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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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Phat and Hang Huynh have been charged in Australia in connection with a A$93 million money laundering acting on behalf of organized criminal syndicates in Melbourne and Sydney. Vietnam Airlines has been implicated, following an earlier arrest of one of their pilots.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200610/s1759158.htm

Costa Rican police have arrested a Bulgarian who used eight different passports in more than 40 banks apparently to launder money.
http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/bulgarian-arrested-in-costa-rica-for-money-laundering/id_18162/catid_66

Luis Alfonso Pinto Rios of Panama has gone on trial in El Salvador for using fake remittances in a Western Union system operated by a travel agency to launder $15.2 million in drug proceeds.
http://www.latinamericapress.org/article.asp?lanCode=1&artCode=4862

Abu Hamza, a militant cleric on the UN list of al Qaeda and Taleban associates, purchased a GBP220,000 house in London while held in a high security prison. The matter is under investigation.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,6,00.html

Mohamed Shorbagi has pleaded guilty in US federal district in Georgia to sending money to Hamas.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan/press/2006/usao_gan_061013.html

James Russell Golden and Mark Andrew Belyeu have been sentenced in Fargo, Minnesota (US) to 18.5 and 11 years, respectively, for laundering drug money and other drug charges.
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/15744098.htm

As New Jersey continues a corruption probe, two former officials have been convicted of money laundering connected with extortion and loan-sharking.
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-4/116072218657820.xml&coll=1

In northern New York, Yassin Aref and Mohammed Hossain, were convicted of laundering money to support Jaish-e-Mohammed, although the funds actually went to an FBI informant.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7005141311

Mohammed Soliman has been charged in Virginia with money laundering in connection with structuring cash payments of more than $1.4 million to avoid federal reporting requirements. He is under investigation by his former employer, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=112498&ran=34315

Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission has arrested three oil company employees for money laundering involving fraudulent credit entries and drug proceeds.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200610130337.html
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AML/CFT Legislation and Regulation
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FATF has removed Burma (Myanmar) off the list of uncooperative nations.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/14/asia/AS_GEN_Myanmar_Money_Laundering.php

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty opened the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting with this speech:
http://www.fin.gc.ca/news06/06-056_1e.html

Following completion of a public review, Canada has introduced revised AML/CFT legislation to strengthen know your client requirements; increase requirements for compliance, monitoring and enforcement, and expand the role of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (Fintrac). Regulations will be expanded to include money services businesses, but not jewelers, check-cashers, payroll loans, or independent ATMs.

Ghana denies this week's report from the UN Group of Experts on Ivory Coast that finds diamonds are being smuggled from rebel-controlled areas in northern Ivory Coast. The World Diamond Council supports UN calls for increased vigilance and other recommendations in the report.
http://voanews.com/english/mobile/displaystory.cfm?id=289524&metadataid=1270
http://www.nationaljeweler.com/nationaljeweler/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003254124

Mexico's Attorney General has conducted investigations at the request of the US to determine whether Hezbollah is operating in Mexico.
http://www.milenio.com/mexico/milenio/nota.asp?id=444609 (in Spanish)
http://www.mexiconews.com.mx/20937.html

Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has given financial institutions to the end of October to implement AML/CFT systems in their offices. The previous deadline had been 1 October.
http://www.tribune.com.ng/09102006/news/news2.html

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown addressed Chatham House on the topic of "Meeting the terrorist challenge". In the speech he described the framework of a new counterterrorism regime, including use of covert intelligence and a crackdown on the use of charities to finance terrorism.
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsroom_and_speeches/press/2006/press_72_06.cfm

The Christian Science Monitor has published a 3-part series on the US "War on Drugs":
"Ambushed in Jamundi"
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0927/p01s04-woam.html
"Plan Columbia: Big gains, but cocaine still flows"
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0928/p01s03-woam.html
"How to fix Plan Colombia"
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0929/p01s03-woam.html

The US regulatory approach to the use of charities for terrorist financing remains controversial. Nonprofit groups say that Treasury guidelines are vague and requirements to investigate aid recipients onerous, costly, and unrealistic. Muslim groups complying to the rules have still had assets frozen, and a federal raid of established Islamic organizations has generated no charges against the companies and charities targeted.
http://www.treasury.gov/offices/enforcement/key-issues/protecting/charities-intro.shtml
http://www.usig.org/whatsnew/TGWG_Comments.asp
http://www.ombwatch.org/article/articleview/3614/1/465
http://www.cof.org/Council/prdetail.cfm?ItemNumber=2709
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/10/AR2006101001234.html

In a speech before the American Bankers Association and the American Bar Association Money Laundering Enforcement Conference, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) director Robert Werner discussed topics ranging from defensive filing to limiting reporting requirements for wire transfers.
http://www.fincen.gov/werner_statement_10092006.html

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has banned 16 money transfer agencies from operating in the country, accusing them of non-performance and deviant behavior by doing business on the black market. Only the government's Homelink agency was unaffected.
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=15297
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=84&art_id=qw1160479441257B255
http://www.rbz.co.zw/supplement/Money%20Transfer%20Agencies/RBZ%20Supplement%2005-04%20latest_pg3.pdf.
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AML/CFT Modalities
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Blood diamonds from Ivory Coast are still being sold on international markets, smuggled from rebel-controlled areas in the north to neighboring countries, particularly Ghana.
http://www.nationaljeweler.com/nationaljeweler/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003223316

The "blood forests" of Liberia are the topic of this article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6035617

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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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Control Risks and Simmons and Simmons released "International Attitudes to Corruption". The report finds:
* Corruption remains a huge worldwide problem for business
* More business people say corruption is likely to get worse, not better
* Widespread ignorance of legislation on foreign bribery
* Companies are trying to fight back against corrupt practices
http://www.crg.com/pdf/corruption_survey_2006_V3.pdf

The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) reviewed chief executive pay at the 25 largest companies on the ASX 100. They found chief executives are receiving as much as double the pay recorded in their company annual reports - raising shareholder ire about a lack of effective disclosure.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/business/options-quietly-double-the-chief-executives-pay/2006/10/08/1160246011399.html

India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched a formal inquiry into former defense minister George Fernandes approval of missile systems from Israel in 2000, allegedly in exchange for a substantial bribe.

Iraq's parliament lifted the immunity of Mishaan Jubouri to allow his prosecution on corruption charges.

The Kenya Planters Cooperative Union dismissed the entire management board over alleged financial misconduct.

While Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission continues to investigate corruption among state governors, Vice President Atiku Abubakar was charged in a special anti-corruption court with more than a dozen counts of corruption related to diverting public funds.

