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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 Gunpowder Plot

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

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1. World

Research firm Synovate released the results of a survey in 13 markets that investigated fears of terrorism. The survey was conducted in September and October prior to the recent Bali and New Delhi bombings. Among their findings:

A study by the Conference Board finds that as the lead in education enjoyed by advanced economies declines, economic competition by developing countries will increase "exponentially".
http://www.conference-board.org/utilities/pressDetail.cfm?press_ID=2751

Fresh outbreaks of avian influenza have occurred in Asia, including China, Japan, and Vietnam. The World Bank has established a new global fund with an initial investment of up to $500 million to help countries combat the virus and plan for a possible human pandemic. China has asked for help from the World Health Organization to evaluate a possible case of human transmission.
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/pandemic/en/index.html
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:20711283~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html

Assistance to provide heating and shelter in time to protect victims of the South Asian earthquake is urgently needed, but little has been forthcoming. More than 74,000 people were killed and many more injured during the quake, and not all areas have yet been reached. Pakistan's President Musharraf compared this to the tsunami response, which was rapidly funded. He called on the world respond to the needs of the desperately poor population in Kashmir as generously as they had to an event that took place where protection from the cold is not a problem and where foreign tourists were not found in such large numbers.
Disasters Emergency Committee http://www.dec.org.uk
Kashmir International Relief Fund http://www.kirf.org
Red Cross/ Red Crescent http://www.icrc.org
Oxfam http://www.oxfam.org/eng/programs_emer_asiaquake.htm
UNHCR http://www.unicef.org.uk
UNICEF http://www.unicef.org
World Food Program http://www.wfp.org

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2. Africa

Algerian President Bouteflika has been asked to issue a general amnesty that would cover the 74-year-old former second-in-command of the banned Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), and lift the state of emergency. FIS leader Abassi Madani made the request from Doha, where he currently lives. FIS was set to win legislative elections in 1992, which were called off by the military rulers, leading to a civil war that killed at least 150,000 people.

Burundi has declared the Muslim Eid al-Fitr celebration a public holiday for the first time after results of a census found up to ten percent of the population was Muslim.

Democratic Republic of Congo's UN peacekeepers, operating in the eastern Ituri region, battled with Mai-Mai militiamen. Four election officials the Mai-Mai had taken hostage were freed. 34 militiamen were killed, as were two Congolese soldiers. Troops have also deployed to the border with Sudan, where Lords' Resistance Army (LRA) rebels from Uganda have been operating. The UN Security Council has released a list of militia leaders and businessmen in DRC subject to sanctions for their role in defying the arms embargo.
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/monuc/

Eritrea and Ethiopia have built up troops along the border. Eritrean restrictions on UN monitors mean that much of the area cannot be monitored. The situation presents increased risk of open conflict, and the UN has changed its assessment of the border situation from "stable" to "tense".
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmee/

Ethiopia continues to experience sporadic violence after riots erupted on Tuesday, when opposition parties alleged the elections were rigged. At least 46 people have been killed, and more than 150 injured. The rioting began in the capital, Addis Ababa, but has spread to surrounding towns.

Ivory Coast interim President Laurent Gbagbo plans to remain in office in accordance with a UN resolution that provided a 1-year extension after elections scheduled for 5 November were postponed. The UN also urged that a new Prime Minister should be appointed, and Nigerian President Obasanjo, chairman of the African Union, has arrived to help find a new Prime Minister. Delay of the elections and maintenance of the interim government has contributed to a political stalemate and the continued split of the country between the government-controlled southwest, and the rebel-controlled north.

Kenya experienced further violence over proposed constitutional changes. In the latest clashes, riot police confronted a pro-reform demonstration, leaving as many as ten people dead.

In Somalia Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Gedi escaped injury in an explosion directed at his convoy. Three people were killed and several more injured. The self-declared autonomous region of Puntland began its own disarmament, demobilization and reintegration program to reduce the number of security forces, freeing an estimated $1 million that can be used for education and healthcare.

South Africa has released Codes of Good Practice on Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) designed to help transfer greater economic power to the black majority. They include measures to assess the extent to which a business has met BEE goals. Companies will need to implement new processes and systems to accommodate reporting requirements.
http://www.dti.gov.za/bee/CODESOFGOODPRACTICE2005.htm

The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) - the largest rebel movement in Darfur - has selected Minni Minnawi as their new leader, replacing Abdul Wahid, in a move that is likely to contribute to a split in the organization that has contributed to lack of progress in peace talks.

Ugandan LRA rebels ambushed a mine-clearance convoy, killing two mine-clearance experts. The Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) has suspended its operations. Other relief organizations have also been forced to withdraw.

Zanzibar's President Amani Karume was re-elected with 53 percent of the vote cast on Sunday and has been sworn in. Opposition candidate Seif Hamad of the Civic United Front (CUF) (46 percent of votes) rejected the results due to voting irregularities. International observers acknowledged violence during the election but said that the vote was generally free and fair. Karume's ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party also retained a legislative majority. Voting in the rest of Tanzania will take place on 18 December. Following the announcement, violence broke out around the islands. Five opposition supporters and four security forces were killed.

