Following a recent Croatian arrest warrant, Dragan Vasilijkovic ("Captain Dragon") has been arrested in Australia. The Australian-Serbian dual national is accused of commanding a Serb paramilitary unit that committed atrocities against Croats in the early 1990s. Croatia has 60 days to submit a formal extradition request, which would have to be approved by Australia.

Kosovo's President Ibrahim Rugova has died, age 61, just days before talks on the future of Kosovo were set to start. With no obvious successor, his death is likely to lead to a period of instability.

Dutch police have launched a major public-awareness campaign to encourage clients of prostitutes to report any case in which the women may have been coerced. Human trafficking, mostly from Eastern Europe and Asia, is on the rise.
http://www.politie.nl/nieuws/nieuws/landelijk_32_188465.asp (in Dutch)

Finland's President Tarja Jalonen received 46.3 percent of the presidential vote last weekend. Falling below 50 percent, she faces a run-off on 29 January against conservative candidate Sauli Niinisto.

Polish journalist Andrzej Marek has begun a 3-month prison sentence. The only person in the EU imprisoned for libel, he had been convicted in 2002 of accusing a town official of abusing his position to promote his business, and his case went all the way to the Supreme Court. President Lech Kaczynski has been called on to pardon Marek, and to eliminate laws criminalizing libel.
http://www.cpj.org/news/2006/europe/poland12jan06na.html

Presidential elections are under way in Portugal. Polls show Prime Minister Anibal Cavaco Silva leading with more than half the vote. If elected, he will be the first rightist elected since the 1974 revolution.

In Russia's North Ossetia border region, two coordinated explosions on a key gas pipeline have cur off supplies to Armenia and Georgia. An electrical transmitter was also destroyed, cutting off a quarter of Georgia's electricity supply. Georgian president Saakashvili accused Russia of orchestrating the attacks through border agents in an area with no local insurgents. Russia says they are criminal acts. The incident has come during an extreme cold spell.

British Prime Minister Blair has been asked to reveal exactly what he knew about the use of UK airports for US renditions following the publication of a secret memorandum obtained by The Statesman that suggests a cover-up of the illegal activities. The government rejected calls for a public inquiry and said they had already provided the full facts.
http://www.newstatesman.com/200601230005

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PRM Middle East

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Egypt has released the women and children among the hundreds of Sudanese migrants that were detained earlier this month, as well as those from Sudan's war-torn Darfur region. The UN refugee agency has been interviewing individuals to determine their legal status.

Egyptian authorities have released 450 Muslim Brotherhood members, leaving more than 300 in prison. They had been arrested during the 2004 parliamentary elections.

Fourteen people were injured in sectarian fighting that broke out after Muslims set fire to a house that Coptic Christians were using illegally as a church.

In Iran, CNN was banned for misquoting President Ahmadinejad, but the network apologized for the translation error and was reinstated the next day.

Iran's Navy attacked Iraqi coastguards in the Shatt al-Arab waterway as the Iraqis boarded an Iranian ship suspected of oil smuggling. Iran detained nine coastguards, including one who died from wounds sustained during the fighting. They were released from Iranian custody on Friday. The waterway marks the border between the two countries and has long been contentious.

Iraq announced results of the December parliamentary elections. The Shia-led United Iraqi Alliance won 128 of the 275 seats, Kurdish parties 53, and the Sunni Arab bloc 44. Falling short of an outright majority, the Shias will now form a coalition government. International observers have criticized electoral irregularities, and there have been thousands of accusations of fraud, but no sign that the outcome would be different.
http://www.imie.ca/

The German newspaper Koelner Stadt Anzeiger reported that the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) provided German passports of Israeli espionage agency Mossad for undercover operations in the Middle East
http://www.ksta.de/html/artikel/1137132422131.shtml (in German)

The death last Sunday of Sheikh Jaber led to a succession crisis in Kuwait. The ruling family appointed the crown prince Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah as the new emir. However, his health will not permit him to manage national affairs, and Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad, who has been handling such matters for many years, has been appointed as the country's de facto leader. The nature of the constitutional oath and the future succession are yet to be determined. Kuwaiti newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi has, in an unprecedented move, urged the Sheikh to abdicate to someone who is able to assume these duties.

