Hamas has said one of its priorities in Gaza is to establish security after months of lawlessness and feuding. It is a goal Hamas regards as important to maintain its credibility among Gazans after so much fighting and one of the first Hamas actions since the takeover was to crack down on some of the powerful, armed clans which make their money smuggling weapons and other contraband.
– The Guardian
The threat of terrorists attacking Britain with a radioactive “dirty bomb” has grown rapidly in recent months, a leading defence expert has warned.
Prof Sandra Bell spoke out following the sentencing last week of seven al-Qaeda “foot soldiers” who had plotted dirty bomb attacks in Britain and the United States.
Prof Bell, the director of homeland security at the Royal United Services Institute, said: “The threat from dirty bombs is now higher than it was two years ago, and has increased significantly over the last six months.
– The Telegraph
A giant electronic database containing sensitive information on all 11 million children in England will be open to at least 330,000 users when it launches next year, according to government guidance.
A final consultation on the plan reveals that the index, intended to help children’s services work together more effectively following the death of Victoria Climbie, will be accessible through any computer linked to the internet, whether at work or at home, providing users have the correct two-part security authentication.
– The Guardian
The Ministry of Defence has for a year ignored a GB pound 20 million deal to hire transport helicopters from a British firm which could have resolved the transportation shortage in Afghanistan.
The desperate lack of air transport, highlighted at the weekend by The Daily Telegraph, could have been resolved if ministers had agreed last year to an offer from Security Support Solutions Ltd to provide four Mi17 Hip helicopters and an Mi26 Halo transporter, capable of carrying 20 tons.
– The Telegraph
Female passengers are being subjected to “intrusive and embarrassing” security searches at British airports, according to Ann Moffat, the MP for East Lothian. The Labour MP claims that she has been forced to endure “over-the-top” body searches at Edinburgh and Heathrow, and that other women, including fellow MPs, had complained of overly intimate treatment by security officials.
– The Times