Zimbabwe's deputy agriculture minister has acknowledged that many of those given land since 2000 knew little about agricultural production or were doing nothing on their land, leading to food shortages. Meanwhile, factional disagreements in the opposition deepened. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has reaffirmed its decision to boycott forthcoming elections for a new upper house, but several senior members boycotted the meeting, and several MDC members have put themselves forward as candidates.

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3. Americas

The Summit of the Americas opened with violent anti-US protests and ended with a failure to reach a trade agreement. The final document included an appendix with opposing statements. Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela insisted on waiting for the results of next month's World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting, while the other 29 countries wanted to resume talks on the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) proposal next year.
http://www.summit-americas.org/Default.htm

Bolivia's interim President Eduardo Rodriguez decreed elections will be held on 18 December. He ended a dispute on the distribution of congressional seats that had already postponed elections by imposing new rules based on the latest census, hopefully ensuring there will be no further election delays.

Canada's Security Intelligence Review Committee issued its annual report, in which it evaluated CSIS performance in investigating transnational crime, counterproliferation, information sharing, counterterrorism, and other areas. For the first time, they reviewed the terrorist entity listing process, raising concerns regarding oversight, judicial oversight, and other areas. They found that CSIS had exceeded its mission, could not ensure that information was not obtained through torture or other human rights offenses, and provided incomplete information for oversight or review.
http://www.sirc-csars.gc.ca/bkgrs_reviews04-05_e.html
http://www.sirc-csars.gc.ca/annual/2004-2005/intro_e.html

Chile and Peru are involved in an increasingly tense border dispute, following the passage of a law in Peru that redraws the sea border,

Colombia has given the right-wing paramilitary United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) an ultimatum that they complete demobilization as agreed by the end of the year, or face armed force. AUC suggested they were not satisfied with the previous agreement and may need more time.

Cuban President Castro had accepted an unprecedented offer of US disaster relief experts following Hurricane Wilma, specifying they would not be assessing the recovery effort. The US Department of State has withdrawn the offer, saying it had been turned from a humanitarian into a political mission, and instead will donate to charitable organizations working in Cuba.

Haitian police rescued the son and two daughters of a US missionary that had been kidnapped by a gang disguised as police officers. Haiti continues to suffer from a serious breakdown in law and order.

The US Department of Defense transferred five detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Kuwait. Kuwaiti officials say the men, identified as Adel al-Zamel, Mohammad al-Daihani, Abdullah al-Ajmi, Saad al-Azmi and Abdulaziz al-Shimmari, will be tried in Kuwait. About 500 people are still held at Guantanamo Bay.
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051103-5061.html

Emergency preparedness was the focus of a number of initiatives last week. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched "Ready Business" to support small- and mid-size companies. A related study from the International Profit Associates Small Business Research Board found that 8 in 10 small businesses are not prepared for disaster. DHS also issued a draft National Infrastructure Protection Plan. President Bush outlined his proposal for pandemic flu preparedness, congress held hearings to review it, and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report on 2004 vaccine shortages.
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=4913
http://www.ready.gov/business/index.html
http://www.ipasbrb.com/disaster-planning.htm
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=4926
Request copies of the Draft National Infrastructure Protection Plan by email, including your name and full contact details, to
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/11/20051101-1.html
http://www.pandemicflu.gov
http://reform.house.gov/GovReform/Hearings/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=36018
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-984

Another GAO report reviews "ATF: Thefts of Explosives from State and Local Government Storage Facilities Are Few but May Be Underreported".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-92

An assault at the federal prison in Phoenix, Arizona, has killed convicted terrorist Earl Krugel, a leading member of the Jewish Defense League, who had been sentenced to 20 years in prison for planning attacks against a mosque and the office of a US-Lebanese congressman. A homicide investigation has been opened.
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_3188045
In Texas, prison authorities are hunting for death row inmate Charles Victor Thompson, who escaped from a county jail in Houston by removing his handcuffs, changing his clothes, and used false identification to walk out.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/topstory/3441698
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3437393

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, responding to reports that the US had put pressure on Israel not to support F-16 aircraft maintenance, suggested he could give some of the fighter jets to China or Cuba.

