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CONTENTS:

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

1. World
2. Africa
3. Americas
4. Asia Pacific
5. Europe
6. Middle East
7. South Asia
8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
9. Finance
10 Human Rights
11. Law and Legal Issues
12. Transportation
13. Weapons of Mass Destruction
14. Recently Published

FEATURE ARTICLE:
The Nuclear Century

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

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1. World

Avian influenza, including the deadly H5N1 strain, has been found in Russia, making it highly likely that it will spread throughout Europe.

A typhoon at China's eastern coast has forced more than a million people from their homes. Monsoon rains in Mumbai (Bombay) India have disrupted more than 20 million people and left more than a thousand dead from floods and landslides. The economic losses have also been heavy. Hurricanes and typhoons have grown stronger, with storms nearly twice as powerful as 30 years ago. Hurricane Ivan is estimated to have caused extreme waves of at least 90 feet (27 meters) from crest to trough, the highest ever measured.
http://www.nrl.navy.mil/pressRelease.php?Y=2005&R=12-05r
The forecast for the number of Atlantic tropical storms has been increased, to as many as 14, of which 7 - 9 will become hurricanes.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2005/s2484.htm
Global warming has intensified this trend.
http://www-paoc.mit.edu/paoc/~emanuel/home.html
Dramatic scenarios such as the complete disappearance of glaciers from entire mountain ranges must also be taken into account.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=448&ArticleID=4880&l=en

The US Department of State has renewed its worldwide caution regarding the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against Americans and interests overseas.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html

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2. Africa

Burundi's remaining rebel movement, the National Liberation Front (FNL), and the army are blamed for the increasing number of human rights violations in the UN Mission's latest quarterly report.
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/onub/

Guinea Bissau's electoral commission was legally bound to issue the final results of last month's presidential election by 24 July, but did not do so. Preliminary results had given victory to former military ruler Joao Bernardo Vieira. Malam Bacal Sanha, leader of the ruling African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC), warned that he could not control his supporters if Vieira was declared winner, and asked that the results in three regions be annulled because of fraud. Nigeria and Cape Verde are offering their support to end the deadlock.

Ivory Coast's delayed disarmament process failed again as New Forces rebels and the loyalist army failed to agree on the cantonment program and cited continued political and operational issues. Without disarmament and territorial unification elections scheduled for October cannot take place.

Mauritanian army officers have seized power, overthrowing President Maaouiya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya while he was abroad. The new Military Council for Justice and Democracy announced they had ended the "oppressive activities" of Taya's "totalitarian regime" and will take at most two years to prepare "genuine democratic institutions" and hold elections, in which they will not participate. Colonel Ely Ould Mohammed Vall has been named the interim leader. The bloodless coup was welcomed by the local population and oil companies, but condemned by regional and international governments. The African Union suspended Mauritania's membership.

South Africa held a summit last weekend on land reform in which the government rejected the willing buyer/willing seller policy and set a target of voluntary transfer of 30 percent of productive land from whites to blacks by 2014. The slow pace of land reform has been blamed on government policy, excessive pricing, and overestimating the number of blacks interested in farming. http://land.pwv.gov.za/home.htm
http://www.info.gov.za/leaders/ministers/agricland.htm

Sudan's peace process faces major challenges following the death of Vice President and Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) leader John Garang, who was killed in a helicopter crash last weekend. After receiving news of his death, supporters poured into the streets of Khartoum and elsewhere. Violent riots directed against followed, leaving at least 130 dead and hundreds more injured. SPLM deputy leader Salva Kiir Mayardit has been named as Garang's successor. The loss of Garang is likely to harm both the peace efforts in southern Sudan, in which he had a major role, but also efforts to combat the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which had used southern Sudan as a basis for its operations in northern Uganda. Garang had promised to end LRA and other militia forces that contributed to destabilizing the south.

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3. Americas

An Argentine disciplinary panel found that Judge Juan Jose Galeano had been involved in bribing a key witness and failing to secure any convictions over the 1994 bombing of the Jewish Argentine Mutual Association, in which 85 people were killed and more than 200 injured. The judge has been dismissed and may face criminal charges.

Colombian rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have closed off the southern province of Putumayo, cutting off electricity and blockading roads. The government has had to airlift basic supplies. FARC have been blamed for a deadly roadside bombing in the northern Sierra Nevada region that killed at least 14 police officers. FARC have refused to enter into hostage-release talks until government forces leave two mountain areas in the western province of Valle del Cauca and ensure that two commanders, Ricardo Palmero and Nayibe Rojas are part of the return deal. Both men have been extradited to the US on drug trafficking charges. About 2,000 members of the right-wing paramilitary United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) have begun disarming and demobilization.

