Among the global news summaries this week are a number of anniversaries:
* On 12 April the International Court of Justice (ICJ) marked its 60th birthday. (See Emerging Threats/Human Rights) and Venezuela commemorated the fourth anniversary of a failed military coup against President Chavez (Political Risk Monitor).
* The Easter Rising on 14 April 1916 began the modern Irish independence movement. (See Recommended Reading)
* The US launched air strikes on Libya on 15 April 1986. Twenty years of terrorism later, Libya has renounced weapons of mass destruction, and efforts are under way to eliminate the few remaining sanctions against it, including its designation as a state sponsor of terrorism. (See Global Terrorism Monitor/Africa)

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3. AML/CFT Monitor

The AML/CFT Monitor is a monthly 16-page print publication. News highlights from the past week are provided in this free email update, but detailed analysis, background information and source documents are only available to subscribers. For subscription information, email [email protected].

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AML/CFT Incidents/Cases
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Zohaib Assad and Mohammad Ahmad have been sentenced in Scottish court to 13 years in jail for money laundering operation. They are accused of laundering more than GBP 2.5 million between February and September 2003, using their travel agency, Makkah Travel, as a front. Their activities were uncovered through a Revenue and Customs investigation following a bank report. Their actions were connected with the drug trade and Pakistan. The two men had been convicted in March - the first in Scotland to be found guilty of this specific offense.

Bank of America will offer to reopen the accounts of three Arab-American customers that were closed in 2002 for suspicious transactions. Such actions are not subject to appeal or correction, but were questioned in the US state of Massachusetts in connection with charges of ethnic discrimination.
http://www.ago.state.ma.us/sp.cfm?pageid=986&id=1650
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2006/04/13/bank_moves_to_resolve_complaints_of_ethnic_bias/

Harriette Cooper, a real estate agent in the US state of Iowa, was charged with six counts of money laundering and one count of structuring a financial transaction. She is accused of evading cash transaction reporting requirements, including six 2003 transactions in which $40,000 was obtained for the down payment on a house, possibly involving drug sales. The real estate industry has been lightly regulated in this regard.
http://www.crgazette.com/2006/03/28/Home/moneylaundering.htm

Boeing has agreed to pay $15 million to settle violations of the Arms Control Export Act in which they sold commercial airplanes equipped with a chip that has military applications to China and other countries.
http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/04/10/boeing_to_pay_15m_fine_for_export_of_military_technology/
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AML/CFT Legislation and Regulation
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Canada has listed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, Tamil Tigers) as a terrorist group. The government announcement explained that it is "meeting its international commitments to prevent terrorists from using the banking system to further their terrorist activities". The press release, FAQs, and currently listed entities are found here:
http://www.globalterrorismmonitor.com/2006/04/GTM1601.shtml

The US Treasury has designated four Jemaah Islamiah militants as Specially Designated Terrorists, subject to sanction.
http://www.amlcftmonitor.com/2006/04/AML1601.shtml

The US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCen) issued an advisory regarding possible money laundering threats presented by senior government officials in Belarus.
http://www.amlcftmonitor.com/2006/04/AML1601.shtml

Lebanon's leading bankers warned that any possible decision by international courts to freeze the assets of the Lebanese government abroad over the dispute with LibanCell would affect Lebanon's credibility and financial standings.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=23668

US Treasury officials reminded citizens that Hamas is a designated terrorist group and as such their role in the Palestinian Authority automatically makes it illegal to do business with it.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) will prohibit US citizens from owning, leasing, operating or insuring any North Korean flagged vessel from 8 May.
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AML/CFT Modalities
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Interpol held its 19th Asian Regional Conference. Hosted by Indonesia, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's opening speech called for stronger efforts to combat money laundering and corruption. He called "declared corruption to be public enemy number one" and said, "We should send a signal loud and clear to the corrupt everywhere that there is no safe haven anywhere for them to hide their stolen money". Delegates suggested that corruption should be added to Interpol's priority crime areas, currently comprised of drugs and organized crime; financial and high-tech crime; fugitives; public safety and terrorism; and trafficking in human beings. Other recommendations included:
* enhancing regional and international co-operation in fugitive investigations
* encouraging countries which have not yet established specialized structures to fight terrorism to do so as soon as possible
* expanding access to Interpol's databases beyond the National Central Bureaus to frontline law enforcement, including border checkpoints and airports.
http://www.interpol.int/Public/Region/Asia/conference/AsiaRC19/Default.asp