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4. Asia Pacific

The World Bank's twice-yearly survey of East Asia cites falling poverty and improved trade conditions, but warns of slower growth. Avian influenza, which is endemic in the region, merited special attention: "While the costs of dealing with this have so far been limited to around 0.1 percent of GDP, from culling birds and implementation of better animal health surveillance systems, the potential impact of a serious pandemic is of grave concern," said Milan Brahmbhatt, lead economist and main author of the report. Furthermore, "Dealing with the influenza threat requires top political priority in an approach that brings together agriculture, animal health, human health, and finance, along with the best technical help from international agencies who are mobilizing to support country initiatives,"
http://www.worldbank.org/eapupdate

Australia's Prime Minister John Howard warned of intelligence regarding intelligence pointing to a possible attack, and implemented an amendment to the existing anti-terror law to change definition of a terrorism offence from "the" to "a" to emphasize that a particular act need not be identified. As the amendment was approved, the government introduced new counterterrorism legislation to parliament, following assurances to states on areas of concern and inclusion safeguards on detention orders and other measures. Regarding the potential threat, reports indicate it involved early planning by a person trained with Pakistan militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is listed as a foreign terrorist organization.

In a related development, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a new travel warning regarding Indonesia in which they said, "We continue to receive a stream of credible reporting suggesting that terrorists are in the advanced stages of planning attacks against Western interests in Indonesia. Recent new information suggests that terrorists may be planning attacks to occur before the end of 2005. Attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in Indonesia and could be directed at any locations known to be frequented by foreigners."
http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Indonesia

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has increased security measures following the escape of Omar al-Farouq from a US prison in Afghanistan, because al-Farouq was originally arrested in Indonesia, where he has a wife and two children. The government has decided not to include Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir on the list of prisoners to be granted remission during Eid al-Fitr.

On the island of Sulawesi, police continue investigating the beheading of three schoolgirls. Additional security forces have been brought in to help maintain calm. As preparations for the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Fitr were underway, a homemade bomb was set off and a second defused. There were no casualties, but it is believed designed to fuel sectarian tension.

In Aceh, Bakhtiar Abdullah has returned. The exiled leader of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has returned for the first time in 25 years to see the peace process in action. Other exiled GAM leaders have been urged to return and support the peace process, but few have arrived due to security concerns.

Kyrgyzstan's prisons experienced further violence during the week, as protests against poor conditions and unexplained inmate deaths continued. Police ended the disturbances with force, killing at least four people.

Papua New Guinea police officers arrived at a school to arrest the headmaster. Children threw rocks, and the police used semi-automatic weapons in response, killing three students and injuring about 35.

Thailand's southern Songkhla province has two districts under martial law after three people were killed in several explosions and one beheading.

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5. Europe

Azerbaijan is holding parliamentary elections that have been preceded by mass arrests, beatings, and intimidation. The outcome will be seen as a test of democracy.
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/10/31/azerba11943.htm
http://www.president.az/index_e.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4400168.stm

In France, rioting has continued for ten consecutive nights. Sparked by an incident in a Paris suburb in which two boys aged 15 and 17 were accidentally electrocuted on 27 October after fleeing police, rioting has spread to communities as far as Strasbourg, Toulouse, Marseilles and Nantes. Heavy responses by security forces and threats of stiff prison sentences have not deterred the violence any more than peace marches or appeals by community leaders. On Saturday night along, some 1300 vehicles were set on fire and more than 300 arrests made. Shops, a school, and other targets have also been set ablaze. Economic and ethnic divisions as well as prior police action are all cited as causes and contributing factors, but no solution to end the worst rioting since the May 1968 protests.

Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi told the Libero newspaper that he is concerned with the risk of terrorist attacks and was himself the target of a suicide bomber planning an attack at a football (soccer) match. Berlusconi owns the AC Milan club.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4404900.stm

Russia's parliament eliminated the 7 November holiday marking the 1917 Bolshevik revolution last year. This year a new holiday on 4 November marks the end of Polish occupation in 1612 and was an occasion for demonstrations by ultra-right nationalists.

Spain's parliament has begun debating proposals to grant further autonomy to Catalonia.

Britain honored victims of the 7/7 London bombings with a national memorial service at St. Paul's Cathedral. At a London Assembly review of emergency response to the attacks, 999 calls made during the attacks were broadcast for the first time.
http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/resilience/2005/77reviewnov03/77reviewnov03agenda.jsp
http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release_a.jsp?releaseid=6064

The UK parliament is debating proposed new anti-terror laws. Interception of Communications Commissioner Sir Winton Thomas warned that phone-tap evidence should not be used in court because it would damage the work of intelligence agencies and police, and because the number of rule breaches is unacceptably high. Home Secretary Charles Clarke apologized for saying that Attorney General Lord Goldsmith had ruled the proposals would not breach human rights laws when in fact there may be such concerns, and a legal opinion regarding the laws had not been prepared. There has been significant opposition to new detention plans.
http://www.mi5.gov.uk/output/Page94.html
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/security/terrorism-and-the-law/

Welsh Secretary Peter Han told an interviewer that police forces are too small to address terrorist networks active in south Wales or other transnational crime problems.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/4405304.stm

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6. Middle East

Egypt and Israel have approved an agreement to allow the Rafah border crossing to the Gaza Strip to be reopened in about a month's time.

