From UN General Assembly coverage to Identity Theft Task Force recommendations, this Newsletter covers the global threats and opportunities facing international businesses and governments today. Take particular note of our participation in the Connected Health initiative, where we have contributed valuable information about lessons learned not only in healthcare but in other critical sectors.

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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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The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are collaborating on a major drug investigation, including interruption of a major cocaine shipment from Canada that led to the arrest of six men in Brisbane.
http://www.afp.gov.au/media_releases/national/2006/135_kilograms_of_cocaine_seized

Israeli Defense Forces raided the West Bank homes and offices of 14 Palestinian moneychangers. Two were arrested and some $1.5 million was seized on the belief that Syrian and Lebanese terrorist organizations were channeling funds to support attacks in the West Bank. Eight offices and the Nablus branch of the Jordanian National Bank were destroyed.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/765565.html

The Central Bank of Russia has revoked the license of Kumost-Inkass for failing to observe customer identification and currency requirements under the Money Laundering Abatement and Counter Terrorist Financing Act.
http://www.akm.ru/eng/news/2006/september/21/ns1780326.htm

Russian bank regulator Andrej Kozlov's efforts to fight illegal cash flows made many enemies. The roots of his assassination last week are discussed in this 22 September article, "Murdered Regulator in Russia Made Plenty of Enemies" by the Wall Street Journal's Guy Chazan.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115889070184770920.html

British police arrested a woman in Manchester suspected in connection with suspected terrorist financing and training linked to the Islamic militant organization Al-Muhajiroun.
http://www.gmp.police.uk/mainsite/pages/BC66BCDF21965FCB802571EE00582E03.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/5361898.stm

Eight men have been jailed in the UK for a total of more than a hundred years following their convictions in a Turkey-to-London heroin smuggling operation.
http://cms.met.police.uk/news/convictions/organised_crime/met_dismantles_major_turkish_drugs_network

Muhammad Salah served five years in Israeli prison after a 1993 arrest and in 2004 was indicted in the US on charges that he raised money for Hamas. This week the high profile terrorism investigation took a new twist when prosecutors dropped with prejudice the charge that Salah provided material support to terrorists. He still faces charges of racketeering and lying, but the dismissal of this charge could affect other counts under the case. A paid informant is no longer testifying.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-ap-il-hamasindictment,1,1400884.story
http://www.suntimes.com/output/terror/cst-nws-salah23.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0609030273sep03,1,1850832.story
http://www.usdoj.gov/archive/ag/speeches/2004/ag082004_hamas.htm
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/indict/2004/marzook_et_al.pdf

Madjied Ali Samsoedien ("Jerry"), Nancy Karrsenhout, and Angel Soler have been convicted and sentenced for money laundering in connection with an Ecstasy trafficking scheme between Florida and Suriname.
http://lawfuel.com/show-release.asp?ID=8407

Indiana Excise Police and Madison County officers arrested former teamsters official John Neal on felony charges of professional gambling, promoting professional gambling, money laundering and corrupt business influence in connection with a multi-county video gambling operation.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/local/15556273.htm

A federal grand jury in Kentucky charged Kalen Watkins with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, money laundering, and obstruction of justice in connection with falsifying invoices in his role as environmental manager for Fruit of the Loom. Investigators have found over $3 million in cash: about a third hidden in a wall of his home.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/18/business/NA_FIN_COM_US_Fruit_of_the_Loom_Charges.php

Michael Don Hutton pleaded guilty in Montana federal court to wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering in connection with insurance fraud.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/09/21/news/local/38-agent.txt
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AML/CFT Legislation and Regulation
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The IMF and G7 continued to agree on the need to combat AML/CFT.

The African Development Bank has developed a draft Strategy for the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing on the continent, for review at the bank's Board meeting in December.
http://www.dailynews-tsn.com/page.php?id=3554

Afghan President Karzai, speaking before the UN General Assembly, called on the international community to maintain support for his government's counter-narcotics efforts. He said that the drug trade is fueled by the lack of alternative livelihoods for farmers, lack of security, and clandestine credit flows to poppy farmers. The trade feeds terrorism, which has rebounded over the past month, and threatens the foundations of economic development in the country.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/ga10504.doc.htm

Australia has imposed financial sanctions against individuals and companies it believes is helping finance North Korea's nuclear and other WMD programs.
http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/2006/fa105_06.html

Bangladesh has made little progress in addressing some 45 money laundering cases lodges since the 2002 Anti Money Laundering Act came into effect.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/09/22/d60922020219.htm
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/62126.php/US_worried_at_Bangladesh_failure_to_curb_money_laundering

China is receiving an Asian Development Bank (ADB) grant to help strengthen AML efforts.
http://www.adb.org/Media/Articles/2006/10662-PRC-money-laundering/default.asp

Japan's Cabinet approved new financial sanctions targeting 15 groups and one individual allegedly linked to North Korea's weapons development programs.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060922f2.html

Kuwait has joined international AML conventions and is drafting further legislation.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=906458

Montenegro and the Ukraine have signed a cooperation agreement to combat AML/CFT and transnational crime.
http://en.for-ua.com/news/2006/09/21/155739.html

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat has established an AML/CFT program to assist the 14 member countries in the region.
http://www.forumsec.org.fj/

US President Bush has designated the following countries as major drug producing countries: Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela.
http://www.state.gov/p/inl/rls/prsrl/ps/72379.htm

US Treasury officials have contacted associates around the world to encourage other countries, particularly in Europe and the Gulf, to discourage any banking activities with Iran, which they believe finances extremists and weapons programs.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=3&article_id=75512
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/business/2006/September/business_September537.xml&section=business
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06084.html

In the US state of Nevada, gaming regulators eliminated Regulation 6A. The state money laundering regulation has become obsolete now that the Patriot Act obligates federal authorities to track large cash transactions.
http://www.casinocitytimes.com/news/article.cfm?contentID=161249
http://gaming.nv.gov/ngc_main.htm

The Charlotte Observer, a newspaper in the US state of North Carolina, reviewed penalties imposed by Treasury against US banks, highlighting the willingness of financial institutions to pay fines in order to skirt sanctions.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/15579402.htm

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AML/CFT Modalities
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A recent video from al Qaeda's second-in-command Zawahiri claims support from the Algerian Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC).


