The life and death of Abu Musab al Zarqawi is the focus in this week's Recommended Reading. News includes this and other activities in Iraq and conflict zones around the world, as well as new modes of terrorist financing, the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, and nuclear developments in Australia, Iran, France, the UK and other countries.

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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. Purchase a subscription at our online store:
TAMNI Publications

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AML/CFT Incidents/Cases
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Timber merchant Guus van Kouwenhoven has been sentenced in Dutch court to eight years in prison for violating a UN arms embargo on Liberia by selling weapons to former President Charles Taylor in return for logging concessions, but he was acquitted of war crimes charges.
http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/ned060608mc
http://www.globalwitness.org/press_releases/display2.php?id=363

Laurence Peter Ford has been sentenced in British court to six years in prison for using his position as a legal advisor to contribute to a complex tax fraud.
http://www.gnn.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=206078&NewsAreaID=2

Israel has closed an investigation into Vladimir Goussinsky, finding insufficient evidence of charges that accounts at Bank Hapoalim had been used to launder foreign funds.
http://jta.org/page_view_breaking_story.asp?intid=3022

Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission's AML unit has arrested three judicial officers for public theft and money laundering.
http://www.zana.gov.zm/news/viewnews.cgi?category=11&id=1149604529

Operation Chabanel was an international drug sting involving the defense departments of Canada, Morocco, Pakistan, Spain, the United Arab Emirates and the UK. The 18-month operation has resulted in confiscation of 20 tons of hashish destined for Canada, and several arrests. The operation took place off the cost of Angola. It is the first operation of its kind in Canada.
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/qc/comm/2006/juin06/060605b_e.htm

"Operation Alpington" led to English police breaking up a major drug trafficking network tied to Colombia and two UK criminal networks. There have been 12 arrests, and large quantities of drugs as well as the money laundering proceeds (GBP 233,500 in cash) have been seized.
http://cms.met.police.uk/news/arrests_and_charges/drug_trafficking/drug_network_shut_down

Former Serbian justice minister Vladan Batic told a Greek Cypriot court that the Yugoslav government had laundered money through front companies and banks in Cyprus.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/72149862-f4f8-11da-86f6-0000779e2340.html
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=26233&cat_id=1

The Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office is under investigation following allegations of connections to a money laundering case connected with the international drugs trade and other issues.
http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front/detail/Prosecutor_s_office_comes_under_fire.html?siteSect=105&sid=6782314&cKey=1149529034000
http://www.ejpd.admin.ch/ejpd/de/home/dokumentation/mi/2006/2006-06-05.html (in German)

Alleged organized crime boss William D'Elia has been indicted on five money charges including money laundering, and other crimes associated with the drugs trade.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/counties/montgomery_county/14729886.htm

US Treasury official Daniel Glaser, attending the Financial Crimes Forum for Asia/Pacific, addressed efforts to address concerns over a Macau bank connected with laundering money for North Korea.
http://www.amlcftmonitor.com/2006/06/AML1102.shtml

This article describes how the Central Bank of Kenya official was ordered to move billions of state funds.
http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&newsid=74883
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AML/CFT Legislation and Regulation
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Belgium's Financial Information Unit (CFI) has issued its annual report. Last year 686 dossiers were received, of which 24 involved terrorist financing in the amount of EUR 16.5 million.
http://www.tijd.be/mijn_nieuws/binnenland/artikel.asp?Id=2284527 (in Flemish)
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=48&story_id=30658&name=EUR+636m+in+money+laundering+last+year

The Reserve Bank of India has warned that violations of Know Your Customer and other Prevention of Money Laundering Act regulations will be taken seriously, including penalties ranging from seizure of property to lengthy terms of imprisonment and fines.
http://www.rbi.org.in/

New Zealand's Associate Minister of Justice Clayton Cosgrove has released a second-round discussion document on enhanced AML/CFT measures, which include extending coverage beyond the financial sector, more stringent KYC checks, and increased monitoring, record-keeping, and reporting requirements.
http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=26044

Canada plans to introduce new legislation this autumn to address money laundering and the financing of terrorism, particularly in the area of diamond sales.
http://www.fin.gc.ca/activty/pubs/enhancing_1e.html
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060608.wterroract08/BNStory/International/

