July 2008

Walesa fends off communist spy claims

Former Solidarity trade union leader Lech Walesa has angrily hit back at claims in a new book that he helped Poland's loathed secret police during the country's communist era. Mr Walesa blasted the allegations by two historians as "worthy of the dustbin".  Mr Walesa said the authors of The SB and Lech Walesa - Slawomir Cenckiewicz, 37, and Piotr Gontarczyk, 38 - were simply out to get him and called their 751-page book a badly produced "pamphlet"… The book looks back at Mr Walesa's pre-Solidarity days, alleging he "informed police several dozen times" about the activities of anti-communist shipyard workers in the 1970s.  It uses Sluzba Bezpieczenstwa (SB) secret police files which show that Mr Walesa had a code number, 14743, for encounters with its agents - which were inevitable for many Poles at the time……(AFP, 3 Jul 08)

Paper error confines Indian to Pakistan jail

Indian national Ram Prakash, who was released from Lahore’s (Pakistan) Kot Lakhpat Jail recently after a decade of incarceration for alleged espionage, could not return home on Tuesday despite being taken to the Wagah border for a handover.  The reason: Indian officials here failed to provide his travel documents. Prakash, 51, of Tawi district in Jammu and Kashmir, was convicted in 1998 after his arrest in Sialkot and sentenced to 10 years in jail by a special anti-terror court in Lahore. His prison term ended in May 2008…….(DNA, 2 Jul 08)

Iran will consider opening US interest section, direct flights

Iran may consider suggestion of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on opening US interest section in Tehran, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said. Iranian interest section is operating in Washington and Iran had put forward a proposal to resume direct flights between Tehran and New York for facilitating visit to Iran of the Iranian nationals living in the United States. "Contacts between Iranians and the American people will be a useful step for better understanding of the two nations," Iranian FM told reporters in New York. The foreign minister who is currently in New York to attend a meeting of Economic and Social Council of the United Nations on June 30-July 3 added that Iran advocates academic and sports exchanges between the two countries. "Iranian academics and students have invited their American counterparts to the country to share their research and scientific achievements." …….(IRNA, 2 Jul 08)

Iran open to US office, wants direct US flights

Iran said on Wednesday it was ready to consider a U.S. diplomatic presence in Tehran and called for direct flights between the two countries, nearly three decades after Washington severed ties with Iran. Speaking to reporters during a visit to the United Nations, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki also accused Washington of putting unfair restrictions on Iranian media representatives who want to work in the United States…….(Reuters, 2 Jul 08)

Finland closely affected by Swedish spy law

Sweden's controversial new legislation that will give the country's National Defence Radio Establishment the power to monitor telephone calls, faxes, emails and internet communications without having to go through the courts is to have a significant impact on Finland as the bulk of its telecommunications to third countries is routed through Sweden. Even some of Finland's internal communications are bounced to Sweden and back…..(Finland, 1 Jul 08)

Swedes outraged over new e-mail snooping law

Swedes may cherish openness and transparency, but not enough to accept a new law giving the government the right to snoop on all e-mails and phone calls crossing the country's borders. Outrage over the statute has led to 2 million protests _ filed by e-mail. The online petition drive comes as other European Union countries consider granting authorities unprecedented spying powers over their own citizens amid fears of a mounting terror threat…….(AP, 1 Jul 08)

Iran: Minister warns of increased spying activity by foreign groups

Activity by foreign secret services in Iran has increased considerably in the last few weeks, according to a top Iranian intelligence official. The director of the Intelligence Ministry's counter-intelligence department launched the alert after speaking to journalists following the sentencing to death of an Iranian man convicted of spying for Israel. The unnamed official said that security checks in what he called 'sensitive centres' have been reinforced throughout the country. The top official also invited citizens to "keep their eyes open" and to point out "any suspicious movement" in and near what he called "sensitive centres."….(AKI, 1 Jul 08)

Ex-Chilean intelligence chief gets 2 life sentences

A Chilean judge sentenced the country's former intelligence chief, retired Gen. Manuel Contreras, to two life prison terms Monday for masterminding a double assassination that was one of the most notorious covert operations conducted by this country's military government. The historic court decision, which can be appealed, holds Contreras responsible for the murders of Gen. Carlos Prats, the former army chief, and his wife in a 1974 bombing attack in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires….(McClatchy Newspapers, 1 Jul 08)

In Testimony, Former Spy Chief Says Peru's Fujimori Is Innocent

Former president Alberto Fujimori and his security chief, Vladimiro Montesinos, who together wielded unprecedented powers in Peru throughout the 1990s, faced one another in a Lima courtroom Monday, the first time the two had seen each other since fleeing the country nearly eight years ago. Montesinos, appearing in court to testify in Fujimori's trial on human rights abuses, denied that his former boss was tied to the death squads that operated with impunity at the height of Peru's war against insurgents……(Washington Post, 1 Jul 08)

