AUTHOR:
TerrorismCentral Editorial Staff
TITLE:
TerrorismCentral Newsletter - July 30, 2006
SOURCE:
TerrorismCentral, July 30, 2006
TEXT:
The long history of conflict in the Middle East is called to mind in many of the events of the past week, from marking 50 years since Egypt's charismatic President Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, which is covered in Recommended Reading, to today's horrific death toll in the ancient town of Qana (Cana), Lebanon. Other news reports this week cover Democratic Republic of Congo's first multiparty elections in 40 years, efforts to combat corruption in the former Soviet bloc, the use of stolen car parts to finance terrorism, and many other topics.
1. Global Terrorism Monitor
2. Political Risk Monitor
3. AML/CFT Monitor
4. Emerging Threat Monitor
5. Critical Infrastructure Monitor
6. Disaster Reduction Monitor
7. Recommended Reading
8. Asset Management Network News
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TAMNI Publications
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GTM Africa
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The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government has reached agreement for the disarmament and reintegration of the northern militia groups that make up the Congolese Revolutionary Movement (MRC). Government militias are also disarming, increasing the odds for a peaceful election.
"Child Alert: Democratic Republic of Congo" is a new report from UNICEF. In print and in multimedia it describes the effects on children of years of the world's deadliest humanitarian crisis. Some 600 children die each day, the result of conflict and disease, and after elections today, they should be top of the agenda.
http://www.unicef.org/childalert/drc/
Somalia's interim minister of constitutional affairs, Abdalla Derrow, was shot dead on Thursday. The Union of Islamic Courts condemned his murder and denied any involvement. News of the assassination sparked rioting.
The government of Sudan and its Janjaweed militias have broken the Darfur truce with an attack against the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), a rebel group that did not join the peace accord. The civilian population is being caught up in the violence yet again.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5227186.stm
http://www.sudantribune.com/article.php3?id_article=16858
http://www.darfurinfo.org/
Uganda's government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) held initial peace talks in southern Sudan. Talks will be suspended for a week while officials try to persuade LRA leader Joseph Kony to attend personally. He has been unwilling to do so on grounds of security. His mother will join Kony in his bush camp, after the government recruited her to help convince him to participate. Meanwhile, LRA deputy leader Vincent Otti has joined the peace talks.
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GTM Americas
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Passport Canada has begun looking for a biometric vendor to support facial recognition in passport photos that would be matched against security watch lists.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=8c6bffab-8d7e-4dbd-8599-9857dc68c502&k=96523
Colombia's Popular Liberation Army abducted Juan Carlos Lizcano, son of a congressman, in April. He has now been freed. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) abducted his father, Oscar Tulio Lizcano, in 2000, whose whereabouts remain unknown. Twelve members of a medical team kidnapped last weekend by FARC have been released, but a 13th team member is still missing.
Colombian police generals Javier Augusto Rendon and Norbey Garcia Orozco, were sentenced to 36 years in prison for the kidnapping and murder of Lilliana Gaviria, the sister of former President Cesar Gaviria, and her bodyguard. They were also found guilty of colluding with the attack planners, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
The US House Committee on Government Reform held a hearing, "Code Yellow: Is the DHS Acquisition Bureaucracy a Formula for Disaster?", finding serious issues n management, structure, skills, accountability and control.
http://reform.house.gov/GovReform/Hearings/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=47315
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GTM Asia Pacific
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Australia is withdrawing its contingent of 12 troops in Lebanon, part of the UN observer mission that was bombed by an Israeli air strike, killing four. Foreign Minister Downer said "there is no point in sending an international peacekeeping force on a suicide mission".
http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/transcripts/2006/060727_dskl_1150cc.html
In Burma, Major Moengzuen, a former battalion commander of the rebel Shan State Army (SSA) and aide to drug kingpin Khun Sa, has surrendered with his troops to the Burmese government following an internal SSA disagreement.
East Timor rebel leader Major Alfredo Reinado has surrendered his weapons to Australian peacekeepers. 19 other men found with illegal weapons were also arrested.
Indonesia has informed the families of Amrozi, Ali Gufron, and Imam Samudra, all convicted in the 2002 Bali bombings, that their execution would take place in August, pending any further judicial appeals. Amrozi and Imam Samudra said they were ready to die, but defense attorneys are moving forward with an appeal based on their conviction under legislation that had not been in place at the time of their crimes.
Philippines' New People's Army (NPA) rebels attacked the home of a village security officer, killing his nephew, and wounding three.
In southern Thailand on Monday, four separate gun attacks killed a school janitor and injured three people. On Tuesday, gunmen disguised themselves as students to infiltrate a primary school, where they shot dead the Buddhist teacher. A bomb on Friday narrowly missed a vehicle carrying members of the Independent Commission on Justice and Civil Liberties for the Southern Border Provinces. Two members of the Runda Kampulan Kecil (RKK) insurgent group have been arrested in connection with that attempt.
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GTM Europe
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Georgia has sent a force to the Kodori gorge in the breakaway Abkhazia region, where Russian-backed rebel militia leader Emzar Kvitsiani is based. Russia calls the deployment a ceasefire violation, and Georgia responded with a demand that Russia withdraws its troops both from Abkhazia and from South Ossetia. Abkhazia has denied that Kvitsiani was in its territory and insists they are not providing him with weapons. Fighting on Wednesday injured four soldiers. A third day of fighting left one woman dead and two Georgian soldiers injured, but Georgia says it has regained control over the Kodori gorge. Kvitsiani escaped capture. Russia is insisting on Georgia's immediate withdrawal from the gorge.
http://www.mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=31&info_id=1890
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060725/51829558.html
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060729/52016572.html
The Irish and British governments, at an intergovernmental conference, issued a communique in which they report that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) has lived up to its commitments and is not involved in any centrally organized criminality.
http://www.nio.gov.uk/media-detail.htm?newsID=13391
Russia has published its list of 17 groups it considers terrorist organizations that pose a domestic threat to Russia. It includes al-Jamaa al-Islami, al Jihad, al Qaeda, Congress of the Nations of Ichkeria and Dagestan, Hizb ut-Tahrir, Islamic Jihad, Islamic Party of Turkestan, Jamaa al-Islamiah, June Ash-Sham, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Muslim Brotherhood, Shura of the United Forces of the Mujahadeen of the Caucasus, Taleban as well as other separatist and religious extremist movements in the Caucasus and former Soviet republics. The Federal Security Service (FSB) acknowledges that other organizations, including Palestinian resistance and Kurdish separatist groups, also use terrorist methods, and that Russia accedes to international laws that address this, but say they do not pose a threat to the security of Russia.
http://www.rg.ru/2006/07/28/terror-organizacii.html (in Russian)
The Spanish government supports a bill to compensate victims of the 1930s civil war and subsequent Franco dictatorship. Next, the bill will go to parliament, where it is likely to garner a majority despite its rejection by opposition conservatives.
A British court has ruled that controversial Islamic cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri can proceed with an appeal against his convictions for inciting racial hatred and soliciting murder.
The Court of Appeal ruled that families of British soldiers killed in Iraq could proceed to apply for a judicial review of the government's refusal to hold an independent inquiry into why the UK entered the war.
Roque Fernandes, Abdurahman Kanyare, and Dominic Martins have been freed after a UK court found no case to answer. They had faced terrorism-related charges of attempting to purchase a substance from an undercover reporter (disguised as a Sheikh) in order to build a dirty bomb.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5176522.stm
Northern Ireland's Ulster Defense Association (UDA) has appointed new leaders to replace brothers Andre and Ihab Shoukri, who face various criminal charges. Rival UDA factions quarreled and became involved in a stand-off when police intervened and seized weapons and ammunitions.
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GTM Middle East
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Al-Qaeda's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has urged Arabs to unite against the Zionist-Crusader war of Israel and its allies against Muslims in Lebanon and Gaza. He promises to increase attacks: "As they attack us everywhere, we will attack them everywhere".
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/1D608570-C11E-4AEB-B14B-84B47DC401E7.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5220204.stm
Since the Israeli offensive in Gaza began on 12 July, at least 150 Palestinians have been killed, and hundreds more injured. On Monday, Israeli artillery fired on the northern town of Beit Layiya. One shell hit a crowd outside an apartment block, killing two civilians and an off-duty police officer. A second shell in the same neighborhood injured six, and an 11-year-old girl later tied of her wounds. A third shell exploded in open ground to the west, killing a grandmother and her 12-year-old grandson who were standing near a donkey carriage, and injured three others. The Israeli assault continued throughout the week, with the highest casualties inflicted on Wednesday and Thursday, when 30 people were killed. The humanitarian disaster is even broader, with air and land assaults that have leveled broad swathes and destroyed water mains, the power station, bridges and roads. Strikes have continued unabated, while world attention is focused on Israel's second front in Lebanon.