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have launched the second Merchants Against Money Laundering awareness program.
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ab/news/2006/IPOC_MoneyLaundering_May24-06.htm

The US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCen) issued guidance regarding future commission merchants due diligence rules under the USA Patriot Act.
http://www.amlcftmonitor.com/2006/06/AML1101.shtml

Japan has begun to lay out an AML/CFT framework for legislation next year.
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20060606p2a00m0na003000c.html

Bangladesh's Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) expressed disappointment that the proposed 2006-07 budget continues tax concessions for black money used in non-productive investments.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/06/10/d6061001033.htm
Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI)

US Treasury Secretary Snow addressed AML/CFT at G8 the G8 meeting:
"I was grateful that Minister Kudrin asked me to be the lead speaker on anti-money laundering and terrorist finance.  The United States has been at the forefront of a concerted effort to track and disrupt the financial activities of terrorists and money launderers in cooperation with our G-8 partners.  We have made enormous progress over the last three years.  We worked with the Financial Action Task Force to revise and strengthen the Standards on money laundering and terrorist finance.  Largely as a result of our leadership, the IMF and World Bank Executive Boards adopted a consistent framework for assessing countries' compliance with FATF Recommendations and comprehensive AML/CFT assessments are a regular part of all financial sector assessments and on-going surveillance.  We issued an Action Plan and have taken steps to strengthen our asset freezing systems and actions, enhance information sharing, and develop multilateral financial tools to disrupt criminal and illicit activity. To be sure, there is unfinished business and continued terrorist attacks remind us of the need to meet these challenges.  Our Ministries must continue with the development of financial information relevant to counter-terrorism investigations and to develop and apply targeted financial sanctions against terrorist networks.  Countries must develop strong AML/CFT programs and apply new tools to disrupt illicit financial networks.  As called upon by our leaders at Gleneagles, we must take decisive multilateral action against WMD proliferation networks and supporters.  But the record of progress is unmistakable and the international financial system is a safer place because of it.
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/js4314.htm

The FSA's Philip Robinson, speaking at the Money Laundering and Financial Crime Conference in London, addressed "The importance of senior management responsibility and the transition to a risk-based approach".
http://www.amlcftmonitor.com/2006/06/AML1103.shtml
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AML/CFT Modalities
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Belgium's Financial Information Unit's (CFI) annual report found significant increases in suspected money laundering linked to bankruptcies and misuse of company goods.
http://www.tijd.be/mijn_nieuws/binnenland/artikel.asp?Id=2284527 (in Flemish)
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=48&story_id=30658&name=EUR+636m+in+money+laundering+last+year

French intelligence officials cite new forms of money laundering including halal butcher shops, cannabis, and ATM scams.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13143121/

Chaim Evan-Zohar, writing in Diamond Intelligence Briefs, describes how Belgium is offering regulatory relief to diamond merchants to ensure international competitiveness.
http://www.diamondintelligence.com/magazine/magazine.asp?id=3866

Canada's Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day warns that high profits from car theft are attracting terrorists and other illegal enterprises
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060609.TERRORDAY09/TPStory/National

A Zurich University study published in The Lancet finds that liberalization of drug policy in Switzerland has led to a reduction in the number of new addicts.
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673606688041/abstract

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4. Emerging Threat Monitor

For detailed analysis, background information and source documents consider subscribing. Subscriptions to Emerging Threat Monitor can be purchased at our online store:
TAMNI Publications

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ETM Corruption and Transnational Crime
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Brazil's parliamentary inquiry recommends 79 people should face criminal charges related to widespread corruption.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5062502.stm

Donald MacKenzie has been convicted in Scotland's largest fraud case. The Royal Bank of Scotland business banking manager admitted to a fraudulent loan scheme involving GBP 21 million. He remains in custody while waiting to be sentenced later this month. The bank expects to lose several million from unrecoverable funds.
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=838362006

Luis Gonzalez Macchi, former president of Paraguay, was convicted of illegal bank transfers, and sentenced to six years in prison. His plan involved diverting $16 million in state funds to the US. Three other former officials were also convicted.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/06/06/paraguay.sentence.reut/
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ETM Economies and Financial Systems
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G8 finance ministers met this week to discuss economic issues, particularly energy costs and inflation, ahead of the July annual meeting.
http://en.g8russia.ru/

