Archive

BY MONICA DOBIE
THE WORTH of iridium satellite phones as a standby communications facility of last resort, has been demonstrated, say its supporters, by the key role the technology played in the aftermath of the catastrophes of September 11.

Indeed, advocates of these comms systems have been vindicated, as the mobiles once mocked for being ineffective near tall buildings and trees, as well as being ludicrously expensive to run, proved instrumental in helping emergency workers and security officials communicate at the scene of the terrorist disasters.…

Keith Nuthall
A STREAMLINED system for removing faulty non-food items from retailers and service providers across the European Union, where goods have been shown to be a risk to consumers, is to be set up, following the agreement of reforms to the EU general product safety directive.…

Keith Nuthall
Ministers also struck a compromise over the controversial question of the location of tribunals or courts resolving any dispute, whether they should be in the country of the consumer or of the company. Abandoning Commission proposals that it should be that of the company, ministers agreed that the consumer should decide, much to the irritation of FEDMA, the European Direct Marketing Association.…

Keith Nuthall
A DEAL has been struck between the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers over the final shape of reforms to the European money-laundering directive, an agreement that was given political impetus by the attacks in the US and the need for improved legislation to help pinpoint terrorist-tainted funds.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union has launched its long awaited cross-border out-of-court disputes settlement system, which involves each Member State, (plus Iceland and Norway), setting up a central national contact point, where consumers can get information and assistance in fighting their cases.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
LAWYERS will be able to warn their clients that they are about to tip-off law enforcement authorities over concerns that they are handling dirty money, according to the final shape of long debated reforms to the EU money-laundering directive.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
SOME thirty years after the idea was first proposed, the creation of a European Company has become a reality. This new corporate entity will be authorised to operate throughout the 15 European Union countries under a single set of management, reporting and legal rules which will be binding throughout the EU.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
HOLIDAYS and pregnancy leave are a serious business, both for the employees who take them and the employers who pay for them. Unfortunately for personnel departments who might want a little more flexibility over whether they should shell out or not, recent cases at the European Court of Justice have underlined the right of EU citizens to take paid leave, rather than erode them.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE PROCESS of transforming the European Union’s anti-fraud office OLAF into a truly independent operator, with enough investigative muscle and legislative teeth to make an impact in Brussels’ fight against financial crime, has proved to be a slow and difficult task, its latest report admits.…

BY JONATHAN THOMSON
AMERICA’S NATIONAL Cybercrime Training Partnership (NCTP), which has taught more than 4,200 law enforcement officers the basics of computer forensics, is offering its services to private anti-fraud investigators and is reporting positive results through arrests and prosecutions. The organisation was developed by the U.S.…