Among the most serious attacks in Iraq last week were two car bombs and rocket attacks in Baghdad on Thursday. Targeting a restaurant popular with police, at least 27 people were killed and more than 100 injured, many seriously. Mosques were attacked on Friday and Saturday. They began with mortar attacks against a Sunni mosque in Baghdad, killing six as they left after prayers. The Muhammad Rassulluallah and Ashra al-Mubashara Sunni mosques came under armed assaults. Also on Saturday a car bomb n Kirkuk killed three and injured 15. A car bomb today was set off near the US and UK consulates in Kirkuk, killing two. There have been many other incidents of sectarian and military violence.
Human Rights Watch has urged Israel to end to use of cluster bombs, which have been used against civilian populations. Israeli officials are investigating a cluster bomb incident in Blida village last week. Further research on Israel's suspected use of chemical weapons indicates that phosphorous incendiary weapons could have caused the burns observed by physicians in Lebanon.
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/07/24/isrlpa13798.htm
Northern Israel continues to experience severe rocket attacks from Lebanese Hezbollah, which says it will extend ever farther into Israel and is in no danger of running out of weapons. At least 19 civilians have died as the result of these attacks. The state will contribute to salaries of workers in the north who stay away because of the security situation.
Israel's offensive in Lebanon has left 33 Israeli soldiers dead. Some 600 civilians have been killed, and many are believed still hidden under rubble. The numbers wounded are much higher. Early this morning, the deadliest incident of this war so far occurred when the Israeli air force bombed the Lebanese village of Qana, killing more than 60 civilians - more than half children. Worldwide condemnation has followed, and the US says it will accelerate diplomatic moves towards a ceasefire. Qana, or Cana, is the site of the biblical story of Jesus Christ's first miracle, turning wine into water, and was the scene ten years ago of the Qana massacre during Israel's Operation Grapes of Wrath.
This bombing is likely to have weakened Israel's negotiating ability, and it comes on the heels of another incident that has outraged the international community: the targeting of a well-known UN observation post. Four UN observers from Austria, Canada, China and Finland were killed by a precision-guided missile, despite having contacted Israeli troops ten times during six hours of shelling. Israel has launched an inquiry into the incident. Nonetheless, firing in the vicinity has continued.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces killed Hani Awijan, the leader of Islamic Jihad's militant wing in Nablus. A second militant was also killed by Israeli undercover troops.
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GTM South Asia
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Afghan police in the western Farah province report that on Monday hundreds of militants form Helmand drove up and attacked a police post, killing three policemen and injuring seven. Government offices were also attacked. In Kandahar, a suicide bomber injured two coalition soldiers. Gunmen n Ghur province killed a doctor and driver employed by a foreign health charity. A suicide bomber in Khost killed a person in his tax and injured three. On Tuesday, fighting in the eastern Kunar province one coalition soldier, and seven suspected Taleban died in Paktika province. Clashes in Helmand on Tuesday and Wednesday killed some 22 Taleban. Four suspected al Qaeda militants were arrested on Saturday. Today, US-led forces report killing 20 suspected Taleban in Uruzgan.
Mujahideen leader Maulvi Yunis Khalis died on 19 July at the age of 87.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5211604.stm
Bangladesh security agencies have been told to increase vigilance following reports that Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) militants are reorganizing under different names. JMB militants Monirul Islam Monir and Belal Hejati have been arrested.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/07/27/d6072701011.htm
http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/07/25/d60725012216.htm
Indian police in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh report that eight Maoists (CPI-M), including group leader Burra Chinnaiah ("Madav") and five women, were killed in a shootout following a raid.
Police in Mumbai (Bombay) arrested on Monday a fourth suspect, Lashkar-e-Toiba-linked doctor Tanveer Ahmed, in connection with the 11 July train bombings. Jameel Ahmed and Suhail Shaikh, linked to the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) were arrested on Tuesday.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5213492.stm
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1043627
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/9067.html
Army officials report a slight increase in infiltration across Kashmir's Line of Control, with 299 militants crossing from Pakistan into India since January.
Nepal's government and the Maoist rebels have extended their ceasefire for another three months to continue peace talks. Army chief General Pyar Jung Thapa is being questioned by a high-level panel that is investigating possible excesses by security forces during pro-democracy protests in April.
Pakistani police arrested three men in connection with the suicide bombing earlier this month that killed prominent Shia cleric Allam Hasan and his nephew. The suicide bomber has been identified as 16-year-old Abdul Karim, a Pakistani of Bangladeshi origin. A motorcycle bomb outside a bank in Quetta injured 21 people on Friday, one critically.
In Sri Lanka, unidentified gunmen shot dead Maha Kanapathipillai, press officer to Social Services Minister Devananda, leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP). The Sri Lankan air force bombed Tiger positions in the northeast on Wednesday and Thursday to prevent them from building an airstrip. Five Tigers were killed. Air strikes have been followed by a ground offensive in Trincomalee, intended to remove Tigers from blocking access to the Maavilaru canal. In capturing the reservoir, at least 40 Tigers were killed.
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20060724_04
http://www.colombopage.com/archive/July24115337JV.html
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200607302049.htm
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TAMNI Publications
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PRM Africa
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Chad and Sudan have not resumed diplomatic relations but did sign an agreement not to host each other's rebel groups in their respective countries.
Today, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) votes n the first multi-party elections in 40 years. There are 32 candidates for president and more than 9,000 running for parliament. Official results are not expected for several weeks.
http://www.irinnews.org/DRCelection.asp
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5228466.stm
Earlier in the week, DRC riot police broke up a Union for Democracy and Progress (UDPS) protest march. The opposition party believes that the elections are unfair because UDPS, an historical pro-democracy force, is not represented on key electoral committees. UDPS is boycotting the election.
Jean-Pierre Bemba is president of the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo (MLC), one of four Vice Presidents under DRC's 2001 power-sharing agreement, and current candidate for the DRC presidency. He returned to the capital Kinshasa on Thursday to hold a rally, attracting tens of thousands of supporters. An arson attack at his guards' camp, apparently in retaliation for a church burning, killed two babies. When news of the fire spread, clashes broke out. Two policemen were killed.
Ivory Coast's ID scheme - in preparation of presidential elections later this year - has led to further clashes, this time in the southern town of Divo. Fighting broke out after local officials decided not to carry out identifications. Amid stone throwing, clubs and bars, machetes, and guns, at least one person was killed and several injured. Despite the violence, Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny insists registration will continue. On an optimistic note, pro-government militias have begun to disarm, a key step in the peace agreement.
http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2006/060727_Stoudmann.doc.htm
Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf turned on street lights in the capital Monrovia, for the first time in 15 years. Tap water also became available this week. Soon after electricity was turned on, the presidential palace caught fire, and this fire is being investigated.
The Seychelles is holding closely-contested presidential elections across the archipelago, Friday through Sunday.
Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which controls the capital Mogadishu and other parts of the country, has refused to engage in talks with the interim government unless Ethiopian troops deployed to assist them leave the country. There are reports that Eritrea has provided troops in support of the interim government, which itself is under increasing pressure following the resignation of some 19 ministers and deputy ministers. The presence of both Eritrea and Ethiopia threatens the possibility of a proxy war between the two long-term foes being conducted in Somalia, although both countries deny supplying troops or weapons. Interim Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghdei has survived a no-confidence vote.
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PRM Americas
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Canadian premiers and Six Nations leaders met, and agreed to support the Kelowna Deal, a plan to address poverty and imbalances suffered by the Six Nations and Inuit aboriginal communities. One indigenous leader warned Prime Minister Harper to live up to the terms of the accord lest dissatisfaction escalates and explodes. Funding for Kelowna was not included in his budget, the first of his new conservative government.
