Miroslav Krejcik will head the Czech military intelligence service until June, Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek (Civic Democrats, ODS) said during the Question Time in the Chamber of Deputies today….(Prague Monitor, 16 Mar 07)

Charges Dropped Against HP's Dunn

Patricia C. Dunn, the woman at the center of the scandal involving Hewlett-Packard's aggressive search for corporate leaks, had all state charges against her dropped yesterday by a California court….(Washington Post, 15 Mar 07)

Charges Dismissed in Hewlett-Packard Spying Case

A California judge on Wednesday dismissed charges against Patricia C. Dunn, the former chairwoman of Hewlett-Packard, in a corporate spying case that gained national attention and prompted Congressional hearings on the protection of personal telephone records….(New York Times, 15 Mar 07)

Russian Intelligence in Britain Works on Cold War Level — Officials

…In Britain, counter-espionage has been carried out by the security service M15 for nearly 100 years. The service now focuses mainly on counter-terrorism and only about 5% of its budget is now spent on counter-espionage….(MosNews, 15 Mar 07)

New mysterious death in nation of stilled voices

…How and why Safronov died is a mystery that has gripped Moscow since the 51-year-old military affairs reporter plunged from a fifth-floor staircase window March 2. His colleagues remain convinced that he had no reason to commit suicide….(Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar 07)

Canadian Intelligence

…Hoag, a B.C. region chief and senior intelligence officer with CSIS, visited the UVic campus with a senior human resources officer Feb. 26 as part of a recruiting drive. The agency is looking for new intelligence officers, surveillants, information analysts, communications specialists and other technical and field staff….(Oak Bay, 15 Mar 07)

Journalist's Reports Spur Criminal Espionage Probe

A probe of grand jury leaks has developed into a criminal investigation to determine who gave a journalist for the Washington Times classified information about a Chinese espionage case...Judge Carney's language suggested that the criminal inquiry involves disclosures beyond those contained in Mr. Gertz's articles and a book he recently published, "Enemies: How America's Foes Steal Our Vital Secrets — and How We Let It Happen."…(New York Sun, 15 Mar 07)

DIA official warns about Cuban spies

…DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) analyst Ana Belen Montes, convicted of espionage in 2002, told Cuban intelligence officers about a secret U.S. Army Special Forces camp in El Salvador that she visited in 1987. Weeks later, the camp was attacked by pro-Cuban guerrillas of the Marxist group Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, DIA counterspy Scott W. Carmichael says in his book, "True Believer." Mr. Carmichael, who led the DIA's investigation of Montes, said in an interview that other Cuban agents are operating inside the U.S. government. "I believe that the Cuban Intelligence Service has penetrated the United States government to the same extent that the old East German intelligence service, the Stasi, once penetrated the West German government during the Cold War,"…(Washington Times, 15 Mar 07)

Media Fight Request to Close Parts of Israel Lobbyists' Trial

Defense lawyers and media organizations are objecting to what they say is a government effort to bar the public from the upcoming trial of two pro-Israel lobbyists charged with violating U.S. espionage laws….(Washington Post, 15 Mar 07)

Italy delays decision on extradition request for CIA agents charged in kidnapping

Italy's justice minister on Thursday delayed a decision on whether to request the extradition from the United States of 26 Americans — mostly CIA agents — who face trial in Milan in the kidnapping of an Egyptian terrorist suspect….(AP, 15 Mar 07)

Taiwanese fund controversial film on spying era in U.S.