S. Korean Paper Reveals Spy Scandal

The South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported yesterday that four South Korean intelligence agents working under diplomatic cover have been expelled from Moscow. They were gathering information on North Korea. According to the newspaper, the four returned to South Korea separately “between late last year and late June this year.” The cause of their expulsion is unknown… The author of the article, Chosun Ilbo Moscow bureau chief Kwon Kyeong-bok, said that the four were expelled in connection with a single incident, which took place late last year and concerned North Korean secrets. He said the agents began leaving Moscow after the Russian government made a request to Seoul. The two governments clearly wanted the incident to remain a secret, and the publication of the article is an unpleasant surprise for them. New president of South Korea Lee Myung-bak is to visit Russia soon……(Kommersant, 1 Jul 08)

Freed Indian prisoner falls short of crossing Pakistan border

Procedural hitches delayed the repatriation of an Indian man released from a prison in Pakistan's Punjab province on Tuesday, media reports said. Pakistani authorities freed Ram Prakash, who was convicted for espionage in 1998, from Kot Lakhpat jail in the provincial capital Lahore after he served 10 years in prison. Prakash was driven to the Wagah border crossing with India, but he could not be sent home as some of his "travel documents were missing,"… prison officials said documents in Prakash's case were given to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad for processing, but the mission did not turn up with them at Wagah on Tuesday……(DPA, 1 Jul 08)

June 2008

Russia Expels S. Korean Intelligence Officers

Four South Korean intelligence agents who had been gathering information on North Korea in Moscow have mysteriously been expelled by Russia, it emerged Sunday. South Korean and Russian government officials said some South Korean intelligence agents who had worked with diplomatic passports returned home between late last year and late June this year.  Two of them returned home suddenly just about a year after they took up their posts without fulfilling their three-year term. It was confirmed that all the expelled intelligence agents had worked in Moscow disguised as diplomats without identifying themselves to Russian authorities. However, they were not declared persona non grata by Russian authorities…….(Chosun, 30 Jun 08)

Intelligence freeze boost for Bali condemned

Civil libertarians have praised a parliamentary push for Australia to withhold information from foreign police forces that could lead to Australians facing the death penalty.  The change would have had consequences for the Bali Nine, three of whom remain on death row in Indonesia.  The Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Treaties has recommended a review by its counterpart committee on Intelligence and Security into "Australian policy and procedures concerning police-to-police cooperation and intelligence-sharing arrangements". ….(Canberra,  30 Jun 08)

Peru trial sensation: President versus spymaster

Six months into the murder trial of Alberto Fujimori, prosecutors have produced little hard evidence that the former Peruvian president approved of a death squad to eliminate rebel collaborators. But they're about to put a blockbuster witness on the stand in a trial that is riveting the nation. Vladimiro Montesinos, the de-facto head of Peru's intelligence service during Fujimori's decade in power, allegedly organized the Colina group, a squad of army killers who slaughtered 25 civilians during Peru's war against leftist rebels. He finally faces his former boss in court on Monday…..(AP, 29 Jun 08)

Labor MP pulled before chief whip for inviting 'Russian spy' to tea in the Commons

A senior MP has received a warning from Downing Street after MI5 discovered that he was holding meetings with a suspected Russian spy. Andrew MacKinlay, a Labor member of the powerful Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, was carpeted by Government Chief Whip Geoff Hoon after the intelligence services reported that he had tea with the agent at the House of Commons. The man, Alexander Polyakov, works as a counselor at the Russian Embassy in London but is thought to report back to the SVR - the infamous agency once known as the KGB…..(Daily Mail, 28 Jun 08)

Charkaoui case: CSIS must stop destroying evidence: ruling

…CSIS alleges that Charkaoui is an Al-Qa'ida sleeper agent.  Charkaoui has repeatedly denied this and any other suggestion that he is a terrorist.  In yesterday's decision, the top court concluded that CSIS violated Charkaoui's rights under the federal Charter of Rights and Freedoms when intelligence-service officers destroyed notes of interviews with him, as part of a long-established policy.  "To uphold the right to procedural fairness of people in Charkaoui's position, CSIS should be required to retain all the information in its possession and to disclose it," but not necessarily to individuals it suspects of terrorist ties, the justices declared…..(Montreal Gazette, 27 Jun 08)

Former spy chief wins damages

A former intelligence chief has won a defamation payout and an unreserved apology from a naval reserve captain over allegations that Australian lives had been endangered by his leadership of the secretive Defense Intelligence Organization… The defamation case was sparked by an article in the now defunct Bulletin magazine in2004…Mr Toohey, a barrister and naval reserve captain, had reviewed a grievance case brought by a former army intelligence expert, Lieutenant Colonel Lance Collins, who had alleged there was a "pro-Jakarta lobby in the DIO", that intelligence had been cut to Australian forces in East Timor and that he had been sidelined after raising his concerns……(Australian, 27 Jun 08)

