A law giving security services access to a centralised antiterror database has been ruled partially illegal in Germany.
The Federal Constitutional Court ruled the law was too vague about the conditions necessary for gaining access to intelligence on terror suspects.
The antiterror law also blurred the dividing line between law enforcement and intelligence that was established after the Second World War to stamp out the abuses of the Nazi period.
The court ruled there must be an "overwhelming public interest" and a "sufficient concrete danger" of an attack to justify certain information being passed from one agency to another.
Judges said the law must be amended to permit legal access to the antiterror database, which contains information on more than 16,000 people, including suspects and their contacts.
The information in the database includes names, dates of birth, addresses, bank details and religion, as well as registered weapons and "skills relevant to terrorism".
The disputed law allows authorities to perform systematic searches of the database to find connections between investigations and suspects.
The federal court ruled this can now only occur with "strong evidence of a suspected offence".
The 2007 law was initially aimed at Islamic extremists but was updated in 2012 to cover the far-right scene.
In 2013, the court received a similar challenge and decided that lawmakers must bolster civil rights protections.
The court ordered "transparency" measures and said that officials charged with protecting data privacy must be given a clear watchdog role in the operation of the database.
The ruling on Friday found that legislators had not gone far enough in ensuring those protections under a revision that went into effect in 2015.
Germany is facing a problem with the influence of the far-right, which has affected the military and police.
The country's domestic intelligence chief said the far-right was the biggest threat to national security.
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPeyton%20Reed%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Paul%20Rudd%2C%20Evangeline%20Lilly%2C%20Jonathan%20Majors%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