The US Office of National Drug Control Policy released the 2005 Coca Estimates for Colombia. They report mixed results in which overall cultivation declined by eight percent but areas under cultivation has increased by 26 percent. Coca production is also increasing in Peru and Bolivia. The US has spent $4 billion to destroy coca crops, but has not provided economic alternatives to the growers.
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/press06/041406.html
http://www.yale.edu/yjia/articles/Vol_1_Iss_1_Summer2005/IsacsonFinal.pdf

The US Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General reviewed reporting of drug control funds by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Coast Guard (USCG). Each agency has its own methodologies.  ICE's audit demonstrated material weaknesses regarding its accounting and reporting processes; reconciliation and correction of differences in fund balance with Treasury' validation and verification processes for undelivered orders, accounts payable, and disbursements; timely recording of obligations and budgetary reporting; and reconciliation and elimination of intragovernmental balances. ICE's financial system did not conform to federal accounting standards or requirements for information security. ICE committed to resolving these issues. CBP demonstrated a material weakness related to information technology controls that limited its "ability to ensure that critical financial and operational data is maintained in such a manner to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability". The USCG audit identified material weaknesses in financial management oversight; financial reporting;' financial systems security; undelivered orders, accounts payable and disbursements' budgetary accounting; actuarial liabilities; fund balance with Treasury; intragovernmental and intradepartmental balances; property, plant, and equipment; and operating materials and supplies.
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interweb/assetlibrary/OIG_06-25_Mar06.pdf
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interweb/assetlibrary/OIG_06-26_Mar06.pdf
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interweb/assetlibrary/OIG_06-27_Mar06.pdf

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4. Emerging Threat Monitor

The Emerging Threat Monitor will be published in print later this year. News highlights from the past week are provided in this free email update, but detailed analysis, background information and source documents are only available to subscribers. For more information, email [email protected].

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ETM Corruption and Transnational Crime
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In the latest twist in Britain's loans for peerages investigation, Des Smith, headmaster of the All Saints Catholic School and Technology School, has been arrested under the 1925 Honors (Prevention of abuses) Act. The Honors act was brought in after the 1920s scandal in which Liberal Party leader David Lloyd George overtly offered peerages and other honors for sale. Only one person has ever been convicted under this law, Maundy Gregory in 1933. Smith resigned from his position with the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) after telling the Sunday Times that donors to the trust would be recommended for honors. This week's Times reports that Blair associate and new cabinet minister David Miliband was named in covert recordings by Smith. Britain's electoral commission has published a new code of conduct asking for reporting of future loans from wealthy supporters.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4812822.stm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2136453,00.html

The Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), with the Hart Group, audited oil industry tax payments from 1999 to 2004, discovering discrepancies in the hundreds of millions. For example, in 2002, companies say they paid $250 million to the central bank that does not appear in bank records. They did not speculate where the cash went, but Transparency International lists Nigeria as the sixth most corrupt country in the world. Oil and gas revenues account for more than 80 percent of the national budget, but corruption and lack of social responsibility have hindered its effective use and distribution. Lack of good governance, including poor accounting standards, contributes to the problem.
http://www.neiti.org/FARFinFinancial%20Flows.pdf
http://www.hart-group.com/extractive-industry-transparency-initiative.php

Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, wife of former Ghana president Jerry Rawlings, and seven other defendants have been charged with failing to service a loan they took out to acquire the state-owned Nsawam Cannery in the 1990s.