Screwed Spies Sue Superiors

One unintended consequence of India and Pakistan establishing better relations in the last year, is a bunch of lawsuits by former Indian spies against the Indian government. The former spies are suing to obtain pay for the years they have spent in Pakistani jails. That's because both countries have freed hundreds of men who had been imprisoned for spying, but the agencies that hired these men, often will still not admit it……(Strategy Page, 27 Jun 08)

Spy testifies at Omagh bomb trial

The Omagh bomb civil case, now in its eleventh week, has heard statements from David Rupert, the American spy who infiltrated the world of Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt. According to Rupert, the Real IRA chief wanted to launch a new dissident offensive with a first strike that would overshadow the Omagh bombing. He was sentenced to a 20 year jail term in the Republic in 2003 for membership of an illegal organisation and directing terrorism. The prosecution was based on the testimony of FBI agent Rupert. Referring to the Omaghbomb, McKevitt allegedly described the Omagh atrocity as a joint RIRA-CIRA operation, with the Continuity responsible for 80 per cent of it……..(Ulster Herald, 27 Jun 08)

CSIS boss quietly rebuffed spy watchdog's call for apology to charity

The head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service secretly rejected a call from the spy agency's watchdog to apologize to an Ottawa-based charity for an "unsubstantiated statement" linking the organization to a terrorist group. CSIS has been publicly silent for more than a year about the Security Intelligence Review Committee recommendation to make amends to Human Concern International with an apology and retraction. However, a newly declassified letter shows CSIS director Jim Judd told Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day in late March 2007 that he had no intention of saying sorry…….(Canadian Press, 25 Jun 08)

Waihopai spy dish remains exposed

It remains unknown when the Waihopai Valley will again sport its famous pair of spy balls. Sickle-wielding peace activists deflated one of the balls, which are actually domes covering satellite tracking dishes at Waihopai Spy Base, on April 30. A woman living near the base said the dome remained uncovered. The base is run by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), which told The Marlborough Express the day after the attack the dome would be replaced at a cost of $1 million to the taxpayer, but it was not known when…….(Marlborough Express, 26 Jun 08)

Pakistan denies intelligence services backed Karzai attack

Pakistan on Thursday rejected "baseless" allegations by neighbouring Afghanistan that Islamabad's main spy service had masterminded an attempt to assassinate President Hamid Karzai. A spokesman for Afghan intelligence said Wednesday that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was the "real schemer and organiser" behind the failed April 27 attack on Karzai at an annual military parade……(AFP, 26 Jun 08)

Pakistani Intelligence Accused in Karzai Plot

An Afghan official on Wednesday accused Pakistan's premier spy agency of organizing a recent attempt to assassinate Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the most serious in a string of allegations against Pakistan. Karzai was unharmed when assailants fired guns and mortars toward the president, senior officials and foreign diplomats during a military parade in Kabul on April 27. Three Afghans were killed. A spokesman for Afghanistan's intelligence chief asserted Wednesday that there was proof of involvement by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, or ISI……(Washington Post, 26 Jun 08)

Tell tales, lose pension: Intelligence officials warned

Intelligence officers have been gagged under the new pension rules. According to the rule, officers risk losing their pension if they reveal anything on security issues even after their retirement. Vivek Garg is a book publisher but for one book he published last year, the government charged him with violating the Official Secrets Act. Major General Singh's book, India’s External Intelligence: Secrets of RAW that triggered this immediate move alleged that there was corruption and political interference in the intelligence agency. However, the book was accused of making public, the secret information. Meanwhile, to prevent the recurrence of publication of such books or views, the government has now put a blanket ban on officers in intelligence agencies from writing books and appearing as guest experts on television shows……..(CNN-IBN, 25 Jun 08)

A Surprise From Syria And Israel?

What's going on between Syria and Israel? Are the indirect peace negotiations through Turkish mediators that were announced last month for real? I've been talking with sources on all sides, and they present an upbeat view of a peace process that has taken many people (including top Bush administration officials) by surprise. As with any secret diplomatic initiative, this one is surrounded by mysteries and riddles. So I'll examine the Syria-Israel dialogue as a series of puzzles and offer my best guesses about what's happening..….(Washington Post, 25 Jun 08)

Court: Release List of Cold War Spy Suspects

In a surprise ruling, Helsinki Administrative Court decreed on Tuesday that the Security Police (Supo) must make public a list of Finns suspected of spying for East Germany during the Cold War. A reporter for Nelonen (Channel 4) TV news had sued for release of the long-discussed document, which is believed to include names of current politicians…..(YLE, 24 Jun 08)

Iraqi intelligence corps get specialized training at military academy

The Iraqi military has formed an intelligence corps from graduates of an academy established in 2005. So far hundreds of Iraqi cadets have completed advanced courses in intelligence training. The courses were designed with assistance from the U.S.-led coalition. The Iraq Army has been operating a military intelligence academy in Taji. On June 18, nearly 200 cadets were graduated from the academy, with some of them completing a new geospatial and mapping course……(World Tribune, 24 Jun 08)

