fast-food restaurant and a small hotel in downtown Climaco Avenue. A third bomb was found in the restaurant and safely detonated by police. Zamboanga city mayor said a total of 24 people were confirmed injured by the explosions which he compared to the London attacks.

(AFP)
The Times of India – August 11, 2005.

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The IRA - A farewell to arms

On July 28, 2005, the Irish Republican Army issued the statement for which most people in Britain and both parts of Ireland have been waiting for years. The IRA declared that its leadership had “formally ordered an end to the armed campaign”, and told all its units to “dump arms” and work through “exclusively peaceful means”. If the IRA means what it says, there are still many unanswered questions left. Unionists will point out that it does not contain the exact phrase “the war is over, which is something that they have long sought, and it does not say explicitly that the IRA itself is disbanding, which is something they have long demanded. The more important questions go beyond the critique of Northern Ireland’s unionists. Can the IRA’s statement break the stalemate in Ulster and help to establish something resembling a normal government? The IRA is clearly trying to salvage the political fortunes of Sinn Fein, which have been badly tarnished by the IRA’s own continuing criminal activity. The second and bigger question is: what lessons does the IRA’s abandonment of terrorism – or “armed struggle” as it always preferred to call it – hold for the task of combating and defeating today’s more virulent forms of terrorism? Talking to the IRA was justified and effective because they were fighting for something that many in Northern Ireland believed was a legitimate goal – Irish unity.

The Economist – July 30, 2005.

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Kadirgamar assassinated

Colombo – Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was shot dead by some unidentified gunman on Friday night. No arrest could be made immediately, but involvement of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is suspected. Inspector General of Police blamed it on the LTTE.

V.S. Sambadan
The Hindu – August 13, 2005.

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Militants kill 5 Hindus in Jammu village

Jammu – August 13, 2005 – Militants killed five Hindus and injured nine others in Udhampur district on Friday night. The victims were attacked when they were sleeping in Shajroo village. DIG Udham range said had the VDC members not retaliated, the toll would have been higher as at the time of the attack there were 40 people in the house.

Express News Service
The Sunday Express – August 14, 2005.

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Bangla blast kills 1

Dhaka – August 13, 2005 – One person was killed and around 50 injured when a series of bombs exploded at a Muslim shrine in the eastern Bangladeshi town of Akhaura, the police said. He said there were as many as 50,000 devotees celebrating Urs or the annual pilgrimage to the shrine of the Muslim saint when the Blasts occurred.

A.F.P.
The Asian Age – August 14, 2005

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UK now fears fuel truck bombs

London – August 14, 2005 – There was an intelligence warning that Al Qaeda terrorists were planning to drive hijacked fuel tankers into petrol stations in an attempt to cause mass casualties. Scotland Yard and M15 have long feared that Al Qaeda would try vehicle attacks on key targets in the capital. The warning from the US intelligence circulated to law enforcement agencies further elaborates that the type of vehicle may be anything from gasoline tanker trucks to trucks hauling oxygen and gas cylinders. Guidelines have been circulated to prevent tankers from being hijacked and used as weapons.

Vijay Dutt
Hindustan Times – August 15, 2005.

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Nepal Maoists on Bangla soil, seek out N-E militants

Agartala – August 14, 2005 - Nepal Maoists have infiltrated into Bangladesh and are in touch with Indian militant groups holed up there, intelligence sources said. The Bangladesh government has asked its home ministry to prepare a report on it. Reports indicated the Maoists could seek logistic support and guerrilla warfare training from northeast rebel groups like the ULFA, which has for long been in contact with the Nepal rebels. Besides, the Maoists get their arms supply through the Myanmar-Teknaf route, which is a hub of international gunrunners.

Syed Sajjad Ali
Hindustan Times – August 15, 2005.

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Six US soldiers killed

Baghdad – Six US soldiers died in roadside bombings and a shooting, the military said on Sunday, as lawmakers rushed to persuade Sunni Arabs to accept federalism provisions in the draft Constitution that is due on Monday. One soldier on patrol was killed and three others wounded in a blat east of Rutbah, 400 km west of Baghdad on Sunday, the military said.

A.P.
The Hindu – August 15, 2005.