Sweden's Trade Minister Maria Borelius has resigned over alleged tax evasion, just a week after coming into office.

The US Department of Justice's Inspector General released Report of Investigation Concerning Alleged Mismanagement and Misconduct by Carl J. Truscott, Former Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It finds he violated ethics rules in a wide-ranging pattern of questionable expenses that included requiring 20 employees to help his teenage nephew prepare a high school project.
http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/s0610/final.pdf

Republican congressman Robert Ney has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud, make false statements, and violate a lobbying ban in connection with corrupt activities of lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Sentencing was scheduled for 19 January 2007.
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2006/October/06_crm_701.html
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ETM Economies and Financial Systems
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World Trade Organization (WTO)Director-General Pascal Lamy said that from his contacts with many trade ministers "it is now obvious that the cost of failure, and the missed opportunity to rebalance the trading system, would hurt developing countries more than others". He underscored the importance of moving forward on Aid for Trade despite negotiation setbacks.
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news06_e/tnc_chair_report_10oct06_e.htm
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news06_e/gc_10oct06_e.htm

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reports that tax revenues as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) are rising despite cuts in tax rates, reversing a trend towards lower tax burdens.
http://www.oecd.org/document/11/0,2340,en_2649_201185_37504715_1_1_1_1,00.html

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued its latest Middle East and Central Asia Regional Economic Outlook. It reports strong economic performance despite some regional security problems and asset price reversals. Growth should average 6 - 7 percent this year and next, but policies should strengthen resilience to weather downside risks.
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2006/pr06217.htm

The US trade deficit rose again, to $69.9 billion dollars, on course to set a new record.
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ETM Environment and Climate Change
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"Climate Change and Insurance" from Allianz Group and the World Wildlife Fund calls for the insurance industry to do more to address the growing impact of climate change induced damage.
http://www.worldwildlife.org/news/displayPR.cfm?prID=317

The European Commission has sent first warnings to France, Estonia, Greece, Lithuania and Poland and final warnings to Germany and Luxembourg for failing to submit details on their plans to cut carbon emissions. Luxembourg is being taken to the European Court of Justice for not providing sufficient information on its policies and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and on its projected future emissions.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/1364&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=ens


The Union of Concerned Scientists completed the first study of how unchecked change will alter the character of the northeast US, including higher temperatures, severe rain, and up to a 50 percent decline in snow, all changes that would seriously harm agriculture, tourism, and the economy.
http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/global-warming-will-alter.html


University of Wisconsin (US) researchers report a link between hurricane frequency in the Atlantic and thick clouds of dust that periodically rise form the Sahara Desert.
http://www.news.wisc.edu/13000.html

Thirteen companies have set aggressive greenhouse gas emissions targets:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/a8f952395381d3968525701c005e65b5/abaf76a31c93d2e685257205006305cb!OpenDocument
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ETM Human Rights
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The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank "for their efforts to create economic and social development from below".
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2006/
http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/10/15/d6101501011.htm
http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/10/15/d61015050149.htm

The UN General Assembly has unanimously elected South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon as the next Secretary General, taking office when Kofi Annan steps down on 31 December. Read a profile of Mr Ban here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5401856.stm

The World Day Against the Death Penalty was marked on 10 October.

Rwandan leaders have endorsed a proposal to abolish the death penalty. This could make it easier for genocide suspects in exile to be transferred to Rwanda, since many countries refuse extradition to states where the suspects could face torture or execution.

The UN Secretary-General's Study on Violence against Children has been presented to the UN General Assembly, for the first time laying out a comprehensive global view of the range and scale of this tragic problem.
http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/EB061D06368DB7CEC125720500483BB3?opendocument
http://www.who.int/features/qa/44/en/index.html

Also note the in-depth study on violence against women.
http://www.un.org/esa/desa/ousg/statements/2006/20061009_ga61_3rd.html

France's lower-house of parliament has passed a bill making it illegal to deny that Turkey perpetrated a genocide against Armenians during World War I. The bill will proceed to the Senate, but has already generated rancor from Turkey and other EU countries.

Indian Prime Minister Singh has called for support to government efforts to end child labor. New legislation banning children under 14 working in various establishments came into effect on 10 October.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has barred prominent government critics from news and current affairs programs, in violation of its own guidelines against exclusion of particular individuals from nonobjective motives. However, there was no blanket blacklisting. SABC has prevented the Mail and Guardian from publishing the complete report: they have not complied.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=286556
http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/286709/SABCBLACKLISTREPORT.pdf
http://www.sabcnews.co.za/south_africa/general/0,2172,136555,00.html

The UK Foreign Office has released the 2006 Annual Report on Human Rights.
http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1159199103169

The UK's Joint Committee on Human Rights issued its 26th report on Human Trafficking, calling for immediate action to end increased numbers of trafficked persons, and more protection for immigrants and the exploited.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt200506/jtselect/jtrights/245/24502.htm

Britain's High Court has ruled in favor of the Wall Street Journal Europe in a libel case that sets a new standard providing media protection similar to that in the US.
http://www.rcfp.org/news/2006/1012-lib-britai.html

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Justice after it failed to respond to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records regarding the electronic surveillance programs DCS-3000 and Red Hook.
http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2006_10.php#004935

The Department of Justice has filed a voting rights lawsuit against Philadelphia for alleged discrimination against minority groups.
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2006/October/06_crt_704.html
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ETM Infectious Diseases
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has renewed its collaboration with sanofi-aventis. The world's number 3 pharmaceutical company will donate medicines and financial support worth $25 million over five years to support the fight against some of the most neglected tropical diseases that destroy the lives and health of poor people. The project will focus on detection, prevention, and treatment of these four diseases:
* Sleeping sickness, a parasitic disease spread by the bite of the tsetse fly that is fatal if not treated and causes bouts of fever, headaches, joint pains and itching, and in later stages confusion, sensory and sleep disturbances and poor coordination
* Leishmaniasis, a skin disease that leaves lifelong ugly scars
* Buruli ulcer, which destroys the skin and soft tissues
* Chagas disease, an insect-transmitted illness that attacks the heart, oesophagus, colon and the peripheral nervous system
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2006/pr54/en/index.html
http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/en/index.html
http://www.sanofi-aventis.com/Images/061010_oms_fr_tcm23-13494.pdf (in French)

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has opened a new Crisis Management Center to address bird flu and other major animal health of food health-related emergencies.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000421/index.html

Egypt's Ministry of Health has confirmed its first H5N1 human avian influenza infection since May. Cumulative confirmed cases through 11 October number 253, of which 148 have proven fatal.
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_10_11/en/index.html
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2006_10_11/en/index.html

Indonesia has begun vaccinating cattle infected with anthrax in two areas, and is requiring all animals to be tested before they are killed in a designated slaughterhouse.