…Taiwan's period of martial law spilled over to the United States as the Taiwanese government recruited students to spy on Taiwanese-American professors and others on college campuses. Tiao's script tells the story of a fictional character who is a composite of two real-life personalities….(McClatchy Newspapers, 15 Mar 07)

House passes FOIA bill over White House protests

The House overwhelmingly passed sweeping legislation Wednesday amending the Freedom of Information Act, despite the Bush administration's contention the bill would impose substantial administrative and financial burdens on agencies….(Gov Exec, 15 Mar 07)

'Best practices' for antispyware makers finalized

The nonprofit Anti-Spyware Coalition announced on Thursday that it had finalized a set of documents designed to provide software companies that develop spyware-fighting products with new information and tactics….(CNet, 15 Mar 07)

Politicians press for antispyware law yet again

…Leaders of a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee focused on consumer protection issues said they were mystified that earlier versions of the so-called Spy Act overwhelmingly passed the House in 2004 and in 2005 but were ignored by the Senate…..(CNet, 15 Mar 07)

Italy renews attempts to block CIA kidnap trial

The Italian government on Thursday made its second attempt to block a court case against U.S. CIA agents accused of kidnapping a Muslim cleric and flying him to Egypt, where he says he was tortured….(Reuters, 15 Mar 07)

House Passes Open-Government Bills

…"Ultimately what I'm hoping is that we can begin to change some of the culture here in Washington when it comes to open government and recognize that documents held by government officials are presumptively open records," (Senator John) Cornyn said this week….(Washington Post, 15 Mar 07)

Google to Tighten Privacy
…The change, which is to go into effect by the end of the year, was welcomed by privacy advocates who have challenged Google to respect its users' privacy as it pursues its goal of organizing the world's information. The new policy will affect only searches conducted from the Google home page…(Washington Post, 15 Mar 07)

Report Sees 22,000 New Meade Jobs, More Than Planned

The number of jobs that will locate to Anne Arundel's Fort George G. Meade over the next six years is likely to be more than double or triple the total approved in 2005 as part of the Pentagon's base realignment and closure plan, says the Howard County official who helps track the installation's regional impact….(Washington Post, 15 Mar 07)

Poland Braces for Outings of Ex - Spies

During some of the darkest days of communism, with curfews in force and tanks on Warsaw's streets, Solidarity activist Andrzej Krawczyk was arrested with a backpack full of leaflets aimed at sabotaging the regime….(AP, 14 Mar 07)

China: New pledge to strengthen the armed forces

…complaint heard in Washington concerns China’s intelligence capability. Beijing’s intelligence services are the most active in the world in spying on the United States and were targeting advanced technology, a senior US intelligence official said in remarks published last week….(Monday Morning, 14 Mar 07)

Israel's secret Gaza servants

…Even though the Israelis have been out of Gaza for the past 19 months, their influence remains. Many of the networks they put in place before their departure are still providing prescient intelligence and attempting to recruit proxies. Their methods are still the tried and trusted blackmail, sex and money….(Australian, 14 Mar 07)

Angolan justice chief says arrested British activist can go home
…Sarah Wykes, arrested last month, was freed on bail after four days in detention but was banned from leaving the Southwest African country. "She can leave today, tomorrow, whenever she wants," Attorney-General Augusto Carneiro told reporters…(AP, 14 Mar 07)

Yahoo Inc. Cleared in Hong Kong Case

Yahoo Inc. did not violate Hong Kong's privacy laws when it provided prosecutors with information about a Chinese reporter accused of leaking state secrets…(AP, 14 Mar 07)

Women deny spy base trespass

…Helen John, 69, and Sylvia Boyes, 63, were arrested by armed police within seconds of entering RAF Menwith Hill, an intelligence listening station in North Yorkshire, on April 1….(Times, 14 Mar 07)

German Official Adds to Mystery of Iranian Missing in Turkey

…On an official visit to Ankara, the German defense minister, Franz Josef Jung, was asked about the whereabouts of the former Iranian deputy defense minister, Ali Reza Asgari, and whether he was in Germany undergoing questioning. Mr. Jung merely replied: “I cannot say anything on this issue.”…(New York Times, 14 Mar 07)

Investigation Underway For Missing Former Iranian Defense Official, MFA

A spokesman from Turkish Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Turkish intelligence and customs units "were exerting firm efforts to bring into the daylight" the mysterious disappearance of a former Iranian deputy defense minister….(Turkish Press, 14 Mar 07)