Oxfam considers "The view from the summit - Gleneagles G8 one year later", pointing to progress - but not enough.
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/press/releases/g8_gleneagles090606.htm

The International Monetary Fund has launched a series of multilateral consultations, to understand how to address global imbalances while maintaining robust growth.
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2006/pr06118.htm

The International Labor Organization points to an uncertain future for a rapidly changing labor market, with huge gaps between the technologically included, and the excluded working poor. It also warns of the risks in not balancing work and life.
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc95/index.htm
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ETM Environment and Climate Change
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Lloyd's new report "Climate Change, Adapt or Bust" warns insurers to face the growing threat or risk being swept away. The report finds:
* recent natural disasters have revealed the inadequacy of capital and pricing models, so catastrophe models must be updated regularly to keep pace with the latest scientific evidence;
* the industry must take a new approach to underwriting, looking ahead and factoring in climate change scenarios, rather than simply basing decisions on historical records ? especially with extreme windstorm seasons set to continue;
* insurers must prepare for the impact of climate change on asset values. Underwriting for profit will be crucial;
* insurers must regularly review and communicate conditions of coverage in light of the impact of climate change; and
* effective partnership with business and government will be key to mitigating risk.
http://www.lloyds.com/News_Centre/Press_releases/Lloyds_warns_insurers_to_face_the_challenges_of_climate_change.htm
http://www.lloyds.com/NR/rdonlyres/E1269AFE-79F2-41A7-BAA6-829574ABB319/0/360climatechangereport.pdf

This is the first in a series of reports in Lloyds new 360 Risk Project.
http://www.lloyds.com/360

China says that environmental protection will play a more prominent role in the approval process for large construction projects. Note the Environmental Protection in China (1996-2005) white paper that demonstrates the environmental consequences of rapid industrialization.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-06/05/content_4646390.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-06/05/content_4647221.htm

"Global Deserts Outlook" warns of dramatic changes caused by climate change, water demands, salt contamination, and human activity. The UN Environment Program says that some of these changes will be beneficial, but other changes must be controlled to reduce their negative impacts.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=480&ArticleID=5283&l=en

World Environment Day was marked on 5 June.
http://www.unep.org/wed/2006/english/
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ETM Human Rights
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Russian human rights group Memorial provides evidence of a secret torture and murder cell in the Chechen capital Grozny. Evidence has been turned over to prosecutors. Russia has repeatedly denied having secret prisons or torturing prisoners.
http://www.memo.ru/ (in Russian)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/09/world/europe/09chechnya.html

Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly rapporteur Dick Marty revealed a global ''spider?s web'' of CIA detentions and transfers and listed seven Council of Europe member states which could be held responsible, in varying degrees, for violations of the rights of named individuals by colluding in these operations.
Press release
http://www.coe.int/T/DC/Press/NoteRedac2006/20060607_marty_en.asp
Explanatory memorandum (PDF or HTML)
http://assembly.coe.int/Main.asp?Link=/CommitteeDocs/2006/20060606_Ejdoc162006PartII-FINAL.pdf
http://assembly.coe.int/Main.asp?Link=/CommitteeDocs/2006/20060606_Ejdoc162006PartII-FINAL.htm
Graphic image of global "spider's web" (JPEG)
http://assembly.coe.int/CommitteeDocs/2006/20060606_RenditionsMap_EN.jpg
Draft resolution and recommendation
http://assembly.coe.int/ASP/APFeaturesManager/defaultArtSiteView.asp?ArtId=469
Special file
http://www.coe.int/T/E/Com/Files/Events/2006-cia/
Press coverage:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1791991,00.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/07/AR2006060700282.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5056614.stm
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article717614.ece

A US Department of Defense directive on treatment of detainees will reportedly omit the Geneva Convention provision which bans "humiliating and degrading treatment" of detainees".
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-na-manual11may11,1,1258225,full.story
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-torture5jun05,0,7975161.story

More new guidelines permit forced feeding of prisoners. These are directed towards the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay.
http://www.miami.com/multimedia/miami/news/gitmo07.pdf
http://www.phrusa.org/research/torture/news_2006-06-06.html
http://www.wma.net/e/policy/c18.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/06/AR2006060601152.html