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=3895580d-69ad-4c2a-a216-cf7203f2c0b5
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=0511375d-6ce0-417c-a787-5238ccb0d0f4&k=2317
Haiti has garnered pledges of USD750 million in donor pledges for economic recovery. Additional resources are urgently needed, lest the fragile country lapse into further instability. This month there was a major increase in kidnappings of both rich and poor Haitians, foreign workers, and missionaries. 30 kidnappings in the first three weeks of July is as many for all of last month. As well as a source of revenue for the largely unemployed and impoverished population, kidnappings also fund criminal enterprises and anti-government gangs.
Former Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune has been released from prison. He had been held for more than two years for alleged association with killings of Aristide opponents before for former President's ouster. He has always denied the allegations and held many hunger strikes. Never convicted of any crimes, his health markedly deteriorated in prison, and authorities say he was released on humanitarian grounds. The charges have not yet been dropped.
Mexican presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has filed a criminal complaint against the Federal Electoral Institute, adding the his earlier legal challenge demanding a full recount. Those results indicated that the leftist candidate lost by half a percent.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee has filed suit against the US secretaries of state and defense for failing to protect US citizens in Lebanon.
http://www.adc.org/index.php?id=2865
Two reports assessing the implementation of the US Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 were released this week, from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Director of National Intelligence. The former was more critical than the latter.
http://intelligence.house.gov/Releases.aspx?A=72
http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/20060727_2_release.htm
http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/20060727_release.htm
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2006/07/two_reports_detail_halting_pro.html
In the US city of Seattle, Washington, a gunman opened fire at the offices of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. One woman was killed and five injured in the attack. The alleged shooter claimed to be a Muslim-American angry with Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/744017.html
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is on a world tour, visiting Belarus, Russia, Qatar, Iran, Vietnam and Mali. He will negotiate arms and trade agreements, and garner support for their bid to win a UN Security Council seat.
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PRM Asia Pacific
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The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held its 39th ministerial meeting. Members discussed many issues of cooperation in such areas as the economy and security. They expressed grave concern over the situation in the Middle East, and concern over North Korea's missile testing and the desire for a nuclear-free Korean peninsula. They also noted the need to expand cooperation to other regional and international organizations. A regional security forum that followed brought together officials from five countries involved in the stalled talks over North Korea, but no progress was made following North Korea's threat to walk out of the talks.
http://www.aseansec.org/
Australian Prime Minister John Howard was mobbed by protestors against the war in Lebanon, but hundreds of Australians have joined the Israeli army
China has offered emergency humanitarian aid to Lebanon, and strongly condemned the Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon that killed four UN observers. They summoned the Israeli ambassador to Beijing and asked for an explanation and apology for the Chinese national that died in that attack.
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/xwfw/s2510/t265187.htm
Indonesian President Susilo Banbang Yudhoyono hosted a meeting with East Timor Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta, who thanked Indonesia for its support during the recent crisis in East Timor. They discussed economic cooperation, and plan to sign a border treaty in September.
Dani and Damal tribes in Indonesia's Papua province fought with arrows and spears. The week-long battle began over the death of a village chief's son, and the death toll has reached ten, with many more injured. National Solidarity for Papua reports that autonomy has done little to help Papuans.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20060729.G01
http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20060726.H06
Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the controversial Yasukuni war shrine are opposed by more than half of people surveyed in two separate newspaper polls.
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20060724p2a00m0na007000c.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5208946.stm
Japanese troops deployed in Iraq for the last 2.5 years have all gone home, ending the country's presence in Iraq.
Amid high security and continued political difficulties, Philippines President Gloria Arroyo has given her State of the Nation Address, focusing on the need to address economic disparities and social inequality.
http://www.op.gov.ph/news.asp?newsid=15725
A Thai criminal court has sentenced three election commissioners to four years in prison for violating election laws and allowing unqualified candidates to stand in the April election, which has since been annulled. One commissioner had resigned at that time, but the other three, all allies of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, refused calls for their resignation.
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PRM Europe
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Belarus President Lukashenko met his Venezuelan counterpart. The two fierce critics of US policy identified many areas of potential cooperation, with President Chavez deeming Belarus a model social state, like that being built in Venezuela.
Italy's lower house of parliament approved a prisoner pardon to free some 12,000 inmates and ease prison overcrowding. The controversial measure has passed to the Senate.
http://ansa.it/main/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2006-07-27_1278816.html
Russia has welcomed a visit from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, where he has signed a series of arms deals worth about USD1 billion, to upgrade aging weapons, despite US objections.
http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B5AC178CC-C9F6-41A9-AB1D-0C4244EBEDCA%7D)&language=EN
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5216794.stm
Note the landmark case in which the European Court of Human Rights holds Russia responsible for the disappearance and presumed death of a Chechen man, in ERM/Human Rights below.
UK Foreign Secretary Beckett has protested to US Secretary of State Rice the use of a Scottish airport to transport arms to Israel. Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party (SNP) have called for an end to the shipments, with the SNP calling for the UK to be consulted before being used as an aircraft carrier for the US, and warning against arming one side in the escalating Middle East conflict. The Liberal Democrats said the US is taking the UK for granted, and warned that these munitions may be among those cutting Lebanon to pieces. They called for an end to UK arms exports to Israel. Community towns around Prescott airport have protested against aircraft and arms flying in built-up areas, and local parliamentarians called for an investigation into why the US did not follow correct procedures for flights carrying arms. The US responded that it will take care of the paperwork and Bush gave a 1-line "apology" for not following proper procedures. This fresh controversy highlights the earlier and still unresolved issues over the use of the same airport for extraordinary renditions.
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1104532006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/5219830.stm
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-07-29T175326Z_01_L29821884_RTRUKOC_0_UK-MIDEAST-BRITAIN-USA.xml
http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17473386%26method=full%26siteid=64736%26headline=exclusive%2d%2dbombshell-name_page.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-5982810,00.html
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PRM Middle East
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Foreign ministers from the US, Middle East and Europe met in Rome to discuss the growing crisis in the Middle East. They agreed to the concepts of a sustainable ceasefire and UN security mandate, but failed to agree to a ceasefire or truce. Following this indeterminate meeting, Israel announced that the US had authorized Israel to continue the bombardment of Lebanon, which the US denied. European leaders also said that this was the wrong conclusion for Israel to draw. Nonetheless, with the Rome talks yielding no end to the fighting, Israeli attacks accelerated and the death toll has climbed markedly. Arab governments increasingly fear that Hezbollah's popularity and power are rising, not waning. International public opinion has shifted towards the belief that Israel's response to Hezbollah's capture of two soldiers is disproportionate. Human rights, religious, and aid groups have appealed desperately for a ceasefire to allow them to address the catastrophic humanitarian consequences. Today's bombing of the village of Qana that killed more than 50 civilians, more than half children, has dramatically shifted international public opinion against Israel.
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hosted a visit by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. They pledged mutual support and shared criticism of Israel. Chavez compared Israeli attacks against civilians to the Holocaust, and Ahmadinejad said Israel has ordained its own destruction.
Saddam Hussein's trial ended on Thursday. A verdict will be announced 16 October. Another trial, for killing of Iraqi Kurds during the Anfal campaign, will begin 21 August.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5217698.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5219710.stm
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/28/world/middleeast/28iraq.html
Increasing levels of violence in Baghdad has forced the US to increase the number of troops deployed there. The tours of duty of 3,500 soldiers have been extended, and it seems unlikely that troop withdrawals will move forward this year. Note coverage of Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Maliki's visit to the US:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/iraq/
The Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction released the "Interim Audit Report on the Review of the Equipment Purchased for Primary Healthcare Centers Associated with Parsons Global Services, Contract Number W914NS-04-D-0006". The audit finds that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) that administers this and other global aid projects moved money around and withheld information on schedule delays to hide ballooning cost overruns on this and similar projects in Iraq.
http://www.sigir.mil/audits/Reports.aspx
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/world/middleeast/30reconstruct.html
"Israel/Palestine/Lebanon: Climbing Out of the Abyss" from the International Crisis Group proposes:
"A diplomatic and political approach is needed to defuse the twin crises in Lebanon and Palestine, including immediate ceasefires on both fronts and steps to restore stability and re-launch a comprehensive peace process, or matters could become far worse. Resolution of the Palestinian crisis should involve allowing the elected government to govern in exchange for a cessation of hostilities. Israel's pursuit of a knockout against Hizbollah is unrealistic and counterproductive, risking pushing Lebanon to breaking point. Cessation of hostilities should be followed by a prisoner exchange and, if agreed by all parties, dispatch of a UN-authorised international force charged with verifying ceasefire adherence. Sustainable peace requires continued EU and UN engagement with Hamas and Hizbollah and renewed U.S. engagement with Syria and Iran. The key to resolving both crises is reinvigorating the Israeli-Arab peace processes."