Iran irks Turkey over missing Asghari

…Teheran alleges Asghari has been missing since after his arrival to Turkey from Syria in early December, when a woman identifying herself as his wife applied to the Turkish Embassy in Teheran, asking Ankara to discover his whereabouts…(Turkish Weekly, 14 Mar 07)

The Asghari Case: Defection and Damage Control

…The significance of Asghari's disappearance stems entirely from his background. Not only did he serve as Iran's deputy defense minister under former President Mohammed Khatami, but he also is a retired general who was a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the 1980s and 1990s….(Stratford, 14 Mar 07)

Google adding search privacy protections

Google is changing its data retention practices to make it harder to identify the specific computers used in searches….(CNet, 14 Mar 07)

Militants behead ‘US spy’ in South Waziristan

…Speaking to AFP, a security official said that the headless body of a man was found late on Monday in a sack on a roadside in Jandola town, bordering South Waziristan. He said that the severed head had been placed near the sack and a note near his body read “US spy”….(Daily Times, 14 Mar 07)

Video: ‘Curveball’ and his Crooked Intelligence

Report: Iraqi defector safe in Germany

…Intelligence sources said the man who was known by the code name "Curveball" lives outside Munich under protection of the state police. He provided U.S. officials with claims Saddam Hussein's government had "mobile biological weapons labs," which fuelled the U.S. decision to invade in March 2003….(UPI, 14 Mar 07)

DHS to study counter-intelligence function

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is to study setting up a counter-intelligence operation to prevent it from being infiltrated by terrorists or others….(UPI, 14 Mar 07)

Delayed CIA Memoir Coming Next Month

The much-delayed memoir of former CIA director George Tenet is coming out April 30, his publisher said Tuesday… Tenet, whose tenure at the CIA was marked by the Iraq war and the Sept. 11 attacks, first planned to write his memoir for the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., that announced an agreement in December 2004….(AP, 14 Mar 07)

A Clash Looms on Secrecy in AIPAC Spy Case

…Messrs. Rosen and Weissman were fired by AIPAC before being indicted in 2005 on charges that they conspired to pass classified information to an Israeli official and to reporters. The pair allegedly solicited and obtained information from a Defense Department analyst, Lawrence Franklin, who pleaded guilty and is cooperating with prosecutors. The two former AIPAC staffers have pleaded not guilty. They have argued that they had no duty to safeguard classified information since they were not government employees or contractors, but Judge Thomas Ellis III has rejected that position….(New York Sun, 14 Mar 07)

Face up to offshoring security risks, urges expert

…David Lacey, security consultant and former head of IT security at Royal Mail, said many organizations made the mistake of leaving it to their lawyers to write security clauses into their contracts with offshore suppliers. "Chief information security officers should be involved right from the start," he said.  Foreign governments are also a potential risk, said Winkler, who estimates that 100 countries are engaged in espionage against the US….(Computer Weekly, 14 Mar 07)

Russian Businessman to Help German Prosecutors in Litvinenko Poisoning Case

According to his lawyer Russian businessman Dmitry Kovtun plans to come to Germany and help German investigators in looking into the fatal radioactive poisoning of former Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko, the Reuters news agency reported Wednesday. Kovtun met Litvinenko at a London hotel on November 1 with another Russian businessman, Andrei Lugovoy….(MosNews, 14 Mar 07)

Russian plans to come to Germany in poisoning case

 Russian businessman Dmitry Kovtun plans to come to Germany and help German investigators in looking into the fatal radioactive poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko…(Reuters, 14 Mar 07)

Sparring in Litvinenko Inquiry

Russian prosecutors investigating the poisoning in Britain of former Federal Security Service agent Alexander Litvinenko on Monday accused British officials of failing to cooperate. Britain is investigating Litvinenko's death, but Russia has launched a parallel criminal inquiry and has asked for clearance to interview dozens of people in London, including Russian emigres wanted for trial in Moscow….(Reuters, 13 Mar 07)