Controversy Over Costa Rican National Intelligence Policies

Would anyone believe that the peaceful little nation of Costa Rica has a secret police force, something similar to the United State’s Central Intelligence Agency? Costa Rica’s DIS stands for something quite similar, the Direccion de Inteligencia y Seguridad Nacional (Intelligence and National Security Office). This secret police force answers to the president only and is free to put under surveillance and investigate any Costa Rican citizen. The force was created in 1994 under the General Police Law number 7410, to protect the country as well as to preserve and defend its democracy. The question remains, is a giant surveillance force, run by one person, democratic?.....(Costa Rica Pages, 24 Jun 08)

France's New Military Vision

In normal times, the publication of a "white paper" on French defense and security policy would not draw enormous attention outside the world of military analysis and European relations. But, as President Nicolas Sarkozy noted on June 17, 2008, in announcing sweeping changes in French strategy, these are not normal times. "Today, the most immediate threat is that of a terrorist attack," he declared in announcing a sweeping reorganization of the French military. The new plan reverses decades of French security policy, placing new emphasis on counterterrorism and intelligence, ceding some tasks to the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and arguably drawing Paris closer to Washington, in doctrinal terms, than any time since liberation……(AFP, 24 Jun 08)

Secret Israeli Meeting on Iran Attack Leaked

The Israeli government has been forced to acknowledge a top-secret meeting held last Friday between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Aviam Sela, the chief architect of Israel's 1981 attack on Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor, after the media got wind of the details. Unlike the recent ostentatious military exercise that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out over eastern Greece - involving over 100 F15 and F16 fighter jets - which was meant to be picked up by Western intelligence agencies and thereby spread Israel's message to the Europeans, the Americans, and the Iranians in particular, that Israel meant business about halting Iran's nuclear program, Friday's tete-a-tete was not meant to hit the headlines……(Middle-East Times, 23 Jun 08)

'Spy' cameras that see and hear

Intelligent CCTV cameras are being developed in Britain that not only see trouble but are able to hear it, scientists said. The technology allows the sounds of breaking glass, someone shouting, or the noise of a crowd gathering to be 'learned' by artificial intelligence software in the cameras. The technology could slash the speed with which crimes are caught on camera and responded to by police but will again raise a debate about the extent of "surveillance Britain" and the use of such technology……(UK Press, 23 Jun 08)

Czech Republic: Issues 'under the radar'

No issue has dominated US-Czech relations in the past year as substantially as the proposal to station a US missile defense system X band radar in the Brdy military area 90 kilometers southwest of Prague. While US policymakers and negotiators would have hoped to keep the issue low-key and under the radar, so to speak, a complex mix of basic political opposition, pacifist activism, anti-US sentiment, a personal tug-of-war between the center-right prime minister and the social-democratic opposition leader, as well as external Soviet-style power posturing by Russia, have brought the issue to the forefront of Czech public attention and to the center of the national political agenda (See The Prague-Washington swindle by Jeremy Druker for ISN Security Watch). The radar proposal has triggered hunger strikes for and against the installation. Opinion polls show a 65 percent rejection rate by the Czech public, while Greenpeace has staged powerfully creative protests at the Brdy site. There have also been reports of foreign espionage infiltration at Brdy along with hints from Russia of possibly aiming its nuclear arsenal at the proposed site…….(ISN Security Watch, 23 Jun 08)

Intelligence unit will become independent

The state intelligence department (SID) is in for a major overhaul following the union home department’s persistence to make it independent of the state police force. This main aim is to ensure that the department can face the global threat of terror. Confirming the Union government’s directive on the issue, additional director general Subhash Awte told DNA, “The government has mandated direct recruitment to the SID. Of the 500-odd personnel that would comprise the department, around 200 would be direct recruits, while the remaining would be drawn from the existing police force.”  Awte added that the rules regarding recruitment and promotions in the SID will be distinct from the state police force…..(DNA India, 23 Jun 08)

Ombudsman in MI5 deal to access secret intelligence

Police Ombudsman Al Hutchinson has signed an agreement with MI5 to access secret intelligence for his investigations into policing — and he is prepared to go to Parliament if the deal is breached.  The agreement with the Security Service is after months of negotiations about the procedures for getting secret material his office used to get automatically. The memorandum of understanding signed by the policing watchdog, MI5 and the PSNI became necessary when the Security Service took over anti-terrorist intelligence last October…..(Belfast Telegraph, 23 Jun 08)

Turkish Intelligence Activities under Increased Public Scrutiny in Turkey and Greece