Colombia has demanded that the Irish Republic extradite Niall Connolly, Martin McCauley, and James Monaghan, who had been sentenced to 17 years in prison for training FARC rebels. The three men disappeared while released on bail and have not secretly returned to Ireland, which currently does not have an extradition treaty with Colombia.

Haiti's continued insecurity contributes to a new briefing from the International Crisis Group that suggests elections will have to be postponed: " Massive technical, political and security obstacles must be overcome quickly if municipal and local votes are to be held in October and parliamentary and presidential polls in November. Adequate security, public understanding of the process, and broad participation by those who want to register and vote are essential for free and fair elections, and none are in place. All parties concerned -- the OAS, UN, U.S., Canada, donors and key Latin American and European countries -- should make long-term commitments to support development, democracy and security together with a legitimate government chosen in a credible election. There is no quick fix and there can be no early exit by the international community if Haiti is not to collapse again".
http://www.crisisgroup.org
A report from South Africa's News24 claims that South African mercenaries have arrived in Haiti to help disrupt the country's elections. The report suggests that a security company that previously provided bodyguards to exiled president Jean-Bertrand Aristide may have recruited the mercenaries.

Mexican border city Nuevo Laredo continues to claim victims in the ongoing violence among rival drug cartels. Hours after the US consulate reopened from a weeklong closure, the city's public safety commissioner Leopoldo Ramos was ambushed and shot dead by three men with machine guns. His bodyguard also died and a third man was seriously injured.

Mexican Zapatista rebel leader Subcomandante Marcos spoke publicly for the first time in four years, to criticize the "shameless scoundrels" running in the July 2006 election. He plans a countrywide tour to put forth a leftist agenda, apparently positioning the Zapatista's new political agenda.

The US administration is negotiating agreements with Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, whose nationals make up a majority of detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to send them back to their home countries. The effort to reduce the prisoner population comes amid continuing pressure regarding treatment of detainees, news that two senior prosecutors had resigned over trials rigged in favor of the government, and claims that the trial of Australian detainee David Hicks is one of those rigged prosecutions.

The US Pentagon has released more photographs of war casualty honor guards and, as part of a legal settlement, will process further Freedom of Information Act claims "as expeditiously as possible".
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB161/index.htm

New York City police provided details of the London bombings during a security industry briefing, mistakenly believing that the information had been cleared for release. The department has apologized.

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4. Asia Pacific

6-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear plans will continue today then are likely to break for two weeks to allow the North Korean, South Korean, Chinese, US, Russian, and Japanese to consult at home.

Australia is looking at several terrorism prevention and response tactics. Prime Minister Howard called a summit of Muslims to help prevent extremism, and is considering measures to address active recruitment of radicals in Sydney. Longer detention of suspects, a ban on inflammatory language, and identity cards are among measures that will be considered at a national summit next month.
http://www.pm.gov.au/
Former ASIO assistant director Michael Roach told ABC television that up to 60 Islamic extremists trained overseas are operating in cells in Sydney and Melbourne.
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2005/s1428992.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2005/s1429697.htm

New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma revealed a detailed evacuation plan for Sydney in the event of a terrorist attack. Communication plans are not controversial, but announcing mass evacuation centers in advance will need reconsideration.
http://www.emergency.nsw.gov.au/newsarticle.html?newsid=1

East Timor and Indonesia are cooperating through the special Truth and Friendship Commission for East Timor. Ten members have been elected and held their inaugural meeting. The Commission will investigate the events following the 1999 referendum for East Timor's independence from Indonesia.

Japan's Defense Agency's annual white paper "Defense of Japan" looks to deal with new threats from terrorism, ballistic missiles and natural disasters. It will monitor the situations in China and North Korea and has called for greater transparency from China.
http://www.jica.go.jp/

Malaysian authorities demolished the Sky Kingdom commune, which they call a deviant sect, and the members may be prosecuted for renouncing Islam.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, seeking another term in next month's election, has promised to settle all Maori land claims by 2020.

