1. Global Terrorism Monitor
2. Political Risk Monitor
3. AML/CFT Monitor
4. Emerging Threat Monitor
5. Critical Infrastructure Monitor
6. Disaster Reduction Monitor
7. Recommended Reading
8. Asset Management Network News

1. Global Terrorism Monitor

Terrorism is a global phenomenon, and The Global Terrorism Monitor, is the only publication that directly addresses the key transnational issues this represents. Published monthly, it includes expert analysis, statistical trends, and the policies, practices, and technologies that help to mitigate this persistent threat.
http://secure.netsolhost.com/573566.585211/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TP
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GTM Africa
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AL Qaeda's influence is spreading into the cities and deserts of North Africa, centered in Algeria, where al Qaeda in the Maghreb (formerly the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat - GSPC) operates, and runs training camps for regional militants.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=298497
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/3c90513c-b79d-11db-bfb3-0000779e2340.html

Northeastern Central African Republic (CAR) remains volatile due to rebel activities. A particularly brutal round of attacks has driven some 600 people into Chad.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57566
http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/45cc5a92e.html

Ethiopian soldiers operating in southern Somalia paraded former Union of Islamic Courts chair for Kismayu, Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Madobe, who suffered 13 bullet wounds from US air attacks that killed eight colleagues.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=298190

Polisario Front separatists have rejected Morocco's plan for self-rule in the Western Sahara, insisting that it will continue to fight for the right of self-determination.
http://za.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-02-05T142500Z_01_BAN551858_RTRIDST_0_OZATP-SAHARA-FRANCE-20070205.XML
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0A78E377-8DF5-4DD5-BF52-B6B8F7E78FCF.htm

Nigerian oil militant Mujahid Dokubo-Asari was arrested in 2005 when he called for the Niger Delta to secede. His treason trial opened but angry disputes in the courtroom have delayed the start of the trial. His freedom is one of the demands of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) rebels.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/headline/f106022007.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6332553.stm

En route to Port Harcourt, an armed assault killed a policeman escorting a Filipino oil worker, who has been kidnapped. Militant groups in the oil-rich Niger Delta now hold 25 Filipino hostages. A British hostage was freed on Wednesday due to ill health. Two men abducted with him last month were still missing. The same day, gunmen kidnapped a Filipino woman - the first female hostage - and a French oil worker, bringing the total number of foreign hostages to 31.

Former UN investigator Michael Hourigan has told the BBC that his investigation into the 1994 downing of the presidential plane had been stopped after he uncovered allegations of then Rwandan rebel leader and now President Paul Kagame was involved in the incident, which sparked the genocide. Rwanda recently broke off diplomatic relations with France following similar allegations.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6348815.stm
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/in-pursuit-of-truth-and-justice/2007/02/09/1170524304090.html

Violence and intimidation is once again common in Somalia. In the capital, Mogadishu, alone, three separate attacks killed three people on Tuesday. On Wednesday, two children were killed in a mortar attack, and at least eight people were injured. A rocket-propelled grenade injured four people on Thursday. Friday, a rocket hit a hotel, destroying the reception area and injuring bystanders. There were multiple mortar attacks on Saturday. In one, shells landed on a home, killing two children, and injuring several other people. Another house hit in a suburb killed a 14-year-old girl. Grenades fired at a hotel killed a woman and injured several people. Several people were also injured in an attack on a livestock market. Three mortars aimed at the airport caused no serious damage and there were no casualties. Many other guerilla-style mortar attacks have been addressed against government and Ethiopian military positions, and protests against foreign troops, whether UN or Ethiopian, continue. Today, an explosion in the southern port city of Kismayu attacked a ceremony to welcome senior security officials. Five people were killed, and 20 injured.

