I hacked Daniel Craig's phone, says journalist

I hacked Daniel Craig's phone, says journalist

 

(AFP)

 

[caption id="attachment_11553" align="alignnone" width="400"] (Actor Daniel Craig poses during a photocall for the James Bond film "Skyfall", in Paris on 25 October 2012 The Roman (AFP/File, Eric Feferberg))[/caption]

 

London — A former News of the World journalist told a British court on Tuesday how he used phone-hacking to find out about an affair between James Bond star Daniel Craig and the actress Sienna Miller.

 

Dan Evans, who has pleaded guilty to hacking at Rupert Murdoch's now defunct tabloid and its rival the Sunday Mirror, said his then editor Andy Coulson knew what he was doing and advised him on how to cover his tracks.

 

Evans was giving evidence at the trial of Coulson, Coulson's predecessor as editor Rebekah Brooks, and the News of the World's ex-managing editor, Stuart Kuttner, who all deny conspiring to hack phones.

 

On Monday, Evans told London's Old Bailey court how he was recruited from the Sunday Mirror in 2004 to the News of the World because of his hacking skills -- and Coulson knew this when he hired him.

 

Continuing his evidence on Tuesday, the 38-year-old described how he hacked the voicemail of Bond star Craig.

 

"I heard a female voice saying 'Hi, it's me. Cannot speak, I'm at the Groucho (club) with Jude'," Evans said.

 

He then checked the number and found it belonged to Miller, who at that time was dating actor Jude Law.

 

Evans put together a story with another News of the World journalist who could corroborate the information, and took it to Coulson, the court heard.

 

Evans said he was told by Coulson to make a copy of the recorded message, put it in a padded envelope and take it to reception so it would look like it had been dropped off anonymously at the newspaper.

 

Then another journalist picked it up with "mock surprise", saying, "look what I've found", Evans said.

 

Evans confronted Craig with the story, which he denied, causing the story to be held for another week.

 

It eventually ran in October 2005 after it was "approved" by Jude Law's spokesperson, the court heard.

 

Evans used two unregistered "burner" phones for hacking, for which he claimed work expenses, the court heard.

 

The hacking came to an abrupt end when the paper's royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire were arrested in August 2006, Evans said.

 

"There was a palpable sense of shock (at the paper). I proceeded to start getting rid of all the evidence I could possibly get my hands on," he recalled.

 

Mulcaire and Goodman were jailed for hacking in 2007.

 

Evans was caught when later, "in a moment of panic", he used his own phone to hack the voicemail of designer Kelly Hoppen, Sienna Miller's stepmother.

 

The interception was traced to his number.

 

Copyright © 2014 AFP. All rights reserved.

 

(Agence France-Presse, 30 Thursday January 2014 The Roman)

Google tries to delete UK court case over iPhone 'tracking’

Google tries to delete UK court case over iPhone 'tracking’

 

Search giant accused of "arrogant, immoral" behaviour as it attempts to throw out damages lawsuit

 

Google will today attempt to dismiss a case brought by a group of British internet users who allege the search giant collected personal data against their will.

 

The company, which has been fined tens of millions of dollars by regulators over the issue in the US, is accused of tracking the habits of iPhone web browsers, even when they had opted out.

 

One plaintiff accused Google of “arrogant, immoral” behaviour in trying to get the case shut down in England, and lawyers claim it wants to move the lawsuit to the US.

 

Google says that the plaintiffs suffered no actual harm when they were mistakenly tracked.

 

Olswang, the law firm, is bringing the case against Google.

 

It says the company illegally installed internet tracking software, known as cookies, on users’ iPhones during 2011 and 2012.

 

Three test cases will be highlighted tomorrow, but Olswang says hundreds more have expressed their interest after a social media campaign.

 

According to the plaintiffs, Google has argued that the claim should be brought in the US, where the company is based.

 

One claimant, Judith Vidal-Hall, said: “Google’s preference that British consumers should travel all the way to California to seek redress for its wrongdoings is arrogant, immoral and a disgrace.”

 

A spokesman for Google pointed to a similar US case that was shut down in October.