The UK Home Office has been sharing DNA database information with foreign law enforcement agencies, with no safeguards in place.
http://www.lynnefeatherstone.org/news1635-dna-database.htm

The US Department of State released the 2006 Trafficking in Persons Report.
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2006/
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ETM Infectious Diseases
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There is a fresh outbreak of avian influenza in China's Xinjiang region, and H5 has been confirmed in Hungarian geese. However, human-to-human infection was ruled out in the latest Indonesian cases.
http://www.who.int

IBM announced its Contingency Planning Assessment to help businesses understand potential exposure to a pandemic, and measures to ensure business continuity.
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/19773.wss
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ETM Legal Systems
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The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviewed changes to state election systems since the last presidential election. It made no recommendations.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-450
Highlights -
http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d06450high.pdf
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-451SP
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-452SP

"Confronting Confinement" is a report from the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons. It explains:
"On any given day, 2.2 million people are incarcerated in the United States, and over the course of a year, many millions spend time in prison or jail. 750,000 men and women work in correctional facilities. The annual cost: more than 60 billion dollars. Yet within three years, 67 percent of former prisoners will be rearrested and 52 percent will be re-incarcerated. At this moment, the effectiveness of America's approach to corrections has the attention of policy makers at all levels of government and in both political parties."
http://www.prisoncommission.org/

The Northern Ireland Oversight Commissioner warns of profound implications in the proposal to transfer national security matters from police to MI5, including the need for police to investigate organized crime, and recognizing there can be little difference between criminal and terrorist intelligence.
http://www.oversightcommissioner.org/reports/default.asp?page=reports
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ETM Populations
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The Lancet's series on indigenous health continues with features on New Zealand's Maori population and indigenous health in Africa.
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673606688478/fulltext
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673606688491/abstract

The global total of refugees is at a 26-year low, but the number of internally displaced persons has risen dramatically. These and other details are in the "2005 Global Refugee Trends" report.
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/news/opendoc.htm?tbl=NEWS&id=448915214

"International Migration and Development" is a report presented to the UN General Assembly that describes the advantages of migration.
http://www.un.org/esa/population/hldmigration
http://www.emergingthreatmonitor.com/2006/06/ETM1101.shtml

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reports increased immigration and falling asylum requests in  its "International Migration Outlook" annual report.
http://www.oecd.org/els/migration/imo2006

Standard and Poor's new report, "Global Graying: Aging Societies and Sovereign Ratings" examines the 25 EU members, Australia, Canada, Japan, Norway, South Korea and the US. It finds that without significant changes in current fiscal status and age-related spending policies, sovereign ratings would begin to fall. Indeed, without adjustments, "the median general government net debt-to-GDP ratio for the sample will reach an overpowering 180 percent of GDP by the middle of the current century, from 33 percent in 2005". A related report, "When the Music Stops, Who Has a Chair" predicts widening gaps in underfunded pensions at all levels that will lead to great hardship and force tax increases.
http://www.standardandpoors.com

A Boston College study finds that nearly half of US families will struggle in retirement.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-retire7jun07,0,4348386.story
http://www.bc.edu/

The US Census Bureau has released demographic information showing the dramatic changes to Gulf Coast populations after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-5/114966111794780.xml&coll=1
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/hurricanes_tropical_storms/006956.html
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Profiles/gulf_coast/index.htm
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ETM Technology
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Harvard University has launched the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.
http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/daily/2006/06/06-stemcell.html

Nature Genetics has published a special issue on microRNA that will be available free online for three months. Topics include identification of microRNAs and their targets, strategies for determining biological function and recent insights into the biological roles of microRNAs in animal development, plants and the viral life cycle.
http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v38/n6s/index.html

University of Nebraska researchers have developed a tactile sensor with the same degree of sensitivity as a human fingertip.
http://ucommxsrv1.unl.edu/unlnews2004/public/fmpro?-db=unlnews.fp5&-format=2004release.shtml&-lay=unlnews&-recid=33769&-find=

US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers have demonstrated a simple technique for synthesizing a wide variety of complex surfaces that vary in a controlled fashion across a test strip. "Gradient composition surfaces" can be applied to surface science experiments ranging from developing better paints to exploring the bonding of proteins to cell membranes.
http://www.nist.gov/combi
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ETM Weapons (WMD, Proliferation)
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Iran continues to enrich uranium, and the International Atomic Energy Agency cannot verify whether or not it is carrying out illicit nuclear activities, but Iran has agreed to consider a new proposal that could lead to an agreement regarding its nuclear ambitions.
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2006/iran_sg.html
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Focus/IaeaIran/index.shtml

