China's Civil Aviation Administration confirmed yesterday (9/9) that 192 commercial airline pilots faked their flying records in 2008 in order to land a job. Many of the pilots who lied about their experience were able to return to work after training to make up their deficiencies.

A suspected Mexican drug gang has a new propaganda tactic in its quest to squash the competition.

On Monday, four journalist were abducted in La Laguna, a region that includes parts of Coahuila and Durango states. Later in the day one of the reporters called his station and said his kidnappers wanted videos aired on TV as a condition of his release. The station complied and broadcast footage of "people apparently being held prisoner accusing local police officers of collaborating with the Zetas, one of Mexico's most violent drug cartels," reports the New York Times.

Via this Kathimerini story we learn that the Greek newspaper Ta Nea has received a CD containing a seven-page statement from a group claiming responsibility for the gangland-style murder of journalist Sokratis Giolias last Monday (7/19).

From the Kathimerini article it isn't clear who the statement is from, however police are probing the document, and last week said that bullet casings from the attack on Giolias match ones from handguns used in an earlier attack by the domestic terror group Sect of Revolutionaries.

With the sale of fake and illegal goods rampant on the Internet, China has established a new set of rules for online shop owners and entrepreneurs to try and reduce such activity. Described as "Interim Measures for online commodity trading and related services" these new requirements went into effect July 1 and now require all Internet entrepreneurs to register personal information, including real names and addresses with e-commerce sites before they begin operating online.

DHS Secretary Napolitano today (5/13) announced the FY 2010 Preparedness Grants for nine federal programs, including critical infrastructure-related grants.

The total funding going to state, local and tribal governments, and the private sector to help them strengthen preparedness for acts of terrorism, major disasters and other emergencies is about $790 million.

The program are:

• Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP), which includes the Freight Rail Security Grant Program (FRSGP), and Intercity Passenger Rail (Amtrak).
• Intercity Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP)
• Port Security Grant Program (PSGP)
• Buffer Zone Protection Program (BZPP)
• Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) Grant Program
• Interoperable Emergency Communications Grant Program (IECGP)
• Driver’s License Security Grant Program (DLSGP)

It's being reported by several news agencies, including CNN, that three people died and four others were trapped when a fire bomb hit a bank in Athens today as a 24-hour general strike grips Greece.

Swiss authorities announced Sunday that they detained three people earlier this month on suspicion of planning to bomb the Swiss subsidiary of a major international company.

Police stopped the three suspects - two Italians and a Swiss - during a routine traffic stop and allegedly found them in possession of explosives and other damning evidence.