Derry: School 'exploring' more safety measures after alert
BBC News NI has contacted the EA and Department of Education (DoE) for a response. The subject object was found in the school grounds on the Trench Road and removed after being declared a hoax.
'Safety of children is paramount'
"This is not the first incident like that in the area, but the alert in June was certainly one of the most high profile and had such a negative impact," Durkan said. "The safety of children is obviously paramount, so any additional measures that could help put parents of children at the school and those living in the surrounding area more at ease would obviously be welcomed."In response to Durkan's question, the Department for Education said officials had contacted the school about added security."Officers from the Education Authority's (EA) maintenance service have visited the school site and identified potential security works in the form of CCTV and external gates," a spokesperson said."EA Maintenance Officers are also reviewing a section of external fencing at the school."Durkan said the extra security measures should be put in place as a matter of urgency.
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The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
New airport security upgrade could ease liquid restrictions — but there's a problem
Hopes are rising among air travellers that the long-standing restrictions on liquids in carry-on bags at US airports may soon be eased, a move that could alleviate the 'endless hassles' at security checkpoints. However, this optimism is tempered by a significant security concern: more than a third of all airports across the country have yet to upgrade their screening systems to reliably detect liquid explosives. While the inconvenience of discarding beverages and toiletries before security is a common frustration, the underlying challenge lies in differentiating innocuous items like hair gel from potentially lethal substances. This threat nearly materialised in 2006, when British authorities foiled a plot to detonate homemade chemical mixtures, disguised in sports drink bottles, aboard airliners. Security experts continue to express concern over the vulnerabilities exposed by that foiled attack. Recent remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ignited the prospect for passengers of one day being able to fly with more than 3 ounces of their shampoos and gels, and avoiding the need to dispose of recently purchased drinks. 'The liquids, I'm questioning. So that may be the next big announcement, is what size your liquids need to be,' Noem said. 'We have put in place in TSA a multilayered screening process that allows us to change some of how we do security and screening so it's still as safe.' A Transportation Security Administration spokesperson said Noem and the agency 'are constantly looking for ways to enhance security, and improve the travel experience for the public.' New liquids rules aren't ready Any changes will come through the same official channels that TSA used to announce this month that travelers can keep their shoes on at checkpoints. That change offers relief from a rule adopted after 'shoe bomber' Richard Reid's failed attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001 with a small explosive device hidden in his footwear. The limits on liquids were triggered by the 2006 UK arrests. Three ringleaders were eventually convicted. A massive surveillance operation Prosecutors told the jury in that case that authorities uncovered the plot after secretly searching the luggage of a man who was on their radar for security concerns after he returned from Pakistan and found the unusual combination of the Tang powdered soft drink and a large number of batteries, according to the BBC. That triggered the surveillance operation that eventually grew to include more than 200 officers. Agents discovered what appeared to be a bomb factory in a London apartment where odd devices were being constructed out of drink bottles. The plot didn't make sense until authorities discovered that the men were researching flight timetables and realised they were only trying to make an explosive big enough to rip a hole in a plane. The meaning of coded emails to contacts in Pakistan only became clear after the arrests, when authorities realised that the quantities of Calvin Klein aftershave being discussed in messages matched the amount of hydrogen peroxide the conspirators had purchased. Longstanding liquid restrictions Ever since then, the TSA and authorities in other countries have limited carry-on liquids and gels to 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) because officials believe that amount is too small to create an explosion capable of taking down a plane. The restriction covered all types of liquids, because X-ray machines at checkpoints couldn't differentiate between explosive and harmless ones. The United Kingdom was planning to ease its restrictions last year to allow people to carry up to 2 liters (about half a gallon) of liquid, but that was delayed because several major airports still didn't have the new scanners that use computed tomography, commonly known as a CT scan, to produce clearer images. Advanced new screening machines The new machines allow screeners to switch between two-dimensional and three-dimensional images and turn them to see what may be lurking, said Johnny Jones, secretary treasurer of the chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees that represents TSA workers. 'It's just a totally life-changing situation,' said Jones, who has worked as a screener since the agency was created. 'It's a difference of being able to see something that would have been hidden by something that you can now see clear as day with the new technology. It eliminates the guesswork.' Many airports still use the old tech The problem is that only 255 of the 432 airports across the United States have new CT scanners installed, the interim head of the TSA told Congress this spring. The biggest airports got them first, but they are not expected to be everywhere until 2043. It's possible that a change in carry-on liquid policy could be implemented just at the biggest airports, but that could lead to confusion if travelers, are, say, allowed to bring full bottles on departure only to have them confiscated when they return. The scanners cost more than $2 million apiece, and they are so much bigger than the old X-ray machines that sometimes floors must be reinforced and checkpoints have to be redesigned. 'I think you need to hold off till we get more systems deployed. I think this one's a little too early,' said Jeff Price, who teaches aviation security at Metropolitan State University of Denver and has co-authored books on the subject. 'The keep your shoes on — I can get on board with that provided we continue to do random screenings. But the liquids, I think we're too early on that. There's other layers of security. Yeah, I know that. But not too many of them that prevent this type of attack.' In the past the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security has highlighted vulnerabilities in TSA screening that can allow things to slip through undetected. A 2015 report found that TSA officers failed 95 per cent of the time to detect weapons or explosive material carried by undercover inspectors. But Jones defended the work of the screeners he represents, noting that since the agency's creation, no plane has failed to reach its destination because of something that was missed. 'Nothing large has been able to make it through our system since we've taken over screening. We've protected the skies for 22 years,' Jones said. 'Even if you have a slight miss, it doesn't necessarily mean anything is going to happen on the plane.'