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400 blasts in 30 minutes – Crude bombs rock Bangladesh, 2 die

Dhaka – August 17, 2005 – About 400 small bombs, suspected to have been planted by an Islamic militant outfit, rocked cities and towns across Bangladesh on Wednesday, killing two persons and injuring 138, in just 30 minutes. The bombs went off between 1100 A.M. and 11.30 A.M. in or around local courts as well as government offices. No organization claimed responsibility for the explosions, but the police suspect involvement of the outlawed Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen after leaflets under its name demanding Islamic law in the country were recovered from the blast sites. At least 46 suspects were arrested, sources said.

Agencies
Hindustan Times – August 18, 2005.

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CRPF jawan dies in blast

Srinagar - One CRPF jawan was killed and five personnel injured in a car blast in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Wednesday. Three civilians were also injured and four houses were damaged. The Hizbul Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the blast.

HTC
Hindustan Times – August 18, 2005.

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Car bombs kill 43 in Baghdad

Three car bombs exploded in quick succession at a busy bus station in the Iraqi capital and a nearby hospital on Wednesday morning, killing at least 43 people. 11 other people were killed as rebels left a trail of blood across the country. State-owned Iraqi television later said four men suspected of carrying out the bombings were arrested by transport ministry guards.

AFP Baghdad
Hindustan Times – August 18, 2005.

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3 car blasts rip through heart of Iraq, 54 dead

Baghdad – At least fifty-four people have been killed in Iraq, most by a triple car bombing that struck in succession in the center of the Iraqi capital, killing 43 people, and injuring 73 others. A series of insurgent attacks also killed 11 Iraqis on Wednesday, including six soldiers assigned to protect oil pipelines, security officials said. An interior ministry official said two cars exploded 10 minutes apart in the Al-Nahda bus station and a third blew up later near Al-Kindi hospital located nearby. Two civilian cars and some police vehicles were burnt-out by the blast. In Northern Iraq, six Iraqi soldiers were killed as masked gunmen ambushed their patrol vehicle and opened fire, police said. In a separate incident, one civilian was killed and two injured when a crude bomb exploded in the capital’s neighbourhood, an interior ministry source said.

AP
The Times of India – August 18, 2005.

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AQ, Osama plotted American Hiroshima

Washington – Pakistani nuclear scientists led by A.Q. Khan, have armed Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda with nuclear weapons in their efforts to bring about an ‘American Hiroshima’, according to a sensational new book. The plan calls for the detonation of seven tactical nuclear devices in seven US cities at the same time. At least one of these weapons has been shipped to the US from Karachi in a cargo container, says Paul Williams, author of the book “Osama’s Revenge”. News about Khan’s involvement with al-Qaeda and the American Hiroshima plan first emerged with the capture of several al-Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan in October 2001, during the first phase of Operation Enduring Freedom, and, later, with the arrest of Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, in Laden’s military operations chief, in Karachi, according to Williams. From him, CIA officials uncovered details of al-Qaeda’s plan to create a series of “nuclear hell storms” throughout the US.

Chidanand Rajghatta/TNN
The Times of India – August 19, 2005.

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Missiles fired at US ships, miss target – Two American Warships Attacked At Jordan Port

Amman – Rockets were fired at two US warships in Jordan’s Red Sea Aqaba port on Friday, but missed their targets and killed a Jordanian soldier on land. A group claiming links to al-Qaeda, the Kabdullah al-Azzam Brigades of the al-Qaeda organization in the Levant and Egypt, said in a statement it had carried out the attack. The statement could not be authenticated.

Reuters
The Times of India – August 20, 2005.

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Russians too maintain Qaida’s N-arsenal

Washington – Al-Qaeda is paying nuclear scientists from Russia and Pakistan to maintain its existing nuclear arsenal and assemble additional weapons, claims a forthcoming book by a former FBI consultant. Quoting documents purportedly seized in Afghanistan, Paul Williams, the author of the book “The Qaeda connection: International Terrorism, Organised Crime and the Coming Apocalypse”, said the terror group also plans to assemble its own nuclear weapons with fissile material it purchased on the black market over a period of ten years. He contends the al-Qaeda has already planted in the US nuclear weapons it obtained from the Soviet Union. He added there was evidence to suggest that al-Qaeda was paying former Russian special forces Spetznaz to assist them in locating nuclear weapons formerly concealed inside the US by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Sunday Times of India – August 21, 2005.

