Latest news with #Long-RangeAcousticDevices
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Delhi mock drill time today: Full schedule, areas covered, and what to expect during the city-wide emergency exercise
Live Events Delhi has started a large-scale civil defence mock drill at 55 locations across the city from 4 pm on Wednesday, as part of the nationwide exercise ' Operation Abhyaas '.The drill, directed by the central government, is designed to prepare citizens and authorities for possible emergency situations following rising tensions with said the exercise will simulate different hostile scenarios, including air raids, fire breakouts, and search and rescue operations. Sirens are being sounded across all 15 police districts, and residents may notice increased police presence and activity in several Ministry of Home Affairs has instructed all states to carry out similar drills due to "new and complex threats" following the Pahalgam terror Tuesday, Delhi Police stepped up security by raising barricades at key locations like Connaught Place and near also brought in Long-Range Acoustic Devices (LRADs), which can transmit messages over distances of up to one kilometre. These devices will help in crowd control and emergency have selected five key sites in each of Delhi's 11 revenue districts, including markets, schools, residential colonies, government offices, and 2,000 civil defence volunteers and 1,200 trained disaster response workers known as 'Aapda Mitras' are involved in the Minister Rekha Gupta said Delhi is 'fully prepared' and that all actions are being taken as per central government confirmed that the mock drills will continue over the next two weeks and will cover the entire addition, 650 schools across Delhi are taking part. Students and teachers are being trained on how to respond during emergencies such as blackouts or air and training materials have also been shared with schools and the have increased day and night patrols, especially at popular public places like India Gate, Janpath, Connaught Place and Gole Market. A coordinated response involving the fire department, health services, MCD, civil defence, and other agencies has been shelters have been identified, and the government is testing how quickly departments can respond during a crisis. The power department has also discussed possible blackout drills, although full implementation may not be feasible right from agencies
Reuters
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Serbia says Russian investigators found that sonic devices were not used in Belgrade protests
BELGRADE, April 16 (Reuters) - Russian investigators have found that sonic weapons were not used by Serbian authorities to disperse a mass protest in March, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday, after Europe expressed concern over allegations of their use. Last month, the Serbian authorities invited the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia, a close ally, to investigate what hundreds of anti-government protesters in Belgrade on March 15 said was a powerful sound that made them flee and incapacitated some of them. Top officials from the EU's executive Commission and rights organisations urged Vucic to investigate the alleged incidents, which would breach Serbian law. He pledged to look into it. "A categorical conclusion can be made that the ... type of acoustic devices owned by the Serbian police authorities were not used," Vucic said in a televised address, citing the FSB report. The protests against Vucic, a populist who has been in power as prime minister or president since 2013, have been the biggest in decades. Serbia's parliament voted in a political novice seen as loyal to Vucic on Wednesday as prime minister after the protests led his predecessor to resign. The Serbian authorities denied possessing such sonic devices, until Interior Minister Ivica Dacic admitted that police had bought Long-Range Acoustic Devices (LRAD) - used by law enforcement agencies and militaries in a number of countries, including the United States, Australia, Greece and Japan - from the U.S. in 2021. Police later said the devices had been bought to relay verbal messages to crowds. Sonic weapons employ extreme sound to incapacitate targets. They can damage ears and cause headaches and nausea. Serbian law does not allow their use against civilians. Vucic said he will seek criminal responsibility for those who accused authorities of using a sonic weapon and that the Russian report had indicated that unidentified black-clad people from the crowd had staged the incident. "Shame on you, you miserable liars," he said. Expert organisations said evidence about their use on March 15 were inconclusive, but suggested that an LRAD or an experimental vortex cannon could have been used. Serbia balances its pro-Western policies and EU accession bid with ties with Russia, a traditional Slavic and Orthodox Christian ally. In March, Serbia's former deputy-Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin said Russia's spy services had helped Belgrade to try to thwart protests. Vucic said he plans to take part in the festivities in Moscow to celebrate the May 9 victory parade with Russia's leader Vladimir Putin.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Serbia says Russian investigators found that sonic devices were not used in Belgrade protests
BELGRADE (Reuters) - Russian investigators have found that sonic weapons were not used by Serbian authorities to disperse a mass protest in March, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday, after Europe expressed concern over allegations of their use. Last month, the Serbian authorities invited the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia, a close ally, to investigate what hundreds of anti-government protesters in Belgrade on March 15 said was a powerful sound that made them flee and incapacitated some of them. Top officials from the EU's executive Commission and rights organisations urged Vucic to investigate the alleged incidents, which would breach Serbian law. He pledged to look into it. "A categorical conclusion can be made that the ... type of acoustic devices owned by the Serbian police authorities were not used," Vucic said in a televised address, citing the FSB report. The protests against Vucic, a populist who has been in power as prime minister or president since 2013, have been the biggest in decades. Serbia's parliament voted in a political novice seen as loyal to Vucic on Wednesday as prime minister after the protests led his predecessor to resign. The Serbian authorities denied possessing such sonic devices, until Interior Minister Ivica Dacic admitted that police had bought Long-Range Acoustic Devices (LRAD) - used by law enforcement agencies and militaries in a number of countries, including the United States, Australia, Greece and Japan - from the U.S. in 2021. Police later said the devices had been bought to relay verbal messages to crowds. Sonic weapons employ extreme sound to incapacitate targets. They can damage ears and cause headaches and nausea. Serbian law does not allow their use against civilians. Vucic said he will seek criminal responsibility for those who accused authorities of using a sonic weapon and that the Russian report had indicated that unidentified black-clad people from the crowd had staged the incident. "Shame on you, you miserable liars," he said. Expert organisations said evidence about their use on March 15 were inconclusive, but suggested that an LRAD or an experimental vortex cannon could have been used. Serbia balances its pro-Western policies and EU accession bid with ties with Russia, a traditional Slavic and Orthodox Christian ally. In March, Serbia's former deputy-Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin said Russia's spy services had helped Belgrade to try to thwart protests. Vucic said he plans to take part in the festivities in Moscow to celebrate the May 9 victory parade with Russia's leader Vladimir Putin.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mystery sound at Serbia protest sparks sonic weapon allegations
