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:
Insurgents in Iraq

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

1. World

Avian influenza is endemic in poultry in much of southeast Asia. In Indonesia, there have been three confirmed human fatalities, and dozens more have been infected, leading to grave warnings of the spread of the deadly H5N1 virus. Facing an impending pandemic, the UN has appointed a system coordinator from the World Health Organization (WHO) to speed up international efforts to control the disease.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2005/pr45/en/index.html
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/index.html

Meanwhile, the Global Strategy for the Progressive Control of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza launched by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and World Animal Health Organization (OIE), working with WHO, warn that only some $16 million of the $100 million needed for control programs in southeast Asian countries over the next three years. There is only a small window of opportunity to reduce infection levels through vaccination. In particular, Vietnam and Indonesia need strong financial support to reduce levels of infection in their large poultry populations.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2005/107804/index.html

The US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) found an accelerating decline in arctic ice which, if continued, could leave the summertime Arctic ice-free well before the end of this century.
http://nsidc.org/news/press/20050928_trendscontinue.html

Last week US congressional testimony revealed wide-ranging failures in emergency response, including emergency communications and insufficient personnel or resources available through the National Guard, which has been largely deployed to Iraq. Opposition democrats largely refused to participate in hearings, preferring an independent inquiry.
http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/action.htm
http://financialservices.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=detail&hearing=414 http://financialservices.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=detail&hearing=415
http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=1607

Former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director placed the blame squarely on the "dysfunctional" state of Louisiana, but the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania offers a different perspective. "A Month after Katrina: Lessons from Leadership Failures" identifies leadership challenges raised by the disaster. They explain, "Hurricane Katrina not only devastated the city of New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast of the U.S., it initiated a bitter debate about the leadership -- or lack thereof -- exhibited by government officials before, during and after the storm. Called into question have been the actions of an array of leaders: President Bush, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and former Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown."
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/index.cfm?fa=viewArticle&id=1289

2. Africa

Algerians voted overwhelmingly in favor of a government peace plan to end the war and begin moving forward with the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation. The charter includes a pardon for militants and security services, except those that had been involved in mass murder, public bombing, or rape, and shortens prison sentences for those now in jail. This also means that the families of some 150,000 who died in the war and the thousands who disappeared have no opportunity for the sort of truth and reconciliation efforts that were used to address (and redress) other long-term conflicts, including those in South Africa and Peru. Voter turnout was reported at 80 percent and the vote in favor more than 97 percent. The opposition believes these numbers were fraudulent. The vote was preceded by violence in which three separate attacks killed five security force members, and on the day there was violence in several provinces. Among Berbers, where opposition parties had called for a boycott, turnout was 11.5 percent.

Botswana's San bushmen tried to enter the Central Kalahari Game Reserve last weekend, which the government has sealed off in an effort to force the San to abandon their traditional way of life. When police refused entry, the demonstrators rioted and attacked the police. More than 20 were arrested. The legal challenge to the government plan is still in court.

In Central African Republic (CAR), an unidentified armed group attacked a village near Chad people and leading to exodus of some 3,000 people to Chad at the same time that the UN is conducting a repatriation operation to return other CAR refugees. Chad is already home to 240,000 refugees from Chad and 40,000 from Darfur, Sudan.

Chad government forces report they killed eight and captured seven Sudanese Janjaweed that attacked a village, killing 36. President Idriss Deby said they will be punished.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had set Friday as the deadline for foreign groups to leave the country, an ultimatum that was ignored. Among those remaining are Ugandan groups including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), and National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (NALU). The largest group has been there since the Rwandan genocide, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDRL). There are up to 10,000 FDRL militants, many accused of participation in the genocide who would therefore be unlikely to voluntarily repatriate. DRC promised action against the militias, and said it will resist any foreign invasion. Uganda said that if DRC and the UN mission do not disarm the LRA rebels within two months, his army will enter to do so. The growing tensions could further inflame ethnic divisions and re-ignite fighting. The UN has extended its peacekeeping mandate to the end of October, taking the opportunity to review expansion of the mission, which is already the largest. A constitutional referendum due 27 October will not be held because only about half the voters were registered, due to problems with getting equipment into mountainous areas.

Ivory Coast will not be able to hold elections on 30 October, as required by the constitution. A new Independent Electoral Commission must be established, militias dismantled and disarmed, and a new timeframe agreed. These are among the findings of the latest UN mission report.
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2005/604
UN Secretary General Annan suggested that to accomplish these ends, "... the Security Council may wish to consider taking firm action against those who attempt to obstruct the implementation of these and other key provisions of the Pretoria Agreement, notably through the imposition of the targeted sanctions envisaged under Security Council resolution 1572 (2004)". West African leaders are attempting to revive peace efforts.