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4 US soldiers killed

Four US soldiers were killed and three others injured in a bomb attack in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, the US military said. The unit was conducting offensive operations in support of an ongoing mission to find and defeat enemy forces in the area when the attack occurred, it added.

AFP
Hindustan Times – August 22, 2005.

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Maoists kill four cops

Maoist rebels blew up a police vehicle in west Nepal on Monday killing four policemen and wounding three,a police officer said. “It was a big mine. The blast has causded a huge crater on the ground and the vehicle has broken into pieces,” the officer said.

Reuters
Hindustan Times – August 23, 2005.

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Bangla terror group vows more strikes

Dhaka – August 23, 2005 – A banned Islamic militant group blamed for hundreds of bomb blasts last week across Bangladesh has threatened to strike again unless the government introduces Islamic rule in the impoverished country. The group said in a statement on the website jihadunsprun.com, if Dhaka authorities failed to establish Islamic law or tried to arrest any member of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, “we will take direct action. Everybody is the enemy of Islam who wants to launch democracy as an international form. Therefore, we invite the ruling party and also the opposition to initiate the rule of Islam within a short time in Bangladesh.”

(Agencies)
Hindustan Times – August 24, 2005.

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Taliban recruiting teenage boys for Afghan polls: US

Sharan Base (Afghanistan) – Taliban rebels are employing Islamic boarding school of students in a desperate drive to recruit fighters, including teenage boys, before next month’s legislative elections, the US military’s operational commander in Afghanistan said.

A.P.
The Times of India – August 25, 2005.

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Al Qaeda may move to Africa

A senior US military officer has predicted that Al Qaeda fighters in Iraq will move to the “vast ungoverned spaces” of the Horn of Africa once conditions in the country get too tough for them. Gen. Douglas Lute, director of operations of the US central command, predicted Zarqawi would take the “path of least resistance” and leave for such countries as Sudan, Ethopia and Somalia. But before that, he suggested, Zarqawi would make a show of force in the run-up to the Iraqi constitutional referendum and subsequent elections.

Guardian News Agency
Hindustan Times – August 26, 2005.

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Al-Qaeda “threat” to Vatican

Madrid/Rome – The Italian authorities are investigating a 3-page fax written in Arabic, allegedly signed by Al-Qaeda, which makes veiled threats against the Vatican. The fax accuses the Vatican of supporting “the capitalist countries” who joined the war in Iraq and justifies terror attacks in Britain and Spain as self defence against terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan.” The Interior Ministry in Rome confirmed that it had been informed of the contents of the fax. Italy maintains the third-largest contingent of US-led troops in Iraq. The fax criticizes the Vatican for its alleged support of the invasion of Iraq.

-Guardian Newspapers Limited
The Hindu – August 26, 2005.

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Rebels attack Iraqi prez’s cars, 8 dead

Kirkuk – Gunmen on Thursday attacked cars owned by Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, killing eight of his bodyguards and wounding 15, the police said. The 15-vehicle convoy came under insurgent fire south of Tuz Khormato. Eight of the guards were killed and 15 wounded.

(AP)
The Indian Express – August 26, 2005.

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Al Qaeda targets Asia economy

London – August 26, 2005 – Al Qaeda is preparing an attack on a big financial center in Asia, such as, Tokyo, Singapore or Sydney, to undermine investor confidence in the region, said top terrorist investigator of France in an interview with the Financial Times on Friday. Despite the threat, he added, “we are somewhat neglecting the capacity or desire of the Al-Qaeda organization to destabilize” the region. Al Qaeda has repeatedly threatened Japan, a close US ally, that stations 600 troops in Iraq and hosts the largest US military base in Asia. Nicknamed “Le Sheriff,” Bruguire warned of the danger of terrorists hijacking aircraft well before the September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001, after foiling a 1994 attempt by Algerian radicals to crash an Air France jet into the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

AFP
Hindustan Times – August 27, 2005.