The mystery illness in Panama that killed at least 21 people has been identified as a malicious contamination of cough and anti-allergy medications. They were laced with diethylene glycol, an antifreeze, and are not linked to a high blood pressure medicine previously suspected.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N12196660.htm
http://www.minsa.gob.pa/ (in Spanish)

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is leading a 7-center national HIV/AIDS clinical research network across the US.
http://main.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=99649

Democratic Republic of Congo reports an outbreak of pneumonic plague, which WHO is investigating.
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_10_13/en/index.html

Peruvian, UK and US researchers have developed the microscopic-observation drug-susceptibility assay test, providing a cheaper, faster, and more accurate test for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/355/15/1539
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ETM Legal Systems
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The British government has come under criticism for the number of offenses committed by tagged prisoners on early release.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6038926.stm

In the US state of Massachusetts' gubernatorial election, the Republican candidate has launched a fusillade of attacks against the Democratic candidates for serving in the legal profession, both as defense and prosecution attorneys. The unprecedented attacks have led to an unprecedented defense, in which the legal profession itself has fought back, calling a series of negative ads an attack on the Constitution. Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, has for the first time in its history backed a candidate for office: the Democratic candidate, Patrick Deval.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/politics/candidates/articles/2006/10/15/lawyers_defend_patricks_legal_work/
http://www.masslaw.com/
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ETM Natural Resources
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Algeria plans to levy a windfall profit tax on oil companies to retain more of the economic benefits of its oil and gas industry.

Bolivian President Evo Morales says that mines where private owners have not invested sufficiently may face expropriation.

Hundreds of indigenous Colombian Bari Indians braved a war zone to demonstrate against the state oil company drilling on sacred land.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/12/america/LA_GEN_Colombia_Indian_March.php
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ETM Populations
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The European Commission's new Communication on "The demographic future of Europe – from challenge to opportunity" sets out five areas for concrete action to help Member States adapt to demographic change in their own national context:
* Helping people to balance work, family and private life so that potential parents can have the number of children they desire;
* Improving work opportunities for older people;
* Increasing potentially productivity and competitiveness by valuing the contributions of both older and younger employees;
* Harnessing the positive impact of migration for the job market;
* Ensuring sustainable public finances to help guarantee social protection in the long-term.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/1359&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

The European Defense Agency's Initial Long-Term Vision Report cites the aging population as a reason to cut armed forces, increase automation, outsource to the private sector, and eliminate excess capacity.
http://www.eda.europa.eu/ltv/ltv.htm

An EU Communication on the Long-Term Sustainability of Public Finances shows that countries with high budgetary imbalances and significant projected increases in age-related expenditure are more at risk than others, but coping with the budgetary impact of aging is a key policy challenge for the EU as whole. The answer lies in reducing public debts, raising employment rates and improving productivity while pursuing reform of pension, health care and long-term care systems.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/1356&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

Since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, the number of deaths has surpassed births in Russia every year. Los Angeles Times staff writer Kim Murphy addresses this growing threat in a series on "The Vanishing Russians":
"A Dying Population"
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-empty8oct08,0,4079705.story
"For the Sick, No Place to Turn"
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-collapse9oct09,0,5957312.story
"In a Battered City, Gravestones Tell the Story of a New Russia"
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-graves9oct09,0,7837118.story
"The Future Looks a Lot More Diverse"
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-recede10oct10,0,2171059.story

The Conference Board's new report, "Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers' Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge And Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century Workforce" finds the new entrants to the US workforce are ill prepared and lacking in both basic skills and more advanced applied skills.
http://www.conference-board.org/publications/describe.cfm?id=1218
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ETM Social Responsibility
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The Global Reporting Initiative has revised guidelines to include an entry-level option that will benefit smaller enterprises that find complexity of the former guidelines a barrier to reporting.
http://www.globalreporting.org/

Partners for Financial Stability (PFS) Program has released its semi-annual Survey of Reporting on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by the Ten Largest Listed Companies (by market capitalization) in 11 Central and Eastern European (CEE) Countries.
http://www.pfsprogram.org/pr_file.php?id=116064546049_Press_Release___October_12__2006.pdf

Apple has become the latest participant in Bono's Red campaign to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa, with the launch of the ipod nano red.
http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/red/

We've all heard about Corporate Social Responsibility, but this article discusses the other CSR: Consumer Social Responsibility.
http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/the_other_csr/#

"Ethical foods" is one consumer trend that appears to be lasting.
http://www.mintel.com/press_release.php?id=238979
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ETM Technology
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Dutch researchers looking into the London drug trial of TGN1412 report that British regulators die not receive complete findings that could have warned of the danger, and proposed a system of additional checks for drug trials:
*When experimental drugs are tested they should be given to just one person initially
* Experimental drugs which work on the immune system should be given to people who are already ill, rather than healthy volunteers
* More information should be given about how the experimental drug worked in animal studies
* More information should be given about how predictable the conclusions from the animal studies are
* Drug developers must make sure they provide all vital information for the trial assessors
* Evaluation for human experiments should be internationally consistent
(The Lancet 2006; 368:1387-1391)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6044634.stm

Nanotechnology is beginning to be applied to foods, but there is concern that food regulators are unequipped to deal with the potential risks this poses.
http://www.fda.gov/nanotechnology/
http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/3756
http://www.icta.org/press/release.cfm?news_id=21
http://www.the-scientist.com/news/daily/25041/
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ETM Weapons (WMD, Proliferation)
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The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution that imposes sanctions against North Korea, following its underground test of a purported nuclear weapon. The sanctions carry no threat of military force, but establish mandatory requirements that:
* North Korea must eliminate all nuclear weapons, WMD, and ballistic missiles, and return to 6-party talks without precondition
* All countries must prevent sale or transfer of materials related to North Korea's conventional and unconventional weapons programs
* All countries must freeze funds of people or businesses connected with North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs
* Bans export of luxury goods
* Allows nations to inspect as necessary cargo moving in or out of North Korea
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20261&Cr=DPRK&Cr1=

North Korea's UN envoy Pak Gil Yon rejected the resolution, accused the Security Council of ignoring US pressure that if increased would be considered a declaration of war, and walked out.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-10/15/content_5203840.htm