New Zealand's Ministry of Justice is investigating possible connections between AML/CFT and the legal profession.
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=104014
http://www.justice.govt.nz/

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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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Heads of the African Development Bank Group, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank Group, Inter-American Development Bank Group, International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank Group agreed on a common framework to combat fraud and corruption in their activities and investments:
* Agreement in principle on standardized definitions of fraudulent and corrupt practices for investigating such practices in activities financed by them;
* Agreement on common principles and guidelines for investigations;
* Agreement to strengthen the exchange of information, as appropriate and with due attention to confidentiality, in connection with investigations into fraudulent and corrupt practices;
* Agreement on general integrity due diligence principles relating to private sector lending and investment decisions;
* Agreement to further explore how compliance and enforcement actions taken by one institution can be supported by the others.
http://www.afdb.org/portal/page?_pageid=293,158705&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&focus_item=6270218&focus_lang=us

Australian Federal Judge Neil Young ruled that the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) had forfeited confidentiality on hundreds of documents related to the oil-for-food scandal, and ordered it to turn the documents over to the Cole inquiry into the scandal. The deadline for the inquiry to complete its proceedings and deliver its report has been extended to 24 November.
http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/2006/s1746378.htm
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=32&ContentID=7501
http://www.awb.com.au/aboutawb/media/mediareleases/StatementFromAWBRegardingFederalCourtDecisionOnLegalProfessionalPrivilege.htm
http://www.familyrelationships.gov.au/agd/www/UNOilForFoodInquiry.nsf
http://www.ag.gov.au/agd/WWW/MinisterRuddockHome.nsf/Page/Media_Releases_2006_Third_Quarter_1822006_-_21_September_2006_-_Government_to_give_Oil-for-Food_Inquiry_more_time

Canadian attorneys general from the provinces of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba have signed an agreement to join efforts to end organized and increasingly sophisticated criminal networks. They will train and collaborate on methods to present compelling evidence;  use and interpretation of criminal organization Criminal Code provisions; wiretap evidence; search and seizure; and proceeds of crime and criminal forfeiture.
http://qgovbk.newswire.ca/gouvqc/communiques/GPQE/Septembre2006/22/c9015.html
http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/news/2006/20060922-interpro-bg.asp

China's National Audit Office issued its 5-year plan, in which it will explore new ways to audit officials at all levels of government and industry.

In Ireland, the Mahon Tribunal (formerly the Flood Tribunal) into alleged planning corruption continues. Prime Minister Bertie Ahern recently confirmed that he received a number of payments in the 1990s, but emphasized that the tribunal was aware of the details and there was nothing further to discuss.
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/front/2006/0921/1158590847783.html
http://www.planningtribunal.ie/

Fraud charges against South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma have been dropped.

To counter carousel fraud UK Revenue and Customs have set a new "reverse charge" tax for certain electronic goods. This will stop criminals stealing taxes charged on goods imported without tax for reshipment within the EU by ensuring that only the final retailer can levy value added tax.
http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageVAT_ShowContent&propertyType=document&id=HMCE_PROD1_026038
https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2006/090306.html#4

Sir Christopher Evans has become the third person attested in the UK cash for peerages scandal.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5366858.stm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2371297,00.html

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed financial fraud charges against Doral Financial Corporation for overstating income. The company has consented to a court order including payment  of a $25 million civil penalty.
http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2006/2006-155.htm

In a particularly egregious case of backdating stock options, Cablevision Systems Corp awarded options to a vice chair after his death, making it appear they were granted while he was still alive.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8K9V7O81.htm

SEC has clarified proper accounting procedures for backdated options.
http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2006/2006-156.htm

The US House Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce and Agency Organization, held a hearing on "Executive and Judicial Compensation in the Federal Government". It reviewed a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that covered inequities in top level compensation in executive and judicial pay plans; adverse impact of inflation and the failure to keep pace with changing economic conditions; and what approach should be considered to possibly restructuring top level pay plans. GAO recommends reexamination of the total compensation package.
http://reform.house.gov/FWAO/Hearings/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=50438

As further details of Hewlett-Packard's spying on its board members have emerged, chairman Patricia Dunn has resigned, and CEO Mark Hurd has assumed her responsibilities in addition to his roles as President and CEO, a consolidation of control that has led to additional questions regarding corporate governance. State and federal investigations are under way.
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2006/060922a.html
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2006/060922b.html
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Story.aspx?guid=%7B24E7C993-2B1E-4F80-80DE-7FA1E353236D%7D&siteid=
http://www.cio.com/blog_view.html?CID=25018
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ETM Economies and Financial Systems
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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Board of Governors has approved quota and other governance reforms to provide a greater voice to emerging economies. China, Mexico, South Korea and Turkey also had increased voting quotas, but India's was slightly reduced. The revised formula includes GDP and market openness. India wants to include the need for developing economies to protect their people from foreign competition.
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2006/pr06205.htm
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2006-09/22/content_694455.htm
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2007043.cms

The UN General Assembly's meeting on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) focused on the lack of significant progress in reducing poverty in the world's 50 poorest and most vulnerable countries, even as they posted sharply improved economic performance. Despite economic growth, greater exports, larger investment inflows, and some progress on reducing maternal and child mortality and increasing universal primary enrolment, there has been minimal impact in the fight against extreme poverty. Globalization must be made to work at least as much for the poor as for the rich.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2006/ga10497.doc.htm
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2006/dsgsm297.doc.htm

The UN Conference on Trade and Development released "Economic Development in Africa 2006 - Doubling Aid Making the 'Big Push' Work". The report calls for the majority of African aid to be channeled through a single agency instead of the current practice that involves 75 separate agencies in up to 300 missions per year.
http://www.unctad.org/Templates/WebFlyer.asp?intItemID=3937&lang=1

The Cairns Group of agricultural exporters has called for a quick resumption on World Trade Organizations Doha Round of talks.
http://www.cairnsgroup.org/meetings/20anniversary_communique.html
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/sppl_e/sppl35_e.htm
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ETM Environment and Climate Change
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Pacific nations addressed the UN General Assembly with their concerns over the affects of climate change and other issues.
http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/61/pdfs/federated_states_micronesia-e.pdf
http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/61/pdfs/nauru-e.pdf
http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/61/pdfs/new_zealand-e.pdf
http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/61/pdfs/palau-e.pdf
http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/61/pdfs/solomon_islands-e.pdf

Multiple studies over the past year have established the link between rising ocean temperatures and increased hurricane intensity:
http://www.nwf.org/hurricanestudy/

Greenpeace has graded laptop computer makers to determine their use of environmentally unfriendly substances, ranking Hewlett-Packard and Apple the most contaminated.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/hp-apple-toxic-laptops180906

UN Environment Program officials called on African cities to push harder to gain access to global environment funds that can finance such environmentally safe urban development through such projects as sustainable public transportation systems, less polluting energy supplies, and safety improvements for walkers and cyclists. Funds are also available to deal with pollution, urban waste, and other issues associated with mushrooming urban populations and associated slums. http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=487&ArticleID=5357&l=en
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=3788&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0

Indonesia is considering legal measures including a possible human rights abuse case against Lapindo Brantas, the company responsible for the hot toxic mudflow that has inundated much of East Java since a gas well was breached on 29 May.