Humanitarian operations in the western Sudanese region of Darfur have resumed in some areas but security concerns are still restricting activities. Among the incidents this week was a Janjaweed assault against a group of displaced women. There were other assaults and acts of banditry. Although efforts to gather a larger international force continue, former US President Carter emphasizes that more troops won't solve the problem: a negotiated settlement is required. Note the Amnesty International investigation into the 30 January attack of pro-government forces against Sudan Liberation Army forces, and its impact on civilians.
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmis/
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57564
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L08218461.htm
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/sdn-080207-editorial-eng

Uganda insists that talks with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) should continue in south Sudan, but LRA says that threats from Sudan President Bashir make it essential to move the talks. LRA says it will resume anti-government operations if the talks are not moved. Kenya refused an LRA request to host the talks. LRA subsequently has released a statement detailing 32 reasons why they left South Sudan talks.
http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/news02063.php
http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/news02093.php
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GTM Americas
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Central American, Mexican, and US law enforcement and other interested parties gathered for three days to discuss the threat presented by cross-border gangs. US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Salvadoran President Elias Antonio Saca announced new collaborative efforts to combat transnational gangs such as MS-13 and 18th Street that operate in El Salvador, elsewhere in Central America, Mexico, and the US, using a 4-pronged strategy of technical assistance, accelerated implementation of the Central American Fingerprinting Exploitation (CAFE) initiative; international cooperation and coordination; and increased anti-gang training in Central America. To deal with its own gang violence, Los Angeles -host of the meeting - publicly "named and shamed" 11 of the city's gangs, and put some members on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) most wanted list. The intention is to expose the worst menaces, but there are fears that it could become an honor role and aspiration for gang members.
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2007/February/07_ag_071.html
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N08255695.htm
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/los_angeles_metro/la-me-gangs11feb11,1,318788.story

The Center for Inter-American Studies and Programs of the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM) and the Washington Office on Latin American presented their findings of a yearlong comparative transnational study of youth gangs. Among their key conclusions:
"* Policy recommendations about dealing with youth gangs and public security issues have to be based in serious analysis of the nature of the problem, rather than on myths, anecdotes, or speculation. Youth gangs are dynamic; they change, grow and shrink, and should not be treated as static phenomena that are the same everywhere and at all times.
* The analysis done by the research team suggests that youth gangs are a serious threat to public security in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, although the nature of the gangs varies from country to country. At the same time, gangs are a much smaller problem, and much less of a threat in Nicaragua. In the Washington, DC area of the United States, gangs made up of Central American immigrants or the children of immigrants are active in “hot spots,” but are not at this time a major public security issue.
* In a surprising conclusion, the researchers found that gangs made up of Central American immigrants, or linked to Central American youth gangs such as the Mara Salvatrucha or the 18th Street Gang, are not widespread in Mexico. Mexican youth gangs exist, and drug-trafficking criminal gangs are a serious security problem. But, despite alarmist rhetoric, research shows that Central American gangs are not a major problem in Mexico.
* In El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, where the problem is serious, government responses have focused heavily on repressive law enforcement strategies. This strategy has been counter-productive. The research shows that gangs have grown more organized rather than less in response to hard-line police approaches. Public security has not improved as a result of these strategies.
* Research suggests there are “best practices” in Central America and in the United States that ought to be more fully explored, and that might yield better results. These include efforts to treat the problem comprehensively, as local authorities have done in the Washington, D.C. area; police involvement in prevention programs, as the police do in Nicaragua, and efforts to develop community-based responses, as has happened in local communities throughout Central America. These lessons have to be considered also in Mexico, where there is a need of preventive and coordinated responses, as well as differentiated and responsible policies to deal with youth violence.
http://www.wola.org/gangs/transnational_gangs_study/transnational_gangs_study_index.htm
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N08177996.htm

Inspector Felix dos Santos Tostes, a top Brazilian police official, has been suspended for alleged involvement with paramilitary militias.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/06/america/LA-GEN-Brazil-Police-Militias.php

The National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia's second largest rebel group, has launched a fifth round of peace talks.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N05472494.htm

Colombian army captain Leonardo Nur was rescued in a gun battle on Thursday, nearly four years after National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels had taken him hostage. Soldiers found him tied to a tree in the jungle, along with ELN fighters.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N08328027.htm