As part of a series marking 25 years since Israel bombed Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor, the BBC News website recounts how the operation was carried out, and interviews four of the pilots involved:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5020778.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4774733.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/low/witness/june/7/newsid_4617000/4617653.stm

The UN Conference on Disarmament discussed the importance of preventing an arms race in outer space.
http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/229A63CC973D95E1C1257187002D3121?OpenDocument

The Small Arms Control Project will focus on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) help build capacity to control the sale and trafficking of small arms in the area, which has more than 8 million illicit weapons.
http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom

The legacy of landmines is made clear in this article:
http://www.emergingthreatmonitor.com/2006/06/ETM1101.shtml

India's Ministry of Defense has compiled a national blacklist of 118 entities banned from conducting business.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/6000.html

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are measuring precisely the disintegration of "frangible" bullets when they strike a surface to better understand how the ammunition might affect body armor.
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/newsfromnist_kolskybar.htm

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5. Critical Infrastructure Monitor

Critical Infrastructure Monitor gives you the background and analysis missing from these news briefings. Subscriptions can be purchased from our online store:
TAMNI Publications

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CIM Agriculture and Food
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US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Bioterrorism Act requirements on traceability and record keeping have come into effect for medium sized producers, to help ensure the safety of the food supply chain.
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/recguid3.html

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) issued a new report that if current levels of trade protection and domestic support for farm and manufactured goods were halved worldwide, the potential benefits, through higher incomes for consumers and producer, could total around $44 billion  a year.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/28/43/36884483.pdf
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CIM Banking and Finance
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"Banking Industry Country Risk: These Are The Good Old Days" is a report from Standard and Poor's that finds low risk charges, high profits, and robust business flow. Economic performance, advanced risk management, and diversification are among the reasons for strong performance.
http://www.standardandpoors.com

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox, UK Financial Services Authority Chairman Callum McCarthy, and FSA Chief Executive Officer John Tiner and relevant senior staff met on Friday to discuss the regulatory aspects of increased capital flow between their nations.
http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2006/2006-85.htm

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision issued a paper describing the general principles of information sharing under the Basel II capital framework
http://www.bis.org/publ/bcbs125comments.htm

Large European banks formed the Pan European Credit Data Consortium to pool credit risk information under Basel II, and have now completed its first pooling exercise.
http://www.pecdc.org/
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CIM Chemical
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A recent report from the US Congressional Research Service finds that lack of information makes it hard to determine the threat posed by chemical weapons dumped offshore from the first World War to 1970.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33432.pdf

A chlorine gas explosion is only one of the infrastructure problems facing residents of Iraq's Babil province.
http://www.criticalinfrastructuremonitor.com/2006/06/CIM1101.shtml
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CIM Commercial Facilities
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The American Institute of Architects is holding their national convention. The US Conference of Mayors have voted unanimously to adopt AIA's position on sustainability.
http://www.aia.org/mayors_2030
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CIM Cybersecurity
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The US House Committee on Government Reform held a hearing sparked by the loss of some 26 million records of veterans and serving military personnel, as well as other losses of personal data from federal agencies.
http://reform.house.gov/GovReform/Hearings/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=44786

Other compromises of personal data revealed last week include:
* a stolen Institute of Certified Public Accountants hard drive containing data on 330,000 members;
* four computers stolen from the Buckeye Community Health Plan in Ohio that contained Medicaid subscriber information on more than 72,000 subscribers;
* an Internal Revenue Service laptop stolen with personal data on 291 employees and applicants;
8 a University of Michigan credit union data theft involving about 5,000 members; and
* a YMCA laptop stolen with data on 68,000 members.