Ivory Coast is reeling from the aftermath of a toxic waste dump that has killed seven and harmed thousands. Two French officials of the Dutch-based Trafigura Beheer BV company responsible for the waste have been arrested and charged with poisoning and breaking laws on waste.
http://www.trafigura.com/press_statement.aspx

Using temperature records dating from 1659, UK Meteorological Office researchers modeled the data to find that the rise of one degree centigrade from 1950 to now is not part of a natural cycle but instead due to human emissions of greenhouse gases.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/113303913/ABSTRACT

The US House Committee on Government Reform held a hearing on "Climate Change Technology Research: Do We Need a 'Manhattan Project' for the Environment?" Testimony called for investment in technology innovation, federal participation, and better reporting on initiatives.
http://reform.house.gov/GovReform/Hearings/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=50466

A National Wildlife Federation investigation finds that mercury pollution from industrial sources such as power plants has accumulated in birds, mammals, and even reptiles, affecting nearly every corner of the food chain and presenting much broader contamination than previously understood.
http://www.nwf.org/news/story.cfm?pageId=CBABA70A%2D92E3%2DDB51%2D75FFBF1B5A9BC3C4

Former Vice President Al Gore addressed the New York University School of Law in a major speech setting out a proposal to develop a Carbon Neutral Mortgage Association to help homeowners refit and built new energy-efficient homes.
http://www.law.nyu.edu/newscalendars/2006_2007/gore/index.html

The state of California has sued Chrysler Motors Corporation, General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Toyota Motor North America, Inc., Honda North America, and Nissan North America. They are accused of contributing to global warming, thereby harming the resources, infrastructure and environmental health of California, and costing the state millions to address current and future effects.
http://ag.ca.gov/newsalerts/release.php?id=1338
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ETM Human Rights
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International Peace Day was marked on 21 September.

UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment Manfred Nowak reports that most states have not taken the necessary legislative measures to ensure that law enforcement officials understand that torture constitutes a serious crime which can never be justified. This failure contributes to a climate of impunity and a lack of awareness, which in turn constitutes one of the major reasons that torture persists in many countries and regions of the world. He gave examples from recent trips to China, Georgia, Jordan, Mongolia, Nepal Uzbekistan, and others.
http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/25A8D3BA1A0ADA6CC12571F00024568B

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) launched a new program to encourage states to integrate respect for the human rights of soldiers into the way their military institutions operate.
http://www.osce.org/item/20641.html

"Starting Strong II" is a new Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report that shows more countries are making early childhood education and care a priority, with greater attention paid to service quality. Reviewing Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States, the report notes:
* a growing consensus - based on research from a wide range of countries covering demographics, social change and cost-benefit analyses - that governments must invest in and regulate early childhood education and care;
* a trend towards integrating early childhood policy and administration under one ministry, often education;
* moves towards greater contact between early childhood centers and schools, and growing use of national curricular frameworks in the early childhood sector;
* the provision of at least two years of kindergarten before children enter compulsory schooling;
* growing, but still insufficient, government investment in services;
* more participatory approaches to quality improvement, based on wide consultation of stakeholders and the engagement of professional staff in documentation and research;
* clearer ideas at government level of the qualifications needed by staff to engage with rapidly changing social and family conditions;
* an increase in university chairs in early childhood education and care policy;
* and a recognition of the need for more country research and data collection in the field.
http://www.oecd.org/document/61/0,2340,en_2649_201185_37426685_1_1_1_1,00.html

China has told Amnesty International that it will improve human rights in time for the 2008 Olympics.
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA170532006
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA170512006

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines told the UN General Assembly that nearly 200 years since the UK - Africa slave trade was abolished, Europe has neither apologized nor offered reparations for this crime against humanity and genocide. He called for European and North American nations to acknowledge these crimes, and offer both moral and financial compensation.
http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/61/pdfs/st_vincents_grenadines-e.pdf

UN special rapporteur on racism, Doudou Diene, has criticized Switzerland for what he said were discriminatory tendencies and racism in the current discussion over national identity.
http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front/detail/UN_racism_envoy_points_finger_at_Switzerland.html?siteSect=105&sid=7079485&cKey=1158735036000

The US Supreme Court rejected a final appeal for Clarence Hill, who had been granted a stay of execution in January when he argued successfully that lethal injection chemicals caused unnecessary pain, forcing the 38 states that permit execution to review their procedures. Hill was executed in Florida 24 years after he shot and killed a police officer.
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2006/09/florida-death-row-inmate-executed.php

The US Department of state released the 2006 International Religious Freedom Report. It lists the following as countries of particular concern for particularly severe violations of religious freedom: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Vietnam.
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/
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ETM Infectious Diseases
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Indonesia has 65 confirmed cases of human avian influenza H5N1 infections, of which 49 have proven fatal.
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_09_14/en/index.html

Iraq's Ministry of Health has retrospectively confirmed three cases of human infection with avian influenza. The most recent case, of a 3-year-old boy, was not fatal although the prior two were.
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_09_19/en/index.html

Through 19 September, the World Health Organization has confirmed 247 human H5N1 infections, of which 144 have been fatal.
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2006_09_19/en/index.html

Recent research on avian influenza includes:
"Birds and Influenza H5N1 Virus Movement to and within North America"
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no10/05-1577.htm?s_cid=eid05_1577_e
"Low Frequency of Poultry-to-Human H5N1 Transmission"
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no10/06-0424.htm?s_cid=eid06_0424_e
"H5N1 Influenza Viruses in Lao People's Democratic Republic"
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no10/06-0658.htm?s_cid=eid06_0658_e
" Update: Influenza Activity --- United States and Worldwide, May 21--September 9, 2006"
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5537a4.htm?s_cid=mm5537a4_e

The World Bank has approved a $13 million grant to help control bird flu in Gaza and the West Bank.
http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2006/09/22/ap3038272.html

Indonesia's Health Ministry is introducing a communicable disease surveillance system.

Switzerland's parliament has approved a revision of epidemic law that allows the government to stockpile vaccines. They now have sufficient Tamiflu to treat more than two million people.
http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front/detail/Law_amended_to_deal_with_pandemic_threat.html?siteSect=105&sid=7082559&cKey=1158752617000

The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has initiated a more targeted bird flu surveillance strategy.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/latest/2006/animal-0918.htm

"Malaria Epidemics and Interventions, 1999-2004" reviews quantitative data on the onset and evolution of recent malaria epidemics in Africa, finding a need for early intervention.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no10/06-0540.htm?s_cid=eid06_0540_e

The largest described outbreak of chikungunya virus has been occurring on the islands of the southwest Indian Ocean since March 2005. Manifestations in returning travelers are discussed in this article:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no10/06-0495.htm?s_cid=eid06_0495_e

E-coli infections from fresh spinach in the US have reached 166, with two deaths.
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/fs/food-disease/news/sep2206ecoli.html
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ETM Legal Systems
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The Lothian and Borders Police are the first Scottish force to join a UK-wide information sharing system to share information about people involved in crime, who pose a threat to children and other vulnerable people.
http://www.lbp.police.uk/press_release%5Carticles%5C2006%5CSeptember%5C22%5C2.htm

The US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing to examine the evolving threat of homegrown terrorists in the prison system. George Washington University and the University of Virginia, released "Out of the Shadows: Getting Ahead of Prisoner Radicalization". The new report is one of the first to address radicalization, particularly religious radicalization, in US prisons.
http://hsgac.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=397
http://hsgac.senate.gov/_files/091906Report.pdf

The Judicial Conference of the United States approved new policies to improve accountability and ethnical compliance. These include mandatory conflict checking using a software program, and a new disclosure policy for privately funded educational programs.
http://www.uscourts.gov/Press_Releases/judicialconference091906.html

Fulton County Superior Court Judge T. Jackson Bedford Jr. rejected a Georgia law requiring voters to show government-issued photo identification as placing too much of a burden on voters.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/19/AR2006091901382.html
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ETM Natural Resources
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The European Commission has fined 30 firms EU314.8 million for anti-competitive behavior in connection with a copper cartel.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?view=CN&storyID=2006-09-20T104508Z_01_L20912620_RTRIDST_0_EU-CARTEL-UPDATE-1.XML