Lebanon is on the UN Security Council agenda for next week. Persistent Israeli air incursions into Lebanon as well as rocket and gunfire attacks by Hezbollah and unidentified armed elements threaten security and carry significant potential for military escalation. This is likely to lead to a renewal of the UN force monitoring the "blue line" between Israel and Lebanon.
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2006/26

Serge Brammertz, the new head of the UN investigation into the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has arrived in the country and begun to take over from his predecessor, Mehlis. Syria has been implicated in the murder, and now President Bashar al-Assad has criticized the investigators for looking only for evidence to support conclusions they had already reached, and suggested he may not personally cooperate in questioning.

Palestinian security forces are voting early because they will be on duty when elections are held next Wednesday. Formal procedures for voting in occupied East Jerusalem was agreed, in which only about 6,300 residents will be allowed to vote in the city, while some 109,000 have to travel to polling stations outside the boundaries, using a lottery system to determine the locations.

Hamas' growing political role is addressed by the new International Crisis Group report, "Enter Hamas: The Challenges of Political Integration". They summarize, "Hamas is set to join the Palestinian legislature and possibly the government after next week's elections. The U.S. and EU currently avoid (in the American case, bar) contacts with the Islamist movement, deny funding to projects with Hamas-run municipalities, and threaten to halt aid to the Palestinian Authority if Hamas joins it. The result is an emboldened movement the West has little leverage over. There are risks, but the West needs to adopt a policy of gradual, conditional engagement to encourage Hamas to choose politics over violence. Incorporation into local and national governance may cause it to move away from the military path by giving it a stake in stability and emphasising the political costs of a breakdown. The EU, with more flexibility than the U.S., should move first and Washington consider following if the approach proves effective."
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=3886

Meanwhile, USAID has launched a $2 million program to bolster the popularity of the Palestinian Authority. They fear a large Hamas presence in the legislature.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/21/AR2006012101431.html

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PRM South Asia

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In northeast India, the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), the All Tripura Tiger Force, the Manipur People's Liberation Front and the Kamatapur Liberation Organization have called for a general strike on Republic Day, 26 January, to protest India's illegal occupation. ULFA had been engaged in peace talks with Delhi, but this combined with extortion efforts may have quashed the effort.

Unrest in India's Orissa state is explained in Imran Ahmed Siddiqui's article, "Rehab for tribals was recipe for trouble".
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=86093

Nepal's opposition parties plan to continue their public protests despite a new government ban and imposition of a nighttime curfew in Kathmandu. The home ministry's call for talks was rejected because the government is considered unconstitutional. In response, the government arrested at least 200 opposition leaders and activists and declared an all-day curfew on Friday, the day planned for the next big demonstration. Phone lines were also cut to help stop the planned demonstrations. Instead, the crackdown has led to street clashes and further arrests. More than 50 people were injured, including several police officers.

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf is under increasing pressure following US missile attacks that killed civilians in a village near the Afghan border, and has warned against such actions in the future. People increasingly believe that the US is so desperate to hunt down al Qaeda leaders that collateral damage no longer matters. There have been anti-US rallies across the country, including pro-government groups, protesting US actions and the inability to constrain them. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz reiterated commitment to counterterrorism but called this action by the US unacceptable. Pakistan later reported that as many as five foreign militants may have been among the 18 people killed.

Sri Lankan ceasefire monitors have resumed work in the eastern port of Trincomalee and are ready to hold separate talks with government and rebel representatives. Recent increases in violence have led 15 parties to unite in calls on the government to restart peace talks with the Tamil Tigers. (See GRM, above for details of recent attacks.)

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3. AML/CFT Monitor

Indonesian police report that at least two of the six people recently arrested for alleged links to terrorism suspect Noordin Top have been involved in robberies. They are now looking into whether the proceeds were used to finance terrorist operations in Indonesia.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20060121.C02&irec=3

The Philippines army has identified some of the companies and traders paying extortion fees to the New People's Army (NPA) communist rebels - a major source of their financing.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/01/21/news/group.names.firms.paying.rebels.html

An international commission based in Lome, Togo, is investigating the source of military materiel used by Ivory Coast to bomb a French base in 2004. Following a complaint by Togo's defense minister, the government undertook searches of security companies owned by former French policeman Robert Montoya. They discovered and seized four combat aircraft and have asked Mr. Montoyo to explain their origin and destination.