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5. Europe

The European Arrest Warrant replaces extradition between EU member states. It came into force on 1 January 2004. Meant to ensure simpler and more rapid justice, recent events demonstrate some wrinkles remain. Osman Hussein born in Ethiopia, was resident in Italy during the 1990s and speaks fluent Italian. When he moved to the UK and changed his name he became a devout Muslim and British subject. On July 21 he is believed to have set the failed bomb at Shepherd's Bush. He fled the scene and boarded a Eurostar train to Rome. In Italy, he has been held on terrorism offenses and possession of a false passport. In Italy investigations the judiciary handles investigations with police assistance, while British police control investigations in the UK, assisted by the prosecutor. There is no specific limit to the Italian investigation, which could delay extradition to the UK. In addition, a court procedure is underway to determine whether the international arrest warrant issued by the UK will generate a European Arrest Warrant. The case has also raised questions regarding transportation security and open borders.
http://europa.eu.int/comm/justice_home/fsj/criminal/extradition/fsj_criminal_extradition_enhtm
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crimpol/oic/extradition/bill/eaw.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1540818,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1540639,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1540759,00.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3,00.html

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanadar attended a military parade with thousands of Croats in the town of Knin to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Operation Storm offensive that drove 200,000 Serbs from the region. Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic said this tragedy should not be celebrated.
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news/press/16330.shtml
http://www.vlada.hr/default.asp?gl=200508050000019
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4747379.stm

Georgia and Abkhazia have reaffirmed their commitment to settle their conflict peacefully and plan to exchange proposals on a joint document by next month.

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has warned that the return of three Irish Republican Army men sentenced to prison in Colombia has created "enormous difficulties" for the peace process. Niall Connolly, Martin McCauley and James Monaghan were jailed for 17 years for training rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Freed on bail, the men disappeared in December 2004. Last week, they secretly returned to Ireland. Mr Ahern says there was no agreement with Sinn Fein and that the men's future was a matter for the courts. The three men apparently traveled via Venezuela to Cuba, using false passports. There is no extradition treaty between Colombia and the Irish Republic.

Italy plans new anti-terror laws, including a total ban on hiding faces with the burqa. They expelled eight purported radical Islamic preachers on immigration charges last week.

Russia has announced that Europe's largest mosque, with a capacity of 10,000, will be built in Chechnya's capital, Grozny. It will be the first mosque built since Stalin's religious purge destroyed them in the 1930s.

In the Turkish resort of Antalya, two small explosions in two rubbish bins went off, injuring six people. Kurdish militants are suspected. Suspected Kurdish rebels are also suspected in an ambush in Hakkari province that killed five Turkish soldiers. Five men, suspected of membership in the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), were arrested in Turkey in connection with an alleged plot to bomb the resort of Mersin.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair outlined twelve new security measures to tackle extremism, opening a consultation period to evaluate such measures as broadened exclusion and deportation powers and a broad list of unacceptable behaviors.
http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page8040.asp
http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page8041.asp
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/n_story.asp?item_id=1346

Britain's Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority has determined that families of those killed in the London bombings will be eligible for basic bereavement compensation of GBP11,000, which follows the guidelines for death or injury following criminal violence but seems a pittance compared to the millions received by relatives killed in the 9/11 attacks.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) reported a decline in the number of violent attacks by animal rights protestors, although the severity of some have increased. ]
http://www.abpi.org.uk/press/press_releases_05/050801.asp
http://www.directaction.info/news_july06_05.htm

Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain has laid out a 2-year plan to scale down the army's presence in Northern Ireland, including dismantling border watchtowers and disbanding three battalions of the Royal Irish regiment. Loyalists criticized the moves as appeasement of the IRA, but the government says the steps are justified in security terms and can be maintained if people keep their promises to maintain peaceful and democratic means.
http://www.nio.gov.uk/media-detail.htm?newsID=11919

Loyalist violence continues, and six suspects were arrested last week. Loyalist paramilitaries are blames for rioting in North Belfast that injured 40 police.

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6. Middle East

Egyptian police killed Mohammed Suleiman Felaifil in a shootout. Felaifil was a suspect in the Sharm al-Sheikh bombings. His wife was seriously injured and later died. Their daughter was also injured.

Egypt has agreed to patrol the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt after Israel withdraws.

In Gaza, the Israeli withdrawal is scheduled to begin in ten days. Finance minister Netanyahu has resigned following cabinet approval of the first Gaza withdrawals. Three teenage girls were arrested and jailed for their protest. Dozens of law professors and lecturers sent a petition asking the Israeli government to stop the practice of detaining minors until the end of legal procedures against them. Media reports claim al Qaeda is operating in Gaza, but Israeli forces discounted the claims and said the sources were unreliable.

Iran's new president, ultra-conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has been confirmed in office. Iran has rejected EU proposals regarding their nuclear program and may resume nuclear activities next week. Iranian Judge Massoud Moghaddas was shot dead by a motorcycle gunman. Moghaddas was the judge in the trial of political prisoner and journalist Akbar Ganji.A small bomb exploded outside a building in Tehran that houses British airways and British Petroleum oil, causing some property damage but no casualties. Iran has also deployed troops in the northwest Kurdish area to contain unrest over the past three weeks that has left some 20 people dead and more than 300 injured.