The Kurdistan Regional Government published a draft petroleum act for the region. The Minister for Natural Resources addressed issues raised for all of Iraq and potential investors in the region.
http://web.krg.org/articles/article_detail.asp?LangNr=12&RubricNr=&ArticleNr=13787&LNNr=28&RNNr=70

In 1906 the Alaska Native Allotment Act authorized the US Secretary of the Interior to allot individual Alaska Natives a homestead of up to 160 acres. The validity of some of Copper Valley Electric Association's rights-of-way within Alaska Native allotments is the subject on ongoing dispute. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified four legislative alternatives that could be considered to resolve various conflicts regarding rights-of-way and other disputes.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-1107T
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-923

"Natural-Resource Amenities and Nebraska's Economy" is a new report that analyzed ways in which natural resources beyond agriculture and livestock could improve the state economy.
http://econw.com/reports/6959.pdf

Protection of Oregon's natural resources has become an election issue.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/115871730778010.xml
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ETM Populations
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The UN General Assembly held a session on international migration that underscored the potential and opportunities for globalization to improve the lives of millions of people. A new Global Forum on Migration and Development will be launched in Belgium next year, to provide a standing forum that governments could use to explore and compare policy approaches.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/ga10496.doc.htm

Asylum applications in most industrialized countries continue to drop, largely due to fewer people applying in Europe after the introduction of more restrictive policies as well as to improved conditions in some of the main countries of origin. During the first six months of 2006, 134,900 asylum applications were submitted in Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan - a drop of 14 per cent over the same period last year. The applications are 15 per cent lower than the previous semester - July to December 2005. Last year saw the lowest number of asylum seekers in industrialized countries since 1987. Figures for the first half of this year point to 2006 reaching yet lower records. In Europe, a total of 97,000 new asylum applications were submitted during the first six months of 2006, 19 per cent fewer than during the corresponding period in 2005 and 21 per cent fewer than in the previous six months. Over the past few years, 80 per cent of asylum requests in industrialized countries were made in Europe. Europe's share has now declined to roughly 70 per cent of asylum applications in the 36 industrialized countries included in the UNHCR report. North America's share has increased from about 20 per cent of all applications in industrialized countries to nearly 30 per cent during the first semester of 2006. The share of Australia and New Zealand has remained stable at about 1 per cent.
http://www.unhcr.org

China announced a nationwide "caring for girls" campaign to narrow the country's gender imbalance over the next three to five years
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-09/22/content_5125801.htm

For the first time, the 400 richest Americans are ALL billionaires.
http://www.forbes.com/400richest/

Race and income have a major effect on mortality disparities throughout the US.
http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0030260
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/09/13/wide_gaps_in_us_life_expectancy/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/11/AR2006091101297.html
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/thegeocodingproject/webpage/monograph/
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ETM Social Responsibility
--------------------------------------------------
Toxic hot mud in Indonesia and toxic waste in Ivory Coast have both raised serious issues of corporate responsibility.
http://asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=176&Itemid=32
http://www.greenomics.org/
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Categories/RegionsCountries/AsiaPacific/Indonesia
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Categories/Individualcompanies/T/TrafiguraBeheer
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19125703.400-rich-nations-put-something-rotten-in-africa.html
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L22775137.htm

Sarbanes-Oxley requirements and changes to the Organizational Sentencing Guidelines make today an excellent time for companies to focus on developing a more ethical workplace.
http://www.rmmag.com/Magazine/PrintTemplate.cfm?AID=3189

The Trucost Carbon Footprint Ranking of UK Investment Funds is making people aware of the impact of carbon emissions across their portfolios and how to measure responses to this growing area of risk. The report found that socially responsible investment funds carry less carbon risk than their mainstream counterparts. It ranked the Scottish Widows Investment Partnership's Environmental Investor and Ethical funds first and second place, followed by Norwich Union Sustainable Future UK Growth Fund.
http://www.trucost.com/carbon_news.html

The Carbon Disclosure Project also reveals that climate change has become a major concern among leading US financial institutions and companies.
http://www.cdproject.net/viewrelease.asp?id=8

Denmark is turning coastal fortification structures from Avedore to Taarbæk into a national park.
http://denmark.dk/portal/page?_pageid=374,610561&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&ic_itemid=930819

Virgin Group has launched Virgin Fuels, an investment unit that will be financed from travel firm profits to invest in replacing traditional energy with renewable sources.
http://www.virgin.com/news/default.asp?sy=2003&ey=2006&sm=6&em=9&cid=0&nr=12&p=1&kwd=-&newsId=786&pst=-

Wal-Mart has announced a 5-year plan to reduce packaging by five percent.
http://www.walmartfacts.com/articles/4466.aspx
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ETM Technology
--------------------------------------------------
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision in Jena, Germany, have developed a video projector 16 mm x 9 mm that uses a tiny mirror to project images from a range of mobile devices.
http://www.fraunhofer.de/fhg/press/pi/2006/08/Presseinformation30082006.jsp (in German)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5359724.stm

Japan has launched the Solar-B mission to investigate solar flares.
http://www.isas.ac.jp/e/enterp/missions/solar-b/

The National Academy of Sciences has strongly endorsed lunar exploration.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5359312.stm
http://www7.nationalacademies.org/ssb/

The University of California Santa Barbara and Intel Corp have developed the first hybrid silicon laser, solving a manufacturing problem that could speed data transfer and make computer networks cheaper and faster.
http://www.engineering.ucsb.edu/bowers/
http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20060918corp.htm
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ETM Weapons (WMD, Proliferation)
--------------------------------------------------
UN Secretary General Annan called for countries to demonstrate greater urgency in ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which has been open for a decade but still requires 10 more signatures to come into force.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sgsm10648.doc.htm

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei called for conversion of enrichment and reprocessing facilities from national to multilateral operations. This is essential to help prevent nuclear materials falling into terrorist hands.
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Statements/2006/ebsp2006n015.html

The Nuclear Threat Initiative has responded to this by committing $50 million to help create a nuclear fuel reserve. The contribution is contingent on two conditions being met within the next two years. First, that the IAEA takes the necessary actions to approve establishment of this reserve; and second that one or more member states contribute an additional $100 million in funding or an equivalent value of low enriched uranium to jump-start the reserve.
http://www.nti.org/c_press/IAEA_Fuel_Bank_news_release_FINAL.pdf
http://www.nti.org/c_press/Nunn_IAEA_Fuel_Bank_FINALwlogo.pdf

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says that the ultimate and enduring nightmare for humanity is that terrorists would get hold of chemical or nuclear weapons.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,2041,00.html

Costa Rica has renounced military spending, and President Arias called for others to follow their example. He said that since 9/11 global military spending has risen by more than $200 billion. For much less, every person in the world could be guaranteed potable water and primary education.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=19912&Cr=general&Cr1=debate

Iran continues to proclaim its nuclear development rights while leaving open the possibility of further negotiations.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/20/AR2006092000807.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/20/AR2006092002122.html