A number of high-impact incidents over the past few months have revealed that the historic feuding of Turkey and Greece is not a thing of the past. Some of these have been well-known, and overtly demonstrated in political events. Others have however received little mention, leaving the public curious to know what is going on behind the scenes. At the same time, procedural issues concerning the Turkish intelligence service’s jurisdiction and allowed methods have also been the subject of intense scrutiny among the Turkish public and media in recent weeks, raising dark memories of past indiscretions such as mass wiretapping scandals from an aggressive intelligence apparatus. Most recently, Turkey has demonstrated political gamesmanship by blocking the direct cooperation of NATO with the EU’s justice and security advisory mission in Kosovo, EULEX, which hopes to take a larger role in the self-declared Balkan country since the enactment of a Kosovo constitution on June 15…….(Balkan Analysis, 22 Jun 08)

Israel extends Mossad spymaster Dagan's tenure

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday extended the tenure of the Mossad intelligence chief for a second time, testament to the hawkish spymaster's role in crafting policy on Iran and other regional foes. Meir Dagan, an army ex-general, took over Mossad in 2002 with what security sources described as a mandate to step up Israel's monitoring of Iran's nuclear program, Syria's military moves and the countries' ties to Islamist factions……(Reuters, 22 Jun 08)

Kiir inaugurates national intelligence and security complex in South Sudan

On Saturday 21st June in the south Sudan's capital city, Juba, Salva Kiir, Sudan's First Vice President inaugurated National Intelligence and Security building in Juba. Present at the occasion were high level dignitaries that included Ali Osman Taha, Sudan's Second Vice President, General Salah Abdallah "Ghosh" and GoSS ministers, SPLA officers and civilians. Officially the complex is south Sudan's headquarters of intelligence and security branch. During the opening of the huge building in Juba, Salva Kiir stressed the importance of keeping security of the country. "The role of intelligence is to keep peace and protect the state."…..(New Sudan Vision, 21 Jun 08)

China admits taking, burying US POW

After decades of denials, the Chinese have acknowledged burying an American prisoner of war in China, telling the U.S. that a teenage soldier captured in the Korean War died a week after he "became mentally ill," according to documents provided to The Associated Press. China had long insisted that all POW questions were answered at the conclusion of the war in 1953 and that no Americans were moved to Chinese territory from North Korea. The little-known case of Army Sgt. Richard G. Desautels, of Shoreham, Vt., opens another chapter in this story and raises the possibility that new details concerning the fate of other POWs may eventually surface……(AP, 20 Jun 08)

Indonesian spy to face charges over activist's murder: police

Indonesian police were preparing to charge a former spy Friday over the murder of a rights activist in 2004, in what is seen as a crucial test case for the rule of law after the Suharto era. It is the first time anyone from the intelligence agency has been formally declared a suspect over the poisoning murder of well-known human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, police said. Muchdi Purwopranjono, an ex-deputy chief of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), turned himself in to police in Jakarta late Thursday and is expected to be charged with premeditated murder…..(AFP, 19 Jun 08)

Norwegian-Russian cooperation bugged by intelligence

A significant number of the Norwegian business people regularly traveling in Northwest Russia is requested to report to the Norwegian intelligence services, Norwegian broadcaster NRK reports. Both business representatives and regional officials now say they feel increasingly uncomfortable with the pressure from the intelligence authorities. On the one hand, they feel loyalty to their projects and partners in Russia, and on the other hand they do not want to let down the intelligence services……(Barents Observer, 19 Jun 08)

Sweden adopts law allowing official eavesdropping

Sweden's Parliament narrowly approved a law Wednesday that gives authorities sweeping powers to eavesdrop on all e-mail and telephone traffic that crosses the Nordic nation's borders.Critics have slammed the law as an invasion of privacy and an infringement on civil liberties. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Parliament Wednesday, some handing out copies of George Orwell's novel "1984," about a fictional futuristic police state…..(AP, 18 Jun 08)

Sarkozy Announces New Defense Policies

President Nicolas Sarkozy also proposed a leaner military with fewer troops and bases; a slowdown in the deployment of expensive aircraft and warships; and more money for intelligence-gathering satellites and other equipment needed for home-territory fights against terrorism, cybercrime and drug trafficking. The new military doctrine, the first major reassessment of the country's defense policies in 14 years, reflects the realities of a shrinking military budget and changing security threats. It also underscores Sarkozy's efforts to mend rifts with the United States and his European neighbors…..(Washington Post, 18 Jun 08)

Indian former spies come in from cold to seek compensation

Balbir Singh says he thought he was serving his country and would be hailed as a hero when he became a spy.