For more information:
* Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
"How North Korea's Nuclear Test Affects the Doomsday Clock"
http://www.thebulletin.org/press_center/20061011.htm
* Center for Nonproliferation Studies
Special Report: North Korea Conducts Nuclear Test
http://www.cns.miis.edu/pubs/week/pdf/061010_dprktest.pdf
* International Relations Center
"North Korea--Beyond the Point of No Return?"
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/rw/3582
"North Korean Nuclear Conflict Has Deep Roots"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/14/AR2006101401068.html
"Neocons: Regime Change or Bust"
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/rw/3586
* Institute for Science and International Security
" ISIS Imagery Brief: Suspected North Korean Nuclear Test Site"
http://www.isis-online.org/publications/dprk/dprktestbrief.pdf

These events are likely to trigger significant nuclear proliferation. Up to 40 countries have the technical skill and some the required material to build a nuclear bomb.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/world/asia/15nuke.html

Iran continues to refuse to suspend its uranium enrichment program and calls the threat of sanctions inefficient and could invite retaliation. It insists that the country has a right to develop nuclear technology, and maintains this is for peaceful purposes only.

Following North Korea's nuclear test, reaching agreement between the US and either Iran or India is extremely unlikely.

Russia and Hungary have agreed to a set of relief measures in the event of a terrorist attack involving a dirty bomb.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20061011/54711836.html

South Korean authorities arrested "Lee" for allegedly exporting 15 tons of potassium bifluoride, which could be used as part of a uranium enrichment program, to an unspecified Middle Eastern nation.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2006/October/theworld_October451.xml&section=theworld&col=

Growth in the number of US laboratories handling deadly biological agents is likely to have made the biosecurity problem worse.
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/state/hc-08170953.apds.m0035.bc-ct--anthoct08,0,6907671,print.story?coll=hc-headlines-local-wire

The Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center estimates the government has spent at least $26 billion on detection, vaccines, antibiotics and training since the anthrax attacks, in addition to military research.
http://www.nj.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-9/116036973535730.xml&coll=1&thispage=2

The consequences to Steven Hatfill when he was suspected of involvement in the anthrax attacks are well documented, but have you heard of Irshad and Masood Shaikh?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/06/AR2006100601554_pf.html

A mandatory cost review will be undertaken following significant increases in the projected costs of cleaning up the chemical weapons at the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado and a similar depot in Kentucky.
http://www.chieftain.com/metro/1160209444/1

Director General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, told the UN General Assembly that the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is being effectively implemented, and provided an overview of current developments in chemical disarmament and non-proliferation,
http://www.opcw.org/pressreleases/2006/PR67_2006.html

Belgian investigators arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) capital Kinshasa have begun their work to identify the cause of what is believed to be the world's first incident in which a civilian has been accidentally killed by a military unmanned air vehicle.
http://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/Article.aspx?liArticleID=209752

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5. Critical Infrastructure Monitor

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

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CIM Agriculture and Food
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Australia's drought has devastated the wheat crop to the extent that world stockpiles are at their lowest level in nearly three decades, with prices at a 10-year high. Australian Prime Minister Howard warns that the consequent rural recession is likely to have a negative impact across the country.

Efforts to contain the spread of a virus attacking cocoa crops in Ghana and Ivory Coast have had little effect. Many farmers have abandoned their plantations, and the economic impact could be severe.

The European Commission has initiated infringement proceedings against the UK for its failure to take appropriate measures in response to unlawful and unhygienic practices in Bowland Dairy. The Commission is particularly concerned about the acceptance by the UK authorities towards the placing on the market of milk which tested positive for antibiotics outside of the required EU maximum residue levels.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/1371&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

In the UK, the market for free range, fair trade and organic products has grown 62 percent in the past four years and now exceeds GBP2 billion a year.
http://www.mintel.com/press_release.php?id=238979

The US Food and Drug Agency (FDA) and the state of California have identified the source of the E.coli outbreak in spinach to cattle waste in a particular area.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01489.html

Another recall has been initiated for a particular brand of lettuce contaminated by infected irrigation water.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01487.html
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CIM Banking and Finance
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In Canada, the Task Force to Modernize Securities Legislation has released its final report. In 3,000 pages they propose a broad range of changes to improve capital markets.
http://www.tfmsl.ca/

"Transparency and Disclosure By Russian Banks: Modest Improvement and Better Ownership Disclosure Create New Leaders" is a new Standard and Poor's report. It finds substantial improvements in transparency, driven by the need to raise international capital, and, to a lesser extent, regulatory requirements. The 30 largest banks on average disclose 48 percent of information required by international investors, up from 36 percent the prior year, primarily due to methodological changes.
http://www.standardandpoors.com

Stock trading fees are under fire after Zecco.com and Bank of America began offering free trades to those with certain minimum balances.

"Credit Cards: Increased Complexity in Rates and Fees Heightens Need for More Effective Disclosures to Consumers" is a new report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) that recommends disclosure materials must more clearly emphasize terms that can significantly affect cardholder costs, including clarity in key rates and fees.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-929

New legislation in California requires mortgage lenders to translate loan contracts into Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, or Vietnamese, if that is that language in which the loan was negotiated. The law takes effect in January.
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CIM Chemical
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The European Parliament's environment committee has endorsed EU legislation REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) that requires manufacturers to demonstrate that some 30,000 substances already in use are safe.
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=L10471109&WTmodLoc=World-R5-Alertnet-3
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/comparl/envi/default_en.htm
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/reach/reach_intro.htm

The American Society of Safety Engineers has offered chemical safety tips to address hazards associated with everyday products in the home.
http://www.asse.org/press575.htm

The Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board completed its initial investigation of the Apex, North Carolina chemical fire. Work will continue, and they will come up with some likely scenarios, but the wholesale destruction leaves little behind to analyze, and the exact cause may never be known.
http://www.csb.gov
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=triangle&id=4653340
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CIM Cybersecurity
--------------------------------------------------
Microsoft published ten patches in this month's cycle, six of which are critical.
http://isc.sans.org/diary.php?storyid=1770
https://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms06-oct.mspx
http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2006/10/10/October-2006-Bulletin-Release.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms06-057.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms06-058.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms06-061.mspx

Finjan warns that hackers could point users to malicious software on storage and caching servers long after the websites have been removed.
http://www.finjan.com/Content.aspx?id=1117
http://www.finjan.com/content.aspx?id=827

Websense released its 2006 Latin America WebAtWork Survey, finding critical gaps and misconceptions about security, including 86 percent of IT managers believing that current software will stop spyware from infiltrating employee computers.
http://www.websense.com/global/en/PressRoom/PressReleases/PressReleaseDetail/index.php?Release=0610121299