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Zarqawi plans to hit Europe: Time

Washington – August 28, 2005 – Iraq’s most wanted Al Quada militant, Jordanian Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, who has claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks, is overseeing preparations for a major attack in Europe, Times magazine said on Sunday. Times said Zarqawi has spoken of sleeper cells in Turkey and Iran “in communications with another Al Qaeda leader.” The reports imply that these cells may be in contact with European jihadist groups that previously had no links to Al Qaeda, Time said. “The fear is we will see these disparate, relatively inexperienced groups around Europe hook up with Afghan-trained terror cells, all under the influence of Zarqawi,” independent French terrorism expert Ronald Jacquard told Time. Zarqawi has written to Al Libbi about setting up camps in Jordan, Turkey, Syria or Lebanon, European officials say. He hopes the camp would provide instruction in European languages to facilitate jihadi attacks in Iraq and Europe, the Time said.

AFP
Hindustan Times – August 29, 2005.

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Explosion derails Russian train

Makhachkala (Russia) – A bomb exploded under a passenger train in the violence-plagued Russian region of Dagestan, derailing the locomotive and two cars but causing no injuries, officials said on Sunday. The interior Ministry said 500 passengers were on the train, which was en route from the Dagestani capital Makhachkala to the city of Astrakhan.

AP
The Hindu – August 29, 2005.

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30 injured as blast hits ferry in Philippines, Qaeda suspected

Manila – A bomb stashed in a pack of clothes exploded on a ferry in the southern Philippines as it was loading passengers on Sunday, injuring at least 30 people, military officials said. Army Brig. Gen. Raymundo Ferrere said a firebomb hidden in a cardboard box filled with old clothes apparently exploded in the ferry’s canteen on the lower deck.

AP
The Times of India – August 29, 2005.

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Maoists abduct 202, torch bus

Kathmandu – Maoist rebels in Nepal have torched a bus and abducted 202 people from various places in the past few days, the army said on Sunday. “The terrorists stopped a passenger bus and torched it at Sishubari in Udayapur district on Sunday”, a statement said.

AP
The Times of India – August 29, 2005.

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Two Pakistani soldiers killed in bomb blast

Two Pakistani soldiers have been killed in a bomb blast in the tribal region of North Waziristan, near the Afghan border, a military spokesman said today. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, said an army spokesman.

The Times of India – August 29, 2005.

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Suicide attack hurts two guards in Israel

A suicide bomber blew himself up outside the central bus station in the southern Israeli city during morning rush hour on Sunday, critically injuring two security guards in the first attack since Israel began its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip this month.

The Times of India – August 29, 2005.

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Tamil daily bombed in Colombo

Colombo – August 29, 2005 – Men driving motorbikes threw bombs into the compound of the Tamil daily Sudar Oli in Colombo on Monday, injuring three people. Nine days ago, a bomb was thrown into the compound of the daily’s Advertising office in Wellawatte, in south Colombo, but no one was injured. Staff of Sudar Oli said that the attacks were instigated by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), whose leader had been accusing the daily of being a mouthpiece of he LTTE.

P.K. Balachandran
Hindustan Times – August 30, 2005.

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Arrest: A sign of Al Qaeda presence in Balkans

Belgrade – August 29, 2005 – The arrest in Serbia of a top terrorist fugitive, Abdelmajd Bouchat, 22-year-old Moroccan, has raised fresh concerns of an Al Qaeda presence in the volatile Balkans, where thousands of US and other international troops are stationed as peace-keepers. The arrest revived concerns that the Balkans could serve as a haven for Al Qaeda-linked terrorist groups. Zorsan Dragisic, a terrorism expert from Belgrade’s Faculty of Defence, said, “The Balkans is the springboard for Europe-bound terrorism.”

AP
Hindustan Times – August030, 2005.

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Food for Thought

Do not fear a stain that disappears with water.

- Proverb


Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.

- Goethe


I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying.

- Woody Allen

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HomeNewsletterIISSM NewsSecurity File
Volume No. 4,   Issue No. 4,   September 2005

   
 

Theft in Navy war room sparks probe

New Delhi – Some classified information stored in a computer in Navy’s war room of South Block, Government of India, is learnt to have been stolen earlier this month. A four-member team has been set up to find out how the data was stolen from the computer.

Times News Network
The Times of India – August 1, 2005.

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Spycams in forests

Kolkata - The police have struck a new idea to catch Maoists from the forests. Spycams will be installed at vantage points in West Bengal’s forests to keep track of the guerrillas, officials here said. State home department sources said that apart from the forest areas of Bankura, Purulia and the Maoist citadel of Belpahari in West Midnapore, spycams will be installed in some areas in Kolkata and the adjoining north and South 24 Parganas too.