But now he's fighting in the Indian courts to make legal history and win compensation for 10 years spent in a Pakistani jail after being caught and convicted. Singh is among several dozen former 'secret agents' or informers who have launched similar court cases against the Indian government demanding payouts ranging from 500,000 to 800,000 rupees (12,500 to 20,000 dollars)……(AFP, 18 Jun 08)

Sweden: Controversial national security intelligence bill allowing tapping sent back for revision

Swedish lawmakers demanded that the parliament's defense committee the revise a bill that will allow for all calls and e-mails to be monitored, Agence France Presse (AFP) reports. Critics who see the law as "an attack on civil liberties."  include "human rights activists, journalists, lawyers and the former head of the Swedish intelligence agency Saepo." Supporters see it as "necessary to protect the country from foreign threats"…..(Editor’s Web Blog, 18 Jun 08)

Indian army wants military space program

India said that it needs a military space program to defend its satellites from threats like China's newly revealed ability to shoot down targets in orbit. The comments by India's army chief raise the possibility of a regional race that could accelerate the militarization of space and heighten tensions between the Asian giants, who have been enjoying their warmest ties in decades. India urgently needs to "optimize space applications for military purposes,"…..(AP, 17 Jun 08)

France to double spy budgets and cut 50,000 troops

France will announce on Tuesday a major overhaul of its armed forces, cutting more than 50,000 personnel – about a sixth – in the three services and doubling funding for intelligence gathering.  The review, to be unveiled by President Nicolas Sarkozy, comes as France prepares to use its six-month presidency of the European Union to negotiate what amounts to a "timeshare" arrangement with Britain over the two countries' military resources.

Mr Sarkozy is expected to set out how France will respond to the threats of the 21st century, arguing that the country needs a slimmer and more mobile defence capacity, with the ability to intervene quickly in trouble spots from Africa to central Asia……(Telegraph, 17 Jun 08)

Chinese and French discuss maritime intelligence

The Chinese and French navies are discussing ways to strengthen intelligence exchange to combat piracy off the coast of Africa. Vice Admiral Gerard Valin says both navies can work together especially in the waters off Somalia, where many Chinese fishing boats ply. Mr Valin, who is in Hong Kong, says he will meet with security chiefs from the island and mainland China to further cooperation between the two sides. The waters off Somalia are considered to be among the most dangerous in the world……(Radio Australia, 17 Jun 08)

Look at French military recommendations

A look at some major recommendations of France's defense and national security review, the first of its kind in 14 years, and the outline for the national defense posture through 2025……(AP, 16 Jun 08)

French navy looking to strengthen ties with China against Somalia piracy

The French navy and its Chinese counterpart are discussing ways to strengthen intelligence exchange to combat piracy off the coast of Africa, a senior French naval officer said on Monday. "We will see if we can do something together, especially in the waters off Somalia, where many Chinese fishing boats travel to," Vice Admiral Gerard Valin, who is also commander of French joint forces in the Indian Ocean…..(AFP, 16 Jun 08)

Female Swedish 'spy' officer off the hook

There is to be no indictment against a female officer suspected of having leaked secret NATO and United Nations documents to her Serbian lover whilst on duty in Kosovo.  On Monday, chief prosecutor Tomas Lindstrand finally closed the case. According to him, the female officer is no longer under suspicion of breaching national security…..(Local, 16 Jun 08)

Pakistani May Have Delivered Advanced Nuclear Designs

The Bush administration and Western governments are voicing renewed fears that advanced nuclear-weapon designs may have been provided to Iran and North Korea through the smuggling network run by Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan. These fears have been stoked by evidence obtained by Swiss authorities who are prosecuting three European members of Mr. Khan's network in Bern, Western diplomats said. Swiss President Pascal Couchepin announced last month that his government had destroyed computer files and other data seized from these men because they posed a national-security risk. The Swiss leader noted that the files contained "detailed construction plans for nuclear weapons, for ultracentrifuges to enrich weapons-grade uranium as well as for guided missile-delivery systems."…..(Wall Street Journal, 16 Jun 08)

Home Secretary faces Commons grilling over loss of secret papers

The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, is to be questioned by MPs over whether Britain's fight against terrorism has been compromised after a second security breach involving secret documents being left on a train. The second blunder, revealed in The Independent on Sunday, is deeply embarrassing for the Government and has led to calls for all civil servants to be stopped from taking documents home until the Whitehall regime is tightened. Sir Gus O'Donnell, the cabinet secretary, is writing to all permanent secretaries reminding them of the existing rules over the handling of sensitive documents……(Independent, 16 Jun 08)

Mexico’s Foreign Ministry to Share Data and Intelligence

In late May, 2008, the Mexican government promulgated a new accord between the Interior Ministry (Gobernación, or SEGOB) and the Foreign Affairs Ministry (SRE) regarding information gathering, data collection and intelligence sharing, one that on the surface appears to be fairly routine.  Excepting that by definition and mandate the SRE's work is largely extraterritorial. As to intent, the May 27 published agreement states that it is designed to better involve the Foreign Ministry in efforts and activities of the National Network of National Security Information.  This information network, to a degree at least, comes under the jurisdiction of Mexico's primary intelligence agency, the National Investigation and Security Center (CISEN), which in turn is part of the SEGOB.  One clause, which speaks to the very nature of national security through betterment of the National Network of National Security Information, requires collaboration and the sharing of data bases between the SEGOB and SRE and their subsidiary agencies…..(Mexi Data, 16 Jun 08)