Israeli security service Shin Bet reports an 18-month high in Palestinian terror, with 21 Israelis killed and 238 wounded during the first seven months of 2005. A 19-year-old Israeli soldier, who had deserted in opposition to settler withdrawals, opened fire on a bus, killing four Israeli Arabs and wounding at least four more.

The International Crisis Group warns of "The Jerusalem Powder Keg":
"While the world focuses on Gaza, the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations may be determined in Jerusalem. With recent steps, Israel is solidifying its hold over a wide area in and around the city, creating a much enlarged "Jerusalem envelope" within the separation barrier that risks undermining moderate Palestinians, providing Israel with a new security headache, disconnecting some Palestinians from their livelihoods in Jerusalem and separating those within the barrier from the West Bank. All this will complicate -- perhaps doom -- attempts to resolve the conflict by preventing establishment of a viable Palestinian capital in Arab East Jerusalem and obstructing a Palestinian state's territorial contiguity. Israel has a duty to protect its citizens but the international community -- specifically the U.S. -- must insist it do so without ignoring Roadmap commitments and undercutting the long-term basis for a viable two-state solution."
http://www.crisisgroup.org

Iraq's leading politicians are meeting in an effort to complete the draft constitution by August 15. Major issues regarding federalism and the role of religion have not been resolved. Continued attacks have pushed the death toll of US soldiers past 1,800. A base has been set up near the Syrian border to help prevent incursions, and another operation, Operation Quick Strike, is underway in the Euphrates river valley, which is seen as a route between Iraq and Syria.

Saudi King Fahd died on August 1 after a long illness. His half-brother Crown Prince Abdullah has succeeded him to the throne.

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7. South Asia

Afghanistan's NATO-led peacekeeping force, now commanded by an Italian unit, will expand to cover the whole country by the end of next year. A shortfall in election funds may force postponement of September parliamentary elections. Afghanistan and the US have agreed to phased return of Afghan nationals from the US base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, back to Afghanistan. Clashes between troops and militants continued, including a militant attack that killed eight members of the security forces and an election worker, and a gunbattle in which eight suspected Taliban were killed in a US-Afghan operation.

In the Indian state of Assam, suspected separatists with the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) set off an explosion that caused a huge fire and badly damaged an oil pipeline. Naga tribesmen have been blockading a major highway for two weeks, forcing the Indian military to begin airlifting essential goods to the area.

In Indian-administered Kashmir, three separate clashes between militants and security forces led to the death of six suspected militants.

The Nepalese government's use of "Village Defense Forces" vigilante groups to fight Maoist rebels has escalated violence, according to a new report by Amnesty International.
http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGASA310662005

Pakistan will close all Afghan refugee camps in tribal border areas, offering them voluntary repatriation or relocation. The UN cannot help the refugees because of security problems in the area. Fighting in the area last week killed five soldiers.

Pakistan's parliamentary leader of the Islamic religious alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, was refused entry to the United Arab Emirates because his name was on a UAE blacklist. Unable to proceed to Saudi Arabia, Mr Rehman has returned to Pakistan.

Pakistan's Supreme Court has ruled that a law introducing Taliban-style measures in the North-West Frontier Province is an unconstitutional breach of fundamental rights. President Musharraf and Prime Minister Aziz insist that expulsion of foreign students from madrassas will continue as planned.

Sri Lanka's Norwegian ceasefire monitors believe the truce will hold despite increasing tensions. Low level violence has been increasing. For example, last week, a group of soldiers went to a hairdresser in Jaffna. One of their guns accidentally went off, killing the barber. When a local policeman responded, an angry mob hacked him to death. Compensation will be paid to the barber, and five soldiers have been detained and will face military and police proceedings.

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8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

IBM's Global Business Security Index reports that virus-laden emails and criminal driven security attacks increased by 50 percent in the first half of 2005 - underscored by a significant rise in 'customized' attacks on the government, financial services, manufacturing and healthcare industries.
http://www-1.ibm.com/press/PressServletForm.wss?MenuChoice=pressreleases&TemplateName=ShowPressReleaseTemplate&SelectString=t1.docunid=7815&TableName=DataheadApplicationClass&SESSIONKEY=any&WindowTitle=Press+Release&STATUS=publish

A potential vulnerability involving a buffer overflow has been identified in some editions of Sophos anti-virus products.
http://secunia.com/advisories/16245/
http://www.sophos.com/

Exploits targeting Windows Vista system have begun to emerge.
http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/archive-082005.html#00000613
http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/articles/modan.html