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=4282
Israel has taken control over an area in southern Lebanon that is says it will hold for a secure buffer zone until an international force is deployed. Thousands of reserve soldiers have been called up to fuel the massive operation against Israel, but they will not continue expanding the southern Lebanon operation, following a day in which nine soldiers were killed
Israeli air strikes have closed the main border crossing from Lebanon into Syria, and injured two UN observers, just days after four were killed.
Syria's air force acknowledged that an Israeli plane had entered Syria, but said that it was shot down by Lebanese, not Syrian fire.
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PRM South Asia
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Bangladesh opposition supporters marched through Dhaka in the thousands to demand electoral reforms. Riot and paramilitary troops were deployed to control the 6-day protest. On Monday, when it began, more than a thousand opposition supporters were arrested.
An Indian military court has sentenced Nishant Sharma to one years forfeiture of service and Sudip Gurung to two months rigorous imprisonment for the extra-judicial killing of a villager in Assam in February. The incident sparked riots in which a soldier was stoned to death and paramilitary police killed eight.
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/45553.php/Army_major_soldier_found_guilty_of_murder_in_Assam
http://www.cpiml.org/liberation/year_2006/March/protest_assam.htm
The state legislature in Madhya Pradesh has approved a law making religious conversions more difficult.
Nepal agreed to set up a commission to look into the problems facing former bonded laborers known as kamaiyas. In turn, nearly 200 demonstrators have ended their weeklong protest. Bonded labor was abolished in 200, but those freed have yet to receive promised jobs and land or other benefits.
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=80523
http://www.nepalhumanrightsnews.com/news.asp?id=405
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir a new government has been sworn in, with All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (AJKMC) leader Sardar Attiq Ahmed Khan as Prime Minister, replacing Sardar Sikander Hayat Khan. He pledged reconstruction in the earthquake-hit region, but his government has little credibility amid accusations that elections were rigged and that in any case it is largely controlled by the central government in Islamabad.
Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels refused to accept ceasefire monitors from Europe following the EU's designation of them as a terrorist organization. Finland and Denmark are withdrawing their monitors by the 1 September deadline. Sri Lanka's government criticized the move and said it must be consulted over any effort to reconstitute change the mission.
http://www.slmm.lk/
http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/Current_Affairs/ca200607/20060727Gov_meets_wih_reps_of_nordic_countries.htm
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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The Australian Crime Commission is planning to recommend that the public prosecutor place tax evasion or money laundering charges against up to 38 individuals.
http://www.crimecommission.gov.au/content/media_rel/2006/060720_Project%20Wickenby%20Arrests.pdf
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/tax-haven-suspects-may-face-money-laundering-charges/2006/07/27/1153816321042.html
Lucy Edwards and Peter Berlin, both former employees of the Bank of New York, were sentenced to five years suspended, six months house arrest, fines and penalties following their conviction of laundering money from Russia.
http://www.kommersant.com/page.asp?idr=529&id=693368
Former New York State Banking Department (NYSBD) bank examiners James Gass and William DeRespino, as well as owner and president of Check Cashing, Inc. Louis Renzo and five companies, have been indicted for bribery, money laundering, and other charges. Prosecutors and bank supervisors charge that Gass provided unauthorized assistance and confidential NYSBD information in exchange for benefits, including cash and employment. Renzo and DeRespino laundered some bribe payments through gas stations owned by Renzo. In addition, the defendants committed perjury and false filing offenses to conceal their corrupt relationship.
http://www.manhattanda.org/whatsnew/press/2006-07-25.html
Limelight Films' CEO Bruno D'Esclavelles of Los Angeles, California, Swiss financial executive Alexandre De Basseville, and five other men have been accused of using the film company as a front for an international money laundering operation.
http://www.latimes.com/business/custom/cotown/la-me-limelight20jul20,1,5906635.story
Atlanta, Georgia jeweler Toros Seher has been indicted on charges of laundering drug money through two jewelry stores.
http://www.nationaljeweler.com/nationaljeweler/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002914123
In New York, 44 people were charged in an international drug trafficking enterprise for smuggling khat. Officials report they dismantled the international hawala operation that was laundering the proceeds of this operation.
http://newyork.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel06/drugsmuggling072606.htm
Wachovia Bank has ended its correspondent banking relationship with Middle East and Africa Bank SAL in Lebanon following allegations that it holds accounts on behalf of Hezbollah, which is designated by the US as a terrorist group. Israel has taken a different tact, by bombing offices of banks they believe provide services to Hezbollah.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/15123305.htm
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14015377/
Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission has arrested Samuel Mkombwe, Richard Sinkonde, and Joseph Kangulu for money laundering, forgery, and false documents in connection with diverting money meant for a bridge project.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200607260661.html
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AML/CFT Legislation and Regulation
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Bulgaria and Malta signed a bilateral agreement for cooperation against organized crime and money laundering.
Colombian police have cracked down on cash smuggling.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0727/p06s02-woam.html
India's Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) has relaxed customer identification requirements for insurance companies.
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1044242
UK Financial Crimes Sector leader Philip Robinson gave a speech on "Effective AML - the UK story" to the Asia-Pacific Financial Crime Conference in Singapore.
http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Library/Communication/Speeches/2006/0727_pr.shtml
http://www.abs.org.sg/fc2006/
US federal financial regulators issued a revised Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering Examination Manual. Changes address risk assessment, automated clearing house (ACH) transactions, trade finance activities, regulatory and supervisory guidance, and emerging money laundering risks.
http://www.fincen.gov/final_joint_interagency_transmital_07262006.html
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issues a staff position that if a broker-dealer relies on an investment advisor prior to his being subject to an AML rule s/he will not be recommended for enforcement actions provided other provision s of customer identification program rules are followed.
http://www.sec.gov/divisions/marketreg/mr-noaction/antiml071106.htm
The US Bush administration has decided to impose sanctions on two Indian firms for missile-related transactions with Iran.
http://today.reuters.com/news/ArticleNews.aspx?type=newsOne&storyID=2006-07-27T234429Z_01_WAT006127_RTRUKOC_0_US-NUCLEAR-INDIA-USA.xml
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AML/CFT Modalities
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Australian police are considering applying microscopic identifiers on car parts following the possibility that stolen car parts are being used to finance terrorism
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19902370-2702,00.html
Iraq's oil minister Hussein al-Shahristani told the Financial Times (27 July) that raising fuel prices have curbed smuggling that had helped fund the insurgency.
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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"Anticorruption in Transition 3-Who is Succeeding … And Why?" is the third in a series of World Bank reports that began in 1999 to track levels of corruption in enterprise-state interactions in former Soviet and Eastern European countries, Turkey and, for comparison, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain. The report finds that reductions in corruption are seen most in countries that have undertaken extensive economic and institutional reform. They find most progress in tax and customs administration, improvements in political accountability, and lagging efforts in judicial reform. Corruption is not falling in all countries or all sectors, and even the most successful tend to have higher levels of corruption than in Western Europe. Corruption weighs most heavily on the new private firms that power regional growth and employment.
http://www.worldbank.org/eca/act3
Former Malawi President Bakili Muluzi has been granted bail and released after being charged with 42 counts of corruption, fraud, and theft related to actions taken while he was in office. Hours later, current President Bingu wa Mutharika ordered the suspension of anti-corruption bureau bead Gustav Kaliwo.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=84&art_id=qw1154001781812B254
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1974829,00.html
A US federal appeals court ruled that congressional representative William Jefferson could review documents seized from his office to remove any privileged legislative materials prior to prosecutors' examinations. Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar's presidential campaign has become tied up with the investigation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/29/washington/29jefferson.html
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-6/115415291896960.xml
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ETM Economies and Financial Systems
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The World Trade Organization's (WTO) Doha Development Agenda negotiations were suspended last week after it proved impossible to bridge the gaps among key parties, primarily related to issues of subsidies. Several countries have suggested they will pursue bilateral agreements, which would effectively quash the entire program and allow special interests to hold sway. However Brazil, head of a group of key developing nations, has been hosting talks with US negotiators in an attempt to revive talks that began more than four years ago. It is also possible that countries affected by the subsidies of developed nations will take legal action.
http://www.wto.org/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5209996.stm
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aiwTETY06IBE&refer=latin_america
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19963849-643,00.html
http://www.oxfam.org/en/news/pressreleases2006/pr060726_wto
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have destroyed so much of the critical infrastructure that it may never fully recover. Nearly all bridges, 80 percent of major roads, air and sea ports, telecommunications, schools, and hospitals have been destroyed. Lebanon's emerging democracy had been constructed on a foundation of economic growth and post-civil-war reconstruction. Failure of reconstruction would also harm political advances.