Mexican President Felipe Calderon called an emergency meeting to discuss simultaneous attacks on government offices in Acapulco that killed at least seven people. The attacks involved gunmen disguised as soldiers, and are believed connected to the crackdown against drug crime. Amnesty International warns of "Laws But No Justice In Mexico", pointing to the spiraling drug violence and the response against it as fueling rights abuse and leading to more violence.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/07/america/LA-GEN-Mexico-Acapulco-Violence.php
http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/miami/23305.html
http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=N04200761
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/mex-070207-action-eng

Peru's President Alan Garcia was questioned for several hours about the 1986 El Fronton prison riot and massacre. This was the 19th time he was questioned about the incident, which left more than 100 suspected Shining Path rebels dead. His statements are unchanged.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N09428120.htm
http://www.livinginperu.com/news/3162

The US Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing to receive a briefing on the Department of Defense Inspector General’s report on the activities of the Office of Special Plans prior to the war in Iraq. Thomas Gimble investigated the way former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith and his staff treated the intelligence they received before the Iraq war. The unclassified summary found:
"The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy developed, produced, and then disseminated alternative intelligence assessments on the Iraq and al-Qaeda relationship, which included some conclusions that were inconsistent with the consensus of the Intelligence Community, to senior decision makers. While such actions were not illegal or unauthorized, the actions were, in our opinion, inappropriate given that the intelligence assessments were intelligence products and did not clearly show the variance with the consensus of the Intelligence Community. This condition occurred because of an expanded role and mission of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from policy formulation to alternative intelligence analysis and dissemination. As a result, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy did not provide 'the most accurate analysis of intelligence' to senor decision-makers".
Legal action is not being taken against Feith because then Defense Secretary Rumsfeld or his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, approved their subordinate's "inappropriate" operations. Congress plans further investigations into the manipulation of intelligence, including White House staff.
http://armed-services.senate.gov/e_witnesslist.cfm?id=2538
http://www.dodig.osd.mil/IGInformation/archives/Unclass%20%20Executive%20Summary.pdf
http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2994
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/08/AR2007020802387.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/10/washington/10feith.html

Both the Senate Homeland Security Committee and the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Homeland Security, held several hearings this week, covering management challenges, risk assessments, and other issues. Auditors with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO), provided key testimony citing serious management problems and offering suggestions for improvement.
http://appropriations.house.gov/Subcommittees/sub_dhs.shtml
http://www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/testimony/OIGtm_RLS_020607.pdf
http://www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/testimony/OIGtm_RLS_020707.pdf
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-381R
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-386T
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-398T
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-452T
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-453T

Pentagon Comptroller Tina Jonas told reporters that Congress has appropriated $452 billion for the war on terrorism via emergency supplemental budget measures. Another $3 billion has been appropriated for Operation Noble Eagle, the mission providing a combat air patrol over the continental US and security at airports that started after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, she said. Defense is asking for another $93.4 billion as part of the emergency supplemental request for 2007. She projected $141.7 billion in operational expenses in fiscal 2008. This will bring the total for the war on terrorism to about $690 billion.
http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2949

US financial firms have received a series of escalating bomb threats, which may presage actual attacks.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N08251014.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/10/AR2007021001733.html

Turner Broadcasting System and marketing company Interference Inc. have agreed to a $2 million settlement for last week's guerrilla marketing scheme that led to a bomb scare in Boston, Massachusetts. Cartoon network station manager Jim Samples has resigned over the incident.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/02/06/2m_settlement_over_scare/
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/02/05/boston.turner/index.html
http://www.ago.state.ma.us/sp.cfm?pageid=986&id=1803
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GTM Asia Pacific
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Australian Defense Minister Brendan Nelson has admitted that an anti-tank rocket launcher that fell into the hands of Taha Abdul Rahman, who has been charged with 17 terrorism-related offenses, came from army stocks.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/stolen-launcher-ours-nelson/2007/02/05/1170524011144.html

One of Guantanamo Bay Australian detainee David Hicks' lawyers called it an "act of bastardry" to wait until the legal team left Guantanamo before revealing new charges. They may challenge the charges, and will not be prepared for trial until this autumn.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/trial-too-soon-say-hicks-lawyers/2007/02/05/1170524027268.html
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/us-military-shirtfront-hicks-lawyer/2007/02/05/1170524026015.html

Burma has reached a peace agreement with Htain Maung, who heads a splinter group of Karen rebels. The main Karen National Union (KNU) plans to continue its battle for autonomy.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=6678&z=163

Indonesian police reported to parliament that Mukhlas ("Ali Gefron"), who is one of the men convicted in the 2002 Bali bombings, has used a mobile phone to give sermons from jail.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/JAK160772.htm
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1840980.htm

Former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebel Irwandi Yusuf has been sworn in as the first directly elected governor of Aceh province.