Vulnerability in infrared systems used in hotels can provide access to the personal data of guests.
http://www.thebunker.net/about-us/press-articles/release-wired-20050730.htm
http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article17781.html

The UK Threat Assessment finds that 83 percent of companies had been victims of cyber crime, which is increasingly being used for financial gain, rather than relying on traditional tactics such as smuggling, money laundering, and trafficking. http://www.ncis.co.uk/ukta.asp

Researchers at Imperial College London have developed a low-cost laser scanning system that can read the unique 'fingerprint' formed by microscopic surface imperfections on almost all paper documents, plastic cards and product packaging, providing an inexpensive way to detect fraud.
http://www.ic.ac.uk/P6720.htm

The US Transportation Security Administration "Needs Clear Policies for Designating Sensitive Security Information" according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05677.pdf

The Digital Forensic Research Workshop 2004 Final Report is now available at
www.dfrws.org

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9. Finance

The Bank of England on behalf of HM Treasury has ordered funds for individuals connected with the London bombings to be frozen. Four people were designated: Ramzi Mohammed, Yassin Omar, Hessine Osman, and Muktar Mohammed Said.
http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/news/2005/087.htm

Saudi Arabia and the UK are investigating funds transfers from senior al Qaeda operatives in Saudi Arabia (now deceased) to the London bombers.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/08/07/nsaud07.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/08/07/ixnewstop.html

Three individuals have been designated for providing financial or material support to the al-Qaeda affiliate Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, based in Cremona Italy. Ahmed El Bouhali, Faycal Boughanemi and Abdelkader Laagoub are believed to have intended to commit terrorist attacks in Italy., Morocco and Tunisia.
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/js2668.htm
http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/news/2005/083.htm

Assets for 24 commercial farms and two businesses (Cold Comfort Farm Trust Co-Operative and Ndlovu Motorways,) controlled by key members of Robert Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe have also been designated, as undermining democratic processes in Zimbabwe. http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/js2676.htm
http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/news/2005/084.htm

The Mission Responsibility through Investment (MRTI) Committee of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) announced that it will begin its process of ?progressive engagement' with five companies it says contribute to the ongoing violence that plagues Israel and Palestine: Caterpillar, Citigroup, ITT Industries, Motorola, and United Technologies.
http://www.pcusa.org/mrti/actions.htm

The International Monetary Fund, in collaboration with the Joint African Institute, provided training for the eastern Horn of Africa to address harmonized terrorism financing legislation and assist the 30 participants to help their countries draft their own laws.
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2005/pr05185.htm

During interrogation in Indonesia, Rois ("Iwan Dharmawan"), who is suspected of leading last year's bombing of the Indonesian embassy, told police that the attack had been financed by Osama bin Laden.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16110942%255E601,00.html

Tsunami relief funds, as with other charitable funds, are a primary source of financing for militants in Indonesia, according to Singapore's Institute of Defense and strategic Studies researcher Rohan Gunaratna.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/7/30/asia/11638678&sec=asia

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10. Human Rights

Daryl Atkins has been sentenced to death for the third time, after a jury in the US state of Virginia decided that he was intelligent enough to be executed. When tried for murder in 1998 he had an IQ of 59, but contact with lawyers during the case has been credited with raising his IQ to 76. The US Supreme Court has banned execution of the mentally retarded, but left it up to each state to determine the criteria. Virginia set the bar at an IQ of 70. The execution by lethal injection is planned for December.

India's Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Mohammad Afzal, who had been sentenced to hang for his participation in a 2001 attack against parliament. The death penalty given his associate, Shaukat Hussain, was reduced to ten years in prison. The death penalty is used rarely in India.

Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov signed a decree on 1 August that abolishes the death penalty from 1 January 2008 and replaces it with life and long-term imprisonment. Human rights activists have called for an immediate moratorium for those sentenced to death before the decree takes effect, and that their sentences should be converted to life in prison.

Amnesty International visited Muhammad Faraj Ahmed Bashmilah and Salah Nasser Salim 'Ali, recently transferred from the US base in Guantanamo Bay to Yemen. They relay the testimony of the two men, who "appear to have been victims of the US administration's policy of secret detentions around the world. For over a year and a half they had effectively 'disappeared'". Amnesty calls for full information and disclosure, and an end to secret detentions.
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/yem-040805-news-eng

Stephen Grey and Ian Cobain report a similar case in The Guardian.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1540550,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,1540552,00.html

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has released new documents providing more evidence that peaceful protesters are being targeted as potential terrorists.
http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=18862&c=206

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11. Law and Legal Issues

Ismael Abdurahman was the first to be charged in British court in connection with the attempted July 21 bombings. He is charged under Section 38 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for having " information he knew or believed may be of material assistance in securing the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of another person in the UK for an offence involving the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism."