US financial regulators have issued guidance to notify financial institutions when a Suspicious Activity Report can be shared with controlling companies or branch/agency offices of a foreign bank.
http://www.amlcftmonitor.com/2006/01/AML2202.shtml

The US Treasury has named Assef Shawkat, the director of Syrian Military Intelligence, a Specially Designated National (SDN) of Syria who allegedly "has been a key architect of Syria's domination of Lebanon, as well as a fundamental contributor to Syria's long-standing policy to foment terrorism against Israel". This designation freezes his US assets and prohibits US transactions with him.
http://www.amlcftmonitor.com/2006/01/AML2201.shtml

Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, having issued an interim final rule on economic sanctions enforcement last week, has partially withdrawn guidelines from 2003 that applied to banking institutions, now under the new rule.
http://www.ustreas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/legal/regs/fr71_1994.pdf

The Iranian students' news agency reported that the central bank has begun withdrawing assets from European banks ahead of threatened sanctions, but other officials from the bank say they have not yet done so.

Investigations into questionable transactions in Lebanese bank al-Madina and a subsidiary have revealed links to the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=21580
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=21561

Spain's Guardia Civil intercepted 50 tons of cocaine in 2005, with a street value of some E6 billion. The record seizures reflect increased European consumption of the drug. Spanish consumption is now believed to be the highest in the world, with about one in 40 people using cocaine.

Colombia has dispatched troops to the Sierra Macarena National Park where they will undertake an operation, expected to last about three months, to destroy coca plants and laboratories, many attributed to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

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4. Emerging Threat Monitor

The World Health Organization (WHO) is investigating the outbreak of avian influenza in Turkey. The fatality rate from the H5N1 strain in Asia is around 58 percent, while Turkey is seeing a rate of 20 percent. Signaling how seriously this threat is being taken, a donor meeting in China raised $1.9 billion, significantly more than had been requested.
http://www.emergingthreatmonitor.com/2006/01/ETM2201.html
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/PROJECTS/0,,contentMDK:20765526~pagePK:41367~piPK:51533~theSitePK:40941,00.html

Note this important update from WHO regarding the geographical spread of H5N1:
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2005_08_18/en/index.html

Chicken imports are considered a danger to health (through avian influenza) and economic well being in Cameroon, where thousands of farmers as well an African and European anti-globalization activists demonstrated against the frozen chickens. The government had previously banned the import of frozen chickens, and this was also a major issue at the World Trade Organization meeting in December.
http://www.emergingthreatmonitor.com/2006/01/ETM2202.shtml

The Global Business Coalition and UNESCO signed an agreement for educational and partnership initiatives to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
http://www.kintera.org/

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will hold a special meeting of the Board of Governors on 2 February to discuss implementation of nuclear safeguards in Iran. The meeting was scheduled following Iran's resumption of nuclear research and uranium enrichment. Although international pressure is growing on Iran, it is not yet sufficient to move the issue to the Security Council. Efforts to move North Korea back to the negotiating table have not progressed.

The US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the Commerce Department has waived import certificate requirements for Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.

NASA experts have warned of the increasing hazard of space junk and the immediate need to find ways to clean it up.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/01/0119_060119_space_junk.html

Minority Rights Group International launched a groundbreaking new report, "State of the World's Minorities", assessing for the first time the situations minorities face around the world. The report places Iraqis at the greatest risk of persecution, discrimination, and mass killing, followed by minorities from Sudan, Somalia and other African countries. There are also grave concerns in the fallout from the US-led "war on terror" that has harmed minorities in areas such as Afghanistan and the North Caucasus of Russia. In three-quarters of active conflicts last year, violence targeted specific ethnic and religious groups. The report advocates approaching each case individually and relying less on military measures.
http://www.minorityrights.org/

In another first, the Asian Human Rights Commission released its inaugural report on "The State of Human Rights in Ten Asian Nations - 2005". Covering Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand, looks at the need to resolve the contradiction between actualizing human rights in countries that often lack rule of law.
http://www.ahrchk.net/hrday2005/