High levels of corruption and tough bureaucratic procedures are making normal border crossings between Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan very difficult for the countries' citizens.
http://www.emergingthreatmonitor.com/2006/04/ETM1602.shtml

Interpol's 19th Asian Regional Conference focused on corruption. See AML/CFT above, or refer to the web site for details:
http://www.interpol.int/Public/Region/Asia/conference/AsiaRC19/Default.asp

The topic of executive compensation drew attention in multiple venues:
* The Wall Street Journal released "WSJ 350: A Survey of CEO Compensation" (10 April): "Using a tool called 'tally sheets'. Boards are discovering how much their CEOs are really making. The numbers are shocking directors - and changing pay practices".
http://online.wsj.com/page/2_1220.html
http://articles.news.aol.com/business/article.adp?id=20060410092909990010&cid=1712
* The New York Times published a special report, "Off to the Races Again, Leaving Many Behind" (April 9) and "Outside Advice on Boss's Pay May Not Be So Independent"
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/09/business/businessspecial/09pay.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/10/business/10pay.html
* On Point Radio points out that in 1960 the average US CEO made twice the pay of the US president, but now it is hundreds of times higher, whether they succeed or not.
http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2006/04/20060412_b_main.asp
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ETM Economies and Financial Systems
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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released the "Global Financial Stability Report", which assesses potential macro- and micro-economic systemic weaknesses, demonstrating a largely optimistic outlook.
http://www.imf.org/External/Pubs/FT/GFSR/2006/01/index.htm
Transcript of a Press Conference
http://www.imf.org/external/np/tr/2006/tr060411.htm

The World Trade Organization's trade statistics showed increased momentum, but changes in technology and new global players indicate that big changes are coming.
Press release:
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres06_e/pr437_e.htm
Trade statistics:
http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/statis_e.htm
WTO economic research and analysis:
http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/reser_e/reser_e.htm

The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific released its 2006 survey, finding regional growth of 6.6 percent  in 2005 was down from 7.4 percent the year before, driven by a strong performance in China and the US, with positive results despite high and volatile energy prices, current account imbalances, and softened global trade.
http://www.unescap.org/
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ETM Environment and Climate Change
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"Trends in Sustainable Development" is a new UN report that focuses on global consumption of energy and global disparities. Although many industrial countries have taken steps to reduce pollution and are working to lower traditional forms of energy use, many rapidly expanding developing countries are challenged by the technical upgrades and other issues of maintaining growth that is sustainable, including the associated environmental and energy issues. Urgent action is needed to bring clean energy to poor areas.
http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2006/060411_Ocampo_PC.doc.htm

The New Economics Foundation (NEF) published "The UK Interdependence Report", which finds that on 16 April the UK has in effect stopped relying on its own natural resources to support itself, and begins "eating the planet". This and related research by NEF explain increasing global interdependencies and the related ecological costs. An example that illustrates the massive trade inefficiencies is the UK in 2004, which:
* imported 465 tons of gingerbread and exported almost the same volume, 460 tons
* sent 1,500 tons of fresh potatoes to Germany, and brought in 1,500 tons of fresh potatoes back from the same place
* imported 44,000 tons of frozen boneless chicken cuts and exported 51, 000 tons of fresh boneless chicken
* sent 10,200 tons of milk and cream to France, and imported 9,900 tons from France
* imported 391,432 tons of chocolate and exported 170,652 tons
http://www.neweconomics.org/gen/Britainstartseatingtheplanet160406.aspx

University of Toronto researchers have published "Global Warming and Extinctions of Endemic Species Form Biodiversity Hotspots". Led by Dr Jay Malcolm, the scientists studied habitat changes in 25 areas that, although covering only one percent of the terrestrial surface of the earth, are home to 44 percent of the world's plants and 35 percent of the vertebrates. The found the tropical Andes, Cape Floristic region of South Africa, Southwest Australia, and the Atlantic forests of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina particularly vulnerable to climate change, with endemic species highly restricted in where they can live. They conclude that climate change will cause an unprecedented extinction of tens of thousands of species around the world.
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Campaigns_and_Programs/Climate_Change/News_Releases/newsclimatechange04110601.asp

Maryland has joined seven other US states in the Regional Greenhouse Initiative
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/07/us/07maryland.html
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ETM Human Rights
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The International Court of Justice (ICJ) marked its 60th birthday. During the celebration, the audience heard that 67 States have accepted compulsory jurisdiction, but the only permanent Security Council member to do so is the UK. Member states have increasingly turned to ICJ not only for boundary disputes or treaty violations, but also on such serious issues as genocide and the use of force.
http://www.icj-cij.org
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ETM Infectious Diseases
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Avian influenza H5N1 continues to raise serious concerns worldwide. Burma's situation is more serious than previously understood, with more than a hundred outbreaks across the country. Previously only five outbreaks had been confirmed. The impact of outbreaks in an impoverished and closed society cannot be underestimated.