Haroon Rashid Aswat was arrested in Zambia for an immigration offense and has been deported to the UK. The British citizen is wanted in the US for alleged involvement in a plan to set up an al Qaeda training camp in the state of Oregon. He will be questioned in the UK, but is not linked to the 7/7 bombings, and may be extradited to the US.

Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, a prominent Islamic cleric, was cleared of terrorism charges related to the Jakarta Marriott hotel attack, but the Supreme Court has upheld his original 30-month sentence for conspiracy over the 2002 Bali bombings.

Hamid Bitawi was detained by Jerusalem police outside the Temple Mount mosque. The senior Hamas cleric is being questioned for allegedly preaching incitement.

Mahmud Faruq Brent was arrested in Maryland, US, for allegedly conspiring to aid terrorism by training at a jihadist camp in Pakistan operated by Lashkar-e Taiba after the 9/11 attacks.

Mahieddine Daikh has been arrested in Thailand with 452 false EU passports. He said he was acting as courier for a man in London.

Roger Evans pleaded guilty last December to threatening US President Bush and Florida Governor Bush and others with anthrax. He threatened to use botulism against the prosecutor and also threatened his own attorney. Already serving 50 years in prison for armed robbery and other charges, he has now been convicted of threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction against federal property, sentenced to life in prison, and ordered to receive mental treatment. Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, was the only other person so charged.

Shadi Sami Abdel Gadir, Omar Nagmeloin Almagboul, and Mohamed Kabashi have been charged in British court with failing to disclose information to police investigating the July 21 failed bombings.

Yeshiemebet Girma, wife of London bomb suspect Osman Hussain, and her sister Mulumebet Girma, have been remanded in custody for "having information that they knew or believed might be of material assistance in securing the apprehension, prosecution or conviction" of Hussain (who is in custody in Italy) for "an offence involving the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism"..

Osman Hussain ("Hamdi Isaac") will face an extradition hearing in Italy on 17 August. He is wanted in the UK in connection with the failed 21 July bombings.

Asher Karni was sentenced in US court to three years in prison for selling nuclear technology to companies in India and Pakistan at least 17 times. He was spared a longer sentence because he cooperated in a nuclear trafficking investigation.

Kfir Levy, Sief al-Kader Azzam, and Abdel Rahman Abu-Mukh have been charged with manslaughter for helping a suicide bomber reach his target. The three Israelis are accused of driving the bomber and his guide through a checkpoint.

Yasin Omar has been charged in British court with conspiracy to murder and possession of an explosive substance in connection with the failed attacks of 21 July. He is the first of the four suspects to be charged.

Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman, both former officials with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), have been indicted in the US for receiving classified defense information from Pentagon official Larry Franklin and transferring it to an official at the Israeli embassy.

Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe opposition leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, will not face treason charges, which have been withdrawn.

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12. Transportation

Canadian transport minister Jean Lapierre announced a number of new security initiatives, including plans to draw up a "passenger assessment program" called "Passenger Protect" to stop suspected terrorists from boarding aircraft.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/mediaroom/speeches/2005/2005-08-05.htm

Foreign ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore met to discuss security. The conversation focused on the recent decision by Lloyds Joint War Committee to classify the Malacca Strait as a war-risk zone, of piracy and terrorism. Singapore's minister said "this is very bad news, because immediately, it ups the cost of insurance to the shippers and therefore to the economies which are affected". Indonesian Transportation Minister Hatta Radjasa said that the government has added the Java Sea and the Lombok Straits to the Malacca Strait as the most dangerous for economic activity. The three countries agreed to start coordinated air patrols by September.
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=148194
http://www.iss-shipping.com/news/item.asp?niid=2718
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillatestnews.asp?fileid=20050802093030&irec=11
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillatestnews.asp?fileid=20050802183626&irec=3
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillatestnews.asp?fileid=20050802135503&irec=8

Belize and the United States signed a reciprocal ship-boarding agreement under Proliferation Security Initiative directed against illicit WMD-related shipments,

Israeli Transportation Minister Meir Sheetrit ordered four cruise ships en route to Turkey to divert to other ports following intelligence reports of a possible attack in Alanya. The order was withdrawn the next day.

The US Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General finds that in an "Audit of Targeting Oceangoing Cargo Containers", physical controls and refined targeting rules are necessary to improve the data used by Customs and Border Protection's Automated Targeting System.
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interweb/assetlibrary/OIG_05-26_Jun05.pdf

Trains are running to all London underground stations as of August 4, for the first time since the 7 July attacks.