A global poll finds diplomacy not aggression is the way to stop an Iranian nuclear arms program.
http://199.202.238.2/news_archives/bbciran06/

An exclusive report in the Jerusalem Post finds that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command is now investing most of its
efforts in confronting the threat of WMD.
http://english.people.com.cn/200609/19/eng20060919_304252.html

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the UN General Assembly that eliminating loopholes in the nonproliferation regime is absolutely necessary but should be done transparently.
http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/61/pdfs/russian_federation-e.pdf

IAEA has deemed the Institute of Nuclear Sciences in Serbia the world's most dangerous disused nuclear site, because it combined the threats of nuclear proliferation and environmental disaster.
http://www.greenclippings.co.za/gc_main/article.php?story=20060918122704408

Five years after anthrax killed five people and terrified Capital Hill the case remains unsolved. The subsequent effort to stockpile bioterror drugs - BioShield - has been equally unsuccessful.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/4191256.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/18/washington/18anthrax.html

Previously vaccinated patients are fully protected against smallpox for at least 20-30 years.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-09-19T154007Z_01_COL956366_RTRUKOC_0_US-SMALLPOX-VACCINE.xml

---

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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Investigations into an outbreak of E. coli in spinach continue. As of 23 September 25 states have reported 171 cases. There have been 27 cases of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), 92 hospitalizations and one death. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has banned all US spinach imports.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01463.html

The US Department of Agriculture announced an interim rule to expand the National Poultry Improvement Program that helps prevent disease spread in commercial operations.
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2006/09/0373.xml
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CIM Banking and Finance
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The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) wrote a paper providing background on use of the Internal Ratings Based (IRB) model and expectations of its use and risk estimates, in areas requiring judgement such as strategy and planning, credit exposure, reporting, and so on.
http://www.bis.org/publ/bcbs_nl9.htm

Standard and Poor's Rating Services announced new criteria for assessing the enterprise risk management practices of financial institutions.
http://www.erm.standardandpoors.com

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that both corporate and non-corporate business income taxes would benefit from simplification and uniformity. This was delivered in a Senate Finance Committee hearing on the business tax system.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-1113T
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/hearing092006.htm

The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs held a hearing on "Calculated Risk: Assessing Non-Traditional Mortgage Products'. The hearing revealed general concerns over inadequate disclosures. As explained in a supporting GAO report, institutions follow legal disclosure requirements, but do not adequately convey the greater risk posed by such products.
http://banking.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=239
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-1021

US-based hedge fund Amaranth Advisors lost some 65 percent of its value after a misplaced bet on gas prices, but will remain in business. Standard and Poor's points out that the limited fallout after these enormous trading losses is encouraging because it did not lead to defaults, systematic issues in capital markets, and the knowledge that fundamental risk management principles could have averted the problems. The case provides further fuel to efforts to increase transparency and regulation of such funds.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/23/business/23hedge.html
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601015&sid=aR.GuQHz3r00
http://www.standardandpoors.com
http://www.sec.gov/answers/hedge.htm
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CIM Chemical
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Dow Chemical and Union Pacific rail announced a joint project to secure rail transportation of chemicals.
http://news.dow.com/corporate/2006/20060804b.htm

The US Congress is working on new chemical security legislation.
http://hsgac.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=1333&Month=9&Year=2006&Affiliation=R
http://hsgac.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Legislation.Detail&Legislation_id=571
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/4205571.html
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CIM Commercial Facilities
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New Zealand has launched a review of the Building Code that is addressing issues of safety, health, and sustainability. Construction and demolition activities generate up to half of all waste generated in the country.
http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=27150
http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=27030
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CIM Cybersecurity
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Hackers are taking advantage of a newly discovered vulnerability in Internet Explorer (IE) to install spyware on Windows computers, even those fully patched.
http://sunbeltblog.blogspot.com/2006/09/seen-in-wild-zero-day-exploit-being.html
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/416092
http://xforce.iss.net/xforce/alerts/id/237
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/925568.mspx
http://vil.nai.com/vil/Content/v_140629.htm
http://myitforum.com/cs2/blogs/cmosby/archive/2006/09/19/-McAfee-Avert-Labs-Blog-_2D00_-Critical-0_2D00_Day-Microsoft-Internet-Explorer-Exploit-Discovered-In-The-Wild.aspx
http://www.cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2006-4868
http://secunia.com/advisories/21989/
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/20096/info
http://www.symantec.com/enterprise/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2006-091914-1801-99
http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?VName=EXPL_EXECOD.A

Newsday correspondent Mohamad Bazzi reports that Hezbollah was able to use Iranian technology to hack into Israeli radio communications during the recent fighting in Lebanon.
http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/stories/ny-wocode184896831sep18,0,2368668.story?coll=ny-longisland-homepage

David Kierznowski has published proof-of-concept documents for exploiting cross-site scripting or scripting languages in Adobe PDF documents.
http://michaeldaw.org/md-hacks/backdooring-pdf-files/
http://michaeldaw.org/projects/backdoored1.pdf

The Identity Theft Task Force has adopted interim recommendations on measures that can be implemented immediately to help address the problem of identity theft:
* Data Breach Guidance to Agencies
* Development of Universal Police Report for Identity Theft Victims
* Extending Restitution for Victims of Identity Theft
* Reducing Access of Identity Thieves to Social Security Numbers:
*Developing Alternative Methods of "Authenticating" Identities
* Improving Data Security in the Government
* Improving Agencies' Ability to Respond to Data Breaches
http://www.ftc.gov/os/2006/09/060916interimrecommend.pdf (Recommendations)
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/09/idtheft.htm (Press release)
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2006/September/06_ag_636.html (Fact Sheet)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/05/20060510-3.html (Executive Order)

The US Commerce Department announced findings from its review of missing laptops. They determined that from 2001 to the present, out of more than 30,000 laptops in inventory, 1,138 were lost, stolen, or missing. 249 contained personally identifiable information, but there is no indication that any was improperly used.
http://www.commerce.gov/opa/press/Secretary_Gutierrez/2006_Releases/September/21_Commerce_Review.htm

The Customer Respect Group finds that large companies are gathering more personally identifiable data about their online customers but fewer are sharing it outside the organizations, and most are less ambiguous about their practices and policies.
http://www.customerrespect.com/default.asp?hdnFilename=research_ind_L100_Q3_2006.htm

Analysts from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the National Governors Association and the Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators released a comprehensive analysis of the federal Real ID Act, revealing a cost to states of more than $11 billion over five years. The report finds it impossible to meet the May 2008 deadline. It calls for the federal government to extend the deadline; provide the funds necessary for states to comply with Real ID; provide the federal electronic verification systems necessary to comply with the law;  require states to employ electronic verification systems only as they become available;  implement a 10 year re-enrollment schedule; adopt uniform naming conventions to facilitate electronic verification between files; allow reciprocity for persons already vetted by the federal government; establish card security criteria based on performance - not technology; and  grant the Secretary of Homeland Security the flexibility to recognize innovation at the state level.
http://www.aamva.org/About/PressRoom/PressReleases/RealIDCostStates11Billion.htm