World Migratory Bird Day was launched on 9 April. A scientific seminar in Kenya that followed on 10-11 April focused on the connection between the environment and migratory boards. Among the findings is that wetland restoration could significantly reduce the threat of avian influenza pandemics by keeping disease-carrying wild birds away from domestic poultry. There is a strong link between environmental change and emerging infectious diseases, including avian influenza.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=475&ArticleID=5255&l=en
http://www.worldmigratorybirdday.org

International tourist organizations are also working together to address the possible impact on their industry in case of a pandemic, learning lessons from the SARS outbreak. They have established the Tourism Emergency Response Network (TERN).
http://www.world-tourism.org/newsroom/Releases/2006/april/tern.html
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ETM Legal Systems
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Egypt is considering a new law stipulating mandatory DNA testing in paternity cases. To understand the background and related issues, read:
http://www.emergingthreatmonitor.com/2006/04/ETM1601.shtml
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ETM Populations
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Female feticide in the northern Indian state of Haryana has created an imbalance in which there are about 861 women for every 1,000 men, compared to a national average of 927 women to 1,000 men. (Worldwide, females slightly outnumber males.) This has led to the state being dubbed "bride buying country", vividly described by Renu Agal in this article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4862434.stm
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ETM Social Responsibility
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The Dutch government has revoked a 1952 court decision that allowed the government to appropriate works of art first stolen by Nazi officials. Now, Marei von Saher, daughter-in-law of Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, has successfully reclaimed the Goudstikker family collection, creating a precedent that could pose challenges to Dutch museums.
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,410900,00.html

Analysis from William Drayton looks at "Everyone a Changemaker: Social Entrepreneurship's Ultimate Goal"
http://www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/itgg/1/1;jsessionid=n78vgHgFa2Ved8jODQ
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ETM Technology
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A new journal from MIT Press, "Innovations: Technology/Governance/Globalization", has just come out, co-hosted by George Mason University and Harvard University. The inaugural issue can be downloaded for free, and includes coverage of innovation in areas ranging from vaccines to entrepreneurship.
http://mitpress.mit.edu/innovations/

The Biotechnology Industry Organization held its 2006 annual meeting 9-12 April.
"Growing the Nation's Bioscience Sector: State Bioscience Initiatives 2006" finds that states and regions across the US are developing and promoting biosciences, which now include more than 40,000 businesses employing 1.2 million people and generating an additional 5.8 million jobs.
http://www.bio.org/events/2006/
http://www.battelle.org/news/06/04-10-06BIO.stm
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ETM Weapons (WMD, Proliferation)
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Responding to news reports that the US is prepared to use nuclear weapons to end Iran's nuclear programs, the White House said that they are committed to a diplomatic solution but have ruled out no options. UK Foreign Secretary Straw called the suggestion "completely nuts". Iran deemed the reports psychological warfare, and stands by its right to nuclear technology. Oil prices hit new records.
Seymour Hersh's article, "The Iran Plans", is in The New Yorker's 17 April issue:
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060417fa_fact

Russia's defense minister reported that dual use exports in 2005 amounted to $3.8 billion, involving 1,153 foreign trade licenses, most to the EU, followed by the US, Ukraine, South Korea and Kazakhstan. He also said that a list of 1,152 organizations from 51 countries had been compiled for additional scrutiny before a license is granted.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060410/45517146.html

Consider Matthes Bunn's policy perspective on "Cooperation to Secure Nuclear Stockpiles: A Case of Constrained Innovation".
http://www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/itgg/1/1;jsessionid=n78vgHgFa2Ved8jODQ

The Center for Nonproliferation Studies has released a new report by Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Alexander Melikishvili, and Raymond A. Zilinskas on the Soviet-era anti-plague system.
http://www.cns.miis.edu/research/antiplague/index.htm