Human Rights Watch also released their annual report. In over 500 pages, their "World Report 2006" covers human rights developments in more than 70 countries. As the report was released, they highlighted "New evidence demonstrated in 2005 that torture and mistreatment have been a deliberate part of the Bush administration's counterterrorism strategy, undermining the global defense of human rights". Such tactics fuel terrorist recruitment, discourage public participation, and have been used by many governments to undermine existing protections and attack political opponents. Other serious abuses occurred outside of counterterrorism. For example, "In May, the government of Uzbekistan massacred hundreds of demonstrators in Andijan, the Sudanese government consolidated 'ethnic cleansing' in Darfur, western Sudan, and persistent atrocities were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chechnya. Severe repression continued in Burma, North Korea, Turkmenistan, and Tibet and Xinjiang in China, while Syria and Vietnam maintained tight restrictions on civil society and Zimbabwe conducted massive, politically motivated forced evictions." On a positive note, "India suspended most military aid to Nepal after the king’s coup, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations forced Burma to relinquish its 2006 chairmanship because of its appalling human rights record. Mexico took the lead in convincing the United Nations to maintain a special rapporteur on protecting human rights while countering terrorism. Kyrgyzstan withstood intense pressure from Uzbekistan to rescue all but four of 443 refugees from the Andijan massacre, and Romania gave them temporary refuge."
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/01/13/global12428_txt.htm

In the UK, conservative Member of Parliament Grant Shapps revealed that DNA profiles of 24,000 children aged between 10 and 18 has been stored in a government database. None of these juveniles were cautioned, charged, or convicted of any offense. Shapps says this stealth program to build a DNA database of the entire program must be opened for public debate.
http://www.shapps.com/
The Home Office says safeguards are in place.

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5. Critical Infrastructure Monitor

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Agriculture and Food

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Microfinance is the secret ingredient in a new program launched by the International Fund for Agricultural Development to support the rural poor in Pakistan. Working with the World Bank, the program will "support pilot projects to test and develop new microfinance products and services such as livestock insurance, equity partnerships, leasing arrangements, Islamic modes of financing and other innovative financing systems that reduce debt burden, minimize risk, promote asset creation and facilitate income generation".
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2006/02.htm

Japan renewed a ban on US beef imports after finding outlawed spinal material, which increased the risk of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, mad cow disease), in a shipment of veal. The US acknowledged the unacceptable error, launched an investigation, removed the company responsible, and is attempting to convince Japan not to re-impose a total import ban.
http://www.fsc.go.jp/english/
http://www.criticalinfrastructuremonitor.com/2006/01/CIM2202.shtml

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Cybersecurity

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19 January marks the 20th anniversary of the first personal computer virus, Brain.

Oracle has released a Critical Patch Update that collects 82 security vulnerabilities in its database and software applications. Oracle issues cumulative patches quarterly. This unusual approach that can mean multiple reinstalls, as well as leaving vulnerabilities open for months.
http://www.oracle.com/technology/deploy/security/pdf/cpujan2006.html

Cisco has released fixes for IP telephone and router hardware flaws that could permit denial of service attacks.
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/707/cisco-sa-20060118-ccmdos.shtml

F-secure has issued patched for its anti-virus products.
http://www.f-secure.com/

Michael Ha'efrati and Ruth Brier-Ha'efrati will be extradited from the UK to Israel, where they will face industrial espionage charges in connection with designing and distributing Trojan horse software to private investigators who used the malicious code to spy on companies.