At the edge of Morocco, hundreds of would-be immigrants in the Spanish enclave of Melilla stormed border fences. Hundreds succeed in breaking through and crossing. There were dozens of injuries, and five deaths, including two that were shot with "non-Spanish" bullets.

Nigeria's army is protection two Chevron oil stations that were closed following threats by the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force last week. Two kidnapped oil workers were freed in a rescue mission, and eight suspects arrested.

Somaliland, the territory that declared independence from Somalia 14 years ago, held its first parliamentary elections, in which the main issue among the three competing parties was which could achieve international recognition as a sovereign state. They had previously voted in municipal and presidential elections.

In Sudan, attacks have increased, leading UN advisor Juan Mendez to accuse government authorities of denying the extent of the problem and accepting a culture of impunity. Violence in Darfur increasingly targets international aid workers and could force an end to relief efforts. In an unprecedented attack, up to 300 Janjaweed struck a refugee camp, home to up to 5,000 internally displaced people. They killed 29 people and seriously injured ten more, while burning down abut a quarter of the shelters. They also attacked and burned a neighboring village. The African Union has joined international criticism, accusing government forces of supporting Janjaweed militias. The UN and UK warn of prosecution for war crimes, for which the International Criminal Court is collecting evidence.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=88&Body=Sudan&Body1=

In Togo, violence following the sudden death of the president and disputed elections in February killed up to 500 people and injured thousands more. A UN High Commissioner for Human Rights report also sites large numbers of disappeared, extensive use of torture, and the systematic and organized destruction of goods and property at the hands of civilian police, military police, and various branches of armed forces.
http://www.ohchr.org/english/press/media.htm

In Northern Uganda this year the mortality rates for hundreds of thousands of children displaced by the fighting with the Lords' Resistance Army (LRA) exceeds emergency thresholds.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/en/ http://www.unicef.org/

3. Americas

The Brazilian family of Jean Charles de Menezes viewed tapes and visited the scene where their son was killed by British police, a day after the failed 21 July bombings. They demanded justice, calling for the officers who killed him "like a mad dog" to be prosecuted.

The Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute published "The Special Commission on Restructuring of the Reserves, 1995: Ten Years Later". They warn that Canadian Forces are "underfunded, understrength, and facing equipment shortages", and make 13 recommendations, to help ensure the country will be prepared to respond to a major disaster.
http://www.cdfai.org/newsreleases/sept282005granatsteinbelzile.htm

Mexican authorities arrested seven armed Guatemalan men, including several trained by Guatemalan special forces. They were heavily armed and will face weapons smuggling charges, but are suspected of supporting drug gangs.

Nicaraguan officials, including the interior minister, has appealed to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission after congress stripped them of immunity from prosecution to investigate potential campaign funding issues.

Trinidad and Tobago has asked the London Metropolitan police and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation to provide support in dealing with a surge in violent crime, including 275 murders in a population of 1.3 million.
http://www.opm.gov.tt/

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a new report, "Global War on Terrorism: DOD Should Consider All Funds Requested for the War When Determining Needs and Covering Expenses", which offers recommendations to reduce or close projected funding gaps.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-767

New York governor George Pataki has cancelled plans to build a museum on the site of the World Trade Center.
http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/05/sept28_2_05.htm

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez promised to sped up his land distribution program, and called for ranch owners to negotiate with the government.

4. Asia Pacific

Australia's federal government and state leaders reached agreement to support new counterterrorism laws if the measures are reviewed after five years. Widespread concerns over human rights are being voiced, given the broad scope of the legislation.
http://www.coag.gov.au/meetings/270905/index.htm

China's National People's Congress for the first time opened a session to the public, inciting 20 people to attend a debate on tax reform.

Chinese security officials have warned of increasing levels of attacks against police that in the first half of the year left 23 dead and 1,800 injured. Public order is often threatened by rapid social and economic change. Officials have also warned of a crackdown against alleged separatists among Muslim Uighars in Xinhiang province. As China celebrated 50 years of its rule over the region, the World Uighar Congress warned that China's treatment of the Uighurs is turning the area into a time bomb.
http://www.uyghurcongress.org/En/PressRelease.asp?ItemID=1128068692&mid=1096144499

Indonesians began their week with large and mostly peaceful protests against a government increase in the price of fuel, which has more than doubled. By the end of the week, attention turned to a series of bombings in Bali, shortly before the anniversary (12 October) of the 2002 attacks.