IANS
Hindustan Times – August 3, 2005.

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ULFA triggers more blasts in Assam, four killed

Guwahati – Suspected ULFA separatists exploded bombs near a major gas pipeline, but failed blow up an arterial link that carries crude supply to refineries in the region. On Monday, a major disaster was averted at Jorhat town when police spotted a bomb tucked on the edge of a drain near a school, which was defused. On Saturday night ULFA activists blew up a pipeline near Dissang river. Another blast on Sunday killed four people at Bokaro.

Times News Network
The Times of India – August 9, 2005.

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ULFA steps up Assam violence – Blows Up Major Gas Grid

Guwahati – ULFA militants blew up a major gas grid in Sibsagar district, hitting the gas supply to more than 1000 tea gardens. One person was killed when militants fired at a convoy of trucks carrying food items in Karbi Anglong district. In the last 24 hours, ULFA militants blew up a bridge connecting upper Assam to Arunachal Pradesh and power house transformers in Guwahati. On Tuesday the militants struck in Tinsukia blowing up a steel bridge on Namsai-Bordumsa to Arunachal Pradesh.

Times News Network
The Times of India – August 10, 2005.

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Maoists kill Chhattisgarh leader’s kin

Raipur – Maoists killed two relatives of Opposition leader Mahendra Karma at Faraspal village. Sources said a group of 150 armed rebels struck at Karma’s ancestral home. While Sukhram was killed on the spot, Mandavi was hacked to death later, and his body thrown in a nearby farm.

Law Kumar Mishra/TNN
The Times of India – August 10, 2005.

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Naxalites and tribals strike again, two dead

Bhopal/Raipur – Naxalites, accompanied by over 1000 tribals, struck at the Faraspal village in Dantewada district of Chhatisgarh early on Tuesday morning, and killed Sukku Kama, cousin of Leader of the Opposition Mahendra Karma. They also killed Karma’s brother in law Sukhpal Bhawani.

The Asian Age – August 11, 2005.

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Another ULFA blast in Assam, rail links hit

Guwahati – Railway links between North-East and the rest of he country were partially disrupted on Wednesday when suspected ULFA militants triggered a blast between Kaithalkuchi and Tihu Stations in lower Assam. No one was injured in the incident. The damaged track was repaired immediately. Meanwhile in another incident, militants made an abortive attempt to blow off the 801 Guwahati Lumding passenger train by planting some IEDs near the railway tracks, which were detected in time.

Times News Network
The Times of India – August 11, 2005.

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Maoists kill AP MLA, 8 others

Hyderabad – August 15, 2005 – On Monday, Maoist guerrillas, armed with AK-47 rifles, gunned down senior party legislator C. Narsi Reddy, his son and seven others when they were attending an Independence Day function at Narayanpet in Mahbubnagar district.

Ashok Das
Hindustan Times – August 16, 2005.

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Andhra reimposes ban on Naxals

Hyderabad – August 17, 2005 – Despite strong opposition from its ally Telangana Rastra Samithi (TRS) and a section of its own leaders, the Congress Government in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday reimposed the ban on Naxals for a year, because of killing of senior party legislator C. Narsi Reddy, his son and seven others. The order was issued under the Andhra Pradesh Public Security Act 1992, outlawing the CPI Maoist and its frontal organizations, after getting consent of the Union Home Minister from Delhi.

Ashok Das
Hindustan Times – August 18, 2005.

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Business-savvy Ulfa outsources terror

Guwahati – August 17, 2005 – The outlawed Ulfa is increasingly outsourcing its subversive operations to strike terror without putting its cadres’ lives at risk or exposing its dwindling firepower. The Ulfa has been reportedly hiring agents, who charge Rs.5,000 to Rs.10,000, to trigger IED blasts, lob grenades or even gundown certain people. They can also result in “overkill” like Boko that killed four persons instead of just “scaring the authorities”. Terror outsourcing has understandably made things tougher for the security forces.

Rahul Karmakar
Hindustan Times – August 18, 2005.