In Gaza, an Israeli air strike killed senior al-Awa Martyrs' Brigades member Hussein Madden and Is al-Din Quasar brigades leader in Jambalaya, FAQ Buy al-Qatar. Ten Palestinians were also injured during the targeted assassination. Prime Minister Abbas was travelling on the same road at the time. The militant groups have promised revenge and Hamas says it will not renew the informal ceasefire when it expires at year-end. Israel says it will continue to strike until militants are disarmed. The Gaza Community Mental Health Program and Physicians for Human Rights have filed a lawsuit with the Israeli Supreme Court to try to end sonic booms over Gaza.
http://www.gcmhp.net/

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei insists that Iran has no intention of acts of aggression against any foreign nation and will not breach any nation's rights nor permit oppression. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has recalled senior diplomats in France, Germany, the UK and UN that had been involved in nuclear negotiations under former President Khatami, signaling a different approach. Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Larijani has sent letters to France, Germany and the UK calling for talks to resume. UN inspectors have been allowed to visit the Parchin military complex.

In Tehran, an explosive device went off outside the British Petroleum and British Airways offices, causing minor property damage and no casualties. Iranian media report ethnic unrest inspired by foreign elements broke out in the Arabic-speaking province of Khuzestan.
http://www.mehrnews.com/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=249015

The Iraqi insurgency continued last week, including the assassination of Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi's brother, a car bomb in Basra that killed 24 and injured 40, a car bomb outside a Shiite mosque in Musayyib that killed 23 and injured 46, an assault at a checkpoint near Baquba in which six Iraqi police were killed and ten wounded, and many other incidents. Meanwhile, US operations have caused dozens more deaths.

The fallout from the Oil-for-Food Program findings has been widespread, resulting in investigations as far away as India, South Africa, the US and elsewhere.
http://hsgac.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=289
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_coverage.php?coverage_id=90
http://www.dfa.gov.za/docs/2005/un1102.htm
http://www.da.org.za/DA/Site/Eng/News/Article.asp?ID=5907

The International Advisory and Monitoring Board for Iraq reviewed an audit of sole-source contracts and found that work done by US contractor Halliburton had been overpriced or undocumented and that as a result the US should reimburse some $208 million. http://www.iamb.info/pr/pr110405.htm
Similarly, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction says that the US had "no comprehensive policy or regulatory guidelines" in place for postwar Iraq, that although progress has been made it is hampered by violence. There are funding anomalies, large cost underestimates, and a spending shortfall that means original goals will not be met.
http://www.sigir.mil/reports_congress.html

Israel has marked the 10th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was shot at a peace rally by right-wing activist Yigal Amir who opposed peace with Palestinians. Israeli newspaper Haaretz asks " Should we remember him as the ultimate 'sabra' (native-born Israeli) and military chief of staff during the victorious Six-Day War, or as the man who shook hands with Arafat in the aftermath of the controversial Oslo accord?" They provide special coverage including a biography, key speeches and documents, and a photo gallery.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rabin.jhtml?contrassID=26

In Lebanon, the US Embassy has distributed matchbooks with photos of terrorist suspects and offers of rewards for their capture.
http://www.tayyar.org/tayyar/articles.php?article_id=7448&type=press_news
http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/rewards_program/index.cfm?page=Mission

Syria has been called upon to cooperate with the UN's investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The unanimous Security Council vote endorsed the findings of the International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) and its conclusion that "while the Syrian authorities have cooperated in form but not substance with the Commission, several Syrian officials tried to mislead the Commission by giving false or inaccurate information". Resolution 1636 also called for all States to prevent entry or transit of suspects designated by Lebanon and to freeze assets of such suspects. Syria has been cooperating with the requests.
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2005/673
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/res/1559(2004)

In the West Bank, Israeli soldiers killed three Islamic Jihad militants late on Sunday night and the early hours of Monday morning. More than 20 suspects were arrested in pre-dawn raids on 1 November During continued Israeli operations, one Israeli soldier was killed, as well as a 12-year-old Palestinian boy.

Yemeni policemen fought suspected Islamist rebels in the northwest when they ambushed a convoy, killing 12 police.

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7. South Asia

In Afghanistan, four detainees held in US military custody at Bagram escaped, including Omar al-Faruq, a senior al Qaeda leader from Indonesia.

In India's capital Delhi, police released sketches of a man wanted for questioning regarding the four coordinated explosions on 29 October in which more than 60 people were killed. The suspect is believed to have put a bag on a bus that the bus driver threw out as it exploded, injuring the driver but causing no further deaths.
http://www.delhipolice.nic.in/home/pressrel.htm
The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder speculates on who might be responsible for the bombings in this article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4390460.stm
Celebrations of the Diwali and Eid festivities were subdued and conducted under heightened levels of security. The Union Home Ministry is considering setting up a separate group focused on internal security.

The Indian army launched an offensive against United National Liberation Front (UNLF) separatists in the northeast state of Manipur.

Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsibility for a car bomb in Indian-administered Kashmir, just hours before the new chief minister of the province was sworn in. In the explosion, the militant, two police, and five civilians were killed, and about a dozen people were injured.

India and Nepal have introduced border controls at the western Napalguni border crossing. For this pilot, registration and identity cards will be required in an effort to reduce terrorist and criminal activities.

Nepal's National Human Rights Commission is investigating the abduction of Arun Chand, son of the former Prime Minister, apparently in violation of a Maoist ceasefire adopted earlier this year.

In Pakistan's North Waziristan province, six people died when the improvised explosive device they were constructing went off. Pakistan reports the arrest of an al-Qaeda suspect, possibly one connected with the 2004 Madrid bombings. A second Arab was killed during a gunfight with security forces in Baluchistan province.

Sri Lanka's international ceasefire monitors warn that the 2002 ceasefire is being undermined by a rising number of political killings this year, which stands at 190.

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8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

Der Spiegel published " The Cyber-Cemetery of the Mujahedeen". Author Yassin Muysharbash writes, "They were once medical students, fathers or businessmen who took their own lives -- as suicide bombers in Iraq. Their obituaries, which can be read on the Internet, are documents of men who were blinded by their deadly version of faith". His article includes four examples: Abu Osama al-Maghribi, a Moroccan suicide bomber; Abu Hamza al-Hadrami, a student in Germany before leaving for Iraq; Suhail al-Sahli, a jihad veteran active in Asia and the Balkans before he went to Iraq; and Faisal al-Mutairi, who served on the Kuwait police force before going to Iraq.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,382097,00.html

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) took emergency action in federal court against Estonian traders Lohmus Haavel and Viisemann and two of its employees. They were charged with conducting electronic theft achieved by using a computerized spider program to steal confidential information from the Business Wire website, and using that information for advance trading.
http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2005-155.htm

The Sdbot-ADD worm is propagating through AOL's Instant Messenger, including a rootkit file that allows remote execution and counters anti-virus programs on PCs.
http://www.facetime.com/pr/pr051028.aspx
http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/analyses/w32sdbotadd.html

Sony's copy protection system includes a non-malicious rootkit, which if removed could render the CD drive inoperable. A partial fix is available.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/01/sony_rootkit_drm/
http://www.europe.f-secure.com/weblog/#00000691
http://updates.xcp-aurora.com/

"The Emerging Cyber-Risks of Biometrics" includes system vulnerability, system circumvention, verification fraud, and other issues. The article by Bruce Barton and his colleagues was published in October's Risk Management Magazine.
http://www.rmmag.com/MGTemplate.cfm?Section=RMMagazine&NavMenuID=128&template=/Magazine/DisplayMagazines.cfm&MGPreview=1&Volume=52&IssueID=248&AID=2896&ShowArticle=1

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9. Finance

Philippines police say that Jemaah Islamiah militants Dulmatin and Omar Patek, wanted in connection with the October 2002 Bali bombings, financed an abortive plot undertaken by the Rajah Solaiman Movement, to bomb Manila, the Philippines capital, earlier this year.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillatestnews.asp?fileid=20051102215744&irec=3

The Bank of England has implemented financial sanctions against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in accordance with measures undertaken by the UN and EU. http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/news/2005/112.htm

The US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated 11 individuals and 16 companies as foreign narcotics traffickers connected to opium trafficking undertaken through Burma by Wei Hsueh-kang, commander of the United Wa State Army (UWSA) pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act). Treasury describes UWSA as "the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in Southeast Asia" and that it's 20,000 armed fighters in Burma are responsible for producing 180 tons of opium in 2004. Newly designated are relatives and colleagues of Wei.
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/js3009.htm

The British Royal Navy warship, HMS Cumberland, seized two tons of cocaine worth some GBP 200 million on a routine patrol off the Nicaraguan coast. British Defense Secretary John Reid said this huge seizure "has dealt a sledgehammer blow to the drug traffickers".
http://www.news.mod.uk/news_headline_story2.asp?newsItem_id=3706
http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/rn/content.php3?page=1&article=971

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports that poppy cultivation in Burma (Myanmar) has fallen by 80 percent since peak production in 1996, but escalating poverty leaves the opium producers vulnerable to exploitation including human trafficking. Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said, "The international community must have the wisdom to fight drugs and poverty simultaneously, to eliminate both the causes and the effects of these twin afflictions. Food security and income generation programmes must remain in place in Myanmar and be strengthened to support both the farmers' decisions not to plant opium and the enforcement measures to eradicate opium that is planted against the law".
http://www.unodc.org/pdf/Myanmar_opium-survey-2005.pdf
http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/pressrels/2005/unisnar923.html

The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) published its annual report. During 2004-5 FINTRAC identified over $2 billion in 142 suspected money laundering and terrorist financing cases. This involved fewer cases than in the prior year, but the scope and value were much higher. A consultation process regarding proposed legislative changes is in process, including such key measures as:

Canada's Security Intelligence Review Committee issued its annual report, which includes an evaluation of CSIS efforts to combat terrorist financing. Canada has adopted the UN Suppression of Terrorism Regulations and the Anti-Terrorism Act. The review found that CSIS had met its obligations, including information exchange both domestically and internationally.
http://www.sirc-csars.gc.ca/annual/2004-2005/sec1a_e.html#1_11

The US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has issued rules for Insurance Companies to establish anti-money laundering programs and file suspicious activity reports.
http://www.fincen.gov/newsrelease10312005.pdf

Speaking before the American Bankers' Association and the American Bar Association, Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan discussed Bank Secrecy Act and Anti-money laundering supervision and enforcement, offering a 4-step approach:

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10. Human Rights

Washington Post reporter Dana Priest revealed "The CIA has been hiding and interrogating some of its most important al Qaeda captives at a Soviet-era compound in Eastern Europe, according to U.S. and foreign officials familiar with the arrangement. The secret facility is part of a covert prison system set up by the CIA nearly four years ago that at various times has included sites in eight countries, including Thailand, Afghanistan and several democracies in Eastern Europe, as well as a small center at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, according to current and former intelligence officials and diplomats from three continents." At the request of security officials, the report did not reveal all the countries involved, but several European countries have been suggested, and the EU is investigating. The International Committee for the Red Cross has demanded access to all prisoners held anywhere in the world.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/01/AR2005110101644.html
http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/usa/us1004/
http://press.coe.int/cp/2005/591a(2005).htm

The Swiss National Science Foundation released a report on "Relations Between Switzerland and South Africa" that is highly critical of Switzerland's support for South Africa's apartheid regime even during the height of human rights abuses. Switzerland refused to apply sanctions and instead maintained close military, intelligence, arms, and participated in South Africa's secret atomic weapons program.
http://www.snf.ch/de/com/prr/prr_arh_05oct27.asp (in German)
http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=105&sid=6195218&cKey=1130413076000

The UN General Assembly has adopted 27 January as Holocaust Remembrance Day.

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11. Law and Legal Issues

Ashfaq Arif, a Pakistani associated with Lashkar-e-Toiba, has been sentenced to death by an Indian court after his conviction for attacking the army barracks at Delhi's Red Fort in December 2000, in which three people were killed. Two co-conspirators were sentenced to life in prison, and four others to terms of seven years.

Mark Atkinson, Steven Bostock, Michael Denis, Jonathan Hill, and Nigel Piggins have been sentenced to 15 years in prison by a court in London. The members of the Racial Volunteer Force, a white supremacist group, all pleaded guilty to race hate crimes, including conspiracy.

Youssef Belhadj had been extradited to Spain in April on suspicion of appearing in a video as an al Qaeda spokesman admitting responsibility for the Madrid bombings. He is among a group of 13 men being tried in Belgium for active membership in the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM). Other suspects include Khalid Bouloudou, who is accused of both the Madrid and Casablanca bombings, and Mourad Chabarou, who is believed connected to the mastermind of the Madrid bombings.

Nicolas Carranza has gone on trial in the US state of Tennessee, for human rights abuses allegedly conducted when he was a colonel in El Salvador during the military junta of the 1980s. He is a naturalized US citizen.
http://www.cja.org/cases/carranza.shtml
http://www.usip.org/library/tc/doc/reports/el_salvador/tc_es_03151993_toc.html

Hassan Faraj ("Hamza the Libyan"), a suspected al Qaeda terrorist arrested in the UK in May 2002, will not now be extradited to Italy in connection with planning attacks in Europe because the British Home Office did not meet the 3-year deadline for extradition. Faraj remains in detention pending review of alternatives.

Haiti's interim government filed suit against exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, alleging he and eight other defendants stole millions from the government.

Dominic McEvoy has been arrested in Northern Ireland where he is charged with robbery, falsely imprisoning a banker and his wife, and carrying a gun or imitation firearm. The charges arose in connection with the December 2004 robbery of the Northern Bank.

Chi Mak, his wife Rebecca Laiwah Chiu as well as Chi's brother Tai Wang Mak and his wife Fuk Heung Li have been arrested in the US where they were charged with theft of government property, conspiracy, and transportation of stolen goods in connection with a naval research project.

Waseem Mughal and Younis Tsouli have been arrested in England, where they face 21 charges including conspiracy to murder and to cause an explosion. Tariq al-Daour was held on financing offenses under the Terrorism Act. They are believed to have been planning a terrorist bombing.

Matt Mihsen, a naturalized US citizen from Syria, was sentenced to time served since his arrest in February and 1-year supervised release for failure to report he brought ammunition on board an airplane. He told immigrations that he was a bounty hunter tracking Osama bin Laden, to explain his possession of radiation detectors, a taser, and other equipment.
http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/insideice/articles/insideice_110105_Web9.htm

Arnaldo Otegi, spokesman for the banned Basque nationalist party Batasuna, has been sentenced in Spanish court to one year in prison for slander, when he told a news conference that King Juan Carlos was in charge of torturers.

