Laws and regulations

To claim that swine flu has been "contained" is premature
We have not yet reached the “containment” phase of the swine flu epidemics; to say we have is PR, not public health policy
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U.S. designates North Korea's NCG as a nuclear-proliferation violator
NCG is a North Korean nuclear-related company in Pyongyang; today, the U.S. Department of State froze the assets of the and took other measures to isolate it from the U.S. financial and commercial systems
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U.S. treasury targets North Korea's missile proliferation network
U.S. Treasury invokes Executive Order 13382 to freeze the assets of Hong Kong Electronics; since 2007, the company has transferred million so f dollars worth of missile equipment to North Korea
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U.K. Home Office makes ID card trial voluntary
Bowing to pressure, the Home Office has abandoned attempts to force workers at Manchester and London City airports to carry ID cards, opting to make the trial voluntary
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U.K. biometrics industry signs up to new guidelines
The new guidelines will define the level of competence needed for a particular job role or occupation, and will be used to support individual and organizational development and quality assurance
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U.S., Russia disagree on cybersecurity
Washington does not believe an international treaty is necessary, but Moscow is seeking a treaty resembling those negotiated on chemical warfare to address the threat of Internet hacker attacks on computer systems
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Minnesota company recalls two years of food products
Plainview Milk Products Cooperative is recalling two years of food products — instant non-fat dried milk, whey protein, fruit stabilizers, and gums— due to possible salmonella contamination
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Disk containing secret defense-contract details sold in Ghana for $40
Journalism students buy a hard-drive containing secret information on multi-million dollar contracts between Northrop Grumman and the Pentagon; they bought the drive at Ghana “digital dump” for $40
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Obama to seek sweeping changes for cybersecurity
High administration official says that the administration wants to create “far-reaching incentives” for prioritizing cybersecurity in the private sector, which controls much of the nation’s critical IT infrastructure
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U.K. government: Best cyber defense is cyber offense
New National Security Strategy document includes, for the first time, a public cyber security strategy; unnamed high government source: “We don’t want to engage in cyber war but we can’t remain a target for criminals to take a pop at”
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Licensing cybersecurity professionals, II
Even with all the unanswered questions, some cybersecurity experts are happy just to be having the conversation on the topic; they say that all the focus on cybersecurity will turn more attention on training and certification efforts
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House panel votes for mandating safer technology at chemical plants
In a setback to the chemical industry, the House Homeland Security Committee approved a bill yesterday that could make chemical facilities use safer technologies and open them to civil lawsuits when they violate regulations
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Licensing cybersecurity professionals, I
There is a move in Congress to require the Commerce Department to develop or coordinate and integrate a national licensing, certification, and periodic recertification program for cybersecurity professionals
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Fallows questions DHS raison d'être
Atlantic’s James Fallows says DHS has not lived up to the expectations that accompanied its creation; abolishing it now would create more problems than it would solve; instead, he suggests changing the department’s name to Department of Civil Security, and broaden the definition of civil security
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Hathaway describes administration's cybersecurity response plan
The U.S, infrastructure is being challenged and attacked not by amateurs, but by professional criminals and spies backed with substantial resources; yet, there are no coordinated plans for protecting the critical infrastructure or responding to incidents, either by government or the private sector; the Obama administration plans to change that
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