On 1 October, three nearly simultaneous suicide bombings were carried out in restaurants on Bali. The suspected Jemaah Islamiah militants wore bomb vests packed with ball bearings. In addition to the three suicides, at least 19 people were killed and more than 100 injured, 17 seriously.

"Local Jihad: Radical Islam and terrorism in Indonesia" reports that Jemaah Islamiah has become weaker and may be splitting, but is still capable of attacks. The report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute also says that while arrests and prosecutions weakened JI, other kinds of networks pose new threats, including new recruits from Muslim-Christian conflicts in places like Sulawesi.
http://www.aspi.org.au/publications.cfm?pubID=79#

In New Zealand's, final general election results confirm the Labor Party has two more seats than the main opposition. Prime Minister Helen Clark will be the first Labor PM to win three successive terms, and she is now likely to form a coalition with smaller parties.

North Korea is accused of egregious abuses including torture, violence against women, no freedom of opinion, and no rule of law, in a new UN expert report to the General Assembly.
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=A/60/306

Philippine Army major general Alphonsus Crucero said the army is on red alert and warned that the New People's Army (NPA) is ready to launch urban attacks and warned telecommunications companies to prepare their towers against attacks. NPA extortion demands have also been on the rise. There have been a number of clashes between NPA and security forces.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/bac/2005/09/30/news/beware.of.towers.urban.attacks.html

Philippine forces also clashed with Abu Sayyaf rebels on Jolo island, and killed at least two. Abu Sayyaf has also increased extortion threats, saying that if traders fail to pay they will be kidnapped.

In Thailand, four soldiers were ambushed by suspected militants and shot dead in the southern province of Yala. A Thai security advisor believes that Indonesian militants have been involved in these attacks, but there is as yet no clear evidence.

Uzbekistan has ended counterterrorism cooperation with the US, and US forces at the K2 base will be gone by the end of the year.

5. Europe

French police ate arrested nine suspected members of the Algerian Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) who are believed to have been planning attacks, including one against the subway system.

German police have arrested 38 suspected Islamic extremists during raids in 20 towns in the western Hesse state.

Ireland and the UK have been advised that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) has put all of its weapons beyond use. The Independent International Commission on Decommissioning inventoried and confirmed this step, which occurred in conjunction with the July IRA announcement that it had ended its armed campaign, and would instead follow a democratic path.
http://www.nio.gov.uk/media-detail.htm?newsID=12291
http://www.nio.gov.uk/index/key-issues/iicd_report.pdf

An Italian court issued arrest warrants against a former US embassy official and two others in connection with a CIA rendition case.

In Russia's North Caucasus, there has been "No end to gross human rights violations". Among the findings in this new Amnesty International report are arbitrary detentions and torture, with Russia using the "war on terror" as "an excuse for systematic human rights abuses.
http://web.amnesty.org/library/print/ENGEUR460382005

Spain has concluded the trial of 17 men accused of aiding al Qaeda. The head of the Spanish cell, Imad Yarkas, was sentenced to 27 years in prison. Two men accused of involvement in the 9/11 attacks were cleared of murder but found guilty on other terrorism charges. An al-Jazeera journalist, Tayssir Alouni was jailed for seven years. Other sentences ranged between six and eleven years in prison. Although prosecutors had wanted longer sentences, the case is seen as a successful example of using court systems to address terrorist offenses, without resorting to extraordinary measures outside the rule of law.

The regional Catalan parliament approved a new measure that could provide greater autonomy. The level of expanded autonomy is unclear, but will be debated in Madrid. Basque separatists with ETA exploded a small bomb at a hydroelectric station in the north, causing light property damage.

In England, the Animal Rights Militia sent a threatening letter to Leapfrog Day Nurseries and their directors, saying they would "pay the consequences" for providing child care services to Huntingdon Life Science (HLS)s, and would make life a "living hell". Nine companies, facing similar threats, have severed ties with HLS, including one that had only collected three loads of rubbish from a construction site. Along with recent attacks on an executive's home and a university, animal rights extremists are growing more violent.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/4295706.stm
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article316582.ece

6. Middle East

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was sworn in for a fifth term. Soon after, hundreds of protestors marched in Cairo, saying the election was illegitimate. Less than a quarter of voters turned out in an election that gave Mubarak 88.6 percent of votes.