The UK Fraud Prevention Service, CIFAS, warns that local planning authorities routinely have been publishing personal details about applicants sufficient for identity theft. Local authorities have undertaken to correct this problem immediately. In 1999 there were 20,000 cases of identity fraud in the UK. Last year there were 137,000 cases, and in the first quarter of 2006, the figures rose by another 17 percent.
http://www.cifas.org.uk/press_20060601.asp

WebSense has issued a phishing alert for an attack targeting MySpace users.
http://www.websensesecuritylabs.com/alerts/alert.php?AlertID=504

Phishing is also being used to push fake medicines.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13137839/

Sunbelt Software lists the top ten spyware threats identified by their Counterspy network in May: DesktopScan, SpyFalcon, 180search Assistant, Virtumonde, Looking-For.Home Searc h Assistant, IEPlugin, AvenueMedia.InternetOptimizer, Command Service, Media-Codec, and iSearch.DesktopSearch.
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Press.cfm?id=151
http://research.sunbelt-software.com/

The Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA) completed a national survey in the US that finds public anxiety over privacy and identity theft are having a profound economic impact.
http://www.csialliance.org/publications/surveys_and_polls/dci_survey_May2006/

Use of the internet to wage jihad is discussed in this article:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2214663,00.html
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CIM Defense Industrial Base
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The US Department of Defense has settled a claim with United Technologies, a defense manufacturer, in which it will pay $282 million in connection with overcharging on its defense contracts.
http://www.utc.com/press/releases/2006-06-06.htm
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CIM Emergency Services
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The London Assembly's July 7 review committee focused on failings in emergency services' response, and emphasized the needs for changes in emergency plans to respond to major emergencies. Such flaws as lack of interoperable communication equipment have been problems for decades.
http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/reports/general.jsp#7july

The Paramedics Association of Canada suggests that only a self-contained breathing apparatus would have prevented the death of two paramedics killed last month at a mine in British Columbia. However, paramedics are not trained to use this equipment and currently are equipped only with face masks. An investigation is under way to understand what caused the lack of oxygen and whether other mines and quarries under reclamation present similar risks. Read the Paramedics Association Statement here:
http://www.paramedic.ca/
Also note the hazard alert and chief mine inspector's directive in DRM/Response, below.

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a software tool this month called ToGS[TM] ("Turnout Gear Selector"), which helps both manufacturers and buyers decide on the turnout gear systems to design and purchase based on their individual needs.
http://www2.bfrl.nist.gov/software/TOGS
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CIM Energy
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Oil prices fell on the news that Iran is considering a new nuclear proposal and that Abu Musab al Zarqawi is dead.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has established a task force to review uranium mining, processing, and long-term use of nuclear energy.
http://www.pm.gov.au/news/media_releases/media_Release1965.html

Portugal has begun construction on the Serpa solar power station, which when it opens next January will be the world's largest such installation.
http://www.e4engineering.com/Articles/294781/Portuguese%20power.htm
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CIM Government Facilities
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In Canada, members of parliament are calling for improved physical security, background checks, and other measures to address lax protection of parliament and other government offices, which were one of the targets of the Toronto cell revealed last week.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=b14d67f0-44dd-46e6-ad54-a49988547e65
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CIM Information Technology
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Lebanon held its first international conference on technology development, establishing a roadmap for development.
http://www.techlebconference.com

IBM has announced a nearly $6 billion investment in India, over the next three years.
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/19769.wss
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CIM Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste
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France and Britain have signed a formal agreement to establish the Franco-British Nuclear Forum under which they will share expertise to support further nuclear development.
http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page9589.asp

A San Francisco, California court has ruled that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission violated federal environmental law by failing to review the possibility of a terrorist attack against the Diablo Canyon nuclear fuel storage facility and four other cases.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-diablo3jun03,1,2124749.story

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has established a task force to review uranium mining, processing, and long-term use of nuclear energy.
http://www.pm.gov.au/news/media_releases/media_Release1965.html

University of Sydney nuclear physicist Reza Hashemi-Nezhad has proposed developing thorium oxide based reactors, to replace longer-lived atomic elements such as uranium and plutonium.
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1657467.htm

The International Atomic Energy Agency's "Uranium 2005: Resources, Production and Demand" ("Red Book") estimates the total identified amount of conventional uranium stock, which can be mined for less than $130 per kg, to be about 4.7 million toes. Based on the 2004 nuclear electricity generation rate of demand the amount is sufficient for 85 years.
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2006/uranium_resources.html
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CIM Public Health and Healthcare
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A Zurich University study published in The Lancet finds that liberalization of drug policy in Switzerland has led to a reduction in the number of new addicts, and the belief that heroin is for losers, and a medical problem.
http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front/detail/Heroin_loses_its_attraction.html?siteSect=105&sid=6772740&cKey=1149244409000
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673606688041/abstract