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Fury as secret identities of SAS troops are leaked online by army association magazine in fresh data blunder that could have put lives at risk
An urgent probe has been launched after the identities of SAS troops from one of its most senior regiments were published online. The fresh data blunder came last year when a Grenadier Guards' in-house publication included a rollcall of the names and deployments of its most senior officers. Ten men were listed next to the codename MAB - which is shorthand for MoD A block - the site of the UK special forces headquarters, The Sunday Times has reported. The codename has been widely publicised online - in turn allowing any terrorist group or enemy state to work out that the troops were part of the SAS. The document containing the information about the soldiers' identities was produced by the Grenadier Guards Regimental Association. The group is a charitable association made up of former service members - with such organisations routinely handed information about active army personnel. Defence secretary John Healey is understood to be furious at the data breach which comes just days after the Afghan superinjunction was exposed. Head of the army General Sir Roly Walker has ordered an investigation into why the details of the SAS soldiers were so widely available. He said according to The Sunday Times: 'The security of our people is of the utmost importance and we take any breach extremely seriously.' 'As a result of this incident, I have directed an immediate review into our data-sharing arrangements with our regimental and corps associations to ensure appropriate guidance and safeguards are in place to best support the vital work they do,' he added. Meanwhile, SAS legend Chris Ryan was also concerned at the leak, and told MailOnline last night: 'There are serious questions to be answered here. 'Why is this data readily available and to who? 'This is an information management issue. Malicious or accidental insider, a breach has consequences. 'What classification is the in-house magazine and who signed it off? 'When these breaches happen, there's needs to be accountability or they will keep happening.' The former military hardman-turned acclaimed author added: 'This is a "MABulous" blunder by the Guards - that's why they have their own squadron.' It comes after the Mail revealed earlier this week that special forces, MI6 spies and government officials were among more than 100 Britons on the lost Afghan dataset. It emerged that a secret operation smuggling migrants to Britain was being run by ministers after a military blunder put 100,000 'at risk of death' from the Taliban. Ministers fought for two years to hush-up the data blunder with an unprecedented super-injunction that silenced this newspaper and other media. The High Court was told the draconian gagging order was necessary to protect 100,000 Afghans the UK had put 'at risk of death'. But after we were able to get access to the database and analyse it, it became clear that dozens of senior British military officers including a brigadier and government officials were also exposed. The Mail's investigation triggered a massive secrecy row yesterday as security-cleared parliamentarians erupted in fury at being kept in the dark. Lord Beamish, chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee, said: 'I am astounded at this. 'The idea that members of MI6 are on this get quarterly reports from the security agencies and we have heard nothing at all. Why?' The MOD said: 'It's longstanding policy of successive governments to not comment on Special Forces. 'We take the security of our personnel very seriously and personnel, particularly those in sensitive positions, always have appropriate measures in place to protect their security.' A spokesman added: 'The government strongly welcomes the Intelligence and Security Committee's scrutiny of the Afghan data incident. 'Defence Intelligence and the wider department have been instructed by the Defence Secretary to give their full support to the ISC and all parliamentary committees. 'If ministers and officials are asked to account and give evidence, they will. 'We have restored proper parliamentary accountability and scrutiny for the decisions that the department takes and the spending that we commit on behalf of the taxpayer.'
BBC News
12 hours ago
- BBC News
Anti-immigrant rallies staged across Poland
Anti‑immigration protests have taken place in dozens of towns and cities across Poland. Most demonstrations attracted several hundred people or fewer on Saturday - but police estimated that about 3,000 took part in the largest rally in the southern city of Katowice. The protests were organised by far-right political group Konfederacja, and another nationalist from Konfederacja and the opposition Law and Justice party have been warning about a flood of illegal migration in Poland - but official figures do not support their claims. "Without closing Poland to illegal immigration, without starting deportation campaigns, without abandoning political correctness... security will gradually deteriorate," Konfederacja co-chairman Krzysztof Bosak told the crowd in the eastern city of Bialystok.A minute's silence was held at some gatherings in memory of a 24-year-old Polish woman murdered in the central city of Torun. In the capital Warsaw, rival rallies took place just metres away. There were no reports of violence. Police have since arrested a Venezuelan man in the case. Right-wing politicians claim Poland is in danger of being flooded by illegal migrants. Immigration has increased over the last decade - but official figures show that migration is lower so far this year than in previous this month, Poland introduced checks on its borders with Germany and Lithuania after Berlin began turning away asylum seekers. Germany introduced its own controls on the Polish and Czech borders in March, Poland temporarily suspended the right of migrants arriving in the country via its border with Belarus to apply for asylum.