Japanese police have taken steps to counter the threat of a gang war sparked by the death of the boss of the Sumiyoshi-kai syndicate. At this time, a truce is in place.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/08/asia/AS-GEN-Japan-Gangsters.php
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070209a2.html

The Philippines Senate approved in a 15 to 2 vote, a watered-down anti-terrorism bill. It allows the detention of suspected terrorists for three days without formal charges but in an effort to reduce its application against legitimate dissent, it grants huge compensation for wrongful detention.
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/News200702080401.htm
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/net/2007/02/08/senate.passes.watered.down.anti.terror.bill.html

Malaysia's foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar has warned that three Thai Muslim-majority provinces bordering Malaysia could become a breeding ground for regional terrorists.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A86F8107-EFFC-4DCC-B9D1-A8F3A754E1E3.htm

The Philippines navy has implemented a huge naval blockade around Sulu island as part of their operation to eliminate Abu Sayyaf and affiliates.

Lucie Dolotina Canda, Jocelyn Campus and Victoria Segura have pleaded guilty to charges of rebellion as members of the New People's Army (NPA). The Davao Regional court has sentenced the three women and the exiled founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines, Jose Ma Sison, to prison terms. Sison was sentenced in absentia to 14 years: he is in self-exile in the Netherlands.

Criticism over the failure to make progress in the investigation of Thailand's New Year's Eve bombings has led to the dismissal of the national police chief, General Kowit Watana. The Muslim student network PNYS (Pattani-Narathiwat-Yala-Songkhla-Satun) at Ramkhamhaeng University is disputing allegations that one of its members had a hand in the New Year bomb attacks in Bangkok and Nonthaburi - or southern separatism of any kind. Former political science student Tawalsak Taenae is one of those suspected in the attacks. The Muslim student network PNYS (Pattani-Narathiwat-Yala-Songkhla-Satun) insists that he was never a member and that PNYS has no role in these attacks or any kind of southern separatism. They suggest their group was confused with "PNYSS", a southern separatist group that reportedly received foreign funding.

Among continued attacks in southern Thailand one drew particular attention and condemnation: a 72-year-old Buddhist rice miller was beheaded in retaliation for a bomb attack on a Muslim-owned village teashop. It was the third decapitation this year, and generated protests including a statement from the Queen appealing for people to speak out against the violence. There have been several bombings and armed assaults since this incident.
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GTM Europe
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French prosecutors have requested the maximum 10-year sentence should French Muslim convert and terror suspect Willie Brigitte be convicted of planning to blow up nuclear and military installations in Australia.
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL0970634520070209
http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Halftruths-prominent-in-Brigitte-trial/2007/02/11/1171128798523.html

An Italian judge has ordered US soldier Mario Lozano to face trial for the murder of Italian intelligence agent Nicola Calipari in a car at a Baghdad checkpoint in March 2005. The Italian investigation found there were no warning signs to motorists, that the car was not speeding and did not accelerate, and that the army removed vehicles and destroyed logs, making a proper investigation impossible. The US previously cleared Lozano, and does not plan to hand him over for trial, scheduled to begin 17 April. Italy continues to pursue efforts to obtain cooperation under the US-Italy mutual cooperation treaty.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-02-07T170051Z_01_RAT002767_RTRUKOC_0_US-ITALY-USA-SHOOTING.xml
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/article2249026.ece

A Russian police officer has been shot dead and two others killed by roadside bombs in the southern Dagestan region, possibly in connection with an assassination attempt last weekend.

