SubscribeSweden and Norway hold suspects after terror raids
February 28, 2008
“Swedish and Norwegian security services detained six people on Thursday on suspicion of offences related to terrorism.” (Reuters)
Predicting terrorist activity
February 28, 2008
“Researchers at the University of Maryland’s Institute for Advanced Computer Studies announced this week that they have launched an online portal that will let analysts query rules on the behavior of terrorist organizations and forecast their future behavior.” (Government Computer News)
TB emergency
February 28, 2008
“Drug-resistant forms of the disease are widespread, and time and money to fight it are short.” (LA Times)
Terrorism: Action Needed to Protect Research Nuclear Reactors
February 28, 2008
“There are 37 research reactors in the United States, mostly located on college campuses. Of these, 33 reactors are licensed and regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Four are operated by the Department of Energy and are located at three national laboratories. Although less powerful than commercial nuclear power reactors, research reactors may still be attractive targets for terrorists.” (Canada Free Press)
Cyber-Security: Ignore At Your Peril
February 28, 2008
“In the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, al-Qaida accomplished three goals: It caused a massive loss of life, it destroyed an icon of American prosperity and it wreaked havoc on Wall Street and the U.S. economy. Economic destruction continues to be a goal of terrorists and other bad actors, and cyber attacks are an increasingly popular and effective weapon.” (Forbes)
New Way to Test Nuclear Detectors Urged
February 28, 2008
“The government needs to develop a better way to evaluate the effectiveness of technology to detect nuclear and radiological material at U.S. ports, according to a report commissioned by the Homeland Security Department.
Congress and its investigative arm, the Government Accountability Office, have been skeptical about the department’s testing of such systems. As a result, the department called for an independent audit into its testing.” (AP)
U.S. border “virtual fence” to be delayed
February 28, 2008
“Technical problems have forced the Bush administration to retool a high-tech “virtual fence” along the U.S.-Mexico border and will delay the first phase for at least three years, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.” (Reuters)
Chertoff looks back on homeland-security efforts
February 28, 2008
“The upcoming fifth anniversary of the Homeland Security Department prompted Secretary Michael Chertoff 
to meet with reporters Wednesday to assess progress in getting his sprawling department to function in an effective and unified way.
The department was founded in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It includes a slew of disparate agencies – from the Coast Guard to Customs and Border Protection to the Secret Service. With 208,000 employees and a budget approaching $50 billion, the massive department formally began operation on March 1, 2003.” (Christian Science Monitor)
Attacks against border agents on record pace
February 27, 2008
“Violence against government agents working along the U.S.-Mexican border is escalating in response to government efforts to crack down on illegal drug and human smuggling rings, Homeland Security officials say.
Since 2004, the number of assaults has more than doubled, from 384 that year to 987 in fiscal 2007. And this fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, is set to significantly outpace the last one: 409 to 275.” (USA Today)
The Privacy vs. Security Conundrum
February 27, 2008
“The delicate balancing act of maintaining national security while preserving civil liberties seems to get more complicated with each new generation of information technology. The House-Senate stalemate over extending a warrantless wiretapping law marks the latest case in point. President Bush says his ability to prevent terrorist attacks hhas been jeopardized by the infighting.” (Council on Foreign Relations)