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ETM Environment and Climate Change
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The blue ice of the Andes mountain glaciers is disappearing, and with them, the streams below that once supplied water for crops, electricity, and people.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/28/AR2006072801994.html
95 percent of all Americans face an increased likelihood of developing cancer as the result of breathing air pollutants such as benzene and asbestos. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) calls on the Environmental Protection Association (EPA) to develop a plan for improving management of air toxics, including establishing priorities, timelines, and resource estimates. The GAO report on this topic is "Clean Air Act: EPA Should Improve the Management of Its Air Toxics Program".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-669
Dow Chemical Company announced a commitment to clean water at a UN meeting.
http://news.dow.com/corporate/2006/20060725a.htm
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ETM Human Rights
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The European Court of Human Rights has issued a landmark ruling against Russia, holding it responsible for the disappearance and presumed death of Khadzhi-Murat Yandiyev. This first case associated with the Chechen conflict arose when Yandiyev's mother filed suit for not adequately investigating her son's 1999 disappearance, after she saw television footage in 2000 in which a Russia officer ordered her son to be shot. Russia claimed that there was no formal execution order and no real evidence he was dead, but the court disagreed and held Russia liable for his death. The found violation of the rights to life, liberty and security, and effective remedy, and found violations in the failure to conduct an effective investigation and prevent cruel and inhumane treatment. This is the first of some 200 similar cases.
http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?item=22&portal=hbkm&action=html&highlight=&sessionid=7929340&skin=hudoc-en
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5219786.stm
Roy Prescott was on UK national service in 1962 when he watched 36 nuclear tests in 11 weeks on Christmas Island in the South Pacific. He is suffering from a rare form of lung cancer associated with radiation exposure. The US has agreed to pay GBP 40,000 under the US Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. Britain's Ministry of Defense insists there is insufficient evidence that veterans' ill health is the result of their service during nuclear tests.
http://www.channel4.com/news/special-reports/special-reports-storypage.jsp?id=2847
http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/torts/const/reca/index.htm
The panel of experts monitoring the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) ended its current session by reviewing compliance reports submitted by the Central African Republic, the US, and the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo. They called for the US to shut all secret detention facilities and give the International Red Cross prompt access to those detainees.
http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/0E435C7B28572E31C12571B9004CE5F0?opendocument
Fu Xiancai, a Three Gorges resettlement activist, was seriously assaulted and is now paralyzed. following a meeting with security officials as well as prior threats and harassment. An official investigation has now concluded that the injuries were self-inflicted.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,1832144,00.html
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/china-accuses-dam-activist-of-selfinflicted-wounds/2006/07/28/1153816384609.html
http://www.hrichina.org
A blind developer, TV Raman, has built Google Accessible Search, which organizes pages based on their accessibility to the visually impaired.
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ETM Infectious Diseases
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Indonesia has recorded 43 human avian influenza deaths, the largest number in the world. A new human case has been confirmed in Thailand, the first this year. It coincides with a major animal outbreak, and there are fears that more than a hundred people have been infected: testing is under way. Of 232 confirmed cases since 2003, 134 have been fatal.
In "Virulent Epidemics and Scope of Healthcare Workers' Duty of Care", Daniel Sokol asks whether healthcare professionals are obligated to care for patients during virulent epidemics of infectious diseases, attempting to better define the "duty of care" concept.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no08/06-0360.htm?s_cid=eid06_0360_e
An update on achievements and strengths for the international avian influenza expert network OFFLU can be found in this article:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no08/06-0380.htm?s_cid=eid06_0380_e
http://www.offlu.net/
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices released "Preparing for a Pandemic Influenza: A Primer for Governors and Senior State Officials".
http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0607PANDEMICPRIMER.PDF
University of Bath (UK) researchers have identified genetic details of the Wolbachia bacterium, which can manipulate the way insects reproduce to pass through generations. Researchers are working on a genetically modified version that could stop transmission of the malaria parasite, which is second only to tuberculosis in its deadly impact on human health, killing more than a million people each year.
http://www.bath.ac.uk/news/articles/releases/wolbachia250706.html
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ETM Legal Systems
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The Government of Wales Bill has come into law, transferring powers from Westminster to Wales.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/5214984.stm
The American Bar Association has weighed-in on the debates over presidential powers in connection with the Bush administration's positions on detention, domestic surveillance, and presidential signing statements. These issues will be discussed at the annual meeting in August.
http://www.abanet.org/op/greco/memos/aba_sjud-militarytribunalprivilege_letter_0706.pdf
http://www.abanet.org/op/greco/statements/hamdan.shtml
http://www.abanet.org/op/greco/memos/domsurv_testimony.shtml
http://www.abanet.org/op/signingstatements/
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ETM Natural Resources
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Ghana's Environmental Protection Agency Executive Director warns that developing countries lose out ecologically and economically through exporting natural resources, not least because multinational companies may operate in ways not allowed in their home countries..
http://www.ghanaweb.com/public_agenda/article.php?ID=5594
Hundreds of Hondurans gathered to protest a 1998 law that permits foreign ownership of as much as 34 percent of Honduran mines. The protest closed sections of the Pan-American Highway. Protests organized by the Civic and Democratic Alliance will continue until the law is abolished.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5215424.stm
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ETM Populations
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University of Leicester (UK) researchers have developed the first World Map of Happiness, ranking Denmark first and Burundi last.
http://www2.le.ac.uk/ebulletin/news/press-releases/2000-2009/2006/07/nparticle.2006-07-28.2448323827
Massachusetts General Hospital researchers warn that increasing numbers of US patients are too obese to fit in X-ray machines and may even have too much fat for the rays to penetrate.
http://www2.rsna.org/pr/target.cfm?ID=284
http://radiology.rsnajnls.org/cgi/content/abstract/240/2/435
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released "Baby Boom Generation: Retirement of Baby Boomers Is Unlikely to Precipitate Dramatic Decline in Market Returns, but Broader Risks Threaten Retirement Security".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-718
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ETM Social Responsibility
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The Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries has pledged not to purchase goods from recently deforested areas and to ensure soya is produced with more ethical and sustainable methods.
http://www.abiove.com.br/english.html
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/soya-blazes-through-the-amazon
Dr Mahmood Bhutta, writing in the British Medical Journal, called for fair trade in surgical equipment. For example, Malaysia and Pakistan are important centers for surgical instrument manufacturing, but in many cases this involves hand work that may be undertaken by children or subject to other abuses by powerful multinationals.
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/rapidpdf/bmj.38901.619074.55v1.pdf
Malaysia's Securities Commission chairman Datuk Zarinah Anwar discussed the good business proposition presented by corporate social responsibility.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/7/28/business/14977569&sec=business
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has adopted changes to rules requiring disclosure of executive and director compensation, related person transactions, director independence and other corporate governance matters, and security ownership of officers and directors to ensure clear disclosures that will further improve transparency and accountability for shareholders.
http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2006/2006-123.htm
The Government Accountability Office released "Nonprofit Hospital Systems: Survey on Executive Compensation Policies and Practices".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-907R
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ETM Technology
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Immunological testing of six formerly healthy drug test volunteers has found major depletion of T-cells that points to the likelihood of shortened lives of auto-immune disease and cancer. The drug company, TeGenero that developed the drug has been liquidated, although procedural errors on the part of Parexel that conducted the drug trial contributed to the disastrous outcome.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2291800,00.html
http://www.mhra.gov.uk/home/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&useSecondary=true&ssDocName=CON2023515&ssTargetNodeId=389
http://www.parexel.com/news_and_events/press_releasesSingle.asp?id=236
http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/23275/
EU ministers have agreed continued funding for stem cell research, including embryonic stem cells.
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/intm/90654.pdf
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/24/news/union.php
http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/news.asp?id=4924
The US Government Accountability Office released "NASA: Long-Term Commitment to and Investment in Space Exploration Requires More Knowledge".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-817R
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ETM Weapons (WMD, Proliferation)
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As the US Congress considers legislation to implement the nuclear cooperation agreement with India, new conditions have been added. Indian Prime Minister Singh says no new conditions will be accepted.
Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi confirmed last week that they had come close to building a nuclear weapon. The country abandoned the program in 2003, and is no longer considered a secret.
Japan and the US have agreed to further enhance nuclear nonproliferation and security efforts.
The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) say that treated wastewater from the destruction of VX nerve gas poses no risk to humans or the environment.
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/demil/reports/VX/VXPhase2ReportFINAL7-06.pdf
China has strengthened its management over exports of biological agents that could have military uses or be abused by terrorists.
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=1984862&C=asiapac
The UK Foreign Office published the 2005 Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls.
http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029391629&a=KArticle&aid=1153388111218
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released "Export Controls: Improvements to Commerce's Dual-Use System Needed to Ensure Protection of U.S. Interests in the Post-9/11 Environment".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-638
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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Vegetable crops in Europe have been badly affected by high temperatures, with crops in some countries expected to fall by as much as 50 percent. There are similar concerns in California.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/27/europe/web.0727europe.php
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article1199347.ece
Japan has resumed US beef imports from 34 of 35 processing plants.
http://www.usmef.org/TradeLibrary/News06_0727a.asp
http://www.fsc.go.jp/english/index.html
US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has failed two straight audits over its unsafe handling of highly toxic agents, Its Inspector General has found repeated violations of the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act.
http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0727-07.htm
http://www.usda.gov/oig/
The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) is encouraging home grown vegetables as a food security measure.
http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article_local_news?id=56500427
http://www.iica.int/
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CIM Banking and Finance
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Robberies in Iraq are threatening the entire banking system.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/29/world/middleeast/29banks.html
The UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) announced plans to remove audit requirements from regulated small firms.
http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Library/Communication/PR/2006/074.shtml
The US Senate held a hearing on Hedge Funds in which SEC Chairman Christopher Cox promised to push for stronger oversight over the multi-billion-dollar hedge fund industry. Lack of transparency and huge growth together raise concerns over the safety and stability of these investments.
http://banking.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=230
US federal financial regulators have issued proposed rules for public comment in connection with policies and procedures to address identity theft red flags and address discrepancies.
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06064.html
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CIM Cybersecurity
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From Cambridge University, Professor Ross Anderson warns that unsolicited credit cards sent by mail cannot be destroyed simply by cutting it up since adoption of Chip and PIN technology leaves a functioning chip even after the card is cut, making it possible to clone. He says, " My own suggestion would be to bisect the whole chip package using a pair of tin snips. If you don’t have those in your toolbox a hacksaw should do. This isn’t foolproof as there exist labs that can retrieve data from chip fragments, but it’s probably good enough to keep out the hackers."
http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2006/07/20/new-card-security-problem/
Kaspersky Labs reports that malicious software that holds data to ransom is growing so sophisticated that it is beyond the decryption capabilities of anti-virus software. Note this and other trends in "Malware evolution: April - June 2006".
http://www.viruslist.com/en/analysis?pubid=191951869#gpcode
iDefense reports that online banner ads on MySpace and other web sites that exploit a Windows Metafile vulnerability (fixed in January) has infected more than a million users with adware.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2006/07/myspace_ad_served_adware_to_mo.html
A month after the unprecedented cyber-espionage breach at India's National Security Council Secretariat the Integrated Defense Staff (IDS) Headquarters has now reported a theft of three hard drives.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/9502.html
The New York Post reports on a web supermarket for terrorists:
http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/print.php?url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/07032006/news/nationalnews/qaedalist_com_nationalnews_niles_lathem__post_correspondent.htm
Hackers at the HOPE conference demonstrated how to clone an RFID chip implanted in a human, making it possible to falsify identity.
http://cq.cx/verichip.pl
http://blogs.reuters.com/2006/07/22/high-tech-cloning/
http://www.verichipcorp.com/content/company/rfidtags#implantable
http://www.hopenumbersix.net/
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released "Personal Information: Key Federal Privacy Laws Do Not Require Information Resellers to Safeguard All Sensitive Data". Prepared at the request of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, the report explains that the growth of companies that collect and resell publicly available and private information on individuals has raised privacy and security concerns, and some have experienced security breaches. GAO recommends that congress considers requiring safeguards of personal data and giving the Federal Trade Commission improved enforcement authority.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-674
This is illustrated by this case. US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents arrested Steven Rambam, CEO of online investigation service Pallorium. Rambam was about to lead a discussion on privacy, featuring a description of how in just a few hours he was able to obtain huge amounts of personal data from private and public databases about another HOPE hacker convention delegate. The private investigator was subsequently charged with witness tampering and obstruction of justice - no relation to his HOPE presentation.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2006/07/fbi_arrest_private_eye_speaker.html
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/Rambam%20Complaint.pdf
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2006/07/fbi_charges_hope_speaker_with_1.html
And some recent news of compromised personal data:
* Marsh Inc reports that a missing computer containing personal data on more than half a million workers compensation claimants has been recovered, and the data does not appear to have been used.
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2006/07/27/70853.htm
* M-D Management reports a laptop containing information on 8,000 clients of the financial services company was stolen.
http://www.630ched.com/news/news_local.cfm?cat=7428109912&rem=43854&red=80110923aPBIny&wids=410&gi=1&gm=news_local.cfm
* Old Mutual Capital Inc has notified 6,500 fund shareholders that a laptop containing their personal data was stolen.
http://www.moneyweb.co.za/shares/international_news/767831.htm
* An email intended for the Riverside city payroll department was mistakenly sent to 2,300 employees last week, potentially exposing Social Security numbers, payment and other personal data.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-me-email28jul28,1,2865201.story?coll=la-mininav-technology
* The US Navy disclosed another laptop theft, the third disclosure of personal information in little more than a month.
http://www.navytimes.com/story.php?f=1-26.php
Yahoo! is partnering with Symantec to provide internet security products.
http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=204922
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CIM Dams
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The Hindustan Times reports that dams are on Lashkar-e-Toiba's target list.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/5922_1756214,0015002500000000.htm
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CIM Defense Industrial Base
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The UK National Audit Office released its report on Delivering Digital Tactical Communications Through the Bowman CIP Program. The GBP2.4 billion replacement of analog with digital radios has been well received and is already starting to reap benefits:
"Those using it find the secure communications and situational awareness capabilities are having a direct and positive effect. Acknowledged to be considerably quicker and more secure than the outdated Clansman radios, the Bowman program indicates progress, through delivery of enhanced technical solutions, towards the originally envisaged improvements in operational tempo and effectiveness."
There are also a number of recommendations, primarily related to program management issues.
http://www.nao.org.uk/pn/05-06/05061050.htm
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/EquipmentAndLogistics/ModWelcomesNationalAuditOfficeReportIntoBattlefieldCommunications.htm
The US Government Accountability Office issued "Defense Technologies: DOD's Critical Technologies Lists Rarely Inform Export Control and Other Policy Decisions".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-793
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CIM Emergency Services
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Queensland, Australia, has launched a program to increase the number of indigenous people in the emergency services.
http://www.nit.com.au/business/story.aspx?id=7502
Papua New Guinea's provincial administrators have called for the country's three emergency services to be combined for better coordination and management.
http://www.thenational.com.pg/072706/editorial1.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/ra/pacbeat/stories/s1699771.htm
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CIM Energy
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ASEAN energy ministers affirmed the importance of energy security.
http://www.aseansec.org
The EU adopted revised Trans-European Energy (TEN-E) Guidelines, which specify the EU-wide energy transmission network.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/06/304&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Spanish regulators have approved, with 19 conditions, the acquisition of power company Endesa by E.ON of Germany, although it previously had approved a takeover bid from the Spanish energy group Gas Natural.
http://www.eon.info/common/inc/download.php?docid=29
http://www.endesa.es/Portal/portada?url=/Portal/en/default.htm&idioma=en&
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CIM Government Facilities
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Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigators posing as private citizens purchased several sensitive military equipment items from the Department of Defense's liquidation sales contractor, indicating lack of enforcement of security controls. This information was provided in a report issued in May and in testimony to the House Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, this week.
http://reform.house.gov/NSETIR/Hearings/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=47684
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-943
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CIM Information Technology
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The European internet domain registry EURid has suspended 74,000 domain names for breach of contract. They are believed acquired en masse for future sale. EURid does not permit such warehousing.
http://www.eurid.eu/en/general/news/eurid-suspends-74-000-eu-domain-names-due-to-breach-of-contract
The UK Department of Trade and Industry has announced that producers and importers of electronic goods will be responsible for recycling from January 2007, to ease the growing problem of electronic waste.
http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/detail.asp?ReleaseID=216704&NewsAreaID=2
http://www.dti.gov.uk/consultations/page32448.html
http://www.defra.gov.uk/ENVIRONMENT/waste/topics/electrical/index.htm
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee_index.htm
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the US Department of Commerce held a public meeting on 26 June to discuss transition of internet domain name and addressing system to the private sector.