 

The judge said that users had not come to any harm even if they were tracked.

 

“We’re asking the court to re-examine whether this case meets the standards required in the UK for a case like this to go to trial,” the spokesman said.

 

Google has been fined a total of $39.5m (£24.2m) by two US regulators, one payment of $22.5m levied by the Federal Trade Commission and a recent $17m payment to US states.

 

(The Telegraph, 16 Monday December 2013 The Roman)

 

Spanish TV workers fight decision to shut Valencia regional TV station

Spanish TV workers fight decision to shut Valencia regional TV station

 

Workers at a Spanish television channel have vowed to fight on after Valencia’s regional government said the public broadcaster was financially doomed.

 

A court which ruled that a plan to reduce staffing levels from 1,700 to just 700 in order to stay afloat was illegal, has sounded the company’s death knell.

 

Leaders of the eastern region said the station RTVV was too deep in debt to be kept going without the cuts.

 

“The ruling leaves us no other option than to proceed with the closure because the funding this television station had three years ago is no longer affordable. The closure process will be carried out as fast as possible,” announced President of Comunidad Valenciana, Carlos Fabra.

 

But while moves are afoot to petition local support for the station some of the company’s management including RTVV’s Director General Rosa Vidal, have already quit.

 

“If they are going to use the law to force the closure of RTVV, which is the decision that has been taken, then they can’t count on us,” said Rosa Vidal.

 

Workers at the regional channel Telemadrid who are also facing cuts showed their support for their colleagues while union representatives said they would contest the decision.

 

But analysts warn the closure in Valencia may well be just the start with Spain’s 17 public regional television stations looking increasingly vulnerable in recession hit Spain.

 

Copyright © 2013 euronews

 

(euronews.net, 7 Thursday November 2013 The Roman)

Sarajevski proces, 30-godišnja državna tajna Sarajevo Process, 30-year-old state secret

Sarajevski proces, 30-godišnja državna tajna

 

Suđenje muslimanskim intelektualcima u Sarajevskom procesu još uvijek ima karakter 'vrlo tajne' informacije.

 

Prije tačno 30 godina održano je jedno od najpoznatijih političkih suđenja u bivšoj Jugoslaviji - Sarajevski proces.

 

Međutim, arhiva jugoslovenske Službe državne bezbjednosti (SDB) o tom slučaju, a koju je u Bosni i Hercegovini naslijedila Obavještajno-sigurnosna agencija (OSA) i dalje je strogo čuvana državna tajna.

 

Džemaludin Latić je pjesnik.

 

Danas slobodno može recitovati svoje pjesme i sevdalinke.

 

Ali prije 30 godina, upravo je zbog ovakvih stihova završio iza rešetaka.

 

''Većina inkriminacija su bile iste, u verbalnom deliktu, a moja posebna inkriminacija, na koju se i danas ponosim, jeste da sam tvrdio da je sevdalinka najljepša ljubavna pjesma na svijetu“, kaže Latić.

 

On je osuđen 1983. godine zajedno sa još 12 muslimanskih aktivista na šest godina teške robije.

 

To suđenje, za koje bivši osuđenici, ali i brojni historičari, kažu da je bio montirani politički proces, postat će poznato kao ''Sarajevski proces''.

 

Dio istrage bio je povjeren SDB-u.

 

U podrumu zgrade Obavještajno-sigurnosne službe BiH smještena je tajna arhiva SDB-a, koja, i 20 godina nakon pada komunizma, i dalje nije dostupna javnosti.''

 

Cenziriran dosje

 

Latić je zatražio svoj dosje od OSA-e, ali je dobio tek manji dio.

 

Crnim flomasterom bila su iskrižana imena obavještajaca i doušnika.

 

Reporter Al Jazeere Harun Karčić je također zatražio pristup istoj arhivi, i dobio sljedeći odgovor: ''Uvidom u dokumentaciju utvrđeno je da ista nosi oznaku tajnosti 'Državna tajna', što po članu 86. Zakona o zaštiti tajnih podataka (Službeni glasnik BiH, broj 54/05 i 12/09) odgovara stepenu tajnosti 'vrlo tajno' te bi otkrivanje traženih informacija, koje sadrže imena osoba i izvora, predstavljalo kršenje odredbi Zakona o zaštiti tajnih podataka.''