Rose Mary Sheldon discusses "Early Espionage: The Great and Ancient Game"

Tuesday, March 13, at the International Spy Museum

…the titles of her books—which include Espionage in the Ancient World, Spies of the Bible, and Intelligence Activities in Ancient Rome—don’t exactly bring Ian Fleming’s Cold War world to mind. Sheldon’s interests are far older…..(Washington City, 13 Mar 07)

How Corporations Are Like Cold War Superpowers

… According to Tom Mahlik, a section chief in the FBI's counterintelligence division, law enforcement reacts on a "catch as catch can" basis. In other words, corporate espionage is much like that tree falling in the forest. Says Mahlik, "If it wasn't detected, it wasn't illegal--because you don't know about it."  The cases we do know about have cost corporate America millions of dollars….(New Republic, 13 Mar 07)

News media coalition seeks to intervene in espionage trial

A coalition of media groups asked for permission to intervene in the AIPAC espionage case today, citing an apparent secret request by the U.S. government to hold a substantial portion of the criminal trial of two lobbyists in secret….(RCFP, 13 Mar 07)

Constitution Clash Looms in Virginia

…Defense lawyers for the two men, Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, have objected vigorously to the unusual proposal to present secret evidence. Late today, a consortium of news organizations filed a motion to intervene in the case to restrain any attempt by the government to give the jury access to evidence that the public will not be permitted to examine….(New York Sun, 13 Mar 07)

William C. Sturbitts CIA Operations Officer

William C. Sturbitts, 87, who retired from the CIA in 1980 after 28 years as an operations officer, died March 4….(Washington Post, 13 Mar 07)

Robert Joseph Patterson Cartographer

Robert Joseph Patterson, 87, a cartographer with the old Army Map Service, died March 3…Mr. Patterson moved to Washington in 1945 to work as a cartographer with the Army Map Service, now the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. He retired in 1983…(Washington Post, 13 Mar 07)

Iran pressures Turkey for spy

Iran stepped up pressure on Turkey for the lost Iranian man, Ali Riza Asghari, by sending his wife Sima Ahmadi and three children to the Turkish Embassy in Tehran in order to challenge the claims that he is a spy, said the Turkish officials to the Turkish Daily News yesterday…Ali Reza Asghari was former deputy defense minister who vanished while on a private trip to Turkey in Istanbul, December 9, 2006. He is blamed to be a spy for the West, carrying information about the nuclear program of Iran….(Turkish Daily, 13 Mar 07)

The spy who disappeared

…Undercover Mossad agents have also operated successfully inside Syria, which may explain why Asghari made his way to Turkey via Damascus: flying directly to Istanbul, historically a crossroads of the espionage world (both Mossad and the CIA have long had a presence there) risked attracting the attention of Vavek, Iran's domestic security agency. Exactly what prompted Asghari to disappear in such haste is not clear: his abrupt removal from the defense ministry could be a factor. Another theory holds that he had been passing secrets to the West for several years and had recently become aware that Vavek was closing in: his distress signal activated a pre-prepared extraction plan….(First Post, 13 Mar 07)

Russian Journalist Seeks Asylum in United States

A Russian journalist is seeking asylum in the United States after being beaten and suffering kidney failure in a suspected poisoning attempt, London’s Sunday Times reported. The award-winning journalist, who has reported on events in the Caucasus, has been “promised political asylum” in the United States….(St. Petersburg Times, 13 Mar 07)

Polish intelligentsia face post-communist vetting

…The new law will require up to 700,000 Poles in any position of authority born before June 1, 1972 -- including academics, journalists and company executives -- to state in writing they did not collaborate with the communist regime, toppled in 1989. Employers will need to verify staff have been vetted by a special institution, the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), that holds millions of documents from the state security apparatus that ran Poland for four decades after World War Two…(Reuters, 13 Mar 07)

Abducted Cleric Says He Will Sue Former Italian PM

A Muslim cleric allegedly abducted by CIA agents in Milan in 2003 said on Monday he will sue Italy's opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi who was premier at the time. "He is responsible because the secret services obeyed him," Egyptian imam Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr….(AKI, 13 Mar 07)