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/forums/2006/726dns/index.htm
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CIM Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste
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The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) released "Commercial Satellite Imagery Suggests Pakistan is Building a Second, Much Larger Plutonium Production Reactor at Khushab". Although the Khushab site is well-known, there are fears that Pakistan, which has a history of nuclear proliferation, could produce enough plutonium for as many as 50 additional weapons each year. Pakistan has called for the US to give it equal treatment with India in nuclear cooperation, and stresses it is not involved in an arms race.
http://www.isis-online.org/publications/southasia/newkhushab.pdf
Three kilograms of Russian-origin highly enriched uranium (HEU) that could be used for a nuclear weapon has been removed from Libya's Tajoura research reactor with support from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and returned to Russia.
http://www.nnsa.doe.gov/docs/newsreleases/2006/PR_2006-07-27_NA-06-30.htm
The US Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology & Homeland Security held a hearing on "Detecting Smuggled Nuclear Weapons"
http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=668
The House Committee on Armed Services, Strategic Forces Subcommittee held an open hearing on plutonium disposition and the US mixed oxide fuel facility.
Matthew Bunn, Senior Research Associate, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
http://www.house.gov/hasc/schedules/07-26-06BunnTestimony.pdf
Ambassador Linton Brooks, Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration
http://www.house.gov/hasc/schedules/href="07-26-06BrooksTestimony.pdf
Charles Anderson, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Environmental Management, US Department of Energy
http://www.house.gov/hasc/schedules/07-26-06Anderson%20Testimony.pdf
Ambassador Michael Guhin, Fissile Materials Negotiator, US Department of State
http://www.house.gov/hasc/schedules/07-26-06GuhinTestimony.pdf
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CIM Postal and Shipping
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In "US Postal Service: Delivery Performance Standards, Measurement, and Reporting Need Improvement" the GAO recommends that the postal service modernize its delivery standards, implement delivery performance measures, and improve transparency of delivery performance standards, measures, and results.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-733
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CIM Public Health and Healthcare
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The World Health Organization warns that up to 60,000 people year die from excess exposure to the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation.
http://www.who.int/uv/publications/solaradgbd/en/index.html
Cincinnati University researchers warn that although people with dark skin are less likely to get skin cancer, they are more likely to die from it because it is typically more aggressive and diagnosed later.
http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.asp?id=4160
Canadian Prime Minister Harper announced C$1 billion compensation for people infected with Hepatitis C from tainted blood because the public health system used outdated screening systems.
http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=1256
Rudolf Klein, reviews "The Troubled Transformation of Britain's National Health Service" in the 27 July issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. He finds that, " ...the Blair government is engaged in a double gamble. The first gamble is that the rate of improvement in efficiency produced by the new model will balance any increase in the demands on the NHS generated by the model. The second is that this balance will come in time for the government to reduce the rate of growth in the NHS's budget when its present commitment to high spending ends with fiscal year 2007. If by then there is no balance between efficiency gains and increased demands, between destruction and creation, the political reaction is likely to justify the invocation of crisis in a way that recent events certainly do not.
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/355/4/409?query=TOC
Prime Minister Blair gave a speech on public health in which he called for individuals to take more responsibility for their own health, including changes to lifestyles, to help ease pressure on the health services.
http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page9921.asp
The National Institute on Drug Abuse has released a research-based guide that provides 13 essential treatment principles for drug abuse treatment in criminal justice settings, emphasizing monitored, personalized disease treatment.
http://www.nida.nih.gov/PODAT_CJ/
A letter in the New England Journal of Medicine warns of the dangers of sniffing mothballs.
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/355/4/423
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CIM Telecommunications
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A Russian Dnepr rocket shut down and crashed 86 seconds into its flight, destroying all 18 satellites on board: 17 were for foreign customers including Belarus (its first), Italy, and the US.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060727/51917319.html
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ESA_Permanent_Mission_in_Russia/SEMZ5C0XDYD_0.html
The Carphone Warehouse commissioned a social study from the London School of Economics and Political Science to examine how mobile phones have changed the way people live. Among the findings of this report, the first in a series, are:
* Young adults say their mobile phone is more important to them than television
* Texting has overtaken talking as the most popular way to use mobile phones
* The majority of young women use their mobile phone to deter the unwanted advances of men
* Approximately 1 in 10 people have had a mobile phone stolen. The figure rises to nearly 1 in 5 for young women
* Half of people would use their mobile to record a crime, and more than a third would use the camera or video on their mobile phone to snap a celebrity or newsworthy event
* Almost half of mobile phone-users think they are too much at the beck and call of their employer as a result of using their mobile phone for work
http://www.cpwplc.com/cpw/media/press/2006/2006-07-24/
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CIM Transportation
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Note in DRM/Response and Recovery, below, the court ruling finding Germany liable for a 2002 air collision, and the operational gaps in EU air safety the case demonstrated.
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued two transportation reports:
"Security: TSA Oversight of Checked Baggage Screening Procedures Could Be Strengthened".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-869
"Rail Transit: Additional Federal Leadership Would Enhance FTA's State Safety Oversight Program"
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-821
The West Indies are evaluating airport security issues ahead of next April's Cricket World Cup.
http://www.antiguasun.com/paper/?as=view&sun=281935077507132005&an=202437087507252006&ac=Sports
Heritage Foundation researchers suggest it is "Time to Rethink Airport Security".
http://www.heritage.org/Research/HomelandDefense/bg1955.cfm
Escalating fighting in the Middle East poses a serous threat to commercial shipping, including individuals being evacuated through that route.
http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=1320&doc_id=6548
A Seattle Times reporter describes how he breached port security by hitching a ride and showing an expired driver's license.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003149964_portsecurity25.html
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships report finds that the number of reported worldwide piracy attacks January-June 2006 remained at 127, the same as last year. The overall number of attacks remained the same, but the situations in Somalia, Indonesia, and Bangladesh have deteriorated.
http://www.icc-ccs.org/main/news.php?newsid=69
In Bangladesh, the Chittagong Port Authority plans to protest the IMB's description of it as the most dangerous port in the world, insisting that the IMB's 22 reports of piracy were actually petty thefts.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/07/28/d60728012617.htm
http://www.icc-ccs.org/prc/piracyreport.php
Thai and Malaysian police have launched a rescue effort to free three Thai fishermen abducted by pirates in the Malacca Straits and held for ransom. The three men were captaining Malaysian-owned boats.
India's rail ministry plans to implement access restrictions to rail platforms.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1823625.cms
South Africa's commuter trains have increased the security budget from R90-million in 1995 to R257-million last year and is increasing the integration of the police service back into rail security.
http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/eng/news/thisweek/?show=90032
The US Transportation Security Administration is requiring new background checks for hazardous material drivers in Canada or Mexico.
http://www.tsa.gov/press/releases/2006/press_release_07252006.shtm
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CIM Water
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Azerbaijan warns citizens against drinking from polluted river waters.
http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=12523
Water supplies in southern Lebanon and in Gaza have been seriously damaged by Israeli air and land operations that have shut down electrical supplies and destroyed much of the infrastructure.
Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels closed an irrigation channel providing water to some 15,000 families and 30,000 acres of rice plantings. Government security forces are engaged in an operation to re-secure the water supply.
http://www.nationalsecurity.lk/fullnews.php?id=389
http://www.colombopage.com/archive/July29143632SL.html
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=18947
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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China held commemorations in Tangshan on 28 July to mark 30 years since a 7.8 magnitude earthquake flattened the city and left some 240,000 people dead.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-07/28/content_652354.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5221296.stm
http://www.rms.com/Publications/1976Tangshan.pdf (30 year retrospective)
China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters report that through 26 July, 29 areas have been struck by floods that have left 1,076 dead, 359 missing, and economic losses of over 74 billion yuan.
http://english.people.com.cn//200607/28/eng20060728_287727.html
Heatwaves in the Northern Hemisphere are harming agriculture and leading to energy shortages. There have been significant heat-related deaths including at least 130 in California (US) and 64 in France.