Europe's largest hacker group, the German Computer Chaos Club, has called for a ban on the Nedap ES3B voting machine and similar computers after The Dutch group Wij vertrouwen stemcomputers niet ("We don't trust voting computers") found multiple flaws in the equipment.
http://www.ccc.de/updates/2006/wahlcomputer
http://www.wijvertrouwenstemcomputersniet.nl/images/9/91/Es3b-en.pdf
http://www.nedap.com/en/news.php?id=32

German thieves stole laptop computers containing secret specifications of armored limousines used by Chancellor Merkel and other government officials.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,441706,00.html

Britain's Metropolitan Police is investigating data recovered from a computer in the US that contains personal information from hacked systems in the UK.
http://cms.met.police.uk/news/appeals/computer_crime/uk_targeted_in_computer_data_theft

The UK Information Commissioner is investigating reports of security breaches at Indian call centers that have exposed personal information, including financial records of Britains. When asked about the same issue in Australia, Prime Minister Howard rejected an opposition Labor proposal to inform people when sensitive information is sent overseas, saying that "part of the globalized world is a much freer flow of information....The idea that you can have an effective regulatory regime of the type he's talking about ignores the realities of the modern world".
http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/pressreleases/2006/investigation_mobile_phone_companies.pdf
http://www.smh.com.au/news/business/your-secrets-going-offshore-a-reality-pm/2006/10/10/1160246120054.html

The US House Committee on Government Reform has released its Staff Report on Agency Data Breaches Since January 1, 2003. Key conclusions include:
* Data loss is a government-wide occurrence. All 19 Departments and agencies reported at least one loss of personally identifiable information since January 2003. This is not a problem that is restricted to the Department of Veterans Affairs or any other single agency.
* Agencies do not always know what has been lost. The letters received by the Committee demonstrate that, in many cases, agencies do not know what information has been lost or how many individuals could be impacted by a particular data loss. Similarly, agencies do not appear to be tracking all possible losses of personal information, making it likely that their reports to the committee are incomplete. For example, the Department of Justice reports that, prior to the May 2006 Veterans Administration data breach, "the Department did not track the content of lost, stolen, or otherwise compromised devices."
* Physical security of data is essential. Only a small number of the data breaches reported to the Committee were caused by hackers breaking into computer systems online. The vast majority of data losses arose from physical thefts of portable computers, drives, and disks, or unauthorized use of data by employees.
* Contractors are responsible for many of the reported breaches. Federal agencies rely heavily on private sector contractors for information technology management services. Thus, many of the reported data breaches were the responsibility of contractors.
http://reform.house.gov/GovReform/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=51539

Chinese hackers have launched a sustained attack against US Department of Commerce web sites, apparently supported to some extent by the Chinese government. The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has taken immediate steps to ensure that no sensitive commercial, economic, or law enforcement data is lost or compromised.
http://www.ioltechnology.co.za/article_page.php?iArticleId=3474082
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CIM Dams and Bridges
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Cox's Bazar is Bangladesh's tourist capital. The delta is linked with some 30 bridges too dangerous to use. The main road link was severed when a bailey bridge collapsed on 9 October.

Italy has dropped plans to build a suspension bridge to join Sicily to the mainland.

Former Suriname rebels say that if the government continues to refuse implementing a 1992 peace agreement, they will blow up the Afobakka dam, which uses hydro-power to generate electricity for the capital.
http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000037/003718.htm

Thailand's interim Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has told each new minister to review projects initiated under the prior government and ensure that social and environmental impact studies have been undertaken, including review of the proposed Hutgyi dam inside Burma.

Vandals opened the spillway gates on Bear Valley Dam in California. A private security firm has been engaged to patrol the dam and camera surveillance is being installed. Hand cranks have been rendered inoperable, and the gates can only be opened and shut by a remote control system.
http://www.bigbeargrizzly.net/articles/2006/10/11/news/dam.txt
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CIM Defense Industrial Base
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The European Defense Agency released its Long-Term Vision Report.
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/2006/10/eda-sets-out-long-term-vision-for-europes-defense-base/index.php

The UK Ministry of Defense will include fostering a start-up culture to develop the next generation of military technology in its forthcoming Defense Technology Strategy paper.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9075-2395135,00.html
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CIM Emergency Services
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The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has set up a military brigade for public health emergency response.
http://english.people.com.cn/200610/15/eng20061015_311981.html

"The ED Major Incident Center: A Perfect Refit" describes a model for communities to revitalize their hospitals while better-preparing for all the threats they might face
http://www.emsresponder.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=1&id=4206

Several US cities are considering having fire departments handle emergency medical services as well, thereby reducing costs:
"Toledo's fire chief, union head propose ambulance takeover"
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061011/NEWS16/610110390/0/NEWS14
"Tulsa, Oklahoma Fire Department Seeks to Replace EMSA"
http://www.tulsaworld.com/NewsStory.asp?ID=061011_To_A1_Firef31180

In Los Angeles, California, one emergency room is preparing to close, a second is in trouble, and nearby hospitals are concerned.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-er15oct15,0,5458877.story
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CIM Energy
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The International Energy Agency reports that high prices in developed countries have for the first time in over 20 years caused demand to contract.
http://www.iea.org/

Chinese and Russian firms plan to invest $10 billion on power plants at the northeast border, fueled by Siberian coal.

Democratic Republic of Congo is moving forward with plans to develop hydroelectric power along the Congo River.

Indonesia has revoked a contract with ExxonMobile to develop the Natuna offshore gas field, preferring to give the development rights to state energy firm Pertamina. Exxon has found the gas costly to extract and difficult to sell, but insists its contract runs to 2009.
http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2006/10/12/afx3088147.html

Iran has cut from 75 to 10 percent Japan's Inpex Holdings concession in Iran's Azadegan oil field.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20061014f1.html

Mexico's LNG project has such a head start that it may inhibit other plans.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lngbaja9oct09,0,7658504.story?track=tottext

Norway's Statoil has shut down the Ssnorre A and Drauden oil fields for safety improvements.
http://www.statoil.com/

The Philippines Senate unanimously approved the Biofuels Act of 2006, which mandated biofuel as an alternative form of energy for transportation and elsewhere.

Russian energy giant Gazprom has decided to exploit the Shtokman natural gas field in the Barents Sea without foreign partners. Gazprom has indicated that the output would be largely directed towards European customers.
http://jamestown.org/edm/article.php?article_id=2371531
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,1922624,00.html

Serbia is beginning privatization of its oil sector.