Government Guards Papers From Public Eye

More than 1 million pages of historical government documents _ a stack taller than the U.S. Capitol _ have been removed from public view since the September 2001 terror attacks, according to records obtained by The Associated Press. Some of the papers are more than a century old….(AP, 13 Mar 07)

Defense attorney wants names, dates

A federal grand jury indicted Wilkes and Foggo last month on conspiracy, fraud and money laundering charges stemming from the Randy “Duke” Cunningham bribery scandal. The government said Foggo used his influence at the CIA to direct business deals to Wilkes. Wilkes, in turn, lavished on Foggo, with whom he grew up in Chula Vista, gifts, expensive dinners, trips to Scotland and Hawaii, and promises of high-paying employment, the government alleged. The indictment also accuses Foggo of improperly providing top-secret information to Wilkes about the CIA, his contracting competitors and “other matters” to steer $1.7 million in contracts to Wilkes. …(Union Tribune, 13 Mar 07)

Spy may not testify in Omagh case

An American agent who infiltrated the ranks of the Real IRA may not testify in the Omagh bomb compensation case. David Rupert was due to give evidence from America, via video link, in a £14m civil case taken by the Omagh victim's families….(BBC, 13 Mar 07)

State regulators conclude they can probe phone records issue

The state Department of Public Utility Control has concluded that despite federal government objections, it has the authority to investigate the release of thousands of phone records to the National Security Agency. The DPUC, in a draft decision Monday, said that it determined it has jurisdiction to look into the charge that AT&T and Verizon turned over thousands of Connecticut phone records to the NSA without warrants….(AP, 13 Mar 07)

Iraq’s Mobil Biological Weapons Labs Was Hoax – More Pieces to Puzzle Revealed in Iraq War Intelligence Failures

…Since then the source, an Iraqi known as “Curveball”, admits to making the stories up. The German government has continued to honor a commitment with Curveball for his cooperation…..(Best syndication, 13 Mar 07)

FBI overstepped its bounds in obtaining information

The revelation that FBI agents illegally obtained personal information about Americans only heightens concerns about personal privacy in an era of terrorist threats and technological wizardry. …(Battle Creek Enquirer, 13 Mar 07)

Regulations and a fear of banner headlines put the focus on data, not network, security

For DuPont, Gary Min may have seemed a model employee. A research chemist at DuPont's research laboratory in Circleville, Ohio, Min was a naturalized U.S. citizen with a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania who had worked for DuPont for 10 years, even earning a business degree from Ohio State University with help from his employer….(Info World, 13 Mar 07)

Sensitive companies ready to welcome advancements in drive security.

Seagate announced today that ASI Computer Technologies will be the first manufacturer to sell notebook computers with full disk encryption (FDE)….(Daily Tech, 13 Mar 07)

Czech military intelligence head to leave post early - govt

Czech PM Mirek Topolanek (Civic Democrats, ODS) and Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanova (Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL) today agreed on military intelligence head Miroslav Krejcik leaving his post before his mandate expires, Deputy PM Alexandr Vondra told journalists today….(Prague Monitor, 13 Mar 07)

Former San Bernardino resident linked to terrorism

Court records show that a former Navy sailor arrested last week on terrorism charges had jihadi videos sent to his San Bernardino home while he was on duty in the Middle East. Hassan Abujihaad, 31, formerly known as Paul R. Hall, lived in San Bernardino before moving to Phoenix, where he was arrested March 7…(Press-Enterprise, 13 Mar 07)

China To Tighten Internet Control

State press reports that China will be drafting new regulations to impose stricter control on Internet blogs and webcasts that allow users to bypass government censorship. "Advanced network technologies such as blogging and webcasting have been mounting new challenges to the government's ability to supervise the Internet,"….(All Headline News, 13 Mar 07)