The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has published the second "Identity Project" report. They say, "Dozens of questions about the scheme's architecture, goals, feasibility, stakeholder engagement and outcomes remain unanswered... The security of the scheme remains unstable, as are the technical arrangements for the proposal. The performance of biometric technology is increasingly questionable. We continue to contest the legality of the scheme. The financial arrangements for the proposals are almost entirely secret, raising important questions of constitutional significance.' LSE has not provided additional cost estimates, since these and other issues suggest that the total long-term costs could be significantly underestimated. Pending understanding of the full costs, the House of Lords has voted to hold off on the ID cards plan.
http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/pressAndInformationOffice/newsAndEvents/archives/2006/IDCard_StatusReportJan06.htm
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199900/ldhansrd/pdvn/lds06/text/60116-04.htm#60116-04_head6

The 2005 FBI Computer Crime Survey reports that nearly nine of ten organized experienced computer security incidents in a year's time and 20 percent had 20 or more. Of these attacks, 83.7 percent were viruses and 79.5 percent spyware, most resulting in a financial loss. Attacks came from the US, China, and 34 other countries.
http://www.fbi.gov/page2/jan06/computer_crime_survey011806.htm

The Anti-Spyware Coalition (ASC) released the final draft of their risk modeling guidelines for definition and detection of spyware.
http://www.antispywarecoalition.org/documents/RiskModelDescription.htm

The US National Institute of Standards and Technology has issued an updated guide on cryptography.
http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/index.html#sp800-21-1.

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Chemical Industry and Hazardous Materials

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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible under the Resource and Recovery Act (RCRA) for regulating hazardous waste, which must meet specific treatment standards before land disposal. This regulation includes mercury, which poses particular challenges. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issues a report on this topic that explains mechanisms used to track mercury treatment and disposal, how this is coordinated with private industry, and how compliance is monitored. Clarification and education are necessary to support treatment standards.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-99

A new regulation in Thailand implements standards for 23 types of factories, ranging from slaughterhouses to tobacco producers, to limit odors emitted. Factories producing non-organic or toxic substances are excluded because testing can be harmful, and there are no associated penalties.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/22Jan2006_news10.php

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Energy

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Russia and Ukraine have postponed to next week signing a natural gas deal agreed earlier this month.

Iraq's Electricity Minister Mohsen Shlash says that to restore the electrical infrastructure will take $20 billion over the next five years. Today the country has only 2-6 hours of power per day. He blamed the overhead of foreign contractors for hindering recovery, compared to direct use of Iraqi labor.
http://www.kuwaittimes.net/articleresult.asp?dismode=article&artid=1485249498

Indonesia has instituted a 5-percent tax on coal exports on contracts signed from 23 December, using base prices established by the trade ministry each month. Although this may have an impact on coal mining revenues, the government's goal is to increase domestic use and ensure future supplies. PriceWaterhouseCoopers suggests additional investment is necessary to take advantage of increased commodity prices.
http://www.pwc.com/extweb/home.nsf/docid/4A20469ADFA63033CA25703D0034141D

The Australian state of New South Wales has extended new building guidelines that set new water and energy efficiency standards. At the same time, costs have been pushed onto users, as state and federal rebates and financial incentives for solar installations are being cut. http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/index.asp
http://www.deh.gov.au/minister/env/2003/mr15may203.html
http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/environmental_management/sustainability/energy/renewable_energy_rebate_programs/photovoltaic_rebate_program_pvrp/

British government advisor Nirex issued the latest Radioactive Waste Inventory. Based on stocks as of 1 April 2004, they report:
"The forecast of total high level waste is 1,340 cubic metres, an 11 percent decrease from the last (2001) Inventory. For intermediate level waste the forecast is 217,000 cubic metres, a 2 percent increase and for low level waste the forecast is 2,060,000 cubic metres, a 35 percent increase. The forecast revisions are due to many changes in the nature and scale of future operations, developments in waste conditioning and packaging assumptions and refinement of volume estimates, particularly for the low level waste where new volumes of suspect contaminated land have been declared. No new nuclear power station build is assumed in the 2004 Inventory." Developing a plan for the waste is recommended.
http://www.nirex.co.uk/index/inews.htm

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Finance and Insurance

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The Central Bank of the Philippines has issued guidelines requiring banks adopt information technology risk management strategies.
http://www.bsp.gov.ph/news/2006-01/news-01202006c.htm

The American Association of Insurance Services raised questions regarding the recent changes and extension of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program (TRIP). These were addressed in a conference call between the US Treasury, which administers TRIP, and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Among the items discussed were farm multi-perils, professional liability, and commercial auto coverage, which now are only covered under very limited circumstances.
http://www.aaisonline.com/press/2006/Press011706.html

Unusually high trading volumes last Wednesday shut down the Tokyo Stock Exchange. They now plan to increase their transaction capacity from the current 4.5 million trades to five million, and make other improvements to the aging computer systems.