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released key findings from Cyber Storm, the largest and most complex multi-national, government-led cyber exercise within international, federal, state, and local governments and in conjunction with the private sector. The eight major findings were:
* Interagency and cross-sector information sharing enhanced overall coordination, communication and response.
* Clearly defined processes and procedures increased overall ability to plan for and assess situations.
* The cyber community was effective in addressing individual threats and attacks, but faced challenges in cross-sector situational awareness during a coordinated cyber attack campaign.
* Ongoing exercises will strengthen awareness of cyber incident response, roles, policies, and procedures.
* Establishing expectations, roles, processes and communications in advance will dramatically improve coordination and response.
* Early and ongoing information sharing across governments and sectors created a common framework for response and strengthened relationships between domestic and international response partners.
* Public messaging is an important aspect of incident response and empowers individuals and industry to take appropriate action to protect themselves and the nation's critical infrastructure.
* Improved processes, tools and technology focused on the physical, economic and national security affects of a cyber incident will benefit the quality, speed and coordination of a response.
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=5827

Disklabs describes their top ten data recovery disasters - data was saved in each instance:
* My cat urinated on my laptop
* It fell off the roof of the car
* I accidentally drove over it
* We just sacked the IT manager and he started kicking the server
* There was a bit of oil on it
* I accidentally threw it out of a window
* She just got stroppy and snapped it in half
* The dog has had a go at it
* I was showing my friend how to delete data on the spare hard drive, but I deleted the wrong one.
* My wife threw my laptop down a well
http://www.theregister.com/2006/09/20/data_recovery_disasters/

To address the impact of the xml:id W3C Recommendation, the XML Core Working Group has released three First Public Working Drafts to update Canonical XML to version 1.1 and to provide guidelines on using it with XML digital signatures to help ensure the integrity of data traveling between XML
processors.
* Known Issues with Canonical XML 1.0
http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/WD-C14N-issues-20060915/
* Using XML Digital Signatures in the 2006 XML Environment
http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/WD-DSig-usage-20060915/
* Canonical XML 1.1
http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/WD-xml-c14n11-20060915/
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CIM Dams and Bridges
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Eritrea President Isaias Afwerki inspected major dam constructions that are critical to the country's agricultural security.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200609180732.html

In India, a Dam Safety Committee is examining safety at the Mullaperiyar dam. Resource management between the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala raises several contentious issues.
http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/21/stories/2006092118700100.htm

The US House Committee on Transportation approved legislation to enhance dam safety.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=35076
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.04981:
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CIM Defense Industrial Base
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As part of the UK Defense Industrial Strategy, a review of the navy is underway to identify overhead reductions and strengthen the front line.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5358438.stm

The Democratic Policy Committee held an oversight hearing on accountability for contracting abuses in Iraq. Two truckers testified that the Halliburton subsidiary they worked for knowing put lives at risk when sending a lightly armed convoy into a combat zone, leading to the deaths of seven truckers and two soldiers.
http://democrats.senate.gov/dpc/dpc-hearing.cfm?A=37
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/19/world/middleeast/19halliburton_lede.html

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released "Military Operations: Background Screenings of Contractor Employees Supporting Deployed Forces May Lack Critical Information, but U.S. Forces Take Steps to Mitigate the Risk Contractors May Pose".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-999R

"Defense Transportation: Study Limitations Raise Questions about the Adequacy and Completeness of the Mobility Capabilities Study and Report" from the GAO  finds that projected capabilities are adequate to achieve US objectives with an acceptable level of risk. Future mobility studies need a capabilities study, models and data for critical missions and processes, in study reports and analysis, and metrics of both mobility and war fighting capabilities.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-938
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CIM Emergency Services
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"Addressing Lessons from the Emergency Response to the 7 July 2005 London Bombings" is a new report from the UK Home Office that highlights flaws in communications, information sharing, and systems for caring for and compensating the survivors and families of the victims of the 7/7 attacks.
http://security.homeoffice.gov.uk/news-and-publications1/publication-search/general/lessons-learned

A study published in the 3 August issue of the New England Journal of Medicine evaluated a rule for ending resuscitation efforts outside of hospitals. Some two-thirds of cardiac arrest patients taken to hospitals by EMTs eventually die, and most probably could be declared dead at the scene. Lead author Laurie J. Morrison says revising guidelines to let EMTs know when to give up could result in a decrease in the rate of transportation to the hospital from 100 percent of patients to 37.4 percent.
http://www.nejm.org/
http://tribes.tribe.net/emergencyservices/thread/616b07f5-7f8b-4ed6-851f-3f745c4fb232

Canadian and US emergency responders participated in a disaster exercise that involved the scenario of a whale watch boat colliding with a pleasure boat in Passamaquoddy Bay.
http://www.emsresponder.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=4109

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it intends to speed up its allocation of $75 million to the World Trade Center federal responders program.
http://www.emsresponder.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=4107

California's Office of Emergency Services reports that California is not as well prepared for handling terrorism and emergencies as it should be.
http://www.emsresponder.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=4111
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CIM Energy
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OPEC ministers are watching declining prices and say it indicates a market out of balance. A meeting to discuss this is likely before the scheduled December conference.
http://www.opec.org/home/Special%20Features/2006/fea092006.htm

Biomass offers a serious alternative to fossil fuels:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmenvfru/965/96502.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4914748.stm
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,426736,00.html

Bangladesh has seen repeated large and often violent demonstrations over power and energy supplies.
http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Bangladesh
http://www.petroenergyinfo.net/NewsView.aspx?NewsId=30408&Type=1&Subject=8

In the western Indian state of Maharashtra, fuel station owners went on strike to protest high taxes, but an agreement to consider their demands ended the strike.
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=108464&version=1&template_id=40&parent_id=22

New Delhi was the first city in India to introduce DNG in public transportation. Now it will be the first to install a hydrogen-dispensing station.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/13058.html

Iran and Norway have signed an oil exploration agreement for an area in southwestern Iran.
http://www.hydro.com/en/press_room/news/archive/2006_09/khorramabad_en.html

Russia assured France and Germany that energy cooperation with the EU, which gets nearly a third of its natural gas from Russia, is a high priority. However, prior disputes and the latest shift in the Sakhalin project have raised significant concerns about reliability, accountability, governance, and other issues.