Start-up company Mineral Sciences, a spin-off from George Mason University, has developed a liquid to soak up dangerous powders such as anthrax.
http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2006/04/10/story6.html
http://mason.gmu.edu/~espp/

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has
completed its 1,000th chemical industry inspection.
http://www.opcw.org/pressreleases/2006/PR18_2006.html

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5. Critical Infrastructure Monitor

The Emerging Threat Monitor will be published in print later this year. News highlights from the past week are provided in this free email update, but detailed analysis, background information and source documents are only available to subscribers. For more information, email .

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CIM Agriculture and Food
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A proposed EU regulation on novel goods has raised concerns in Latin America and other developing countries.
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news06_e/sps_march06_e.htm
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/sps_e/sps_e.htm

"Income is Development" looks at an innovative program that helps Kenyan farmers transition to a cash economy.
http://www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/itgg/1/1;jsessionid=n78vgHgFa2Ved8jODQ
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CIM Banking and Finance
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Banks in Denmark, and the country's automatic payment system, PBS, are phasing out magnetic strips on debit cards to foil criminal gangs that have developed techniques for stealing the codes from payment terminals.
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=4067

US federal regulators have opened public hearings into mega-retailer Wal-Mart's application for a US banking license, as an in-house bank known as an industrial loan corporation (ILC). The proposal is controversial, generating more than 2,300 comment letters. It is opposed by local businesses, unions, community banks, and consumer groups: hence the unprecedented effort to hold public hearings, including dozens of witnesses. In support of the application are credit card issuers and other groups that believe that more competition will help reduce fees.
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2006/pr06038.html

ComScore Networks reports that online banking in the US has increased 27 percent to nearly 40 million, but the adoption rate is slowing. Enrollment used to be driven by convenience and ease of use, while today incentives and lower security concerns motivate new consumers.
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=801

The UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) has fined Deutsche Bank GBP 6.3 million ($11.1 million) for breaching acceptable market standards and failing to conduct its business with due skill, care and diligence. The third largest fine imposed for misconduct since 2001 came in connection with errors in stock transactions in handling the trades of two firms. David Maslen, head of the department responsible, has been fined separately.
http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Library/Communication/PR/2006/036.shtml

The Insurance Services Office (ISO) and the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) report that based on preliminary financial results, the property/casualty insurance industry will show an increased capital base and profitability for 2005 despite catastrophe losses of a record $57.7 billion before reinsurance recoveries. Catastrophes in 2005 have hurt reinsurers and reinsurance markets, and this is likely to be felt by primary insurers in regions prone to natural disasters.
http://www.iso.com/press_releases/2006/04_10_06.html
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CIM Cybersecurity
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Microsoft's April Security Bulletin includes security patches for critical vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer and Windows. Most serious was an Explorer vulnerability that warranted patches from security vendors in advance of this release.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms06-apr.mspx

Specialty retailer Ross-Simons has issued a warning of a security breach that could reveal confidential financial information of customers that applied for its private-label credit card.
http://www.ross-simons.com/content/rspa_customer_faq.htm

The UK Department of Trade and Industry is developing a Cyber Security Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) to provide a single national platform for industry, academia, and government to share cybersecurity expertise, including such issues as crime, identity management, and biometrics.
http://www.dti.gov.uk/technologyprogramme/
http://www.qinetiq.com/home/newsroom/news_releases_homepage/2006/2nd_quarter/QinetiQ_to_lead_DTI_funded_cyber_security_network.html