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Government mulls internal security centre

New Delhi – The Union Home Ministry is considering a proposal from IIT-Kanpur to set up an “Internal Security Centre (ISC) in the country on the pattern of US Department of Homeland Security to protect India from terror attacks. The ISC will work as a coordination centre for all security and law enforcing agencies in the country. Besides maintaining a databank of every individual and activities like profession, place of residence, records of foreign visits etc. It will also act as a central body to tackle internal security issues particularly those requiring “scientific, technical and analytical” experience. The brain behind the proposal, Phalguni Gupta said: “The proposal is aimed to act as a deterrent and give security agencies an edge in the fihgt against terror”.

Vishwa Moihan/TNN
The Times of India

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Naxalites ‘ban’ Cong

Hyderabad – Augsut 22, 2005 – The outlawed CPI (Moists) announced that it was banning the Congress and said Chief Minister Dr. Y.S. Rajashekar Reddy had invited this situation with his dictatorial attitude. “The Congress leadership has to take responsibility for other consequences that would follow. If the government’s dictatorial regime is not reined in, the entire Congress leadership would be held responsible,” the rebels said in a statement.

S.N.S.
The Statesman – August 23, 2005.

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1 killed in ULFA attack

Guwahati – One person was killed and 13, including a police officer, were injured in a grenade attack by suspected ULFA militants at Chang-Chari near here on Saturday-night. The extremists came in a car and hurled two grenades at a police party checking vehicles.

PTI
The Hindu – August 28, 2005.

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A thicker blue line: Private Security in Danger, UK

Since explosion of bombs in London on July 7, 2005, armed officers loiter in front of public buildings and brightly-clad police community support officers (PCSOs) patrol station concourses. Even before the attacks, the police admitted that they wanted to dominate the security business. Until recently, the police believed that private security companies were a necessary, perhaps even a welcome presence on Britain’s streets. There was much talk of an “extended police family” consisting of coppers, guards and local government workers. That metaphor is still used; but the police have taken on the role of stern father. In March, 2005, there were 141,000 police officers at the last count and 6200 PCSOS. Unlike police officers, PCSOS can easily be sold to local authorities, housing associations and shopping malls, doing their bidding while remaining under the nominal control of the police. “PCSOs have skewed the market,” says Richard Childs, a former chief constable who is now a security consultant. Another unfair aid to the police is that the competition is about to become a lot more expensive. Government regulations mean that, beginning next March, security guards will have to undergo four days’ training and pass a criminal-record and background check. That will be expensive for employers and difficult for the immigrant workers on whom the industry relies. The result will be the immediate departure of around one in ten guards and a wage hike of 12-15%. Hazel Blears, a home office minister, does not want to see private security companies wiped out, although she is keen to see them kept in their place.

The Economist – August 20, 2005.

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Food for Thought

Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.

- Ann Landers


He who angers you conquers you.

- Elizabeth Kenny


You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.

- Naguib Mahfouz

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HomeNewsletterIISSM NewsCyber Crime
Volume No. 4,   Issue No. 4,   September 2005

   
 

Keep Thieves Out of Your Bank Account
MSN Money (08/24/05) ; Weston, Liz Pulliam

An estimated 2 million people were victims of checking account theft last year, with online thieves being responsible for most of those thefts, according to Gartner. In its study, Gartner also found that checking account theft is the fastest growing financial fraud affecting consumers, and is now second only to credit card theft, which affected 6 million people in the last 12 months. Banks share some of the blame for exposing customers to fraud, as they do not use the same kind of fraud detection technology on checking accounts that they use on credit card transactions to identify suspicious purchases, says Gartner's Avivah Litan. However, there are also many steps that consumers can take to protect themselves from checking account fraud. For instance, consumers should never use a public computer or wireless "hot spot" to conduct financial transactions. Consumers should not use the same user ID and passwords at different financial institutions, and should not use security questions with answers that are relatively easy to learn, such as mother's maiden name. In addition, consumers should review payment histories and payee lists on their bill payment services to make sure that there are not any unauthorized transactions. Finally, consumers should install software on their computers that block pop-ups, as they can sometimes be used to install a hacker's software.

Security Management Daily – August 30, 2005.

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Chinese cyber spies under FBI scanner

Washington – The FBI and the Pentagon are investigating whether Chinese spies have been hacking into US government computer systems, according to a report on CNN website. Officials are trying to determine whether the continuing hacking efforts are sponsored by Beijing or merely involve hackers using Chinese websites to mask their origins, they said. In recent years, units in the FBI Cyber-crime Division have seen hundreds of cases in which hackers using Chinese websites have compromised unclassified official US networks.