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new vaccine to prevent cervical cancer and other diseases caused by human papillomavirus.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01385.html

South Africa's Minister of Health is recognizing traditional medicines in its next budget.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=274146
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CIM Transportation
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A group of Canadian newspapers has collaborated to research Transport Canada's database of aviation accidents to identify risks associated with accidents:
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1149630618112

New Zealand's border security has been called into question following the discovery that suspected terrorist Rayed Mohammed Abdullah Ali of Saudi Arabia was taking flying lessons when arrested last month, and had previously lived and trained with 9/11 hijacker Hani Hanjour.
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/410965/747082
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411368/747082
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3696966a10,00.html

London's Waterloo and Victoria stations testing vehicle access barriers at the main vehicle entrance to each station's concourse.
http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=205875&NewsAreaID=2

The Commission for Global Road Safety has launched a major campaign to address the "global epidemic" that causes 1.2 million deaths each year.
http://www.makeroadssafe.org
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CIM Water
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A chlorine gas explosion in Babil province, Iraq, contaminated water supplies, poisoning more than a hundred residents
http://www.criticalinfrastructuremonitor.com/2006/06/CIM1101.shtml

A US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report considers "Clean Water: How States Allocate Revolving Funds and Measure Their Benefits".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-579

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6. Disaster Reduction Monitor

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. Disaster Reduction Monitor subscriptions and other titles can be purchased here:
TAMNI Publications

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DRM Incidents
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In Tanzania, a bus fell from a bridge into a river, killing 54 and injuring a number more.

Flooding in China's southeastern Fujian province killed more than 40 people.

The Bulusan volcano in the Philippines is also active. Ash spewing from it has killed one villager, by triggering asthma.
http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/

Mount Merapi, an active volcano in Indonesia, has shown increasing activity that has forced 15,000 villagers to evacuate.
http://www.vsi.esdm.go.id/

Alberto is the first names storm of the 2006 hurricane season.
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DRM Response and Recovery
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Following the disastrous earthquake in Java on 27 May, there are concerns over post-operative infections and an increased risk of human infections from avian influenza related to some people taking refuge in chicken shelters.
http://www.who.int/hac/en/index.html

Mamduh Ismail, the owner of the Egyptian ferry that sank in February, killing more than a thousand people, has paid $57 million into its victims' compensation fund.

A British Columbia, Canada mine was the scene of two deaths last month. Investigations have cited lack of oxygen as the cause of death, but are investigating how the low oxygen environment developed and whether other mines and quarries under reclamation present similar risks. Read the hazard alert and chief mine inspector's directive here:
http://www.disasterreductionmonitor.com/2006/06/DRM1102.shtml
Also note considerations of appropriate emergency response equipment in CIM/Emergency, above.

The US Chemical Safety Board completed its investigation into the 2004 Marcus Oil and Chemical facility explosion. They recommended that the city of Houston adopt new safety regulations governing the construction and modification of pressure vessels, which are industrial process and storage containers that hold pressurized gases or liquids.
http://www.csb.gov/

The US Census Bureau has released demographic information showing the dramatic changes to Gulf Coast populations after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in which more than 400,000 people were displaced.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/hurricanes_tropical_storms/006956.html
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Profiles/gulf_coast/index.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/08/AR2006060801768.html

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has found that exemptions from charitable organizations supporting hurricane relief were processed effectively.
http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/auditreports/2006reports/200610089fr.html

"Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Coordination Between FEMA and the Red Cross Could Be Improved for the 2006 Hurricane Season" is a new report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), which finds that the tensions that arose between the two agencies during last year's disasters have persisted, and their respective roles have not yet been clearly defined.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-712
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DRM Risks
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Lloyd's new report "Climate Change, Adapt or Bust" warns insurers to face the growing threat or risk being swept away. See ETM/Environment, above, for more details. This is the first in a series of reports in Lloyds new 360 Risk Project.
http://www.lloyds.com/360

GE Insurance Solutions emphasizes the dramatic implications of changes in catastrophe models since last year.
http://www.geinsurancesolutions.com/erccorporate/inst/pb/ex/index.htm