Russia's natural resources ministry has cancelled its own approval for Royal Dutch Shell's large oil and gas project off the island of Sakhalin. This is another example of Russian efforts to apply pressure to alter existing contracts and open projects and revenues to Russian firms and the Russian government.
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=10821339&PageNum=0
http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/afx/2006/09/22/afx3037529.html
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article1709095.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2,00.html
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=ar7Yz15jKSE4&refer=home
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/20/business/worldbusiness/20sakhalin.html
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CIM Government Facilities
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The Thai army implemented heavy security at key government facilities but have been able to reduce their presence.
http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2006/09/21/afx3033884.html

A serious security breach at the US Capitol building allowed a drug-addled armed man to drive his vehicle through a partially blocked construction entrance and travel inside from floor to floor. No one was injured, but following a $2 billion security investment since 9/11 it has raised major concerns.
http://www.uscapitolpolice.gov/pressreleases/2006/pr_09-18-06.php
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/22/AR2006092201793.html
http://www.nbc4.com/news/9873742/detail.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/19/washington/19capitol.html

Security at MacDill Air Force base in Tampa, Florida, is also under review following an incident in which two teenage joy riders drove a stolen car into the top-secret base.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/20/terror.base.ap/
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-macdill2206sep22,0,1727112.story

There have also been breaches at an ammunition plant in Tennessee.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Ammunition_Plant_Security.html
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CIM Information Technology
--------------------------------------------------
OneWebDay was celebrated on 22 September.
http://www.onewebday.org/

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes wrote an open letter to the Financial Time sin which she insisted she is not running a vendetta against Microsoft and accused the company or orchestrating a coordinated campaign to discredit her. Vista is likely to be delayed again.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/cde3de64-48cc-11db-a996-0000779e2340,dwp_uuid=2930f3c2-3e48-11db-b4de-0000779e2340.html
http://vista.blog.gartner.com/blog/index.php?blogid=19

Toshiba is the latest company to issue a battery recall. The faulty Sony batteries in this case do not catch fire.
http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/su/su_sc_dtlView.jsp?soid=1482878&BV_SessionID=@@@@0129190339.1159138934@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccfaddilllfhefcgfkceghdgngdgmm.0

This patent describes a design to hold both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray versions of movies on a single disc, potentially ending the risk of a high-definition format war.
http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220060179448%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20060179448&RS=DN/20060179448
http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=18678&hed=Truce+in+Blu-ray%2C+HD-DVD+War%3F

USB flash memory drives are experiencing an increase in product failures as a result of quality-control problems and technical limitations.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9003345&source=rss_news50
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CIM Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste
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Nuclear engineer David Lochbaum completed research on nuclear reactor closings, finding plants are prone to costly, lengthy shutdowns due to safety problems, no matter the age of the plant or the experience of the operators.
http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/new-report-long-shutdowns.html

Federal officials conducted a helicopter survey of New York City and discovered a Staten Island park with dangerously high levels of radium. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports on a previously undisclosed aerial anti-terrorism program in New York that may be extended to other cities.
http://www.silive.com/newsflash/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-20/1158884056194370.xml&storylist=simetro
"Combating Nuclear Terrorism: Federal Efforts to Respond to Nuclear and Radiological Threats and to Protect Emergency Response Capabilities Could Be Strengthened"
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-1015

The US House Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on Energy and Resources held a hearing on "Next Generation Nuclear Plant". The Committee wants rapid completion for commercialization but the GAO warned against accelerating project milestones so early in the project.
http://reform.house.gov/ER/Hearings/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=50511
"Nuclear Energy: Status of DOE's Effort to Develop the Next Generation Nuclear Plant"
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-1056

Mothers for Peace is requesting the Nuclear Regulatory Commission grant a stay against transfer of operating licenses for the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.
http://www.mothersforpeace.org/newsAndEvents/20030605CPUCSLOLicensePostponed
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CIM Postal and Shipping
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The UK Royal Mail has launched an online postage service.
http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/jump3?catId=400043&mediaId=26800663
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/5362740.stm
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CIM Public Health and Healthcare
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The United Nations Children's Fund released a new study showing that some 29,000 children under five die around the world every day. Most of these diseases are preventable. The Lancet issued a series of reports to address neonatal, child and maternal health.
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_35928.html
http://www.thelancet.com/collections/neonatal_survival

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched the international drug purchasing facility UNITAID that will provide medicine and treatment against HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis for the poorest people of developing countries who otherwise could not afford them.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sgsm10645.doc.htm

"Health Benefits, Risks, and Cost-Effectiveness of Influenza Vaccination of Children" reports that risk status is more important than age in determining the economic effectiveness of annual flu vaccinations.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no10/05-1015.htm?s_cid=eid05_1015_e

The World Health Organization has sent a team to assist officials in Ivory Coast address the thousands affected by a toxic chemical waste dump.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2006/np26_update/en/index.html

India has launched a massive polo vaccine program after a recent rash of more than 300 cases in eight states, most in Uttar Pradesh. Last year only 66 cases were recorded throughout the country.
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=202540

A court in the Indian state of Kerala has overturned a ban on Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

Negligence in a Kazakhstan hospital has led to the infection  with HIV of 55 young children.
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/09/A70DEA81-CDD0-4967-9162-CD6E59F7A0AE.html

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends voluntary HIV screening in health care settings to support early diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r060921.htm

The Institute of Medicine released a report evaluating drug safety regulation at the US Food and Drug Administration. It found that:
* There is a perception of crisis that has compromised the credibility of FDA and of the pharmaceutical industry.
* Most stakeholders--the agency, the industry, consumer organizations, Congress, professional societies, health care entities--appear to agree on the need for certain improvements in the system.
* The drug safety system is impaired by the following factors: serious resource constraints that weaken the quality and quantity of the science that is brought to bear on drug safety; an organizational culture in CDER that is not optimally functional; and unclear and insufficient regulatory authorities particularly with respect to enforcement.
* FDA and the pharmaceutical industry do not consistently demonstrate accountability and transparency to the public by communicating safety concerns in a timely and effective fashion.
http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3793/26341/37329.aspx
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01461.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/22/AR2006092200828.html
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CIM Telecommunications
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The European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA) issued its latest Broadband Scorecard. It finds that across the 25 countries of the EU 64 million people have broadband, an increase of nine percent since the prior quarter. However, Ireland's penetration fell and remains low. European penetration of broadband demonstrates a digital divide.
http://networks.silicon.com/broadband/0,39024661,39162434,00.htm
http://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqid=17328-qqqx=1.asp
http://www.ectaportal.com/en/

The GSM Association argues that European Commission proposals to limit the cost of mobile phone calls for consumers suffers from errors in the basic economic research.
http://www.gsmworld.com/

Lebanon is proceeding with telecommunications privatization.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=75656

The Workshop on the Mobile Web in Developing Countries to be held 5-6 December in Bangalore, India, has issued a call for participation.
http://www.w3.org/2006/09/mwiec-pressrelease
http://www.w3.org/2006/07/MWI-EC/cfp.html
http://www.w3.org/2006/07/MWI-EC/sponsors.html
http://www.w3.org/2003/08/Workshops/
http://www.w3.org/Mobile/

Zimbabwe's internet infrastructure has been switched off for lack of payment.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200609220192.html
http://www.zispa.org.zw/
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CIM Transportation
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The US National Transportation Safety Board reports that deaths from transportation accidents in the United States in 2005 totaled 45,636, up from 45,092 in 2004. Highway transportation, which by far accounts for the largest portion of fatalities, rose to 43,443 in 2005 from 42,836 in 2004. Motorcycle fatalities jumped substantially to 4,553 in 2005 from 4,028 the previous year. Buses, light trucks and vans, medium and heavy trucks, and pedestrian deaths also showed increases. However, passenger car fatalities fell from 19,192 in 2004 to 18,440 in 2005. The number of persons killed in all aviation accidents in 2005 dropped to 616 from 652 in 2004. Airline fatalities increased from 14 to 22, while air taxi deaths dropped sharply from 64 in 2004 to 18 last year. General aviation fatalities in 2005 ticked up slightly to 562 from 558. Total rail fatalities decreased from 816 in 2004 to 789 in 2005, with declines reflected in both the intercity and transit categories. Marine deaths showed a slight increase from 765 in 2004 to 769 in 2005. Recreational boating deaths, the largest marine category, jumped to 697 from 676, while cargo transport fatalities dropped substantially to 12 in 2005 from 26 in 2004. Pipeline fatalities decreased in 2005 from 23 to 19, with 17 deaths related to gas pipelines and 2 to liquid pipeline operations.
http://ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2006/trans_fatalities_2004-2005.htm
http://ntsb.gov/aviation/stats.htm