TNN
The Times of India – August 27, 2005.

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Food For Thought

Most people are so busy knocking themselves out trying to do everything they think they should do, they never get around to do what they want to do.

- Kathleen Winsor


Don't be too bold, or you will burn your eyes; but don't be too slow, or you will lose your share.

- Proverb


Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handling it on to future generations.

- George Bernard Shaw

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HomeNewsletterIISSM NewsCrime File
Volume No. 4,   Issue No. 4,  September 2005

   
 

Northeast hit by biopirates

New Delhi – August 24, 2005 - In one of the two cases of herbal theft reported in the recent past, seeds were smuggled out and recently sold as original Himalayan herbs, and the other case was aborted. Two Japanese scientists, who had collected over three tonnes of rare herbs and plants, mostly used in Japan as medicines, from north Sikkim reserve forests “as part of a study”, were caught late last year. The duo was set to take the treasure home when the Environment Ministry got whiff of it and asked the Sikkim Forest Department to seize them. However, the government was not able to stop another scientist from the Czech Republic from smuggling out seeds late last year from west Sikkim and Arunachal. It became known only when the herbs were demonstrated at different seminars in Europe, and were displayed as new disease resistant plants of Sino-Himalayan origin.

Chetan Chauhan
Hindusan Times – Augus 25, 2005.

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Bihar kidnaping industry sets shop in MP

Bhopal – August 25, 2005 – The kidnapping industry has now set base in Madhya Pradesh. 518 cases were registered in the first six months of 2005. Ransom worth crores is exchanging hands. Two boys from Indore were kidnapped. The kidnappers demanded Rs.5.5 crore, and the police are yet to locate the boys. The modus operandi of kidnappers is: local criminals send information about their potential targets to gangs outside the state. Once they get the go ahead, the “target” is kidnapped and packed off to another state. Two arrested gangsters from Lucknow admitted they had kidnapped a boy from Chhindwara and handed him over to a gang in Terai. The police are still trying to track down the kidnappers and rescue the boys.

Shams Ur Rehman Alavi
Hindustan Times – August 26, 2005.

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Food For Thought

The superior man is modest in his speech but exceeds in his actions.

- Confucius


I only know that I know nothing.

- Socrates


Organisation is power and the secret of that is obedience.

- Swami Vivekananda

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HomeNewsletterIISSM NewsScience & Technology
Volume No. 4,   Issue No. 4,   September 2005

   
 

Security system that can raise alarm and knock intruders out

Chennai-based entrepreneur Mr. Uma Magesh has invented a device that ensures that people don’t need to spend sleepless nights anymore. The device has been priced at Rs.9,800 and received its patent in November 2001. It can be programmed to any telephone number that its owner wants. The invention called the Detective System relates to the GSM or CDMA-based wireless security system that has advanced features which most other security systems do not. This Detective System gives immediate information on to your mobile phone, if an intruder enters the house or even a warehouse. “The system is fixed with an infrared scanner and a mobile phone transmitter, which scans the room regularly. When anybody crosses the scanner, it will immediately dial the telephone number of the person that the system has been set to.”

N. Arun Kumar
The Asian Age – August 1, 2005.

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India’s largest police mobile network launched in U.P. – includes 2800 police officials

Lucknow – The Uttar Pradesh police, the biggest police force in the country, today launched its exclusive Close User Group (CUG) mobile phone network. As a part of the network, and first of its kind in the country, the UP police has obtained around 3000 SIM cards of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited(BSNL). The police which has so far depended on wireless sets and landline phones, used to face a problem of communication at many crucial junctures, which resulted in failure of many operation.

UN
The Hindu – August 2, 2005.

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Architectural Approach to Security on the Rise - Network World Newsletter (07/27/05) ; Crawford, Scott

Because of the wide variety of security technologies and tools, organizations are hard-pressed to keep up or maintain their security policies. As a result, organizations are increasingly turning to integrated application architectures, a security strategy that involves diverse applications working for a common goal, to create both effective and easy-to-manage security systems. A source of centralized intelligence related to security, the architecture brings together widespread applications into a coherent whole. The architectural approach usually has a risk intelligence center that integrates and interfaces with such functions as patch and software management and enterprise authentication services. This management model of centralized intelligence with distributed control does not make application security enforcement points disappear, but rather it makes it possible to leverage various network components when necessary to strengthen security while distributing risk management beyond one enforcement point.