Nuclear weapons blueprint 'shared among smuggling ring'

Blueprints for advanced nuclear weapons were found on computers belonging to an international smuggling ring and may have been shared among "rogue" states, it has been claimed. The files included designs for a sophisticated compact nuclear device which could be fitted onto a ballistic missile. The sensitive information was discovered on heavily encrypted computers in Switzerland and destroyed, but there are fears that the designs could have passed into the wrong hands...Former UN arms inspector David Albright, an authority on the now defunct smuggling ring run by Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, said the information may have been leaked some time ago…….(Telegraph, 16 Jun 08)

How local councils use anti-terror laws to spy on ordinary people

Scottish Councils are using surveillance powers security intended powers security and organized crime in order to spy on ordinary members of terrorism fight to the public suspected of petty offences such as breaching the smoking ban, playing music too loudly and dropping litter. Local authority chiefs have ordered staff to spy on unwitting members of the public some 3579 times since being granted the powers in 2002. Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa), councils have the power to secretly film and bug people, use paid spies to inform on a suspect's activities, and even intercept communications data such as mobile and landline use and information about email traffic…….(Sunday Herald, 16 Jun 08)

Smugglers Had Design For Advanced Warhead

…The drawings, discovered in 2006 on computers owned by Swiss businessmen, included essential details for building a compact nuclear device that could be fitted on a type of ballistic missile used by Iran and more than a dozen developing countries, the report states.  The computer contents -- among more than 1,000 gigabytes of data seized -- were recently destroyed by Swiss authorities under the supervision of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, which is investigating the now-defunct smuggling ring previously led by Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan. But U.N. officials cannot rule out the possibility that the blueprints were shared with others before their discovery, said the report's author, David Albright, a prominent nuclear weapons expert who spent four years researching the smuggling network…..(Washington Post, 15 Jun 08)

Second batch of secret papers found on train

A second set of secret government intelligence papers has been found on a commuter train, it was revealed last night. The Treasury files included an assessment of the weaknesses in the trade and banking systems in Iran that would-be terrorists could exploit to finance weapons of mass destruction. They also highlighted potential methods of terrorist funding, including how to defraud commercial websites and international payment systems, as well as outlining Britain’s policies on fighting global terrorist funding, drug trafficking and money laundering. The documents were found by a commuter on a train bound for London’s Waterloo station on Wednesday and handed to The Independent on Sunday…..(Times Online, 15 Jun 08)

More top secret UK government documents found on train

…A second batch of secret British government files have been found on a train, just days after intelligence on Al-Qaeda and Iraq were misplaced, according to a newspaper report to be published Sunday. The Independent on Sunday said it was handed papers covering British policy on fighting global terrorist funding, drug trafficking and money laundering after they were left on a train bound for London's Waterloo station Wednesday. The disclosure came after the BBC was handed high-level files Tuesday on Al-Qaeda and Iraq that were marked "Top Secret" and "for UK/US/Canadian/Australian eyes only".  They were left on the seat of a commuter train at Waterloo…the (second) papers included briefing notes for a meeting of the global Financial Action Task Force to be held at finance minister Alistair Darling's official residence next week. They were also said to include details about how trade and banking systems could be manipulated to finance illicit weapons of mass destruction in Iran and methods of terrorist funding, for example through commercial website fraud……(AFP, 15 Jun 08)

Report: UK secrets again found on train in Britain

A second batch of secret government files has been found on a train, this time detailing Britain's efforts to tackle terrorism financing, the drugs trade and money-laundering, a British newspaper said Saturday. The Independent on Sunday, in a preview made available late Saturday, said the files were found on a London-bound train on Wednesday, the same day classified documents on al-Qaida and Iraq were handed to the British Broadcasting Corp…..(AP, 14 Jun 08)

Lech Walesa was Communist spy, claims book

…The book is being published 25 years after Mr Walesa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for leading the Solidarity trade union uprising against Poland's Communist regime. It claims that new evidence from secret police files confirms rumours that Mr Walesa collaborated with Poland's "SB" Security Service in the 1970s, and was given the codename "Bolek". Mr Walesa, who in 1990 went on to become Poland's president after the fall of the regime, fiercely denies the allegation…..(Telegraph, 14 Jun 08)

Walesa upset over new spy allegations

Poland's Solidarity founder Lech Walesa lashed out at the country's president in remarks published Friday, angry that the president accused him of having spied for the communist-era secret police……(Chicago Tribune, 8 Jun 08)