The US Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program has been delayed again due to technical flaws, including problems with privacy and security.
http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/twic/index.shtm
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interweb/assetlibrary/OIGr_06-47_Jul06.pdf

The US House Committee on Transportation, Subcommittee on Aviation, held a hearing to review the Federal Aviation Administration's safety programs.
http://www.house.gov/transportation/aviation/06-09-20/06-09-20memo.html

Bangladesh's security alarm system at Chittagong and Mongla ports was offline for four days.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/09/18/d6091801118.htm

Maritime officials from 30 nations held three days of talks in Malaysia to review details of the security, safety, and environmental protection of the Malacca Strait, which carries 40 percent of world trade.
http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=1320&doc_id=7007
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/9/20/nation/20060920183727&sec=nation
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/9/18/nation/20060918182339&sec=nation
http://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=8396

Philippines police are deploying undercover marshals in passenger jeepneys to protect passengers and stop fatal robberies.
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CIM Water
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Australian Prime Minister Howard announced 11 projects to improve water management through better information and science.
http://www.pm.gov.au/news/media_releases/media_Release2145.html

The US Environmental Protection Agency has launched a pilot program for detecting and responding to drinking water contamination.
http://www.watertechonline.com/news.asp?mode=4&N_ID=63839

New York City is using blue gill fish to monitor the water supply.
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/453862p-381834c.html

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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 Ethiopia at least 182 people have died and 20,000 been infected with acute watery diarrhea after floods contaminated wells and rivers.

95 people have died and nearly a thousand are still missing following severe storms in Bangladesh and India.

In Kazakhstan, a coal mine methane explosion killed 41 miners, and more than 300 escaped.

Germany has launched an inquiry into a high-speed magnetic train collision that killed 23 people.

Two separate road accidents in the Indian state of Rajasthan have killed at least 23 people.

Nigeria declared three days of mourning for ten of the most senior army commanders killed in a military plane crash. At least four people survived the monumental tragedy.

A gas leak in a Ukrainian mine killed 13 miners and injured more than 60.

Typhoon Shanshan made landfall in Japan, killing nine people and injuring 200 last weekend.

In southern Switzerland, a bus and a car collided in a road runnel, killing six people and injuring a similar number.

Hurricane Lane left three dead and caused significant damage to the local electrical and agricultural infrastructure along Mexico's west coast.
--------------------------------------------------
DRM Response and Recovery
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The number of people affected by the ongoing floods in seven of Ethiopia's nine regions rises to more than 363,000 , including more than 145,000 who have been displaced.
http://ochaonline2.un.org/Default.aspx?alias=ochaonline2.un.org/cerf
http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=873&Lang=en

The UN appealed for $1 million for emergency aid over the next six months to help victims of the July earthquakes in Tajikistan, which destroyed or damaged nearly 2,600 houses and affected some 21,000 people, as winter approaches.
http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=873&Lang=en"

In the US state of Rhode Island a Superior Court judge pushed through a plea agreement for the Station nightclub owners to put an end to the tragic 2003 fire in which 100 people died.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2006/09/22/judge_says_deal_in_station_case_meant_to_spare_public_families/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+City%2FRegion+News

New Orleans nursing home owners Salvador and Mabel Mangano have been charged with negligent homicide  and cruelty for abandoning their charges, leading to the deaths of 35 people after the Katrina flooding.
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DRM Risks
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Bangkok residents have been warned to prepare for floods early next month when rainfall from the north heads south.

Risk Management Solutions has released its perspective in anticipation of a possible El Nino cycle between 2006 and 2011, and hurricane activity following the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) declaration that El Nino conditions have developed in the tropical Pacific Ocean and are likely to continue into early 2007.
http://www.rms.com/publications/2006%20el%20nino%20faq.pdf
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DRM Mitigation
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The Casualty Actuarial Society, ERM Institute International, Ltd (ERM-II), and the CAS/SOA Risk Management Section have released the results of a major research project, "Enterprise Risk Management for Property-Casualty Insurance Companies", which identifies major risks associated with business operations for P-C insurance companies and puts forth a conceptual ERM framework for these companies.
http://www.casact.org/research/erm/erm_paper080106.pdf

A recent survey from IVANS finds that insurance carriers have a lot more work to address their own disaster continuity planning.
http://www.ivans.com/pressrelease.asp?id=43

Operation Lily Pad, included more than 200 local, state and federal rescue workers, playing roles of victims and rescuers during a disaster scenario modeled after Hurricane Katrina.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-6/115882397538600.xml&coll=1

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7. Recommended Reading

In conjunction with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank annual meetings, two new books were launched.

Catriona Purfield, and Jerald Alan Schiff, wrote "India Goes Global: Its Expanding Role in the Global Economy". The book begins:
"There can be little doubt that India is an emerging global economic power. India's economic growth has averaged some 8 percent over the past three years, placing it among the world's fastest growing economies. As a result of more than a decade of solid growth, India's share of world output, at purchasing-power-parity-adjusted exchange rates, has increased from 4.3 percent in 1990 to 5.9 percent in 2005. Growth has been robust in the face of shocks, including the Asian crisis of 1997-98, several below-par monsoons, and the recent sharp increases in energy prices. In line with good growth, poverty has declined dramatically, with estimates indicating a drop in the poverty rate from 41 percent in 1992-93 to less than 29 percent in 2000. The reform process that has helped make this possible - and which began in earnest in 1991 - as made steady progress despite several changes in political leadership. Looking ahead, it appears that the broad path of reform - although no the pace or details - is firmly established. And success begets success. India is now more than ever a focus for international investors, who are eager to take part in a new India."
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=19312

China and India: Learning from Each Other came out of a conference examining factors behind India's and China's economic growth.
http://www.imf.org/external/np/apd/seminars/2003/newdelhi/index.htm
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/2003/121503.pdf
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/2005/120505.pdf


Note this transcript of press briefing:
http://www.imf.org/external/np/tr/2006/tr060919.htm


Review:
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=140887

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8. Asset Management Network News

Last week we attended "Connected Health -Empowering Care through Communications Technologies", where we provided information on lessons learned and experiences shared between the financial services and healthcare industries, such as payment systems, security, identity management, data normalization, and outsourcing. The Connected Health Initiative is a project involving Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Partners Telemedicine. Join us in this ongoing collaboration.
http://www.connected-health.org/

Haven't heard of botnets? Not sure if nanotechnology is an idea or a threat? Heard about disaster plans but don't have one? Want to educate your own staff about insider threats? Need a list of companies that provide biometric identification products?  Have you read a news topic where we didn't provide enough background, or missed a major issue on your radar screen? Contact us with questions, or consider our custom research and report services, for internal use or customized information distribution.

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