Egyptian police shot and killed Moussa Mohammed Salem Badran, one of the alleged leaders of the July Sharm el-Sheik attacks. A day later, another operation killed two more suspects, Khaled Musaid and Tulub Murdi Suleiman. Younes Mohamed Mahmoud Alyan was arrested and has confessed to driving the car the bombers traveled in.

In Gaza, Israel continued to launch air strikes despite Hamas saying it would stop rocket attacks; the rocket attacks resumed. Israel also plans to continue targeted killings, including Hamas leaders and Palestinian legislative candidates.

In Iran, student protestors threw stone and petrol bombs (molotov cocktails) at the British embassy to protest pressure over Iran's nuclear program.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that its statistics, using its reports and government sources, reveal that the fifth year of the intifada that began 29 September 2000, saw the fewest number of incidents or casualties. They report that in the past year there were 56 Israeli fatalities (5 per month compared to a height of 36 per month) and 425 Palestinian fatalities (35 per month compared to a height of 88).

Iraq's insurgent attacks continue apace, while US marines conduct a major assault in the western town of Sadah, in Anbar province. House to house searches are underway. At least ten civilians, including children, have been killed in "Operation Iron Fist". Earlier in the week, US and Iraqi forces killed Abdullah Abu Azzan, head of operations for Al Qaeda in Iraq, and Zarqawi's number two.

Insurgent attacks include:

"Without a constitution based on national consensus, Iraq will slide toward full-scale civil war and dissolution. The rushed constitutional process has deepened divisions between the country's three principal communities -- Shiites, Kurds and Sunni Arabs. Only a strong U.S.-led initiative to assuage Sunni Arab concerns can now stop Iraq's violent break-up. This would require that: the U.S. sponsor negotiations to reach agreement prior to 15 October; the parties agree to limit to four the number of governorates that could become a region through fusion, thereby assuaging Sunni Arab fears of a supra-Shiite region in the South; and all parties agree Iraqis will not be excluded from public office or managerial positions on the basis of mere membership in the Baath party. There's no guarantee this last-ditch effort will halt the country's collapse, but the U.S. cannot afford not to try."
http://www.crisisgroup.org

Lebanese security forces raided a mobile phone company in connection with the investigation into former prime minister Rafiq Hariri's murder. UN investigators conducted inquiries in Syria. Lebanese authorities asked for assistance from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation to look into the car bomb that critically injured television journalist May Chidiac last weekend, More troops have been deployed at the Syrian border to help control suspected arms smuggling.

Saudi Arabia will get US aid for its cooperation in the "war on terrorism".

In the West Bank, Israel conducted repeated raids. In Jenin, they killed two men identified as Islamic Jihad militants. In Jenin local al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades leader Samer Saadi was killed. Following his assassination, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades leader in Jenin Zakaria Zubeidi says they will no longer respect the 6-month old truce.

Local elections in the West Bank has resulted in a stronger than expected showing for Fatah, which won 54 percent of the vote for 65 council seats. Hamas came second with 26 percent. Many Hamas candidates had been arrested before the election.

7. South Asia

In Afghanistan, the voting count is underway. More than half the ballots have been counted and, despite irregularities of concern, results are likely to be released in mid-October. While the counting continues, there have been several attacks. A landmine attributed to Taleban in Helmand killed two Afghan police and two civilians. Two Taleban had been killed in fighting the night before. A suicide bomber outside an army base in Kabul killed 12 and injured several others. Militant attacks against US soldiers killed two, bringing the death toll this year to 80.

India has stopped a planned offensive in Assam to support negotiations with separatist rebels of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA). In the northeast state of Meghalaya, police shot dead 12 student protestors after they threw stones expressing opposition to educational reforms.

In Indian-administered Kashmir, the Indian army reports that senior militant leader Mohammad Ayub of the Hijbul Mujahideen surrendered to the army. Security forces fighting with militants killed two members of Lashkar e Toiba, while other encounters killed several Hizb ul Mujahideen militants, including two commanders in Srinigar.

Nepal's army killed at least eight Maoist rebels last weekend, the first large clash since the Maoist's unilateral ceasefire declared last month.

In Pakistan's tribal region of Waziristan, clashes with unidentified militants at least 15 soldiers, and injured 30.