 

Midhat Izmirlija izučava tranzicijsku pravdu u zemaljama istočne Evrope.

 

Za njega je odgovor Obaviještajno-sigurnosne agencije iznenađujući.

 

''To je stvarno iznenađujuće da se radi o zaštićenim dokumentima. Naravno, osobe koje bi imale potrebe ili želju da znaju da li su bile pračene, da li su bile špijunirane, da li su njihova prava kršena, imale bi svakako pravo pristupa tim arhivama. Gledajući iskustva drugih zemalja, recimo Istočne Njemačke i njihove tajne službe Stassi, te su arhive svakako dostupne'', kaže Midhat Izmirlija sa Pravnog fakulteta u Sarajevu.

 

Lustracija nije provedena u Bosni i Hercegovini.

 

Bivši saradnici SDB-a, ali i čelnici komunističkog vrha koji su davali naređenja za politička suđenja, danas slobodno hodaju ulicama BiH.

 

Džemaludin Latić smatra da mu nijedan zakon neće vratiti godine provedene u teškoj robiji zbog verbalnog delikta.

 

(Izvor: Al Jazeera)

 

(Al Jazeera Balkans, 20 nedjelja oktobar 2013 Rimski)

 

Sarajevo Process, 30-year-old state secret

 

Trial of Muslim intellectuals in the Sarajevo process still has the character of 'very secret' information.

 

Exactly 30 years ago held one of the most famous political trials in the former Yugoslavia-Sarajevo process.

 

However, the archives of the Yugoslav State Security Service (SDB) on the case, which was in Bosnia and Herzegovina inherited Intelligence and Security Agency (OSA) remains a closely guarded state secret

 

Džemaludin Latić poet.

 

Today is free to recite songs and singers.

 

But 30 years ago, it was because of these verses behind bars.

 

''Most incrimination were the same, the verbal act, and my special incrimination, to which it still proud of, is that I argued that Sevdalinka beautiful love song in the world," says petals.

 

He was convicted in 1983, together with 12 other Muslim activists to six years' hard labor.

 

This trial, in which former prisoners, and many historians, say it was rigged political process, it will become known as the ''process'' Sarajevo .

 

Part of the investigation was entrusted to the SDB.

 

In the basement of the Intelligence and Security Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina is located in the secret archives of SDB, which, 20 years after the fall of communism, and still is not available to the public. '

 

Cenziriran record

 

Latić requested his file from OSA, but got only a small part.

 

Black felt were mongrelized names of agents and informers.

 

Reporter Al Jazeera Harun Karčić also requested access to the same archive, and got the following response : ''After examining the record shows that it bears the mark of secrecy ‘State secret', as per Section 86. Law on the Protection of Classified Information (Official Gazette, No. 54 /05 and 12/ 09) corresponds to the degree of secrecy 'top secret ' and the disclosure of the requested information, which contain the names of people and resources, in violation of the provisions of the Law on the protection of classified information.''

 

Midhat Izmirlija studying transitional justice in countries in Eastern Europe.

 

For him, the answer to the intelligence and security agencies surprising.

 

''It's really amazing that the documents were protected. Of course, people would have no need or desire to know whether they were followed, whether they were bugged, if their rights are violated, they would have certainly a right of access to their archives. Looking at the experience of other countries, like East Germany and their secret services Stassi, and the archive is certainly available,'' said Midhat Izmirlija the Law Faculty in Sarajevo.

 

Lustration is not carried out in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

Former associates of SDB, and the top communist leaders who gave orders for a political trial, now free to walk the streets of BiH.

 

Džemaludin Latić considers that no law will not come back years in prison due to severe verbal assault.

