EU court rules fingerprints in passports legalOctober 17, 2013 - 16:24 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Union's highest court rejected on Thursday, Oct 17, a German man's challenge to the inclusion of his fingerprints in his passport, saying such data helped to prevent identity fraud and to curb illegal immigration, Reuters reported. EU rules requiring newly issued biometric passports to include fingerprints came into effect in 2004, though a full rollout has taken many years. They apply to all EU member states except Britain and Ireland. "The contested measures pursue... the general interest objective of preventing illegal entry into the EU," the European Court of Justice said in a statement. "To that end, they are intended to prevent both the falsification of passports and the fraudulent use thereof," the Luxembourg-based court said. Illegal immigration has become a hot political issue in the 28-nation EU. Migrants make almost daily attempts to cross the Mediterranean, often on flimsy, overcrowded vessels, from North Africa to Europe in search of a better life. Facing similar problems, the United States has installed high-tech systems to track the movement of immigrants and other foreigners at airports, including taking photographs and fingerprints. In Britain, an independent report recently recommended the fingerprinting of thousands of immigrants caught trying to enter the country. Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Government reveals details from Pashinyan’s meeting in border village Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with a group of residents of a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush province Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. |