The US Department of Energy has agreed to accept discounted fuel from Venezuela's Citgo, as a charitable contribution disassociated with the major political disagreements between the two countries.
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CIM Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste
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Australia has ruled out uranium sales to India.

Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear plant reported a rupture in a heating device that caused a leak of radioactive solution into a pipeline in its turbine hall. The incident caused no harm, but the plant is in poor repair and the EU will grant $64 million to close down the two reactors.
http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/incident-at-bulgarias-nuclear-power-plant-was-harmless---report/id_18086/catid_66
http://www.kznpp.org/main_en.php

The European Commission has sent reasoned opinions to Denmark, France, Portugal and Sweden, in the second state of an infringement proceeding connected with their failure to notify transposition measures necessary for complying with the Directive on the control of high-activity sealed radioactive sources and orphan sources. Radioactive sources have many uses in the industrial, medical and scientific sectors where, the risks are generally well-known, and exposures resulting from accidental or unintended handling are therefore rare. However, they can be moved or withdrawn without authorization or proper control of the risks. Radioactive sources are sometimes discovered in scrap yards and steel plants, where they are mixed with other materials and may constitute a serious danger.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/1378&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

The Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania declared a low-grade emergency, or unusual event, last weekend following the discovery of a small leak in a test line. Repairs have been completed and the plant is back online. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is undertaking a risk assessment to estimate the impact of a radioactive release.
http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1160532612203150.xml&coll=1
http://www.yorkdispatch.com/business/ci_4487387

University of Utah researchers are working on new drugs that help the human body excrete radioactive materials, whether they're inhaled, ingested or absorbed through the skin.
http://www.sltrib.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?articleId=4460993&siteId=297
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CIM Postal and Shipping
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The US Postal Service is still working to protect workers and customers from biological attacks.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061008/LOCAL17/610080470/1012
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/15765667.htm

A more recent threat is to personal safety, with growing incidents of deposits in mail boxes that include "open soda cans, beer bottles, garbage, dirty diapers, underwear, dead rats and one live snake".
http://www.standardspeaker.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3222&Itemid=2
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CIM Public Health and Healthcare
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World Mental Health Day on 10 October focused on addressing the causes and treatment of suicide. At least 870,000 people kill themselves each year, constituting the third leading cause of death in those aged 15-35 years. 450 million others are affected by mental, neurological or behavioral problems at any given time.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2006/pr53/en/index.html

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and more than 20 leading agencies and NGOs have launched the Stop TB Partnership for Europe. It will address growing alarm about high levels of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB3) in the Baltic States, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and the more recent emergence of extreme drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB3) that is virtually untreatable.
http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/pr06/7106.asp

The UK Health Protection Agency warns of bovine tuberculosis spreading among visitors to a bar and nightclub.
http://www.hpa.org.uk/hpa/news/articles/press_releases/2006/061010_tb.htm

An anthrax outbreak in Scotland remains under investigation.
http://www.hpa.org.uk/hpa/news/articles/press_releases/2006/061012_anthrax.htm

France will ban smoking in all public places from February 2007.

Saudi Arabia is requiring Hajj pilgrims from Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan to provide polio immunization certificates in order to be admitted.

The UK Healthcare Commission has published its annual National Health Service (NHS) performance ratings. More than half of the 570 bodies assessed need to improve quality of service or financial management.
http://annualhealthcheckratings.healthcarecommission.org.uk/annualhealthcheckratings.cfm

The Department of Health released the Health Profile of England. It reveals a significant north-south health divide, with northern areas having lower life expectancies, and higher rates of obesity and smoking-related deaths.
http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4139556&chk=ZZ5tAj
http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/PR-BMA+response+to+the+Government's+Health+Profile+of+England+report+-+10+Oct+2006

EU and other countries have tightened environmental standards in the past two years, but manufacturers worldwide are selling goods to US consumers that do not meet the stringent standards for toxic chemicals - like carcinogenic formaldehyde in kitchen furniture.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dumping8oct08,0,4957760.story

The US federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration warns that the urine-alcohol screen EtG is too scientifically uncertain to be the sole basis for legal or disciplinary action.
http://www.kap.samhsa.gov/products/manuals/advisory/pdfs/0609_biomarkers.pdf
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CIM Telecommunications
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Broadband subscribers in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) increased 33 percent from 136 million in June 2005 to 181 million in June 2006. This growth increased broadband penetration rates in the OECD from 11.7 in June 2005 to 15.5 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants one year later.
http://www.oecd.org/document/9/0,2340,en_2649_34223_37529673_1_1_1_1,00.html

Vandals in Nairobi, Kenya, have stolen the cables from at least 3,200 telephone lines, including those underground, cutting off telephone and ATM access.

Motorola has taken legal action after India's state telecom group BSNL rejected its contract bid on "technical grounds".

The European Commission is considering opening its Galileo satellite navigation system to defense applications.

The US Department of Justice has approved ATandT's proposed acquisition of Bell South with no conditions:
"After thoroughly investigating AT&T’s proposed acquisition of BellSouth, the Antitrust Division determined that the proposed transaction is not likely to reduce competition substantially. The Division investigated all areas in which the two companies currently compete – including residential local and long distance service, telecommunications services provided to business customers, and Internet services – and the merger’s impact on future competition for wireless broadband services."
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2006/October/06_at_692.html

However, this acquisition largely reconstitutes the old Ma Bell. The matter has now passed to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which has decided to seek public comment on the matter.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-2035A1.pdf
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267892A1.pdf
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267893A1.pdf
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CIM Transportation
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In New York city, the crash of a small plane into a Manhattan high-rise recalled memories of 9/11 and fresh questions about aviation security, although additional controls of general aviation would be costly and complex. Most small planes have been banned from the East River, pending further review.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aFhNlVtaCIY0&refer=home
http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=7436

The Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe) and the Association of European Airlines (AEA) announced the European Strategic Partnership for Aviation Security (ESPAS) to address shortcomings in the current system. The ESPAS platform will be used to establish a common industry security policy and act jointly with European rule makers to address shortcomings in the current system
http://www.aea.be/dbnetgrid2//htmleditor/UploadFiles/Pr06-045.pdf

The Commons Transport Committee continued its inquiry into Transport Security: Traveling Without Fear. Testimony on 11 October included Professor Alan Hatcher, who explained that threats from mortars, missiles, and devices in cars near airports could target lengthy security lines at airports, presenting a more realistic danger than bombs on board. He recommended less reliance on technology and more investment in security staff.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6041632.stm
http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/transport_committee/transport_committee_future_meetings.cfm

The European Commission updated its airlines black list.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/1384&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

The FreightWatch Group estimates annual cargo theft at more than $50 billion per year, and rising.
http://scifwg.stratfor.com/dl/STRATFOR_Cargo_Theft_10_06.pdf

The European Commission adopted a report on evaluating the quality of the work of the classification societies responsible for certifying ship safety. The report confirms the high technical standard of the classification societies approved by the EU, but points to some operational weaknesses.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/1369&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

Japan has banned all North Korean ships from entering its ports.