"Authoritarianism and Political Party Reform in Pakistan" is the topic of a new report from the International Crisis Group that warns:
" Instability will worsen and sectarian violence could spin out of control unless the Musharraf government cedes real power to civilians and removes curbs on moderate parties. But mainstream parties must become serious about internal reform to steer Pakistan towards democracy and political stability. Marginalisation of moderate voices has allowed religious parties to fill a vacuum; their increasing strength, if unchecked, could erode regional stability. Despite failures during the 1990s' flawed democratic transition, moderate parties remain the most credible alternative to authoritarianism and safeguard against the religious lobby's anti-Western agenda but must promote internal discipline and accountability, improve their grassroots base and broaden participation. The international community should press the Musharraf government to hold free and fair elections, insist it stop unlawful arrests and detention of opposition leaders and be prepared to cut aid if it does not."
http://www.crisisgroup.org

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers have been banned from visiting European Union member states. The EU took this measure in connection with the killing of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, with which the Tigers deny any involvement.

8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

Andrew Shearer's research into computer crime in Eastern Europe indicates that very successful hi-tech gangs operate in Russia, Romania, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. This growth is partly driven by a cultural history of shadow economies.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/technology/4286276.stm

A survey of financial services firms finds that electronic communications such as email, instant messenger, webmail, blogs, chat rooms and handhelds, present a significant threat to the security of intellectual property and compliance with corporate and regulatory policy. Orchestria's research indicates that while few have knowingly sent electronic communication in violation of policy, over 75 percent have received inappropriate communication at work.
http://www.orchestria.com/no-plugin/news/press-releases/september-05b.htm

InfoWorld's Security Research Report, "Are Attackers Winning the Arms Race?" warns of increasingly sophisticated attacks.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/09/26/39FEattack_1.html

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and partners have developed a new consumer education campaign to help consumers stay safe online by addressing such topics as recognizing internet scams, shopping securely, avoiding hackers and viruses, and dealing with spam, spyware, phishing, and peer-to-peer file-sharing.
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2005/09/onguardonline.htm
http://onguardonline.gov/index.html

9. Finance

Interpol's General Assembly has adopted measures to combat terrorist financing and terrorist activities, including a new International Notice to inform police in member countries of individuals that are the target of UN sanctions.
http://www.interpol.int/Public/ICPO/PressReleases/PR2005/PR200539.asp
http://www.interpol.int/Public/ICPO/PressReleases/PR2005/PR200540.asp

The 14 Arab member states of the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENA FATF) met in Beirut, where they endorsed tough new standards to regulate informal money transfers, bulk cash couriers and charities to help counter terrorism financing.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=18856#
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4&section=0&article=70816&d=28&m=9&y=2005&pix=world.jpg&category=World

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency is monitoring two banks in Bacolod City they believe is used to launder shabu (amphetamine drugs) payments through Automated Teller Machines.

Germany's financial BAFin will not impose sanctions against Commerzbank but said they had not taken adequate anti-money laundering measures in its handling of investments in a Russian telecommunications investment.
https://www.commerzbank.de/presse/archiv/mitteilungen/2005/03/p050928.html (in German)

Nigeria's Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha has been charged with money laundering of more than $3 million in cash and accounts derived from corrupt activities. He was denied bail because in a similar case last year the suspect returned to Nigeria and is still wanted by the British police.

Nigeria continues to make progress in recovering monies looted by late military dictator Sani Abacha. The World Bank and Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala announced the recovery of $458 million last week, of which $290 million has already been returned.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:20662395~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html
http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=111&sid=6120818&cKey=1127850774000

In Belfast, Northern Ireland, the Assets Recovery Agency has been granted an interim receiving order to freeze the assets of Henry Hayles and his wife. The funds are connected with organized crime linked to loyalist and republican paramilitaries. Although Lauziata Hayles is not believed to have engaged in paramilitary activity, she is accused of using the criminal proceeds to purchase property.

The US House subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit held hearings on regulatory relief in which a consensus was reached that financial institutions should not have to file currency transaction reports for long-term, seasoned business clients. This could reduce filings by as much as three-quarters.
http://financialservices.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=detail&hearing=416&comm=3

10. Human Rights

China's Supreme People's Court has set up three branch courts to review death sentences. Amnesty International estimates China carried out at least 3,400 executions last year, more than all other countries combined. The reviews follow two cases of wrongful conviction and consistent international criticism.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-09/28/content_481419.htm
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/deathpenalty-worldday2005-eng

A UN working group has completed a draft convention on forced disappearances of people after arrest, detention, or abduction with the acquiescence of a government. The draft will be submitted to the Human Rights Commission, then for General Assembly approval, before it is opened for signature and ratification next year.
http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/3DF9EB6C9C90CB7AC1257087006E85A9?opendocument

