Terrorism report warns of 'dirty bomb' risks, says Italy's nuclear waste deposits vulnerable

Italy's dumps of nuclear waste and other radioactive material are vulnerable to terrorists and should be kept under strict security, a terrorism report released Monday said. The report by a private Italian foundation looks at the causes of Islamic terrorism and the evolution of al-Qaida and other terror groups since 9/11, with a particular eye to Italy. Analyzing the dangers of an attack with nuclear weapons or radioactive "dirty bombs," the report says the fight for non-proliferation is bound to have a central role in anti-terror efforts and will require stricter co-operation among nations. Italy has a dozen sites where radioactive material is temporarily stocked, according to the report.

These sites, the stocked material and their transfers "are vulnerable to terror attacks" and require measures to protect them from any terror risks. The report did not elaborate on the security measures currently in place. Italy closed nuclear plants after a referendum banned nuclear power in 1987. But the report says that the plants have produced 55,000 cubic meters of waste. There is also 2,000 cubic meters of other radioactive material coming from health and medical products, as well as waste produced by hospitals and chemical and other companies. Another risk, the report said, stems from the fact that there are active nuclear plants in nearby or neighbouring countries. The report called for stricter co-ordination between local officials and the government, as well as between countries.

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Air cargo still vulnerable to terrorists

The Transportation Security Administration is failing to ensure the security of boxed cargo in passenger planes, leaving the airplanes at risk for a terrorist attack, according to a government report obtained by USA TODAY. "Air cargo is vulnerable," says a report by the Homeland Security Department's inspector general.

The report, out today, cites repeated problems with the TSA's program to stop terrorists from sneaking a bomb into any of the tens of thousands of cargo packages carried each day in the bellies of passenger planes.

Investigators were able to slip into supposedly secure warehouses where cargo is stored before being loaded onto airplanes and walk around unchallenged, the report says. Inspector General Richard Skinner also found some workers who handle the cargo had not received required background checks or training.

The TSA "has not been effective" in making airlines and freight-handling companies comply with security rules for cargo, Skinner said in his report.

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US Social Security System Open to Identity Theft and Fraud

The nation’s Social Security numbering scheme has left millions of citizens vulnerable to privacy breaches, according to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, who for the first time have used statistical techniques to predict Social Security numbers solely from an individual’s date and location of birth.

The findings, published Monday in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are further evidence that privacy safeguards created in the era before powerful computers and ubiquitous networks are increasingly failing, setting up an architecture of vulnerability around personal digital information.

To read the full New York Times article, please click here.

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