Jose Manuel Garcia Rodriguez ("Tasmania") will be extradited from Argentina to Spain, where he is wanted on nine international arrest warrants in connection with cracking online bank accounts and stealing hundreds of thousands of euros.
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CIM Dams
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The Transformation Resource Centre (TRC) has appealed for an audit of the tenders allocated in the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), the world's largest water transfer operation prior to granting tenders in a process that may have been corrupt.
http://www.criticalinfrastructuremonitor.com/2006/04/CIM1602.shtml
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CIM Defense Industrial Base
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The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released "Defense Acquisitions: Major Weapon Systems Continue to Experience Cost and Schedule Problems under DOD's Revised Policy".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-368
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CIM Energy
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The Association of Major Power Consumers of Ontario has released a study into the impact of electricity choices on the economy. Three studies commissioned by the industry lobby group found:
* Industrial electricity rates in Ontario are already the second highest in 18 U.S. and Canadian jurisdictions;
* The current plan to phase out coal altogether will result in higher electricity prices, higher inflation, lower economic growth, disposable income, corporate profits, government revenues, reduced investment and lost jobs;
* Ontario's electricity system will be dangerously close to being tapped out if coal plants are shut down according to the current plan. By 2015, there would be little reserve margin and Ontario would be increasingly reliant on imports to meet domestic needs.
* Smog-causing emissions, such as sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, will be as low or lower under the alternative plan than emission levels achieved under the OPA plan.
http://www.ampco.org/details.php?sID=56

Norwegian oil and gas firm DNO announced that oil exploration objectives in the Tawke field in northern Iraq, making it likely that production can begin early next year.
http://www.dno.no/Templates/PressRelease.aspx?id=1571

Cuba and Venezuela have formed a joint venture in which Venezuela's state oil firm PDVSA will hold a 49 percent share of the Cienfuegos refinery in exchange for reactivating the refinery and providing 70,000 barrels per day of unrefined oil.

As well as demanding firms give up majority control of their Venezuelan oil ventures, the government is also demanding firms pay more taxes.
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CIM Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste
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The nuclear reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori prefecture, Japan, was one of the country's new generation of nuclear processing plants, able to extract uranium and plutonium from spent nuclear fuel. Just as it opened a test run, up to 40 liters of plutonium-contaminated water leaked from the plant, leading to further local protests.
http://www.upi.com/Energy/view.php?StoryID=200-1426r
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asiapacific/detail.asp?GRP=C&id=80335
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CIM Public Health and Healthcare
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Water-borne diseases and lack of medical supplied have led to an abnormally high mortality rate for infants born in Iraq's southern city of Basra.
http://www.criticalinfrastructuremonitor.com/2006/04/CIM1601.shtml

The new journal, Innovations, includes several important articles regarding innovations in public health. Seth Berkley writes of " Ending an Epidemic: The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative Pioneers a Public-Private Partnership". Rachel Glennerster and her colleagues consider "Creating Markets for Vaccines". Analysis from Jean Lanjouw considers "A Patent Policy Proposal for Global Diseases".
http://www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/itgg/1/1;jsessionid=n78vgHgFa2Ved8jODQ
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CIM Telecommunications
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The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reports that e number of broadband subscriptions throughout the OECD continued to increase during 2005 from 136 million in June 2005 to 158 million by December 2005. Iceland, Korea, the Netherlands, and Denmark had the most penetration, while the US had the largest number of subscribers.
http://www.oecd.org/sti/ict/broadband
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CIM Transportation
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A group of 22 Chinese immigrants arrived in the US by stowing away inside a cargo container. They have been taken into custody.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002914004_smuggling.html

International Maritime Bureau piracy alerts remain in place for Bangladesh and Somalia. A US-registered yacht was attacked by pirates in Somalia but escaped. Two Somali ministers have gone to Somalia to negotiate with villagers who took the Dong Won crew of 25 hostage.

The Danish parliament voted to privatize fully the state-owned national rail operator DSB.
http://denmark.dk/portal/page?_pageid=374,610566&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&ic_itemid=921323
http://www.borsen.dk/650.87320 (in Danish)

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6. Disaster Reduction Monitor

The Disaster Reduction Monitor will be published in print later this year. News highlights from the past week are provided in this free email update, but detailed analysis, background information and source documents are only available to subscribers. For more information, email [email protected]

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DRM Incidents
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Thailand launched a road safety campaign during the 10-day Songkran holiday period. On the first day of the long holiday, there were 286 accidents that claimed 30 lives. By Friday, the death toll had risen to 254, with four days of the holiday left to go.,