Typhoon Kaemi left 25 people dead and 50 missing in China.
An explosion at the Fuyuan Chemical Plant in the eastern Jiangsu province of China has left at least 22 dead, and 28 still missing.
In earthquake-hit Pakistan-administered Kashmir, heavy rain caused a landslide that killed seven children and five adults, still living in makeshift tents.
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DRM Response and Recovery
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Germany's civil court in Constance found that Germany is liable for damages and compensation caused by the 2002 collision between a German freighter and a Russian passenger plane that killed all 71 on board, most Russia children on holiday. German crash investigators had found technical problems and inadequate staffing that led to the single air traffic controller providing only 43 seconds for the pilots to act. The court ruled that since Germany had given private Swiss firm Skyguide control over part of its airspace, it was partially liable. The case highlights gaps in operational procedures in EU airspace. The air traffic controller involved was later stabbed to death in an apparent revenge attack. Compensation amounts have not yet been determined.
http://www.lgkonstanz.de/servlet/PB/menu/1201101/index.html?ROOT=1160540 (in German)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=aIaF3b7KSabk
http://www.airdisaster.com/photos/bts2937/photo.shtml
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released "Small Business Administration: Actions Needed to Provide More Timely Disaster Assistance". The report looks at lessons learned from last year's Gulf Coast hurricanes, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, and recommends a number of measures, include improved capacity planning, to better help individuals and businesses recover from disasters.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-860
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DRM Risks
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Indonesians on North Sulawesi's Siau Island have stayed in shelter away from Mount Karangetang volcano, which is on high alert from volcanic ash, lava, and other debris. The Mayon volcano in the Philippines continues its slow eruption.
"The Gender and Disaster Sourcebook" is an online guide to lessons learned and practical knowledge to address gender equality and disaster risk.
http://www.gdnonline.org/sourcebook/index.htm
The Public Entity Risk Institute published the second edition of the Risk Management Yearbook, focusing on disaster management.
http://www.riskinstitute.org/PERI/PTR/2006+Risk+Management+Yearbook.htm
http://www.riskcenter.com/story.php?id=13184&PHPSESSID=ebe05f7f742fd8a52b7d4ddaa939e806
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DRM Mitigation
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Oxfam reports that the average number of food emergencies in Africa has nearly tripled since the mid-1980s. This indicates that emergency intervention is only a partial solution and is often too late and too expensive. In "Causing Hunger: An overview of the food crisis in Africa" Oxfam argues that new thinking and more action are needed to address long-term needs in support of agriculture, infrastructure, and social safety nets.
http://www.oxfam.org/en/news/pressreleases2006/pr060724_africa_food_crisis
The US House Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment held a joint hearing on "Terrorism Threats and the Insurance Market". Testimony emphasized the need for long-term solutions and government participation in terrorism insurance.
http://financialservices.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=detail&hearing=495
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2006/07/25/70774.htm
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=reutersEdge&storyID=2006-06-26T194848Z_01_N23221299_RTRUKOC_0_US-FINANCIAL-INSURANCE-TERRORISM.xml
The US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security, held a hearing on "Cyber Security: Recovery and Reconstitution of Critical Networks". Witness testimony revealed that businesses are not adequately prepared for a catastrophic cyber disruption. The hearing was supported by two key reports. The Business Roundtable provided "Essential Steps Toward Strengthening America's Cyber Terrorism Preparedness", and the GAO provided " Internet Infrastructure: DHS Faces Challenges in Developing a Joint Public/Private Recovery Plan".
http://hsgac.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=381
http://www.businessroundtable.org/pdf/20060622002CyberReconFinal6106.pdf
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-672
An earlier Middle East crisis helps provide background and perspective to the regional conflicts that continue fifty years later.
The Suez Canal is one of the modern wonders of the world. 101 miles long, it links the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, allowing 2-way transportation of Europe and Asia without circumnavigating Africa. The first canals date to the Egyptian Pharaohs as early as the 12th century BC. The current canal, constructed by the French, opened to traffic in 1869 and became a vital asset for the French and British colonial powers.
http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/modern/suezcanal.html
On 13 June 1956, Great Britain gave up the Suez Canal, ending 72 years of colonial occupation. Gamal Abdel Nasser, who was Prime Minister under the Republic, was elected president in 1956. His associations with the Soviet Union led European and US backers to shy away from much-needed investments in the canal and other infrastructure developments important for Egypt's economic development. To help finance the Aswan High Dam, Nasser announced plans to nationalize the Suez Canal on 26 July 1956. The UK responded by freezing Egyptian assets, imposing an arms embargo, informing Nasser that he can't have the canal, and mobilizing armed forces. Nasser agreed to negotiate, supported by the USSR, and the matter went before the UN. Talks failed, and by mid-September Egypt took over full control of the canal. Israel invaded the peninsula at the end of October, and French and UK forces launched an airborne invasion in early November. UN pressure, bolstered by the US, forced an end to the Tripartite Invasion on 29 November. Europeans look back on this war as a pivotal point in the end of colonial rule, and the final shift in the global balance of power from Europe to the US and USSR.
This week, Egypt celebrated the 50th anniversary of nationalization as "a brave step at a critical period of Egypt's modern history to achieve development and progress for all Egyptians". A commemorative coin was issued, with the Suez Canal Company building and raising Egyptian flag on one aide, and on the back, the 25-piaster value, Hegira and Gregorian calendars, and the Pharaonic eagle were inscribed. The anniversary also marked great economic success. As the Suez Canal Authority explained at the press conference, the canal "achieved the highest yearly revenues in its history in June hitting $3.6 billion".
http://www.sis.gov.eg/En/Land&people/50th/
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/779F4F08-BCB5-4777-A806-62A355498989.htm
Books covering these events include the following:
Anthony Gorst and Lewis Johnman use key primary sources incorporated in the text of "The Suez Crisis" to explain the background to the crisis, invasion, and aftermath. (Routledge)
Keith Kyle's "Suez: Britain's End of Empire in the Middle East is a comprehensive, authoritative resource. It incorporates data on the role of the US and its impact on UN involvement and narrates the fall of UK Prime Minister Eden and the rise of Egyptian President Nasser. Kyle explains why the Arab world calls these events the Tripartate Aggression, and shows how Egypt's defeat of the three aggressors - France, Israel, and the UK - helped end colonialism and unite the Arab world. (I.B.Taurus)
Kyle article on the anniversary:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/egypt/story/0,,1819239,00.html
W. Scott Lucas provides more detail on the role of intelligence services in " Divided we stand: Britain, the US, and the Suez Crisis" (Hodder & Stoughton)
"The Suez Crisis 1956" by Derek Varble is one of the Osprey's Essential Histories series that looks at the conflict from multiple viewpoints, including the soldier and the long-term international impact. (Osprey Publishing)
Daniel Yergin's "The Prize : The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power" is a history of oil. Chapter 24 focuses on the Suez crisis. (Free Press)
A bibliography of older books and articles can be found here:
http://users.skynet.be/terrorism/html/israel_suez.htm
A BBC series marks the 50th anniversary of the Suez Crisis with extensive background and analysis, including maps, a timeline and video of UK Prime Minister Anthony Eden's "no apology" speech.
Roger Hardy, "Regime change, 1950s -style"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5212448.stm
On This Day 26 July (with audio of Egyptian President Nasser's announcement and remembrances of former soldiers)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/26/newsid_2701000/2701603.stm
Radio 4 Today program:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/reports/international/suez_2006.shtml
Paul Reynolds, "Suez: End of empire"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5199392.stm
The Guardian offers a 5-part series, and articles from the archive:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/egypt/story/0,,1814037,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/egypt/story/0,,1817357,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/egypt/story/0,,1817659,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/egypt/story/0,,1818430,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/egypt/story/0,,1819115,00.html
From the archive:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/fromthearchive/story/0,,1819648,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/fromthearchive/story/0,,1379131,00.html
Other web resources:
Britain's Small Wars
http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Canal/ROH/RollofHonour_Intro.html
Suez Canal
http://lexicorient.com/e.o/suez_can.htm
http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/Modern/suezcanal.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Canal
Suez Veterans Association
http://www.suezveteransassociation.co.uk/
8. Asset Management Network News
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