Alfonso Portillo's extradition from Mexico was formally requested by Guatemala, where the former president is wanted on corruption charges.

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12. Transportation

Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, will have a new quarantine station to address threats from bioterrorism and infectious diseases, by the end of this year.
http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/articles/2005/11/03/quarantine_station_to_open_at_logan/

The US House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity, held a hearing on "The Future of Registered Traveler". Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Assistant Secretary Kip Hawley said that the Registered Traveler program would be expanded and operational in mid-2006.
http://homeland.house.gov/release.cfm?id=442

The International Transport Workers' Federation, with the Australian government and World Wildlife Fund have issued a report "The Changing Nature of High Seas Fishing: How Flags of Convenience provide cover for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing". The report calls for an end of Flags of Convenience, not only because of the terrible environmental impact, but also because of their connection with forced labor and other human rights abuses, as well as poor safety standards.
http://www.itfglobal.org/press-area/index.cfm/pressdetail/637
http://www.mffc.gov.au/releases/2005/05214m.html
http://www.wwf.org.uk/news/n_0000002032.asp

MIG's new Piracy Threat Assessment model determines that Indonesian waters outside the Malacca Strait present the highest risk for piracy.
http://kerrycollison.net/index.php?/archives/759-Piracy-risk-is-more-than-just-the-Malacca-Strait.html

A cruise ship, the Seabourn Spirit, was able to evade an armed pirate attack as it sailed some 100 miles off the Somali coast. The Numast sailors' union in the UK has called for extra protection, including a naval task force and danger pay in what should be considered a war zone.
http://www.numast.org/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/africa/4411992.stm

The International Maritime Bureau continues to list Somalia's Northeast and Eastern Coast as presenting an Alert situation:

The trial brought by the New York Civil Liberties Union against random searches of subway riders has begun in the Federal District Court in Manhattan.
http://www.nyclu.org/mta_searches_suit_pr_102805.html

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13. Weapons of Mass Destruction

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei delivered the Annual Report to the General Assembly. This year marks 100 years since Einstein's research in atoms and 60 years since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the past year, IAEA focused on nuclear security and anti-terrorism, including "strengthened physical protection at nuclear facilities; recovery and enhanced security for hundreds of high intensity radioactive sources; increased security awareness among responsible national officials; better cooperation among international law enforcement organizations; enhanced detection capabilities at border crossings; and improved preparedness for responding to incidents". Challenges included nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran, and the failure to reach agreement at the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. Future plans include resolving these problem areas, universalizing the additional protocol, and working against international illegal procurement.
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Statements/2005/ebsp2005n015.html
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2005/unga311005.html

Britain's Defense Secretary John Reid said that although the new threat to British security is from international terrorism, a nuclear deterrent is still necessary, indicating a replacement for Trident missiles is likely.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has proposed establishing security forces in the Caspian Sea to prevent transportation of WMD or WMD components, poaching, and drug trafficking.
http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/0/28.html?id_issue=11413921

Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations, US Senators Richard Lugar and Barack Obama called for expanding threat reduction programs.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/9138/challenges_ahead_for_cooperative_threat_reduction.html

Although US congressional leaders agreed to cut funding proposed for earth-penetrating nuclear weapons, the Defense Department is attempting to re-institute some level of funding, at least enough to complete the development phase.

The Society of Critical Care Medicine and the Center for Biosecurity have released "Augmentation of Hospital Critical Care Capacity After Bioterrorist Attacks of Epidemics", addressing streamlined routines to permit more patients to be treated.
http://www.sccm.org/professional_resources/disaster_resources/Documents/RubinsonOnline.pdf

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14. Recently Published

Gerry Adams, "The New Ireland", Mount Eagle
http://www.sinnfeinbookshop.com/?target=dept_73.html

Thomas Cushman, editor, "A Matter of Principle: Humanitarian Arguments for War in Iraq", University of California Press

Richard J. Evans, "The Third Reich in Power: 1933 - 1939", Penguin/Allen Lane

Jytte Klausen, "The Islamic Challenge: Politics and Religion in Western Europe", Oxford University Press

Sir Christopher Meyer, "DC Confidential: A Riveting Memoir of Life as Britain's Ambassador at the Time of 9/11 and the Iraqi War", Weidenfeld and Nicolson (His account of the decision-making that led to the war in Iraq will be serialized in The Guardian beginning 7 November.
http;//www.guardian.co.uk)

John N. Paden, "Muslim Civic Cultures and Conflict Resolution: The Challenges of Democratic Federalism in Nigeria", Brookings Institution Press
http://www.brookings.edu/press/books/muslimcivicculturesandconflictresolution.htm

Gary Rosen, editor, "The Right War? The Conservative Debate on Iraq", Cambridge University Press

Phil Windley, "Digital Identity", O'Reilly
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/digidentity/

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FEATURE ARTICLE: The Gunpowder Plot

Terrorist plots conceived by religious extremists have a long history, but one of the best known is one that failed: Guy Fawkes' attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament and destroy the entire English elite. This year, 5 November marks the 400th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot.