China's great firewall

A US businessman negotiating in Beijing with a large state-owned Chinese company was startled to discover that the morning after he sent an email back to head office about a certain issue, his counterpart opened their discussion with that same topic. This happened day after day, and he was convinced that his emails were being intercepted and passed on….(Australian IT, 12 Mar 07)

Spy suspect accused of leaking Canuck info

…Hassan Abugihaad, 31, also known as Paul Hall, is accused of leaking the location of ships and the best ways to attack them, including HMCS Winnipeg, a multi-role patrol frigate. He was charged Wednesday with supporting terrorism with the intent to kill U.S. citizens and transmitting classified information to unauthorized people….(Canadian Press, 12 Mar 07)

U.S. sailor accused of espionage

…Hassan Abujihaad, 31, also known as Paul Hall, is accused of leaking the location of ships and the best ways to attack them, including HMCS Winnipeg, a multirole patrol frigate. The incident occurred just weeks after al-Qaeda terrorists bombed the USS Cole in Yemen, killing 17 U.S. sailors….(AP, 12 Mar 07)

Chinese Hackers Seek U.S. Access

The fact that hackers are directly breaking into military and government computers spotlights the soft underbelly in U.S. cybersecurity. The attacks also underline the need for the federal government to develop policies that define responsibilities between the public and private sectors to fend off hackers and terrorists, say military officials….(USA Today, 12 Mar 07)

From Russia, with no love lost

The death of dissident Alexander Litvinenko has awakened interest in Russia, which hasn't been this hot with publishers and filmmakers since the Cold War. There are four books and possibly as many movies on the way…(Globe & Mail, 12 Mar 07)

Russian Investigators to Question 100 People in Britain as Part of Litvinenko Poisoning Probe

…“We have made a list of over 100 people whom we want to interview in Britain, including Russians living there. Moreover, we are seeking permission to examine a number of facilities and conduct other investigative procedures,” Alexander Zvyagintsev told Izvestia daily. He said work had already begun, adding that the list included tycoon Boris Berezovsky, who lives in London as a political emigre. Earlier, Berezovsky, who is wanted in Russia on charges of fraud and attempts to overthrow the Russian government, said he would meet with Russian investigators in London only if his security was guaranteed….(MosNews, 12 Mar 07)

Russia wants to question 100 people in U.K. in ex-spy probe

...Litvinenko, 44, who defected in 2000, died in London November 23. Doctors said a lethal dose of radioactive polonium-210 was found in his body. Before his death, Litvinenko accused the Kremlin of orchestrating his poisoning in a deathbed note, a charge that President Vladimir Putin strongly denied.….(RIS Novosti, 12 Mar 07)

Russia Raps UK Over Litvinenko Murder Inquiry

…Russia's Deputy Prosecutor-General Alexander Zvyagintsev said requests for British cooperation had been slowed down by officials from Scotland Yard, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Home Office. “Unfortunately, too much time is being taken up with technical and procedural questions and I hope they can be resolved faster,''…(Reuters, 12 Mar 07)

Russia Says UK Authorities Hinder Investigation Into Litvinenko Poisoning

…Britain is investigating Litvinenko’s death but Russia has launched a parallel criminal inquiry and has asked for clearance to interview dozens of people in London, including Russian emigres wanted for trial in Moscow….(MosNews, 12 Mar 07)

Missing Iranian 'spying since 2003'

A former deputy defense minister, Ali Reza Asgari, 63, had defected to the West, according to Turkish media reports from the last few weeks. “Asgari … is understood to be undergoing debriefing at a NATO base in Germany,” claimed the British paper….(Turkish Daily, 12 Mar 07)

Blix: Britain Embellished Iraq Dossiers

The British government embellished intelligence used to justify the decision to invade Iraq in 2003, the former U.N. chief weapons inspector said in an interview broadcast Monday….(AP, 12 Mar 07)

Feds, AT&T Urge Against Wiretap Trial

…''The suit's very subject matter -- including the relationship, if any, between AT&T and the government in connection with the secret intelligence activities alleged by plaintiffs -- is a state secret,'' the Justice Department argued in court papers….(AP, 12 Mar 07)