European Union Funds Rail Security Research The European Commission will fund a research project to design and demonstrate an antiterrorist security system architecture to better detect terrorist threats and protect railway passengers. The project will combine information from sensors, remote control or autonomous cameras, ground-penetrating radars, and line scanners. This is one of 13 projects selected under the "Preparatory Action for Security Research" to improve the security of EU citizens and strengthen the European industrial base. [View press release]
http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/05/1031&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

The New York branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit to end suspicionless searches on public transportation systems.
http://www.aclu.org/PolicePractices/PolicePractices.cfm?ID=18885&c=119

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13. Weapons of Mass Destruction

In conjunction with the 60th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the United Nations has renewed calls for a nuclear weapons-free world and for all States to prevent the spread of such weapons and to reaffirm their commitment to international nuclear non-proliferation treaties and accords. Also see Feature Article, below.

A new National Intelligence Estimate from the US finds that although Iran is determined to possess nuclear weapons, they are about ten years away from being able to do so. This is roughly double previous estimates, and comes in the midst of a crisis over Iran's rejection of EU proposals and their plans to resume uranium enrichment, which have been referred to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/01/AR2005080101453.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/03/international/middleeast/03nukes.html
http://www.iaea.int

The US State Department has begun reorganizing non-proliferation efforts, beginning with office consolidation and eventually phasing out arms control offices.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2005/50371.htm
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2005/50375.htm
http://www.state.gov/t/ac/

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14. Recently Published

Books on the development of the nuclear bomb and its use against Japan, since 1945:

Kai Bird and Lawrence Lifschultz, editors, "Hiroshima's Shadow", Pamphleteer's Press

Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin, "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer", Knopf

Albert Christman, "Target Hiroshima: Deak Parsons and the Creation of the Atomic Bomb", Naval Institute Press

Avner Cohen, "Israel and the Bomb", Columbia University Press

Gerard DeGroot, "The Bomb: History of Hell on Earth", Pimlico

Michihiko Hachiya, Warner Wells (Translator) "Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician, August 6 - September 30, 1945: Fifty Years Later", University of North Carolina Press

John Hersey, "Hiroshima", Vintage

Michael Hogan, editor, "Hiroshima in History and Memory", Cambridge University Press

David Holloway, "Stalin and the Bomb: The Soviet Union and Atomic Energy, 1939-1956", Yale University Press

Masuji Ibuse, "Black Rain" (novel), Kodansha International

Robert Jervis, "The Meaning of the Nuclear Revolution: Statecraft and the Prospect of Armageddon", Cornell University Press

Fred Kaplan, "The Wizards of Armageddon", Stanford University Press

David Lindley, "Boltzmanns Atom: The Great Debate That Launched A Revolution In Physics", Free Press

Priscilla McMillan, "The Ruin of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Birth of the Modern Arms Race", Viking

John A. McPhee, "The Curve of Binding Energy" Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Robert James Maddox, "Weapons for Victory: The Hiroshima Decision Fifty Years Later", University of Missouri Press

Toshi Maruki, "Hiroshima No Pika" (illustrated children's book) , HarperCollins

Ernest R. May and Philip D. Zelikow, editors, " The Kennedy Tapes: Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis", Belknap Press

Keiji Nakazawa, et al, "Barefoot Gen: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima", multi-volume manga, Last Gasp

Toyofumi Ogura, " Letters from the End of the World: A Firsthand Account of the Bombing of Hiroshima", Kodansha International

Diana Preston, "Before the Fall-Out: From Marie Curie to Hiroshima", Doubleday

Richard Rhodes, "The Making of the Atomic Bomb", Simon and Schuster

Stephen I. Schwartz, editor, "Atomic Audit: The Costs and Consequences of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Since 1940 Brookings Institution Press.

Gaynor Sekimori, "Hibakusha: Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki", Kosei Publishing Company

Kyoko Seldon, Mark Selden, and Robert Jay Lifton (Editors), "The Atomic Bomb: Voices from Hiroshima and Nagasaki" M. E. Sharpe

Robert Serber, " The Los Alamos Primer: The First Lectures on How to Build an Atomic Bomb", University of California Press

Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan-Witts, "Enola Gay: Mission to Hiroshima", Motorbooks International

Stephen Walker, "Shockwave: Countdown to Hiroshima", HarperCollins/John Murray

Laurence Yep, "Hiroshima" (children's book), Scholastic

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FEATURE ARTICLE: The Nuclear Century

Wilhelm Roentgen was studying the properties cathode rays in 1895 when he discovered a new ray of light produced by the impact of cathode rays on an object, giving the object physical transparency. The first "rontgenogram", (now x-ray) ever taken was of his wife's hand. The use of the x-ray for medical purposes was immediately obvious, and a mobile unit was deployed to treat British soldiers in the Sudan five years later. Discoveries over the next fifty years diverted this medical discovery to the world's first and only true weapon of mass destruction, the nuclear bomb. Today we face the further perversion of this scientific discovery through proliferation of new forms of nuclear weapons, and their proliferation at the hands of non-state actors. This article offers lessons from history, to help better inform public policy decisions at this critical time.