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Public Sector

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The Challenges Project consortium released "Meeting the Challenges of Peace Operations: Cooperation and Coordination". The multinational report emphasizes the need for regional and international cooperation including training and education for peace operations and stronger rule of law in post-conflict areas. UN peacekeeping operations have multiplied five times since 2000, with more than 70,000 uniformed and 15,000 civilian in the field at this time.
http://www.challengesproject.net/
http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=1882

Following a prisoner escape from Australia's maximum security Long Bay jail, prison officers have suggested that it was enabled by over-reliance on electronic surveillance that has largely replaced guard towers. Investigation of the escape is underway.

The GAO issued two reports related to the US defense industrial base:
"Questions for the Record Related to DOD's Personnel Security Clearance Program and the Government Plan for Improving the Clearance Process"
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-323R
"Defense Business Transformation: Defense Travel System Continues to Face Implementation Challenges"
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-18

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Transportation

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Facing an air accident rate six times the world average, the African Civil Aviation Commission has adopted a new policy of transparency in which they will name operators of "flying coffins", and ensure that planes carry safety certificates.
http://www.criticalinfrastructuremonitor.com/2006/01/CIM2201.shtml

Despite successful efforts by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore to better secure the Malacca Strait, it remains on Lloyd's list of areas at risk for terrorism. While acknowledging these efforts, the Committee believes it is too early to see what impact they will have. Measures taken by the littoral states include new collaborative agreements, shared naval patrols and aerial surveillance.

Port workers throughout the European Union have launched labor actions, including strikes in Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Portugal, and Sweden. Protests in the prior week disrupted Hamburg's container terminal. Last week, thousands converged on the European parliament in Strasbourg. The protest turned violent, as protesters began to throw stones and firecrackers. Police dispersed the crowd with tear gas and water cannon. The vast majority of world trade travels by sea. These protests may have contributed to a European Parliament vote, for the second time, against proposals to open markets for port services.
http://www.europarl.eu.int/news/public/story_page/062-4427-16-1-3-910-20060118STO04422-2006-16-01-2006/default_en.htm

Trucks entering the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will be equipped with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to help control access to the facilities.
http://www.pierpass.org/press_room/releases/?id=24

GAO reported onn "Risk Management: Further Refinements Needed to Assess Risks and Prioritize Protective Measures at Ports and Other Critical Infrastructure".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-91

A New Year's Day incident in France in which 40 teenagers went o a rampage and robbed passengers on a regional express train (TER) sparked new security measures. The interior ministry has now established a special railway police force that will undertake some 250 patrols each day.
http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/rubriques/c/c3_police_nationale/c31_actualites/2006_01_10_police_ferroviaire (in French.)

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6. Disaster Reduction Monitor

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Incident

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Drought in the Horn of Africa threatens 11 million people.
http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=1983

Severe cold weather in Russia has spread west to Belarus, Ukraine, the Baltics and Scandinavia. Temperatures as low as -33 centigrade have been recorded, and there have been high winds and snow. Dozens of people have died. There are severe disruptions to transport and power supplies.

South Africa's Vaal River's ecosystem has been nearly destroyed by heavy rains that washed huge volumes of sewage into the Vaal after the Klip River flooded. High levels of ammonia and low oxygen have killed tons of fish, including several endangered species as well as food fish. This will harm the fishing industry, including a R1.3 billion angling income.
http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,8325,3-975_1864170,00.html (in Afrikaans)

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Response

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Following Hurricane Katrina, 11,500 people were reported missing. Five months later, more than 8,000 are accounted for. While some of those missing may have simply chosen to leave or not been accurately documented, others may have been washed away, and DNA testing is still in progress on some bodies. About 40 missing people were in badly flooded areas. Katrina is known to have killed more than 1,300 people in the five states affected.
http://katrina.louisiana.gov/missing.htm
http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/offices/?ID=192

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is training relief workers on how to work in the extreme cold of the Himalayan winter, where they have been responding to the needs of earthquake victims.
http://www.disasterreductionmonitor.com/2006/01/DRM2201.shtml