In Angola's capital, Luanda, a major cholera outbreak is spreading, for the first time in more than a decade. Since the outbreak was declared on 13 February, more than 4,500 people have been treated, and 205 have died. The disease is spreading rapidly outside Luanda, and can only be contained if more resources are mobilized rapidly. There have been delays in customs, and there is a serious shortage of health workers.
http://www.msf.org/msfinternational/invoke.cfm?objectid=74A18BCB-C377-4C71-D6F61B5B18160B6B&component=toolkit.pressrelease&method=full_html

Note coverage of the dire consequences of health worker shortages in last week's review of The World Health Report 2006 (CIM Public Health)
https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/CurrentNewsletter.html#5

At least 120 people have been killed when an overcrowded ferry in Lake Volta in eastern Ghana sank.

In the northern Indian city of Meerut a fire caused by an electrical fault swept through the tents housing a major consumer electronics fair. At least 50 people were killed and more than 80 were injured. Each of the three tents had only one exit, and were entirely consumed in the blaze. Police have filed charges against the organizers of the fair, and there have been angry demonstrations including one directed towards Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav. Four senior local officials have been removed from their positions.

A military cargo plane crashed in Kenya, killing 14 people, including five members of parliament.

A train collision in Java, Indonesia, has killed at 13 and injured 26. The accident is under investigation, but negligence is one likely cause.

Mudslides in southwestern Colombia have killed at least 10, with 38 people still missing. Rescue has been hampered by persistent rain, more mudslides, and armed attacks by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

One of the three workers injured at a building site in England has died of his injuries. An inquiry into how the 14 floors collapsed is under way.
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DRM Response and Recovery
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The UN has issued a reminder that although initial relief for last year's earthquake in Kashmir has been successful, the most difficult phase in now, during reconstruction. Recovery will be a long haul for those affected in a disaster that killed more than 73,000; injured nearly 70,000; and left millions homeless.
http://ochaonline.un.org/DocView.asp?DocID=4408

The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has issued guidance for rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. It includes maps and building guidelines to be prepared for 100-year event. For your convenience, we have compiled this material here:
http://www.disasterreductionmonitor.com/2006/04/DRM1602.shtml

The US Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General issued "A Performance Review of FEMA's Disaster Management Activities in Response to Hurricane Katrina". The report addressed a number of shortcomings and made 38 recommendations.
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interweb/assetlibrary/OIG_06-32_Mar06.pdf

Also note US Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports:
"Hurricane Katrina: Planning for and Management of Federal Disaster Recovery Contracts"
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-622T
"Foreign Assistance: USAID Has Begun Tsunami Reconstruction in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, but Key Projects May Exceed Initial Cost and Schedule Estimates"
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-488
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DRM Risks
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The Southwest Coordination Center is predicting a high potential for large intense fires from late May through mid-June in the US states of Arizona and New Mexico. The projection is based on low snowpack and stream flows, which will also have an impact on irrigation and wildlife, including the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow.
http://gacc.nifc.gov/swcc/
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DRM Mitigation
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Drought in the Horn of Africa has exacerbated an ongoing crisis for pastoral communities in arid and semi-arid areas in the region. This article describes how to escape the vicious cycle, which cannot be solved through just food assistance.
http://www.disasterreductionmonitor.com/2006/04/DRM1601.shtml

The American Red Cross has released detailed plans to expand disaster response capacity, including a major increase in pre-positioned stockpiles of supplies (including debit cards) and infrastructure improvements. Among these improvements are better communications and working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on a national database to track shelters and their residents.
http://www.redcross.org/pressrelease/0,1077,0_116_5290,00.html

The Insurance Services Office (ISO) and the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) report that catastrophes in 2005 hurt reinsurers and reinsurance markets, and this is likely to be felt by primary insurers in regions prone to natural disasters.
http://www.iso.com/press_releases/2006/04_10_06.html

The top 10 ways for cities, counties, and municipalities to improve emergency preparedness are listed in "Headed for Disaster":
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/print/Security-Technology-and-Design/Cover-Focus/Headed-for-Disaster--Ten-Ways-to-Improve-Emergency-Preparedness/7707SIW2

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7. Recommended Reading

On 14 April 1916 - Easter Monday - a group of about a thousand Irish Volunteers, with the Irish Citizen Army, assembled in various locations around Dublin, and proceeded to occupy the post office, a factory, bakery, and other locations strategically positioned around the main British military barracks. Six days later, 450 people were dead and 2,614 injured. Among the rebels 64 died, and military casualties numbered 116 dead, 368 injured, and nine were missing. They did not win Home Rule, but the execution of the leaders and the court-martial and detention of 3,500 people that followed generated overwhelming public sympathy to the cause of Irish independence.