US President Bush has signed the US Port Security Act, which no longer incorporates a ban on felons working in seaports, but includes a signing statement affirming unitary executive powers.
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/online/Homeland-Security/Felons-at-Ports--A-Dangerous-Security-Hole/9609SIW359
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061013-12.html

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has called for International Maritime Organization (IMO) members to ratify their own 5-year-old toxic paint legislation to put an end to contamination of wildlife and the human food chain.
http://www.wwf.org.uk/news/n_0000003114.asp
http://www.imo.org/

Bombay (Mumbai) India has developed a 2-phase security program for the suburban train network. It will incorporate access control, detection, surveillance, and other systems to help avoid another terrorist attack in the future.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1820175,0008.htm

California's Local Community Rail Security Act 2006 has been signed into law. It requires all rail carriers to provide a detailed risk assessment of each facility by 1 July 2007, to document their emergency response procedures, and develop and implement an infrastructure protection program to safeguard the rails from outside threats including sabotage and terrorism.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-04-2006/0004445420&EDATE=

An investigation is being demanded following a ferric chloride lead from a train car, with no prior notification to the local authorities in Lowell, Massachusetts, that a hazardous cargo was being transported through the city. This is the second such incident in four years.
http://www.lowellsun.com/front/ci_4493456

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that side airbags that protect people's heads are reducing driver deaths in cars struck on the near (driver) side by an estimated 37 percent. Airbags that protect only the chest and abdomen but not the head are reducing deaths by 26 percent.
http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr100506.html
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CIM Water
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Australia is considering "Plenty of options but no easy solutions" to tackle water shortages.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20576811-601,00.html

Bangladesh's Barapukuria coal-fired power project pumps out a staggering 1,100 tons of groundwater per hour. In only eight months, the underground water-table has apparently depleted by three times, creating an acute crisis of drinking water.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/10/13/d6101301011.htm

Grand Comore has no significant rivers or streams so a large portion of the population depends on rainwater gathered in large cisterns or tanks. Mount Karthala's two eruptions in the last year and a half have polluted the fragile water source on the island, the largest in the Comoros archipelago between Mozambique and Madagascar, and left it covered in debris. As a short-term solution, UNICEF trucked in millions of liters of fresh drinking water for more than 150,000 people, but has now worked to cover more than 1,500 cisterns to ensure continued access to safe water, which has also led to improved health among the villagers.

Up to 300 people at a police base in Numaniya, Iraq, were suddenly taken ill with severe gastrointestinal symptoms that initially raised fears of a deliberate poisoning attack. However, the culprit now appears to be infected water. 89 policemen were treated in hospital, but apparently none have died.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a new rule that targets utilities that provide water from underground sources. It requires:
* regular sanitary surveys of public water systems to look for significant deficiencies in key operational areas
* triggered source-water monitoring when a system that does not sufficiently disinfect drinking water identifies a positive sample during its regular monitoring to comply with existing rules.
* implementation of corrective actions by ground water systems with a significant deficiency or evidence of source water fecal contamination
* compliance monitoring for systems that are sufficiently treating drinking water to ensure effective removal of pathogens
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/a8f952395381d3968525701c005e65b5/026a2a41917cfa678525720500568809!OpenDocument

---

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 northern Guatemala near the Mexican border, a passenger bus traveling through fog fell down a 100-meter ravine. Five survivors are in hospital; 42 people died.

Flooding in Thailand has killed more than 44 people since it began at the end of August. The floodwaters are full of parasites and human waste, causing at least 138,000 people to fall ill from waterborne diseases across 20 provinces. Several World Heritage sites are also threatened.

In Burma, the same floodwaters have killed 13 people.

Torrential rains in southwestern China have led to flooding and landslides that killed 16, with four people still missing.

A landslide triggered by heavy rains in Kenya killed five children, all under the age of five.

Six people are confirmed dead in a head-on train collision in northeastern France, near the Luxembourg border. Five people were injured, and ten treated for shock. Engineering work had restricted travel to one line. Luxembourg now acknowledges that main responsibility for the accident lies with the state rail company's erroneous signaling, which sent the passenger train onto the same track as the foods train.

An early snowstorm in western New York state left nearly two feet of snow before the leaves had fallen from the trees. Three deaths are blamed on the storm, which caused many trees and tree limbs to fall, rendering roads impassible and cutting off power to more than 350,000 people.

A charter plane caught fire and skidded while landing at Stord airport in Norway. Three people were found dead in the wreckage, but the 13 survivors were not seriously injured. An investigation is under way.

US baseball pitcher Cory Lidle and his flying instructor died when their small plane crashed into a high-rise building in New York. An investigation is under way.

The Food and Agricultural Organization's (FAO) latest assessment finds that 40 countries are facing food emergencies and require external assistance, with the most pressing crisis in Darfur, Sudan.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000416/index.html

A 6.6 earthquake in Hawaii has caused property damage and minor injuries.
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DRM Response and Recovery
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The technical investigation into the midair collision last month between a US corporate jet and a Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes flight continues. Brazilian officials have identified equipment breakdowns, communication failures with the new air traffic control system and anti-collision systems on both planes, and behavior of the US pilots as potential contributing factors to the accident in which the 154 passengers on the Gol flight died.

A Greek inquiry into the August 2005 crash of Cypriot Helios Airways Flight 522 has been attributed to human error, primarily related to cabin pressure controls. Pilots misread instruments and misinterpreted a warning signal, leading to the plane losing oxygen as it gained altitude, rendering all on board unconscious. The plane flew on autopilot for nearly two hours before running out of fuel and crashing , killing all 121 people on board. Cypriot officials have addressed recommendations regarding maintenance and other issues, and Boeing has addressed recommendations related to pressurization incidents in this type of aircraft.
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20050814-0

BP has been ordered to provide documents related to the 2005 Texas refinery explosion that killed 15 and injured hundreds, to a US congressional inquiry. Chief executive Lord Browne has been ordered, by US District Judge Samuel Kent, to provide a deposition in connection with a lawsuit filed in the case. Some of the claimants are settling out of court, but Lord Browne may be required to provide evidence in another 59 cases brought in Texas.