The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse of Syracuse University reports that the US Department of Homeland Security has more than doubled prosecution of immigration cases since 9/11.
http://trac.syr.edu/tracins/

A US federal judge has ruled in favor of an American Civil Liberties Union request to release additional imaged of detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
http://www.aclu.org/International/International.cfm?ID=19189&c=36

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) finds that food aid is 30 percent more costly that providing money to buy food because of the bureaucratic overhead and cost of food transfers.
http://www.oecd.org/document/59/0,2340,en_2649_201185_35423803_1_1_1_1,00.html

The UN Population Fund warns that migration of health workers from Africa to wealthy industrialized has joined infections diseases and the HIV/AIDS pandemic to harm healthcare systems in the developing world.
http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=684

11. Law and Legal Issues

Abdelmajid Bouchar has been arrested in Spain following his extradition from Serbia. He is wanted in connection with the Madrid train bombings of 11 March 2004.

Johnny Adair, former leader of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) pleaded guilty in English court to harassing two former UDA members, and has been given a restraining order. Soon after, police arrested him on suspicion of assaulting his wife.

Tayssir Alouni, an al-Jazeera journalist who interviewed Bin Laden after the 9/11 attacks, was sentenced in Spanish court to seven years in prison for collaboration. His case will be appealed.

Khurshid Ahmed Butt ("Kamran", "Fayaaz"), an area commander with Jaish-e-Mohammad in Kashmir, has been arrested in Delhi with hawala monies believed to help finance militant attacks.

Driss Chebli was sentenced to six years in prison by Spanish court for collaborating with a terrorist group by helping Yarkas plan the 9/11 attacks. He was cleared of murder charges.

Asif Chotu, an alleged senior member of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militant group has reportedly been arrested by Pakistan's security forces.

Lynndie England, a US soldier who appeared in some of the most graphic photographs of prisoner abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib jail, has been sentenced by a military panel to three years in prison.

Diego Fernando Murillo's ("Don Berna") extradition to the US on drug trafficking charges was approved by Colombia's Supreme Court earlier this month. Last week President Uribe said that if Fernando Murillo, (a Pablo Escobar trafficker and commander of the Self-Defense Forces of Colombia [AUC] paramilitaries) honors the terms of the paramilitary peace process, he will not be extradited.

Ghsoub al-Abrash Ghalyoun was acquitted in Spanish court of assisting in the 9/11 attacks by taking detailed video of the World Trade Center and other targets and of murdering 2,500 people.

Frank Grevil, a former Danish intelligence agent, had been sentenced to six months in prison for leaking confidential threat assessments on WMD in Iraq to a Danish newspaper. On appeal, his sentence has been reduced to four months.

Abimael Guzman, founder of the Shining Path guerilla group in Peru, is on trial for a second time. In 1992 he was sentenced to life in prison by a secret military court, but that verdict was ruled unconstitutional in 2003, and a retrial was ordered.

Hissene Habre is the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by Belgium. Belgium has also issued an extradition request to Senegal, where the former president of Chad now lives in exile. Senegal had been unable to prosecute him for crimes including arbitrary arrests, mass murder, and torture, because they were committed in Chad, but Belgian law allows prosecution for crimes against humanity wherever they were committed.

Colonel Bobby Khatri and Captains Amit Adhikary and Sunil Adhikary, all officers in Nepal's army, have been found guilty in military court of torturing a 15-year-old girl they believed could be a Maoist rebel. They were sentenced to six months in prison but released for time serves.

Luis Posada Carriles, wanted in Venezuela for a 1976 plane bombing, cannot be deported to Venezuela, according to a US court ruling. He will remain in custody while the case is being reviewed further.

Joseph Serugendo was transferred to the international tribunal, where he denied five charges, including genocide and incitement to commit genocide, connected with his role as a former technical director of Radio Mille Collines, which urged Hutus to murder Tutsis during the Rwandan genocide.

Timur Shah, the main suspect in the kidnapping of an Italian aid worker, has been arrested with two colleagues, in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Father Guy Theunis, a Belgian priest, was referred to trial in a Rwandan gacaca (village court) on charges of publishing articles that incited genocide. Belgium has now requested Father Theunis be returned to Belgium and face trial there. Gacaca courts are able to impose the death penalty, which is banned in Belgium.

