Border tensions rise between Croatia, Serbia

Border tensions rise between Croatia, Serbia

ZAGREB, Croatia

Tensions escalated between Serbia and Croatia on Thursday as the longtime rivals struggled to come up with a coherent way to deal with tens of thousands of migrants streaming through the Balkan nations to seek sanctuary in other parts of Europe.

Serbia banned imports from Croatia to protest Croatia’s decision to close the border to cargo as the two countries criticized each other for their handling of migrants who are traveling through Serbia then onto Croatia on their way to Western Europe. Croatia responded by banning all Serbian-registered vehicles from entering the country.

The increasingly acidic tone of exchanges is reminiscent of that used during the wars that accompanied the disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, when nationalists on both sides capitalized on the country’s economic collapse and fanned ethnic tensions, touching off a bloody conflict that killed tens of thousands.

Audit finds lax cybersecurity at HealthCare.gov

WASHINGTON

The government stored sensitive personal information on millions of health insurance customers in a computer system with basic security flaws, according to an official audit that uncovered slipshod practices.

The Obama administration said it acted quickly to fix all the problems identified by the Health and Human Services inspector general’s office. But the episode raises questions about the government’s ability to protect a vast new database at a time when cyberattacks are becoming bolder.

Known as MIDAS, the $110-million system is the central electronic storehouse for information collected under President Barack Obama’s health care law.

It doesn’t handle medical records. But according to a government privacy impact statement, it does include names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, phone numbers, passport numbers, employment status and financial account information of customers on HealthCare.gov and state insurance marketplaces.

Tour vehicle, charter bus collide on bridge; 4 dead

SEATTLE

A “duck boat” tour vehicle and a charter bus carrying foreign students to a college orientation event collided on a busy Seattle bridge Thursday, killing four people and sending dozens to hospitals.

The crash happened on the Aurora Bridge, which carries one of the city’s main north-south highways over a lake. At least two people were in critical condition, and many others suffered lesser injuries.

There was no immediate word about the cause of the crash, which involved a military-style tour bus that also can be operated on water. Initial reports described the accident as a head-on collision.

Border Patrol agent indicted in shooting

TUCSON, Ariz.

A Border Patrol agent charged with second-degree murder in the death of a Mexican teen is one of only three agents to face murder charges in more than 20 years.

Lonnie Swartz was indicted Wednesday on one count of second-degree murder by a federal grand jury that reviewed the death of 16-year-old Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, who was hit about 10 times by bullets that went through a border fence.

“It’s very rare for a Border Patrol agent to be charged criminally when the abuse or killing is on U.S. soil,” said Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the Immigrants’ Rights Project for the American Civil Liberties Union.

Associated Press