Sunday's double suicide bombing in Baghdad took place in what was considered the city's safest area barring the "Green Zone". As the death toll soared to over 150, the people of Baghdad were left wondering just how the attackers could get through the city's countless checkpoints. One of our Observers there explains. Read more...

The Russian government is planning to allow pro-Kremlin volunteers to set up a nationwide youth militia by recruiting 100,000 destitute 17- to 25-year-olds to patrol the streets in return for food and shelter. The news comes just months after a similar initiative was set up in Italy. Is Europe seeing a return to citizen policing? Read more...

Brazil gets a bad rap when it comes to violent crime. Until recently however, the capital city of Brasilia had managed to keep up a decent reputation. Not anymore. One of our Observers in the city says the proof is in the security; electric fences around homes, private surveillance systems.... Brasilia's wealthy residents are clearly not taking any chances. Read more...

A neo-fascist group has been disqualified from patrolling the Italian streets after showcasing their uniform — strikingly similar to that of Benito Mussolini's Black Shirts — at a press conference on Saturday. Read more...

After 22 days of war, 1,300 Palestinian and 14 Israeli deaths, Israel and Hamas have agreed, on either side, to a ceasefire. Was so much bloodshed necessary to end the hostilities? For two Sderot students at least, the rockets were becoming insufferable, and it was only a matter of time before Hamas Qassams would be landing in Tel Aviv. Read more and see the project video...

A new generation of vending machines is out in Japan. Fitted with a direct line to the police and CCTV, the flash machines don't just serve coke, but combat crime at the same time. Not such a good idea, according to one of our Observers in the country. Read more...

A video that will be used as evidence against a group of alleged Islamic extremist terrorists has emerged on the internet just before one of the accused is to stand trial for Canada's first ever terror plot. But the footage was shot on a weekend camp organised by an informant paid by Canada's security services - a detail largely overlooked by the Canadian media. Read more and see the video...

Video surveillance cameras go relatively unnoticed in London, despite it being the most surveyed country in the world. In France however, where plans to increase their numbers by threefold have just been announced, the extra eye-spies will not go up without a fight. Read more...

Canada's federal police watchdog requested yesterday that authorities "immediately restrict" the use of Taser guns (electronic control devices). The news has refuelled debate over the use of the "non-lethal" weapon, which has been blamed for the death of a Polish immigrant killed in Vancouver airport on 14 October. The incident was filmed by a passenger who put the images online a few weeks later. Robert Dziekanski, the man we see in the video, died a few minutes after being shocked with a Taser. We have commentary from an Amnesty International representative and from Tom Smith, co-founder of Taser. Read more.