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released "U.S. Tsunami Preparedness: Federal and State Partners Collaborate to Help Communities Reduce Potential Impacts, but Significant Challenges Remain".  The report identifies areas facing the greatest tsunami hazard, the extent to which the potential impacts have been assessed, effectiveness of early warning systems, and the current and long-term mitigation plans. It finds limited measures have been undertaken to date, as people focus on more common hazards.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-519

The Canadian Hurricane Centre is predicting another active hurricane season.
http://www.disasterreductionmonitor.com/2006/06/DRM1101.shtml

Tropical Storm Risk predicts this year's hurricane season will be active and destructive, but less than 2005, and also less than other predictions. Overall, the consortium forecasts a 40 percent above normal hurricane activity.
http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com

Risk Management Solutions has launched an updated earthquake risk model for the eastern US and Canada.
http://www.rms.com/NewsPress/PR_060706_ENA6.asp

The US Food and Drug Administration issued an Interim Final Rules under which informed consent would be waived in a public health emergency to permit experimental testing to identify chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear agents.
http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/E6-8790.htm
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DRM Mitigation
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Tsunamis and floods in Thailand have increased awareness of disaster insurance.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/10Jun2006_biz15.php

The US Small Business Administration has enhanced its preparation for disaster loans, including public and private partnerships.
http://www.sba.gov

Sandia National Laboratory's Building Restoration Operations Optimization Model (BROOM) is a software model originally designed to facility cleanup after a bioterrorism attack. It has been modified to manage collection, visualization, and analysis of environmental sampling and cleanup data in a variety of public facilities, plants and businesses.
http://www.sandia.gov/news/resources/releases/2006/broom-commercial.html
http://trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=4936

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7. Recommended Reading

The death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was one of the leading stories this week. Several books help analyze the insurgency in Iraq and his role in it.

Jean-Charles Brisard wrote the first biography, "Zarqawi: The New Face of Al-Qaeda" (Other Press, 2005), which provides extensive background on his upbringing and life history, but offers little additional analysis.
http://www.otherpress.com/bookpage.php?bkID=408
Reviews:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/18/books/review/18benjamin.html?ex=1150084800&en=1ef96cef3e682cb0&ei=5070
http://www.arabworldanalysis.com/blog/archives/book_reviews/
Author interviews:
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2006/s1627755.htm
http://www.here-now.org/shows/2006/06/20060608_9.asp


A perennial favorite is Jason Burke's "Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam" (I.B. Taurus, 2004).
http://www.ibtauris.com/ibtauris/display.asp?K=183809666009997&sf_01=CAUTHOR&st_01=jason+burke&sf_02=CTITLE&sf_03=KEYWORD&sf_04=VX%5FISBN%3B%3D&m=2&dc=2
Reviews:
http://www.spikemagazine.com/0205alquaeda.php
http://www.nwc.navy.mil/press/Review/2005/autumn/br2-a05.htm
http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/politicsphilosophyandsociety/0,,1036443,00.html


Other excellent titles include:
* Zaki Chehab, Inside the Resistance: The Iraqi Insurgency and the Future of the Middle East, Nation Books, 2005
http://www.nationbooks.org/
Review:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/04/05/1351259
Author interview:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5033882

* Ahmed Hashim, Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency in Iraq, Cornell University Press, 2006
http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=4447
Review:
http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=5466803
Author interview:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5366677

* Loretta Napoleoni, Insurgent Iraq: Al Zarqawi and the New Generation, Seven Stories Press, 2005
http://www.sevenstories.com/book/index.cfm/GCOI/58322100159090
http://www.lorettanapoleoni.com/insurgentiraq.htm
Author interview:
http://www.voice.voiceamerica.com/ez/index.php/plain/voice/shows/medical/the_gary_null_show_with_dr_gary_null/loretta_napoleoni_insurgent_iraq_12_29_05
Review:
http://www.strategicforesight.com/bookreview_insurgentiraq.htm

* Marc Sageman, Understanding Terror Networks. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004
http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/14036.html
Reviews:
http://www.cia.gov/csi/studies/Vol49no2/Terror_Networks_Book_Review_9.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44100-2004Aug5.html

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8. Asset Management Network News

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