US-led coalition forces are installing windmills for farmers across southern Afghanistan. Afghans employed by a US construction company build the machines, which provide an inexpensive and efficient local power source.
http://www.cjtf76.army.mil/

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Mitigation

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A year ago in Japan, 168 governments signed on to the Hyogo Framework. On this anniversary, International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Director Salvano Briceno called for governments to accelerate their efforts, making sure the necessary policies and legislation are in place. Some progress has been made: "Many countries are developing new strategies and enacting new laws to make disaster risk reduction a national priority. India and Sri Lanka have just adopted a legislative framework to integrate disaster risk reduction in their national policies. Peru and Panama have just put in place a national disaster platform. The African Union recently established a common regional strategy to integrate disaster risk reduction in their policies." However, global warming, environmental degradation, urbanization, and other factors have increased vulnerabilities, and the next hazard is "just a matter of time".
http://www.unisdr.org/

The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is coordinating members of the Thames Tideway Strategic Study and the 2012 Olympic Games to address intermittent sewage overflows that could threaten the London Olympic games. The recommended option is building a super sewer, which is expensive and risky, but alternatives are not readily obvious. Note an independent report on this topic from water regulator OFWAT.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2006/060118a.htm
http://www.thamestidewaystrategicstudy.co.uk/
http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/aptrix/ofwat/publish.nsf/Content/pn3205

In Saudi Arabia, work is underway to expand the Jamarat Bridge where during this year's Hajj a stampede killed more than 360 pilgrims. Work will be completed in three years, including additional routes and more advance warning systems to prevent overcrowding.
http://www.spa.gov.sa/newsview.php?extend.319366.9
http://www.spa.gov.sa/newsview.php?extend.319365.9
http://www.spa.gov.sa/newsview.php?extend.319364.9

Japan approved contingency plans for 21 more prefectures to protect citizens in the case of military or terrorist attacks. The central government provided a model plan that was customized based on local conditions including geography, climate, population, facilities and targets. Plans address a range of issues such as emergency evacuation, provisioning, and treatment of prisoners. Two plans had been approved last year, and all others are due to be completed by the end of March.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20060121a6.htm

A meeting in Bangladesh heard that the capital Dhaka and other parts of the country are poorly prepared for natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, and earthquakes.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/01/22/d60122060458.htm

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7. Recommended Reading

In 1991, UK financial bodies established a Committee on the Financial Aspects of Corporate Governance to review corporate governance. Known as the Cadbury Committee, it was an early attempt to review corporate governance and establish codes of conduct. Committee member Jonathan Charkham drew on his experience to write the first comparative study of governance in France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US. This seminal work has now been updated and reflects the vast and rapid changes that have taken place in the decade since his first book. See "Keeping Better Company: Corporate Governance Ten Years On" (Oxford University press).
http://www.oup.co.uk/isbn/0-19-924318-2 (the new edition)

Stephen Hess, "Through Their Eyes: Foreign Correspondents in the United States", (Brookings Institution Press) surveys foreign correspondents in the US to understand what they report and how, to their readers back home.
http://www.brookings.edu/press/books/throughtheireyes.htm

James Lovelock, "The Revenge of Gaia", (Penguin) will be published on 2 February. Meanwhile, read his new, and very pessimist, assessment here:
http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/article338830.ece

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8. Asset Management Network News

Email info@tamni.com for details about the new products, publications, and information about services, including custom research.

The "AML/CFT Monitor" is a monthly 16-page print publication covering international news and analysis related to anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism. "Global Terrorism Monitor" and "Political Risk Monitor", follow the same format and are also available now. All three titles are available through annual subscriptions to the print editions. Online database subscriptions will be available soon.

"Critical Infrastructure Monitor", "Disaster Reduction Monitor", and "Emerging Threat Monitor" will be available later this year.

Details available online at:
http://www.amlcftmonitor.com
http://www.criticalinfrastructuremonitor.com
http://www.disasterreductionmonitor.com
http://www.emergingthreatmonitor.com
http://www.globalterrorismmonitor.com
http://www.politicalriskmonitor.com

Like https://TerrorismCentral.com, these titles are published by the Asset Management Network.

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