Understanding this phenomenon progressed quickly, with investigations going on around the world. Antoine Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity. J.J. Thomson discovered the electron. Marie Curie discovered the radioactive elements radium and polonium. Ernest Rutherford identified alpha and beta rays. Frederick Soddy discovered isotopes, and with Rutherford published a theory of radioactive decay.

One century ago, in 1905, Albert Einstein published his theory on the convertibility of matter and energy: E=mc2. This was followed, in 1913, by Niels Bohr's theory of atomic structure and, in 1919, by Einstein's general theory of relativity.

In June 1919 Rutherford bombarded nitrogen gas with alpha particles, thereby turning nitrogen into oxygen, in the first man-made nuclear reaction. Understanding of nuclear particles progressed, with better understanding of isotopes and, in 1933, James Chadwick's discovery of the neutron. This led Leo Szilard's idea of a chain reaction. In 1934, Enrico Fermi irradiated uranium with neutrons, which he believed was the first transuranic element. Following his Nobel prize, these results were interpreted by Lise Meitner and Otto Frisch as the first nuclear fission. Experimentation into nuclear fission began in earnest around the world, and was demonstrated by Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman in December 1938.

On August 2, 1939, Szilard, Eugene Wigner, and Edward Teller obtained a letter from Einstein that described the German research and the possibility of a constructing a uranium bomb in the near future. The letter was sent to President Roosevelt, who established a special committee to investigate military implications of research into the atom. The Manhattan Project, as it is now known, was authorized on December 6, 1941 and began work in autumn of 1942, with reactor construction beginning in January 1943.

The world's first atomic bomb, the Trinity test, exploded in the desert of New Mexico on July 16, 1945. The war in Europe had already ended, with Germany's unconditional surrender, but the war in the Pacific continued. President Truman authorized a nuclear attack against Japan.

On August 6, "Little Boy: was dropped on Hiroshima. The town of 300,000 was destroyed. About 45,000 people died immediately, and twice that died over the next few months from radiation-related illnesses. Three days later, on August 9, "Fat Man" was dropped on Nagasaki, killing at least 40,000 people by the end of the year. Japan surrendered, and both towns were rebuilt and have become industrial centers after the war.

Witnessing the enormous destructive capacity of atomic weapons, other countries hastened to acquire them. The US built up its arsenal, using Pacific islands for testing, and was able to mass produce nuclear weapons by May 1948. The US also led the way in developing alternative delivery mechanisms, including intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear-equipped submarines. The US also developed the even more powerful hydrogen and neutron bombs. The Soviet Union detonated its first atomic device in August 1949. During the Cold War that followed World War II, the build-up of atomic stockpiles took place in parallel with atomic spying, the growth of civil rights and antiwar activism, and the use of atomic power for peaceful energy generation. The UK got the bomb in 1952, the French and Israel around 1960, the Chinese in 1962, India in 1972, South Africa in 1979, Pakistan in the early 1980s, North Korea in 2004.

With multiple countries able to destroy the world many times over, efforts to stop further proliferation and to reduce nuclear weapons stockpiles began. The Non-Proliferation Treaty entered into force on 5 March 1970.

Today few countries continue to maintain nuclear weapons. The estimated number of nuclear warheads stands at:

Much was learned in the aftermath of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, as well as experience with accidental release of radioactive materials, and the use of radiation in medical and other non-military applications.

1. Radiation is deadly and has long-term negative health effects:
a. Acute radiation poisoning can occur several months to several years after an incident, with symptoms ranging from uncontrollable bleeding and radiation-induced cataracts to death.
b. Radiation destroys the immune system
c. Radiation causes chromosome mutations, severe birth defects, impaired growth and mental retardation, and higher mortality rates
2. Radiation causes cancer, even at low doses
3. Atomic energy generates waste materials for which there is no acceptable storage or disposal mechanism.
4. Radioactive materials and facilities can not be easily secured and are subject to accidental and deliberate release of radioactive material, such as the devastating accident at Chernobyl and the emergence of nuclear black markets.

Given this knowledge, it is essential that existing stockpiles, including radiological materials used for medical applications, are secured, existing stockpiles are reduced, and any effort to develop new weapons using nuclear materials are stopped.

Further Reading:

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