Imad Yarkas ("Abu Dahdah") was sentenced to 27 years in prison in Spanish court for leading an al Qaeda cell in Spain that provided operational support and financing for the 9/11 attacks, and for 2,500 murders.

Subhaan Younis was sentenced in British court to 60 days in prison, for playing footage on his mobile phone of a beheading in Iraq to a shop assistant.

12. Transportation

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) found "significant security weaknesses that threaten the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of FAA.s systems - including weaknesses in controls that are designed to prevent, limit, and detect access to these systems". Their report is "Information Security: Progress Made, but Federal Aviation Administration Needs to Improve Controls over Air Traffic Control Systems."
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-712

Somali pirates who have been held since June the MV Semlow, a ship carrying World Food Program food aid, s have used it to attack another boat. The pirates reneged on a deal to release the Semlow's crew and cargo and now are holding the crew and cargo of the Ibnu Batuta, which is carrying cement.

The International Maritime Bureau continues to list piracy in Somalia as an alert:
"Twenty two incidents have been reported since 15.03.05. Heavily armed pirates are now attacking ships further away from the coast. A recent incident took place 120 nm off the eastern coast. Ships are advised to keep as far away as possible from the Somali coast."
http://www.icc-ccs.org/prc/piracyreport.php

In Bangladesh, 15 pirates were killed and 35 people injured, including five law enforcement officers, in a gunbattle near the mouth of the Meghna river.

French commandos stormed a cargo/passenger ferry that was hijacked to Corsica by crewmembers that were on strike in protest against privatization of the state-owned ferry company.

The Coast Guard Marine Information for Safety and Law Enforcement database was the topic of a recent Department of Homeland Security Inspector General assessment. They found a need for stronger security procedures, testing, and controls.
http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/OIGr_05-35_Aug05.pdf

29 September marked International Maritime Day.

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has launched a pilot project to track trucks carrying hazardous materials.
http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?theme=44&content=0900051980170e05

TSA has also offered explosive detection canines to ten mass transit and commuter rail systems.
http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?theme=44&content=0900051980171b07

Russian authorities are installing chemical and biological detectors in a Moscow subway, following two failed bombing attempts.

13. Weapons of Mass Destruction

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported substantial increases in illegal trafficking of radioactive materials, including one case involving weapons-grade material, but few showed cases of criminal activity. In 2004, countries reported 121 incidents, partly attributed to improved reporting. Since the Illicit Trafficking Database started in 1993, there have been 18 confirmed cases of trafficking in Highly Enriched Uranium and plutonium, most in small quantities.
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2005/traffickingstats.html

The Carnegie Endowment has released the complete set of "Deadly Maps" from " Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Threats", which show worldwide proliferation and major civilian and military nuclear installations.
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/deadlymaps

The US Government Accountability Office GAO) released three reports that include WMD-related information:

China has not effectively implemented and enforced export controls on materials that could be used to produce weapons of mass destruction, according to a new report "Chasing the Dragon: Assessing China?s System of Export Controls for WMD-Related Good and Technologies", from Rand.
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2005/RAND_MG353.pdf

Australia plans to set up a network of WMD analysis laboratories to enhance response to a potential dirty bomb or other WMD attacks.

NATO will establish the multinational strategic center for preventing WMD in the Czech Republic in the next 2-3 years. http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/index_view.php?id=149931

"Ability of Physicians to Diagnose and Manage Illness Due to Category A Bioterrorism Agents" by Sara Cosgrove et. al., was published in Archives of Internal Medicine (165:2002-206). The results indicate that physician "diagnosis and management of disease caused by bioterrorism agents is poor".
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/165/17/2002

Two research teams have identified the Chinese horseshoe bat as the natural reservoirs of SARS.
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0506735102v1
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/1118391/DC1

Global Green warns that construction of a Russian chemical weapons destruction facility has further harmed the impoverished local population by damaging the infrastructure, which could lead to action against the project.
http://www.globalgreen.org/pdf/shchuchye%20_needs_assesment.pdf

14. Recently Published

Robert Fisk, "The Great War for Civilization: The Conquest of the Middle East" Fourth Estate. Extract of meeting with bin Laden in the Independent:
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article314587.ece

Jonathan Kozol, "The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America", Crown

Anne Nivat, "The Wake of War: Encounters With the People of Iraq and Afghanistan", Beacon

Gary Rosen, editor, "The Right War?", Cambridge University Press

Yossi Sheffi, "The Resilient Enterprise", MIT Press

Simon Winchester, "A Crack in the Edge of the World", Harper Collins

FEATURE ARTICLE: Insurgents in Iraq

So far this year, there have been more than 1,400 attacks in Iraq attributed to "insurgents" that have resulted in some 10,000 casualties. Estimates regarding the size of the insurgency range from a low of 30,000 to a high of 200,000, but all agree that the insurgency is diverse. Those involved are motivated by goals ranging from individual economic gain to a zealous desire to build a caliphate. This article profiles the main insurgent groups.