US to build largest CIA Center for East Africa in Sudan - report

The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reportedly would construct the largest operative center for East Africa in Sudan, said a report published yesterday. The Sudanese government has permitted 400 containers that belonged to the US embassy in Khartoum, to enter the country following long standing objections by the Sudanese treasury….(Sudan Tribune, 12 Mar 07)

New Defense Chief Eases Relations Rumsfeld Bruised

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has set in motion a review of the Pentagon’s dealings with the nation’s spy agencies to improve cooperation and heal working relationships bruised by his predecessor, Donald H. Rumsfeld, just one way Mr. Gates has forcefully if quietly pushed back on Mr. Rumsfeld’s initiatives….(New York Times, 12 Mar 07)

Ex-CIA Director Woolsey Favors Releasing Pollard

…Woolsey responded that though he has favored a significant punishment for Pollard in the past, "now that he has served [over] 20 years in prison, my view is that 20 years is enough…. (Jonathan Pollard Org, 12 Mar 07)

Government Sites Aren't FOIA-Friendly

…In 1996, Congress intended to keep government ahead of the curve by amending the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to require that agencies put more public information on their Web sites. Posting important and most-requested records online, the theory went, would burn through a raft of hard-copy FOIA requests, save money and eliminate waiting time….(Washington Post, 12 Mar 07)

Probe of Leaks Are at Center of Inquiries From the Right

The top Republican on the House's main investigative committee, Rep. Thomas Davis of Virginia, is charging the Justice Department with stonewalling his inquiries about the FBI's assertion that it closed several leak investigations because of a lack of cooperation on the part of other government officials….(New York Sun, 12 Mar 07)

Tehran spy under interrogation by NATO officers

An Iranian general who defected to the West is reportedly being interrogated by intelligence officers at a NATO base in Germany after slipping out of Iran via Damascus and Istanbul….(Australian, 12 Mar 07)

A convenient suicide

…Kommersant reported Thursday that, before his death, Safronov informed his editors that he had been warned not to write about the weapons sales because "doing so would cause an international scandal and the FSB" — successor to the KGB — "would make charges against him of stealing state secrets stick." This warning, the testimony of family and friends that he had never seemed suicidal, and the circumstances surrounding his fall from the window — with his hat and oranges he had purchased scattered on the stairwell below — strongly suggest that it was not an accident….(Boston Globe, 12 Mar 07)

Mystery deepens over fate of Iranian general

A former senior Iranian official has added to the mystery over Ali-Reza Asgari, the former deputy defense minister who disappeared in Turkey last month, by saying his family was still in Tehran. This contradicted intelligence leaks to Western and Israeli media outlets that Asgari had defected, taking his family and a raft of security secrets with him…(KUNA, 12 Mar 07)

Defector spied on Iran for years

…This weekend Brigadier General Ali Reza Asgari, 63, the former deputy defence minister, is understood to be undergoing debriefing at a Nato base in Germany after he escaped from Iran, followed by his family. A daring getaway via Damascus was organised by western intelligence agencies after it became clear that his cover was about to be blown. Iran’s notorious secret service, the Vavak, is believed to have suspected that he was a high-level mole….(Sunday Times, 11 Mar 07)

Convicted scientist to spend three months in solitary confinement - lawyer

Igor Sutyagin, a Russian scientist who is serving a 15-year sentence for espionage, will spend three months in solitary confinement.  "He was sent into solitary confinement for three months supposedly because a phone was found on him. I question this and treat [the punishment] as an attempt to put pressure on Sutyagin," Anna Stavitskaya, a lawyer for the scientist….(Interfax, 11 Mar 07)

Luanda nabs activist

…Wykes, who works for the international NGO Global Witness, which aims to increase transparency in extractive industries, has been accused of espionage by the Angolan authorities and is forbidden to leave the country….(Mail & Guardian, 11 Mar 07)