By Aleksandar Vasovic and Milan Pavicic BELGRADE (Reuters) - Tamara Bojanovski was in a crowd of anti-government protesters in Belgrade on March 15 when she heard a sound "like some powerful machine hurtling up from behind". Thousands of others heard it too; the crowd packed into one of the Serbian capital's main boulevards parted abruptly, rushing to the sidewalks. Stefan, a student, recalled a "rumble", then a "whoosh" and a sensation of something speeding toward the crowd. Another student, Dragica, felt "a wave travelling through us". "People felt faint, and some fell over," said lawyer Bozo Prelevic, a former joint interior minister. The noise lasted only a few seconds. But speculation that a sonic weapon was used illegally to disperse the rally has filled headlines, talk shows and social media. President Aleksandar Vucic, already facing the biggest civil protests in decades, is under pressure to explain the incident. Sonic weapons employ extreme sound to incapacitate targets. They can damage ears and cause headaches and nausea, and their use is illegal in Serbia. Authorities denied possessing such devices, until Interior Minister Ivica Dacic admitted that police had bought Long-Range Acoustic Devices - used by authorities in the United States, Australia, Greece and Japan - from the U.S. in 2021. Then Serbia's police, BIA security and intelligence agency and military all denied ever using them in public. Vucic said on Saturday that Russia had sent experts from its FSB intelligence service to investigate at Belgrade's request, and on Monday said American FBI investigators would also arrive within days. The U.S. Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment. The Omega Foundation, a human rights watchdog, said photos and witness accounts they reviewed and audiovisual footage obtained by Reuters were inconclusive, but suggested an LRAD could have been used. "We really haven't seen an effect like this. It was so distinctive," said Omega Foundation researcher Neil Corney. Earshot, a not-for-profit organisation that specialises in audio investigations, which also saw the footage, said the noise could have come from a vortex ring gun, an experimental non-lethal weapon for crowd control that uses high-energy doughnut-shaped vortices of air or gas, but that more research was needed. However, U.S.-based Genasys, which makes LRADs, said that audio and video evidence "does not support the use of an LRAD". The protesters had gathered in memory of 15 people who died when a train station roof collapsed in November in the city of Novi Sad. That tragedy, which many blame on government corruption and shoddy construction, has drawn hundreds of thousands onto the streets and forced prime minister Milos Vucevic to resign, as well as continuing to put pressure on Vucic. Geolocation of the videos suggests that the sound wave travelled south along Kralja Milana Street for over 500 metres. "The street emptied ... like when Moses parted the Red Sea," said Zoran Radovanovic, an epidemiologist who was in the crowd.
Reuters
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Mystery sound at Serbia protest sparks sonic weapon allegations
BELGRADE, April 2 (Reuters) - Tamara Bojanovski was in a crowd of anti-government protesters in Belgrade on March 15 when she heard a sound "like some powerful machine hurtling up from behind". Thousands of others heard it too; the crowd packed into one of the Serbian capital's main boulevards parted abruptly, rushing to the sidewalks. here. Stefan, a student, recalled a "rumble", then a "whoosh" and a sensation of something speeding toward the crowd. Another student, Dragica, felt "a wave travelling through us". "People felt faint, and some fell over," said lawyer Bozo Prelevic, a former joint interior minister. The noise lasted only a few seconds. But speculation that a sonic weapon was used illegally to disperse the rally has filled headlines, talk shows and social media. President Aleksandar Vucic, already facing the biggest civil protests in decades, is under pressure to explain the incident. Sonic weapons employ extreme sound to incapacitate targets. They can damage ears and cause headaches and nausea, and their use is illegal in Serbia. Authorities denied possessing such devices, until Interior Minister Ivica Dacic admitted that police had bought Long-Range Acoustic Devices - used by authorities in the United States, Australia, Greece and Japan - from the U.S. in 2021. Then Serbia's police, BIA security and intelligence agency and military all denied ever using them in public. Vucic said on Saturday that Russia had sent experts from its FSB intelligence service to investigate at Belgrade's request, and on Monday said American FBI investigators would also arrive within days. The U.S. Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment. The Omega Foundation, a human rights watchdog, said photos and witness accounts they reviewed and audiovisual footage obtained by Reuters were inconclusive, but suggested an LRAD could have been used. "We really haven't seen an effect like this. It was so distinctive," said Omega Foundation researcher Neil Corney. Earshot, a not-for-profit organisation that specialises in audio investigations, which also saw the footage, said the noise could have come from a vortex ring gun, an experimental non-lethal weapon for crowd control that uses high-energy doughnut-shaped vortices of air or gas, but that more research was needed. However, U.S.-based Genasys, which makes LRADs, said that audio and video evidence "does not support the use of an LRAD". The protesters had gathered in memory of 15 people who died when a train station roof collapsed in November in the city of Novi Sad. That tragedy, which many blame on government corruption and shoddy construction, has drawn hundreds of thousands onto the streets and forced prime minister Milos Vucevic to resign, as well as continuing to put pressure on Vucic. Geolocation of the videos suggests that the sound wave travelled south along Kralja Milana Street for over 500 metres. "The street emptied ... like when Moses parted the Red Sea," said Zoran Radovanovic, an epidemiologist who was in the crowd.