Basque separatist ETA member Inaki De Juana Chaos was nearing release after serving 18 years in prison for 25 murders. The former head of the "Madrid commando" unit wrote two articles for a Basque newspaper. Spanish authorities that did not want De Juana Chaos to leave prison, seized upon the articles and he was sentenced to 12 more years. Basque nationalists believe this was a travesty of justice, and De Juana Chaos went on hunger strike. 96 days later he is near death, and poised to become a martyr for the cause.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1329302.ece
http://www.eitb24.com/new/en/B24_33972/politics/PLENARY-SESSION-Basque-Parliament-denounces-disproportion/

Last Sunday, Spanish police arrested 18 people from an illegal Basque youth group. One, and possibly two, small explosions went off at a Barakaldo rail station, causing a fire and limited property damage. Basque separatist group ETA is suspected in the incident.

British police have now linked seven letter bombs delivered over the past three weeks. There were three incidents in January. This week a woman received minor injuries when she opened a small package at her office building on Monday. The next day two people were injured when an item of mail exploded in a business center, and on Wednesday three women were injured when a parcel exploded in a post room.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/08/nbombs08.xml&DCMP=EMC-new_08022007
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_headline=speeding-camera-bomber%26method=full%26objectid=18586536%26siteid=94762-name_page.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6339481.stm

Parviz Khan has been charged with plotting to abduct and kill a British Muslim soldier. He and Amjad Mahmood, Mohammed Irfan, Zahoor Iqbal and Hamid Elasmar are charged with supplying equipment and funding for a terrorist act. Basiru Gassama has been charged for failing to disclose information of material assistance in preventing an act of terrorism. The other three men arrested last week in operations in Birmingham have been released without charge. One of those released, Abu Bakr, spoke out about his arrest: he and his colleague were held for a week but were only questioned for about four hours, not about kidnapping or murder.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,2009668,00.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6317473.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,2008122,00.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6342609.stm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/01/nplot01.xml

Abdul Raham, who was arrested in Manchester in late January, has been charged with intent to assist another to commit acts of terrorism.

A London jury convicted Abdul Saleem of stirring up racial hatred with his protest last year against cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

Muslim activist Abu Izzadeen, previously known for heckling the home secretary, has been arrested in east London for allegedly encouraging terrorism. He has been granted conditional bail.
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GTM Middle East
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Egyptian authorities arrested 38 members of the Muslim Brotherhood on Friday, for allegedly attacking security forces and throwing bricks. Two were arrested in Alexandria on similar charges. MB members were among many groups across the region that demonstrated on Friday against Israel's work on the holy site of the Aqsa Mosque/Temple Mount.

Iran intelligence minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejehei said they have detected an Israeli-US spy network, involving 100 people, but supplied no specific details.
http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_20541.shtml
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1170359814278&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

US defense officials told reporters in Baghdad that the highest levels of Iran's government are supplying increasingly sophisticated roadside bombs to Iraqi insurgents. The remarks were delivered anonymously off camera and cannot be independently verified.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6351257.stm

Armed men wearing Iraqi army uniforms abducted Jalal Sharafi, the second secretary at the Iranian embassy, from his car last Sunday. Iran has condemned the kidnapping and, pointing to prior detentions, says it holds the US responsible for his life. The US insisted that no US or Iraqi troops had been involved.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/06/world/middleeast/06iraq.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3DA5E7CF-F3AD-4478-ABB7-8B8A372E471C.htm

Also on 4 February, 15 people were killed and 56 injured by mortar bombs in Baghdad's Adhamiya area. Fighting between gunmen and police in Amil district killed seven and injured 11. In Doura district a car bomb killed four and injured nine. A car bomb at Baghdad's main bus terminal killed four and injured seven. A mortar round on a home in Karrada district killed a woman and two children. Gunmen in Mansour district killed two private employees and injured a third. A Justice Ministry employee was killed when gunmen shot at his car in eastern Baghdad, and two Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs employees were killed in a similar attack that also injured three. One roadside bomb killed four policemen and injured four, while five were injured in the second. The Iraqi reported killing 16 insurgents and arresting 88, while US officials are investigating a report that they shot and injured Iraqiya state television anchor Suhad Shakir when they fired on her car. In Basra gunmen killed local Shiite leader Sheikh Khalil al-Maliki. A car bomb targeting a police patrol killed four officers in Khalis. The body of Iraqi army colonel Aqil al-Jenabi was found near Hilla. One soldier was killed and a second injured near Riyads. A US soldier died of injuries sustained in combat operations in Diyala province.