 

(Source: Al Jazeera )

 

(Al Jazeera Balkans, 20 Sunday October 2013 The Roman)

(Translated: R.S.F. toshiki speed news press, Agence France-Presse, 21 Monday October 2013 The Roman)

 

Wiretap report ‘hurts credibility’

Wiretap report ‘hurts credibility’

 

WIRETAPPING WHITEWASH ? Critics said the public would not believe what was a blatant coverup for Shih-ming Huang, and the ministry made up its mind even before the probe

 

The conclusion reached by the Ministry of Justice’s report that the Special Investigation Division (SID) of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s wiretapping of the Legislative Yuan’s telephone line was a mistake has prompted criticism from some legal experts, who said the report has greatly damaged the credibility of the judiciary.

 

An 11-member task force consisting of officials and outside experts responsible for the investigation into the wiretapping of the legislature found no evidence that the SID did it deliberately, Deputy Minister of Justice Ming-tang Chen (陳明堂) told a press conference on Friday.

 

The findings supported the SID’s earlier assertion that it thought the 10-digit number it asked to have wiretapped belonged to a cellphone used by Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Chien-ming Ker (柯建銘), who was being investigated at the time over alleged influence peddling on behalf of a prison inmate seeking parole.

 

While the SID did not wiretap the legislature on purpose, a mistake was made and the task force recommended that administrative disciplinary measures be considered for Prosecutor-General Shih-ming Huang (黃世銘), SID spokesman Jung-tsung Yang (楊榮宗) and the prosecutor in charge of the Ker investigation, SID prosecutor Shen-yuan Cheng (鄭深元), by referring them to the Prosecutors Evaluation Committee.

 

Taiwan Forever Association founder Wen-lung Cheng (鄭文龍), who is active in judiciary circles, said the report has no credibility and the public would not believe such a blatant coverup for Huang.

 

Minister of Justice Ying-shay Lo (羅瑩雪) said before the task force was even established that the SID had not intended to wiretap the legislature, Wen-lung Cheng  said, adding that Lo’s comments, and the task force investigation results, seemed to imply that the ministry was attempting to cover up for Huang.

 

Pointing to the report’s condemnation of Shen-yuan Cheng having to take most of the responsibility for administrative oversight, Wen-lung Cheng said that the public could not accept such a result.

 

The SID, being under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, is the best equipped and supported judiciary agency, not to mention that it has the best prosecutors the nation has to offer, Wen-lung Chen said.

 

“I found it difficult to believe that the SID could wiretap the legislature for more than four months and not discover that it was the Legislative Yuan’s main switchboard,” he said.

 

Wen-lung Cheng also said that the investigative report, available after only 10 days, was clearly intended to act as a pointer for the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office as to which direction its ongoing investigation should take, he added.

 

“It is a clear interference with judicial independence and an ongoing investigation,” he said.

 

Meanwhile, Judicial Reform Foundation executive director Feng-jeng Lin (林峰正) said the ministry’s task force had created more problems than it solved, pointing to an incident on May 21, when the SID called the number under surveillance that was later confirmed as the Legislative Yuan switchboard, but which Huang and the rest of the investigated SID members denied knowing.

 

The ministry’s task force made no recommendations of punitive measures, but decided that the SID had not intentionally bugged the legislature, then dumped the responsibility on the Prosecutors Evaluation Committee, Lin said, asking: “What then is the point of having the task force?”

 

Saying that the task force has already deprived the committee of any chance or room for further investigation, Lin added that he hoped the committee would remain independent and objective when it makes its evaluation of the SID.

 

(TAIPEI TIMES, 13 Sunday October 2013 The Roman)

(Edited R.S.F. toshiki speed news press, Agence France-Presse, 13 Sunday October 2013 The Roman)

 

 

President Uhuru Kenyatta wants International Criminal Court case against him stopped

President Uhuru Kenyatta wants International Criminal Court case against him stopped

 

By Standard Reporter

 

Nairobi, Kenya: President Uhuru Kenyatta Thursday requested a permanent stay of his trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) citing abuse of the legal justice process ahead of trial commencement.

 

The trial against him is set to start on November 12, where the prosecution has indicated that the president has to appear in person before the court.