The seeds of this plot began with Henry VIII, who went from being a Defender of the Faith allied with the pope to the founder of the Church of England, thereby allowing his multiple marriages and divorces. Henry's successor, Edward VI took a resolutely Protestant approach, while his sister Mary I was resolutely Catholic. Elizabeth I ascended to the throne in 1558, reversing prosecution of Protestants in favor of prosecution of Catholics. Fearing that Catholics could ally with their brethren in Europe, particularly the Spanish, Elizabeth beheaded her rival Mary Queen of Scots and embarked on a course of systematic persecution of English Catholics.

When Elizabeth died, James VI ascended the throne. Mary was his mother and his wife, Queen Anne of Denmark, was also a Catholic. Despite encouraging signs that he would end persecution of Catholics, he quickly found he was the target of several Catholic plots, and was also under pressure from radical Protestants. Fearing the growing strength of Catholics and their international alliances, he re-imposed measures he had previously revoked, including recusancy fines, (imposed for refusing to attend Church of England services, or not following other church beliefs and practices), and expelled priests and Jesuits.

Most Catholics went back into hiding, but not Robert Catesby. Catesby was the charismatic son of Sir William Catesby. Sir William had been imprisoned for harboring a priest, and spent most of the rest of his life for offenses connected with his deep Catholic faith. At one point, recusancy fines consumed a fifth of the income from his large estate. Robert joined his friends Thomas Wintour, Jack Wright, and Thomas Percy, as well as Guy Fawkes who came from the Spanish army in Flanders, on 20 May 1604. They planned to obtain large quantities of gunpowder, enough to blow up the palace of Westminster, the houses of parliament, everyone residing therein, and anything else in the vicinity. The explosion would take place on the opening of parliament, when the King would be present. At the same time, Robert Catesby would lead an insurgency in the north, where more Catholics resided.

Meetings of parliament were repeatedly postponed, not least because of the devastating epidemic of bubonic plague. During these delays, the conspiracy expanded to include Thomas Bates, Everard Digby, John Grant, Robert Keyes, Thomas Percy, Ambrose Rookwood, Francis Tresham, Robert Wintour, and Kit Wright, all related by fealty, blood or marriage. Guy Fawkes, acting as a mercenary, was responsible for obtaining and hiding away the explosives.

Preparations were in place for the opening of parliament on 3 October, but another postponement delayed the opening until 5 November. During these delays, two things happened. First, as the size of the conspiracy grew, so did the possibility of a leak. Indeed, the government was tipped off ahead of time. On 5 November, Guy Fawkes was found alone in the cellars of Parliament House with 36 barrels , where he was arrested and tortured. The second consequence of the delay was understood only recently, when some of the original gunpowder was found and physicists studied the situation. If the gunpowder had gone off, it would have had a catastrophic effect. Instead, the damp weather and length of time meant that the powder had decayed, separating into its chemical components, and therefore would not ignite. Catesby's attempted insurgency in the north also failed.

Although the plot failed, the consequences were severe. The conspirators were caught and tortured. Apart from Francis Tresham, who died from illness while in prison, the others were convicted as traitors and sentenced to the traditional traitor's death of being hanged, drawn and quartered, described in Wikipedia as follows:

This penalty (permitted until 1870) was the least serious effect of the gunpowder plot. In its aftermath, new laws were passed to penalize and further restrict Catholics. For example, Catholics were not allowed to vote, practice law, or serve as military officers. (British Catholics were not allowed to vote again until 1829.) They also became scapegoats for all the troubles of the country, including the Great Fire of London.

In addition, 5 November was appointed as a day of thanksgiving for "the joyful day of deliverance". Until 1859 observance of this day was required under law. In early celebrations, effigies of the Pope were burned, but that changed to effigies of Guy Fawkes in the early 19th century. Parliament is still searched by the Yeoman of the Guard before the State Opening. So far, no other plot has been uncovered.

Details of the gunpowder plot are reflected in contemporary events. It involved hidden enemies, religious zealots willing to be martyred for their cause, foreign support, espionage and deceit, intelligence and security forces. In addition to armed force, restrictive laws were implemented to attempt to contain the threat. In 1605, this Counter-Reformation set the stage of a holy war that is mirrored in the Islamist jihad of today. Perhaps understanding this perspective will contribute to better understanding the common threads in terrorism, seen as patterns throughout thousands of years of human history.

Nonetheless, Guy Fawkes' day is best known today as an occasion to collect a penny for the guy, and to enjoy bonfires and fireworks while chanting:

Further Reading:

Books:

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