Chavez backtracks on Venezuela spy law

President Hugo Chavez said Saturday that his government will rewrite a new intelligence law to calm fears in Venezuela that the decree could be used to stifle dissent… The law would have punished noncooperative citizens with up to four years in prison, raising concerns that Venezuelans would have been forced to spy on their neighbors. Chavez told supporters Saturday that his government would soon amend the controversial law to protect civil rights. "Mistakes" were made in the decree and would be corrected, he said… Chavez backtracked a day after Venezuelan Catholic Church officials condemned the decree. Speaking to journalists after a Mass on Friday, Venezuelan Cardinal Jorge Urosa warned that the law "restricts human rights consecrated in the Constitution." Human rights groups compared the decree to the U.S. Patriot Act, passed after the Sept. 11 attacks, because both allow authorities to monitor suspects' phone calls and e-mails without court permission. Under Venezuela's law, authorities can also withhold evidence from defense lawyers, if it is deemed to be in the interest of national security…….(AP, 8 Jun 08)

Venezuela fires missiles in exercises

Venezuela fired live missiles from fighter jets and ships Friday during exercises intended to demonstrate the firepower of President Hugo Chavez's military. Smoke rose from ships off the La Orchila island military base as Otomat MK2 missiles arced into the sky and Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets flew in formation. The televised war games allowed the military to showcase some of the hardware bought under Chavez, who says Venezuela's main threat is the United States…..(AP, 6 Jun 08)

Top spy boss refuses to release all documents in spy controversy

The country's top spy boss is still refusing to release "all" the documents in a long running spy controversy.

Bill Sutch, a top public servant, was arrested and charged with spying in the mid 1970s and then acquitted on all charges. Newly released SIS files exonerate him, but the country's spymasters say they're still holding back some information…….(TV3,  6 Jun 08)

'All N-powers used stolen technology'

Pakistan's disgraced scientist A Q Khan has claimed that all the six nuclear powers, including India and the US, had developed their atomic program secretly with borrowed or smuggled technology. He also blamed the top leadership of Pakistan for being too "weak" to defend its nuclear program and allowing western countries to malign the nation. Khan, under house arrest for the last four years after admitting to selling atomic secrets to North Korea, Libya and Iran, said the nuclear capability of the US, the UK, France, India, Russia and China were developed secretly with borrowed technology and even through smuggling of technology, designs and human skills……(Times of India, 6 Jun 08)

Iran Makes the Sciences A Part of Its Revolution

…Iran's determination to develop what it says is a nuclear energy program is part of a broader effort to promote technological self-sufficiency and to see Iran recognized as one of the world's most advanced nations. The country's leaders, who three decades ago wrested the government away from a ruler they saw as overly dependent on the West, invest heavily in scientific and industrial achievement, but critics say government backing is sometimes erratic, leaving Iran's technological promise unfulfilled. Still, Iranian scientists claim breakthroughs in nanotechnology, biological researchers are pushing the boundaries of stem cell research and the country's car industry produces more cars than anywhere else in the region…….(Washington Post, 6 Jun 08)

Chinavasion Announces Hidden Spy Surveillance Cameras Breach Privacy Laws

There is no doubt that the surveillance industry has advanced incredibly in the last five years. Electronics manufacturers are now making spy gadgets and surveillance equipment that are much more technologically advanced and are more available and affordable than they were in the 1990's. The market has responded in kind with sales of spy surveillance cameras skyrocketing in what are very uncertain times with employers especially showing increasing interest in keeping an eye on workers. According to the American Management Association, more than 50% of the 523 managers it interviewed in a survey carried out some form of surveillance on their staff. But at what point does acceptable surveillance become unacceptable spying and does the use of spy surveillance cameras or hidden spy cameras represent a breach of privacy?.....(Press Release, 6 Jun 08)

Father of Pakistan's Bomb Stands Defiant

…Until very recently, Khan has been virtually cut off from the world -- banished to house arrest by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf after admitting in a national television broadcast in 2004 to selling nuclear weapons-making technology and know-how to Iran, North Korea and Libya. But as Pakistan marked the 10th anniversary of its first nuclear bomb test last week, Khan, 72, publicly disavowed his confession, telling reporters that it was coerced…Pakistan has been under pressure for years to give the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency access to Khan. So far, the government has refused, saying Pakistan has already conducted its own investigation into Khan's nuclear dealings. Yet more recently, as Musharraf's power here has waned, so too, it seems, has American interest in Khan, according to a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject…..(Washington Post, 5 Jun 08)

Former Czech communist prosecutor shows no remorse - press

Ludmila Brozova-Polednova, Czech prosecutor in the communist show trial that sentenced democratic politician Milada Horakova to death, feels no remorse for her acts, she said in an interview for today's issue of the regional daily Plzensky denik. In reaction to Wednesday's verdict of the Supreme Court that ordered to re-open her case, Brozova-Polednova, now 86, said she was not able to thwart the framed-up trial of Horakova. However she told the daily she was prepared to accept the court verdict and go to prison….(Ceske Noviny, 5 Jun 08)