A Massachusetts (US) legislative panel recommends that company officials should face criminal charges and prison for reckless failures to protect construction site workers, particularly since federal fines for safety violations have been treated as a cost of doing business. The recommendations follow an investigation into a scaffolding collapse that killed two workers and a passerby.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/10/12/prison_urged_for_lethal_worksite_negligence/

A new US Geological Survey report reveals that hurricanes Katrina and Rita turned 217 square miles of Louisiana coastline to water overnight.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-6/11605473046210.xml&coll=1
http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1564
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DRM Risks
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Allianz Group and the World Wildlife Fund calls for the insurance industry to do more to address the growing impact of climate change induced damage. "Climate Change and Insurance" is a new report that details altered and intensified weather patterns that lead to increased flooding, forest fires, storm damage, more frequent and powerful hurricanes, and rising sea levels.
http://www.worldwildlife.org/news/displayPR.cfm?prID=317


Two years after the worst locust infestation to hit North and West Africa in 15 years, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) increased the alert level against a possible new invasion.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000418/index.html
Thailand is attempting to manage rivers and dams as flooding from the upper provinces flows towards Bangkok. Officials are looking into options for diverting excess waters from the Chao Phraya river. Bangkok and surrounding provinces could be flooded within a week.

The International Hurricane Research Center has released the list of the 10 Most Vulnerable US Mainland Areas to Hurricanes:
New Orleans, Louisiana; Lake Okeechobee, Florida; Florida Keys; Coastal Mississippi; Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Galveston/Houston, Texas; Cape Hatteras, North Carolina; Eastern Long Island, New York; Wilmington, North Carolina; and Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida.
http://www.ihc.fiu.edu/media/docs/10_Most_Hurricane_Vulnerable_Areas.pdf

A.M. Best warns that a major San Francisco, California, earthquake could cost more than $100 billion in insured property damage.
http://www3.ambest.com/Frames/Frameserver.asp?site=press&Tab=1&altsrc=2&RefNum=60497348625566576952
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DRM Mitigation
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11 October is the International Day for Disaster Reduction. This year, the theme is "Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School". UN Secretary General Annan explains:
" Children are especially vulnerable to the threats posed by natural hazards. At the same time, they can be powerful agents of change, provided they are well armed with knowledge about how to prepare in advance, how to act on warnings and how to reduce risk at home and in their communities. It is essential, therefore, to make disaster risk education a component of national school curricula, and to ensure that children understand how natural hazards interact with the environment. Young people should also be included in community risk-mapping exercises, and have opportunities to share experiences and best practices with others, including their peers. School buildings themselves should be fortified, so that they can better withstand the forces of nature. Over the last decade, disasters triggered by natural hazards have claimed more than 600,000 lives and affected more than 2.4 billion people, the majority of them in developing countries. Years of development gains have been lost, deepening poverty for millions and leaving them even more exposed to future natural hazards. Now more than ever, we must accelerate our efforts to reduce vulnerability."
http://www.unisdr.org/eng/public_aware/world_camp/2006-2007/wdrc-2006-2007.htm

A new World Bank/Columbia University report, "Natural Disaster Hotspots: Case Studies" reports on 360 natural disasters in 2005. They caused $159 billion in damage (of which, $125 billion were losses caused by Hurricane Katrina in the US), a 71 percent increase over the total losses of $93 billion in 2004. The impacts of population and economic growth, rapid urbanization, environmental degradation, and climate change are a few of the factors that will continue to fuel this trend unless something is done to reduce disaster risks.
http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&theSitePK=523679&entityID=000090341_20060828134909&searchMenuPK=64187283&theSitePK=523679 (Report)
http://geohotspots.worldbank.org/hotspot/hotspots/disaster.jsp (Interactive Hotspots Website)

Aon France reports that leading companies have improved risk communication to shareholders, but a majority of companies used updated statistics rather than fresh risk analysis.
http://www.aon.fr/about/press/communiquer_risques_octobre2006.jsp (in French)

Thailand's new cabinet has set deforestation and environmental as immediate targets to address the major causes of flood disasters.

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7. Recommended Reading

Several recent releases deal with the US Bush administration's conduct at war.

"State of Denial" by Bob Woodward (Simon and Schuster) was released earlier this month, and has emerged as the hardest hitting, inspiring formal rebuttals from the White House, the State Department, and numerous serving and former government officials.
http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?tab=1&pid=526789
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/woo1bio-1

Reviews and Features:
"Bob Woodward: Bush Misleads On Iraq"
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/28/60minutes/main2047607.shtml
"White House in crisis over 'Iraq lies' claims"
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1884879,00.html
"New Woodward Book Says Bush Ignored Urgent Warning on Iraq"
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F50717FF3C540C7A8EDDA00894DE404482
"A Systematic State of Denial"
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,441841,00.html
"Prisoners of war"
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2092-2393399,00.html
"Secret Reports Dispute White House Optimism"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/30/AR2006093000293_pf.html

Michael Isikoff and David Corn's "Hubris" (Crown) came out in September.
http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307346810
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4863599/site/newsweek/
http://www.davidcorn.com/

Reviews and Features:
"The Man Who Said Too Much"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14533384/site/newsweek/
"Silencing a Skeptic"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14740070/site/newsweek/
"Cherrypicking intelligence, burying dissent, influence of Iranian intelligence, the President with an agenda, government experts who didn't speak up"
http://prairieweather.typepad.com/the_scribe/2006/09/9706_npr_michae.html

Peter Galbraith's "The End of Iraq "The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War Without End" was published in August.
http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?tab=1&pid=517687

Reviews and Features
"The End of Iraq"
http://www.theage.com.au/news/book-reviews/the-end-of-iraq/2006/09/22/1158431886153.html
Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20060901fabook85550/peter-w-galbraith/the-end-of-iraq-how-american-incompetence-created-a-war-without-end.html
"Exiting Iraq: Ambassador Galbraith's View"
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5620002
"Statecraft in Iraq"
http://washingtontimes.com/books/200-7808r.htm

In July, we saw Thomas Ricks' " Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq" (Penguin)
http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781594201035,00.html

Reviews and Features
"Book Decries 'Fiasco' in Iraq"
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5581049
"From Planning to Warfare to Occupation, How Iraq Went Wrong"
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/25/books/25kaku.html
"In Iraq, Military Forgot Lessons of Vietnam"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/22/AR2006072201004.html

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