Many books have been written about the Easter Rising, its roots and the aftermath. One of the most compelling, if only because of its extensive illustrations of the participants, the consequences, and original documents, is Tim Pat Coogan's "1916: The Easter Rising".
http://olimu.com/Journalism/Texts/Reviews/HibernoFascism.htm
http://www.highbeam.com/library/docfree.asp?DOCID=1G1:92049029&ctrlInfo=Round19%3AMode19a%3ADocG%3AResult&ao=
http://www.socialistreview.org.uk/article.php?articlenumber=9687

Tim Coogan is an historian, broadcaster, and journalist whose books are controversial but popular. They include "The Troubles : Ireland's Ordeal and the Search for Peace", "Ireland in the Twentieth Century", "The IRA", and "Michael Collins: The Man Who Made Ireland", whish was also made into a film.
"Collins place in history stands the test of time", Irish Independent
http://www.generalmichaelcollins.com/Beal_na_Blath/Tim_Pat_Coogan.html
http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/organ/docs/coogan/coogan93.htm
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117039/

Taking a different approach, letters, diaries, and eyewitness accounts add a personal voice in Brian Barton's "Easter Rising", while "From Behind a Closed Door: Secret Court Martial Records of the 1916 Easter Rising" collects the British records of the executed leaders, with commentary by Brian Barton.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/talkni/ask_easter_1916.shtml
http://www.suttonpublishing.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&productId=20213&langId=-1
http://www.blackstaffpress.com/catalogue/more.asp?book=118

Peter De Rosa, author of "Vicars of Christ" takes a novelist's approach in "Rebels : The Irish Rising of 1916".
http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780449906828
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE5DC1E39F930A35750C0A967958260

"Myths And Memories of the Easter Rising: Cultural And Political Nationalism in Ireland" by Jonathan Githens-Mayer looks at the role of symbolism in triggering the national uprising.
http://www.irishacademicireland.com/catalogindex.html

Keith Jefferey's concentrates on the people working in the Post Office rather than the Volunteers who occupied the building, in "The GPO and the Easter Rising"
http://www.irishacademicireland.com/catalogindex.html

Alan J. Ward uses " The Easter Rising: Revolution and Irish Nationalism" to review the history of Anglo-Irish relations in a survey from the 12th century to the 20th.
http://www.harlandavidson.com/new/catalog.cgi?cmd=show_new_books
http://www.wm.edu/government/directory.php?personid=8934

Sean Farrell Moran provides a psychohistorical biography of the Easter Rising leader in "Patrick Pearse and the Politics of Redemption: The Mind of the Easter Rising, 1916".
http://www.h-net.msu.edu/reviews/showpdf.cgi?path=29470851650619
http://cuapress.cua.edu/books/viewbook.cfm?Book=MOPP
http://www2.oakland.edu/history/faculty.cfm?ID=4729

Other biographies of Patrick Pearse include:
Elaine Sisson, " Pearse's Patriots: St. Enda's and the Cult of Boyhood" (Cork University Press)
Ruth Dudley Edward "Patrick Pearse: The Triumph of Failure" (Victor Gollancz)
http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=25481127398649

Online resources:
90th Anniversary Commemorations and Related Stories
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4913392.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4907566.stm
http://www.anphoblacht.com/news/detail/13836
http://www.easter1916.net/
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=179435548&p=y79436z54
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0414/mcaleesem.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1750463,00.html
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=567222006
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking/story.asp?j=207032820&p=zx7x33635&n=207033706&x=
BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/easterrising/index.shtml
List of other books about the Easter Rising
http://www.irishdemocrat.co.uk/reviews/1916-easter-rising/
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Rising

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8. Asset Management Network News

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