Among named groups, Al Qaeda in Iraq ("Tanzim Qa'idat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn", "QJBR", "Al-Zarqawi Network", "Al-Qa'ida of Jihad Organization in the Land of The Two Rivers", "Jama?at al-Tawhid wa?al-Jihad") has been the most prominent, largely because of its successful internet and television media campaign. This year, they have taken credit for around 150 attacks. More than two-thirds of these attacks targeted "collaborators", those working, or trying to work, in the police and government. It is believed that the group is financed by donors in the Middle East and Europe and local sympathizers, as well as business and criminal activities.

The US Department of State designated Al Qaeda in Iraq(QJBR) a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) last year. They give the following description:

Among the activities that led to the designation, they cite the following:

This year, their deadliest attacks were a suicide bombing in February outside a health clinic, in which 125 people were killed and 140 injured, and another suicide attack that ignited a fuel tanker near a Shiite mosque, killing 98, and injuring up to 200.

A second group designated by the Department of State as an FTO is Ansar al-Islam ("AI", "Ansar al-Sunnah", "Partisans of Islam", "Helpers of Islam", "Kurdish Taliban"). Since may 2003 it has been known as Ansar al-Sunnah (AS). This is an older group that was founded in December 2001 with the goal of establishing an independent Islamic state in Iraq. The Department of State estimates their strength at up to 1,000 members, and say their financing is primarily from al Qaeda and other international jihadists, including European support cells.

To gain this designation, AS engaged in activities described as follows:
"AI continues to conduct attacks against Coalition forces, Iraqi Government officials and security forces, and ethnic Iraqi groups and political parties. AI members have been implicated in assassinations and assassination attempts against Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) officials and Coalition forces, and also work closely with both al-Qa?ida operatives and associates in QJBR. AI has also claimed responsibility for many high profile attacks, including the simultaneous suicide bombings of the PUK and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) party offices in Ibril on February 1, 2004, and the bombing of the US military dining facility in Mosul on December 21, 2004."

This year so far they have engaged in some 32 attacks, most against police and government targets. In May, there were three major attacks against police targets. On 5 May a suicide bomber killed 60 and injured 150 outside a recruitment center. Six days later, one suicide bombing killed 38 and injured 84, and a killed 32 and injured 35.

The Mehdi Army, led by radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr, has been involved in fighting with US-led forces, most notably the August 2004 siege of Najaf. Moqtada Sadr and his followers favor a Shia theocracy as the future government of Iraq, and their means to achieve this varies from militant attacks to diplomacy and political engagement.

No other named groups have undertaken more than six or so attacks. They include the al-Ahwal Brigades, al-Bara bin Malek Brigades Al-Fursan Brigades, al-Bara bin Malek Brigades , al-Jihad, Brigades of Imam al-Hassan al-Basri, Iraqi Revenge Brigade, Islamic Army in Iraq, Islamic Front for Iraqi Resistance-Salah-al-Din al-Ayyubi Brigades, Islamic Resistance Brigades, Jund al-Sahabah fi Al-Iraq, Kata'ib al-Junayd al-Jihadiyah, Muadh Ibn Jabal Brigad, Mujahideen in Iraq, Ninawa Mujahideen, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Protectors of Isalm Brigade, Shura Council of the Mujahideen of Iraq, and Takfir wa Hijra. There are also a number of militia groups, such as the Kurdish peshmerga, that have no record of attacking US or US-allied targets.

Named groups account for only about a quarter of attacks. The rest are attributed primarily to Sunni militants, most based in central Iraq, and many from Saddam's former security forces. Saddam loyalists have been providing funds and operational support to these elements.

Finally, there are a small number of foreign elements, estimated between four and ten percent of the total, probably around 3,000 fighters. According to a recent CSIS report, the come from all over the Arab and Islamic worlds, but their largest components include:

They report that estimates of Saudi Arabia's involvement have been greatly overestimated and that the three main ways to enter the country are across the Saudi-Iraqi border, through Iran, and through Syria.

Additional Resources:

Note: Background information/profiles on many of the smaller groups listed in this report are not yet available.

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