 

Through his defence lawyers Steven Kay QC and Gillian Higgins, Uhuru said there is evidence of massive interference with the court process.

 

“The Defence is in possession of substantial evidence of a serious,  sustained  and wide-ranging  abuse on the  process  of  the  Court carried out  by ( i)  Prosecution  wit ness   OTP-118  and  Prosecution  intermediary, and  ( ii ) Prosecution   witnesses  O TP-11  and  O TP-12,” said the defence team.

 

Alternatively, the president has requested the trial chamber to order evidential hearing before the start of the trial to determine the issue of abuse of process.

 

“In the alternative, the Defence requests the Trial Chamber to hold  an evidential hearing   entailing the calling of live evidence to determine this issue conclusively prior to the commencement of trial.”

 

(Standard Digital News, 11 Friday October 2013 The Roman)

 

U.N. sued in U.S. court over Haiti's cholera epidemic

U.N. sued in U.S. court over Haiti's cholera epidemic

 

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Human rights lawyers filed a class action lawsuit against the United Nations on Wednesday to seek compensation for Haitian victims of a cholera epidemic they blame on U.N. peacekeepers.

 

The decision to file suit in New York comes after the United Nations said earlier this year that it would not pay hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation claimed by cholera victims in impoverished Haiti, where the epidemic has killed over 8,300 people and sickened more than 650,000 since October 2010.

 

"Haiti today has the worst cholera epidemic in the world," said Miami attorney Ira Kurzban, who announced the lawsuit at a joint news conference with the human rights groups Bureau des Advocats Internationaux (BAI) and Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH).

 

"Before these events, Haiti did not know of cholera for 100 years. Cholera was brought to Haiti by U.N. troops," Kurzban said.

 

The lawyers filed the suit in the U.S. District Court in New York's Southern District, seeking $2.2 billion (1.3 billion pounds) for the Haitian government to eradicate cholera along with unspecified damages for as many as 679,000 victims for personal injury, wrongful death, emotional distress, and loss of use of property and natural resources.

 

The lawsuit filed on behalf of Haitians and Haitian-Americans maintains that the cholera was introduced by U.N. troops brought to Haiti from Nepal, "a country in which cholera is endemic and where a surge in infections had just been reported."

 

The troops were stationed near a tributary of the Artibonite River and discharged raw sewage that carried a strain of cholera into Haiti, sparking the epidemic, the lawsuit said.

 

"The U.N. knew or should have know that its reckless sanitation and waste disposal practices posed a high risk of harm to the population, and that it consciously disregarded that risk, triggering an explosive epidemic," the civil rights groups said in a joint press release.

 

Asked to comment on the suit, U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said: "We don't discuss claims brought against the U.N."

 

The United Nations was working on the ground in Haiti to provide assistance to those affected, he added. The United Nations was committed to do all it can do "to help the people of Haiti overcome the cholera epidemic," Haq said.

 

DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY

 

U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said in Geneva on Tuesday that Haiti's cholera victims should be compensated, though she did not say who should compensate them.

 

"I still stand by the call ... of those who suffered as a result of that cholera be provided with compensation," Pillay said.

 

An independent panel appointed by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to study the epidemic issued a 2011 report that did not determine conclusively how the cholera was introduced to Haiti.

 

But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said evidence strongly suggested U.N. peacekeepers from Nepal were the source.

 

Cholera is an infection that causes severe diarrhoea and can lead to dehydration and death.

 

It occurs in places with poor sanitation.

 

In November 2011, the Boston-based IJDH filed a petition at U.N. headquarters in New York seeking a minimum of $100,000 for the families or next-of-kin of each person killed by cholera and at least $50,000 for each victim who suffered illness or injury from cholera.

 

Ban launched a $2.2 billion initiative in December 2012 to stamp out cholera over the next decade in Haiti.

 

Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky said in February of this year that the world body advised the representatives of the cholera victims that "the claims are not receivable pursuant to Section 29 of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities."

 

The IJDH said at the time it was disappointed by the U.N. decision and would pursue the case in court.