Security Management Daily – August 2, 2005.

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Taking technology to the boot

Washington – August 11, 2005 – The US Homeland Security Department is asking companies to develop new machines that will examine shoes of air travelers without taking them off. Agency officials hope to begin testing a new version of the backscatter X-ray machines that will outline the human form while screening for weapons.

Press Trust of India
The Statesman World Focus - – August 12, 2005.

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Electric bullet is latest weapon in police hands

London – Quick-footed criminals hoping to avoid the deliberating shock of police stun gun, could soon be facing a more exacting foe – the electric bullet. Stun guns fire small spears joined to the hand piece with wires. The spears discharge an electric shock and incapacitate the target, but such weapons have a limited range of up to about 10 meters. The US department of homeland security is seeking alternatives with broader uses like light lasers or guns firing electric bullets to combat all manner of felon. “People encountered can range from aggressors who are hardened criminals to mentally disturbed teenagers, from protesting crowds that include children and elderly, to street gangs,” the homeland security department said on its website.

Reuters
The Times of India – August 13, 2005.

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Robot home guard – who Needs Dogs?

Japan has devised a robot house-sitter for those who feel worried about leaving their house empty while on holiday. Roborior is a watermelon-sized eyeball on wheels which glows purple, blue and orange and is armed with a digital camera and a videophone. When not on duty, Roborior can function as interior décor. But in its owner’s absence, it is a virtual guard dog – detecting break-ins, using infrared sensors, calling its master or mistress on their cellular phone, and sending cell phone videos from its digital camera. The robots cost Pounds 1400/- each.

GNS
Sunday Hindustan Times – August 21, 2005

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Software to link all police stations

New Delhi – August 23, 2005 – According to MHA officials, the software – the Common Integrated Police Application (CIPA) –, which is being developed, will link 11502 police stations across the country, and will link these with the MHA and also to the state police headquarters. It will ensure faster exchange of information and help create a valuable database on militants, underworld operatives and inter-state criminals. Police stations will be required to furnish a daily report on cases of heinous crime that come under their jurisdiction. This data will then be compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on a daily basis to assess which parts of the country are facing deterioration in law and order. As of now, the NCRB conducts this exercise annually, providing states ample opportunity to manipulate their statistics. “Only relevant information regarding criminal activities will be shared among the states and only the MHA will have access to the crime figures of all the states,” an official said.

(Rajnish Sharma)
Hindustan Times – August 24, 2005.

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Altering biometric images enhances security

Boston – A trick reminiscent of fun-house mirror might improve the security and privacy of the access-control technology that examines fingerprints, facial features or other personal characteristics. In such systems, known as biometrics, a computer generally reduces an image to a template of “minutia points” – notable features, such as, a loop in a fingerprint or the position of an eye. Those points are converted to a numeric string by a mathematical algorithm, then stored for later analysis. But those mathematical templates, if stolen, can be dangerous. Researchers have developed ways to alter images in a defined, repeatable way, so that hackers who managed to crack a biometric database would be able to steal only the distortion – not the true, original face or fingerprint. IBM’s solution is to make biometric readers distort the image before it is scanned, then a template of distorted image would be stored.

AP
The Hindu – August 28, 2005.

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Robot help at home – It can speak

A child-shaped humanaid robot will go on sale in Japan. The “Wakamaru” robot can recognizes the faces of up to 10 people and talk to them. When linked to mobile phones, it can work as a monitor to check situations at home, such as a burglary or someone falling ill. Mitsubishi-Heavy Industries Ltd. says it would be the first time a robot with communication ability for home use has been sold. “This is the opening of an era in which human beings and robots can co-exist,” the company says.

Hindustan Times – August 30, 2005.

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Food for Thought

Superior leaders are catalysts, and though things would not get done as well if they were not there, when they succeed they take no credit. And, because they take no credit, credit never leaves them.

- Lao Tzu


The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery. There comes a leap in consciousness, call it intuition or what you will, and the solution comes to you and you don’t know how or why.

- Albert Einstein


Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.

- Carl Jung

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HomeNewsletterIISSM NewsGeneral Information
Volume No. 4,   Issue No. 4,   September 2005