The Hells Angels are extending their sphere of influence into southern Germany, the Bavarian Interior Ministry warned in a report published earlier this month.
The motorcycle group, which has been linked to organized crime in many countries, has long been established in northern Europe.
“There are initial indications, and there have been incidents, showing that the Hells Angels are establishing themselves in Bavaria,” state Interior Minister Juergen Heike told Die Welt newspaper. “We are monitoring the rise of organizational structures like those in the Mafia.”
PHOTO: EPA
The newspaper noted that the gang had in the past been linked to dealing in illegal drugs and arms. They have also been linked to prostitution, protection rackets and money laundering.
Heike said southern Germany was of increasing interest to the gang because of drug routes running through southeastern Europe and the Balkans.
“The Hells Angels are organized on an international basis and target areas where they can make money,” he said.
Police in the southern state, Germany’s largest, put the number of gang members at 414, organized into 42 so-called chapters. Investigations into 27 members had been initiated last year.
In December last year, Dutch prosecutors failed in their efforts to have the Hells Angels declared a criminal association after an Amsterdam court ruled that confidential conversations between members and their lawyers had been bugged illegally.
In an earlier case, 12 members of the related Nomads club were acquitted of the murder of three of their number in the southern Dutch province of Limburg in 2004. The court found that it could not be established precisely who had carried out the murders.(DPA)
巴伐利亞邦內政部在本月稍早公布的一份報告中警告,「地獄天使幫」正將勢力擴張至德國南部。
這個和�?禤a的組織犯罪都脫不了關係的重機團體,已在北歐發展了好長一段時間。
內政部部長約根.海克向《德國世界報》表示:「初步跡象和到目前為止發生的一些事件顯示,『地獄天使幫』正在巴伐利亞邦拓展勢力範圍;我們正在監控像黑手黨等黑道組織的組編發展。」
報導中提到,該幫派過去曾涉入毒品及武器等非法交易。除此之外,他們也涉及賣淫、勒索保護費及洗錢等非法行為。
海克說,該幫派對德國南部的興趣日益增加,因為他們可以經此運送毒品至歐洲東南部和巴爾幹半島。
他說:「『地獄天使幫』是個國際性的幫派組織,專門鎖定可以大賺一筆的地區。」
德國最大邦巴伐利亞邦的警方估計,該幫派約有四百一十四名幫眾,並分為四十二個分支。警方從去年起,已開始著手調查其中二十七位成員。
去年十二月,荷蘭檢方提報地獄天使幫為犯罪組織的行動,在阿姆斯特丹法院裁定檢方監聽被告幫眾和其律師間的機密對話是為非法後,宣告失敗。
還有一個更早的例子,相關組織「Nomads」的十二名成員二00四年被控在荷蘭南部的林堡省謀殺三名同夥,但法院認為無法證實這起罪行是何人所為,最後無罪釋放。(德通社�翻譯:袁星塵)
Instagram is changing the default privacy settings for many US teenagers, part of an effort to keep them safer and give parents more control over how their kids interact online. The new settings will make teen accounts private by default, limit who those users can send private messages to, and put teens in the “most restrictive” tier when it comes to viewing sensitive content. That means the app will block teens from seeing sensitive photos and videos, including posts that show people fighting or certain cosmetic procedures. These more restrictive settings will be turned on automatically for all Instagram users under 18
Located in the picturesque mountains of eastern Spain, the small town of Bunol might appear to be just another idyllic place in the Spanish countryside. However, it is home to one of the world’s most popular food fights. Each August, tens of thousands of people from all around the globe swarm into Bunol to take part in La Tomatina. On the last Wednesday of August, you will find the streets of Bunol full of people eagerly waiting to hear the blast of a cannon. This signifies the start of La Tomatina, an event where participants hurl thousands of pounds of tomatoes
在 COVID-19 成為全球大流行 (pandemic) 的傳染病後,如何有效篩檢確診病患,一度成為討論的熱點。 疫情爆發初期,國內有些縣市首長主張要普篩(全面篩檢),找出隱藏的新冠肺炎病例,不過,疫情指揮中心說明,全面用聚合?連鎖反應 (polymerase chain reaction, PCR) 檢驗來為全民普篩,將耗費近七百億元公帑和醫療資源,不符合效益。 根據衛福部長陳時中的說法,用準確度高的 PCR 方式對全國 2300 萬人普篩,平均一人 3000 元,總額將高達 690 億元。以當時的盛行率萬分之 18,即使不用人人普篩,以看似健康的人口1800 萬人計算,也需要花費 540 億元,才能找出當中的 3 萬 2577 人無症狀感染者,其中還有 1797 人屬於「偽陽性」,即使沒有得病,還是得將他們隔離、再檢測,才能恢復正常生活。 雖然也可以用價格較低(200 元/人)的快篩做篩檢,但此舉也需花費約 46 億元,且準確度偏低,偽陰和偽陽性機率更高。 (新冠肺炎)「普篩/全面篩檢」的英文是 widespread coronavirus testing 或 community-wide screening/testing。「快篩」是 rapid testing。篩檢中,可能出現「偽陰性」(false negative) 有患病,但篩不出來,和「偽陽性」(false positive)沒患病,卻篩檢出來。 在醫學檢測上「陰性」(negative) 代表沒有(病或病毒),「陽性」 (positive) 代表有(病或病毒),避免患病與否造成污名化,因此用比較中性 (neutral) 的詞彙來稱呼。至於驗孕 (pregnancy test),「陰性」代表未懷孕,「陽性」代表懷孕。 「盛行率」的英文是 prevalence rate,即患病率,在流行病學中指特定時間內總人口中罹患該病的人口所占比例。在新冠肺炎的篩檢中,「咽喉拭子」是目前國內主流採用的方式,「咽喉拭子」英文是 throat swab,就是以棉棒擦拭咽喉部位,取得上皮細胞,並置入病毒收集瓶。如果是採集鼻咽部位,就叫「鼻咽拭子」(nasal swab)。 另外,「靈敏度」(sensitivity) 與「特異度」(specificity) 也是醫學檢測時所使用的術語,用以衡量該檢測的準確度。特異度是不帶原者 (non-carrier) 中採檢陰性的比例,而靈敏度則是帶原者 (carrier) 中採檢陽性的比例,靈敏度、特異度越高,代表準確度越高。 文章由書林出版公司提供: www.bookman.com.tw 蘇正隆 — 台灣翻譯學學會前理事長、師大翻譯研究所兼任副教授; 編著《英語的對與錯》,《世紀病毒:必讀防疫英文知識與詞彙》...等
Get ready to spin on your head -- “breaking” is set to make its Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Games! Often referred to as breakdance or breakdancing, breaking was born in the streets of New York City during the early 1970s. It began as a way for African-American and Latin youths to express their narratives and struggles through astonishing spins and movements. B-boys and b-girls, also known as breakers, frequently compete in cyphers: events where they take turns showcasing their dance moves within a circle of spectators. Breaking comprises four main elements: toprock, downrock, power moves, and freezes. Toprock consists