 

Under Section 29 the United Nations is required to make provisions for "appropriate modes of settlement" of private law disputes to which the world body is a party or disputes involving a U.N. official who enjoys diplomatic immunity.

 

It was not immediately clear how the issue of diplomatic immunity for the United Nations would impact the lawsuit.

 

Kurzban said the lawsuit seeks to clean up the waterways and sanitation systems.

 

"Cholera is treatable, easily treatable, if the country has clean water and sanitation."

 

"We feel the U.N. has an obligation to clean up the mess that they made."

 

(The Star Online, 10 Thursday October 2013 The Roman)

 

Jubilee MPs claim The Hague process won’t deny coalition 20 years of rule

Jubilee MPs claim The Hague process won’t deny coalition 20 years of rule

 

(By ROBERT KIPLAGAT)

 

KENYA: MPs from Central and Rift Valley regions and who are allied to Jubilee coalition have expressed optimism the cases facing President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto will collapse and will not deter the government’s quest to rule for more than 20 years.

 

The MPs, who were speaking during a fundraiser in aid of Kiboino Day Secondary School in Baringo Central, said the cases facing the two were politically instigated and full of lies.

 

The legislators included Sammy Mwaita (Baringo Central), Joseph Ngugi (Gatundu South), Kangogo Bowen (Marakwet East), Mburu Kangara (Lari) and Women representatives Grace Kiptui (Baringo), Mary Wanjiku (Nyandarua) and Mary Mbugua (Nakuru).

 

“Let’s pray for our President and his deputy on the ICC cases. Some were thinking the two will not vie but they vied and won and they will also win over the ICC challenge,” said Ngugi.

 

Open healed wounds

 

He said under the ‘political marriage’ involving Jubilee partners, Uhuru will lead for 10 years after which, Ruto will also lead for 10 years making it 20 years of Jubilee rule.

 

Kangara lashed out at ICC terming it as a court meant to frustrate African leaders saying that most of the cases were from African countries.

 

“When we accompanied Deputy president to the ICC, we found that, almost all the chambers were handling African cases,” said Kangara.

 

The legislator said Kenyans have united, reconciled and have since moved on with their lives and that the ICC might re-open the wounds that had already healed.

 

Mwaita, also echoed the sentiments, adding that ICC is a ‘passing cloud’ that will crumble to allow Jubilee to continue fulfilling their pledges to Kenyans.

 

County development kitty

 

County woman representatives present expressed concerns over being sidelined in the management of CDF funds, saying they will push for a Bill in Parliament to allow them participation in running of the kitty.

 

“We as the woman representatives of the 47 counties, do not have any development fund as fellow MPs have CDF and we have drafted a bill to enable us hold some development funds to initiative projects in our counties,” said Wanjiku of Nyandarua.

 

Political differences

 

She exuded confidence male parliamentarians will support their quest for the funds, saying it was important in spearheading development in their respective counties.

 

CORD leaders who also attended the function led by Webuye MP Dan Wanyama and Kisii County Woman Representative Mary Otara said leaders should put aside their political differences and unite to foster development.

 

(Standard Digital, 6 Sunday October 2013 The Roman)

 

Greek Golden Dawn leader appears in court

Greek Golden Dawn leader appears in court

 

Wednesday's court appearance comes after three MPs from the far-right party are freed pending trial.

 

[caption id="attachment_9097" align="alignnone" width="400"] (If convicted, Golden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos faces at least 10 years in prison [AP])[/caption] 

Leader and founder of the Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn went to court on Wednesday, as part of a crackdown on the group following the murder of an anti-fascist musician.

 

Nikos Michaloliakos is due to be charged after an examining magistrate has linked Golden Dawn to dozens of cases, including two homicides, three attempted homicides, two robberies and an arson attack against a bank.

 

If convicted, Michaloliakos faces at least 10 years in prison, alongside other members of his party, including his deputy Christos Pappas, who is set to be charged on Thursday.

 

"We have a golden opportunity to purge our society of violence," Greek government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou told Skai Radio, calling the group "a criminal organisation that tried to cover itself under a political cloak."

 

Three members freed

 

Today's court appearance comes after three arrested Golden Dawn members were freed pending their trial on charges of belonging to a criminal group while a fourth member was jailed.

 

The party's spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris was released on bail of 50,000 euros and restrictions from leaving the country.

 

Ilias Panagiotaros and Nikos Michos were released with travel restrictions while Yannis Lagos was sent to jail pending trial.

 

All four denied charges against them in a marathon plea session before an investigating magistrate that ended early on Wednesday after more than 18 hours.

 

Kasidiaris said he was a victim of political persecution.

 

The surprise decision to free them complicates the government's efforts to clamp down on the party after one of its sympathisers fatally stabbed an anti-fascism rapper last month.

 

Third most popular party

 

Golden Dawn was the country's third most popular party until the September killing of a leftist hip-hop musician sparked nationwide protests and a government crackdown on the group long accused of attacking immigrants, charges that it denies.

 

The investigation has revealed a series of "criminal acts" by the group, culminating in the alleged murder of anti-fascist musician Pavlos Fyssas by a self-confessed neo-Nazi on September 18, according to a government report, parts of which were leaked in the media on Monday.

 

Golden Dawn regularly organised "assault militias" in which dozens of members would swarm the streets, hitting any immigrant they saw with clubs, it said.

 

(Source: Al Jazeera and agencies)

 

(Al Jazeera, 2 Wednesday October 2013 The Roman)

 

 

FBI shuts down 'black market website Silk Road'

FBI shuts down 'black market website Silk Road'

 

Silk Road, a website that sold illegal drugs worth millions of dollars, has been shut down after its alleged founder was arrested and accused of hiring an assassin to kill a customer who threatened to reveal the identities of other users.

 

[caption id="attachment_9092" align="alignnone" width="400"] (The FBI have hut down Silk Road, a website that sold illegal drugs worth millions of dollars (Photo: ALAMY))[/caption]

 

The FBI announced that Ross Ulbricht, also known as Dread Pirate Roberts, was captured “without incident” by agents at a public library in San Francisco on Tuesday and charged with narcotics trafficking, computer hacking and money laundering.

 

Mr Ulbricht, 29, is accused by US prosecutors in New York of using the site as a marketplace for large quantities of drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and LSD since 2011 to customers paying with Bitcoin, the digital currency.

 

In an extraordinary 39-page criminal complaint, he is also accused of soliciting a user of the site to carry out a “murder-for-hire of another Silk Road user”, who was threatening to unmask thousands of vendors and customers unless his $500,000 drug debt was cleared.

 

More than $1 million worth of sales a month were estimated to be taking place on Silk Road, which offered users anonymity by operating on the so-called Tor network, which masks the location of computers accessing it.

 

All transactions were required to be completed in Bitcoins, which are also designed to provide cash-like anonymity to users.

 

Authorities said they had seized 26,000 bitcoins worth some $3.6 million as part of their raid on Mr Ulbricht.

 

Softer drugs such as marijuana, as well as other black-market goods such as malicious computer software, were also available for sale on the website, which last night showed a holding page created by the FBI, announcing: “This hidden site has been seized”.

 

Prosecutors argue that Mr Ulbricht, a former physics student at the Universities of Texas and Pennsylvania, was in effect running a multi-million dollar money laundering operation through the website.

 

The complaint also alleged that he approached a user of the site with the screenname redandwhite after another, FriendlyChemist, had posted a message on the site threatening to publicly disclose the identities of thousands of other users.

 

“In my eyes, FriendlyChemist is a liability and I wouldn't mind if he was executed,” he is said to have written.

 

In a follow-up message he is said to have provided a real name and address in British Columbia, Canada, for the troublesome user.

 

After being quoted a price of up to $300,000, Mr Ulbricht allegedly complained that “not long ago, I had a clean hit done for $80k”.

 

A price of $150,000 was eventually agreed, according to the messages.

 

No killing is believed to have been carried out.

 

Mr Ulbricht is due to appear in federal court in San Francisco on Wednesday.

 

(The Telegraph, 2 Wednesday October 2013 The Roman)