On Monday, a car bomb near a vehicle workshop in the central Baghdad neighborhood of Nahdha killed five people and injured 15. A roadside bomb in eastern Baghdad's Mustansiriya square injured three, and another injured two. In an Iraqi-US raid on the home of Shiite official Khadhim al-Hamadani was killed. In Basra, a roadside bomb struck a British patrol, killing one soldier. A roadside bomb injured a deputy to the governor of Mosul and three of his bodyguards. In and near Kirkuk, police found two bullet-ridden and tortured bodies. Two bombs in the evening injured eight people. The US military said it killed 10 insurgents planting roadside bombs along major roadways north of Baghdad.

Overnight to Tuesday gunmen in four cars kidnapped 11 people from one house in the Sadr city district of Baghdad. 30 bodies were recovered from around the city. A mortar round landed on a Falluja home, killing four people, including two women. A roadside bomb exploded in Zaafaraniya district injured two civilians. Mosul police clashed with gunmen, leaving one policeman dead and three injured. Three bodies were retrieved in Mahmudiya. Yusufiya police retrieved two bodies. A US marine was killed in combat in western Anbar province. Iraqi police arrested three Iranians for illegally crossing the border near Kut.

On Wednesday Baghdad police found 33 bodies around the city. A sniper shot dead three security guards outside the offices of the Iraqi Media Network. Arson attacks affected six homes in Amil district, but caused no injuries. A roadside bomb targeting a police patrol killed a policeman and injured three others. Three coordinated roadside bombs in Suwayra killed seven people and injured 23. The body of a soldier was found shot dead in the town of Shirqat. A car bomb near a Falluja mosque killed a worshipper and injured four. Four US marines were killed in combat in Anbar.

Seven U.S. servicemen were killed when a CH-46 Sea Knight transport helicopter came down 20 miles northwest of Baghdad in Anbar province. Witnesses reported gunfire from the ground, and an al Qaeda-linked Sunni group claimed credit for shooting it down, and posted a video online. This was the fifth US helicopter crash since 20 January, but it remains unclear whether this, too, was caused by enemy fire. US officials disagree over whether insurgents have changed tactics to target helicopters, but it is a possibility under review.
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=42350
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6405212,00.html
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007060693,00.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/08/world/middleeast/08helicopter.html
http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=3003

On Thursday gunmen massacred 14 men from the same Sunni Arab family near the town of Balad, after storming two neighboring homes and separating men from women and children. A 15th man was critically injured. A car bomb in an Aziziya vegetable market killed 17 people and injured 27.A car bomb in the New Baghdad district killed six and injured ten. In the Mansour district of western Baghdad, gunmen attacked the convoy of Fadhila Shi'ite party Ammar Tu'uma, injuring one of his guards. Gunmen attacked an Iraqi checkpoint in central Baghdad, killing an army officer and a soldier and injuring three policemen and one soldier. US and Iraqi forces raided the Health Ministry and arrested deputy health minister Hakim Zamili for allegedly supporting death squads and insurgents. Twenty bodies were found across the city. In Baquba, gunmen attacked a rapid reaction police unit and killed four policemen and a civilian. Garma police found three bodies. A suicide bomber at a checkpoint north of Haditha killed seven policemen and injured three. Mortar bombs killed seven people and wounded 10 in the town of Iskandariya. Mosul police found 16 bodies across the city. US forces report killing 13 insurgents in an airstrike near Falluja. The hospital reports more than 30 bodies, including seven children, were brought in. Three US soldiers died of injuries sustained in combat in Anbar.

On Friday in Baghdad clashes between Iraqi police and gunmen in Doura neighborhood killed three civilians and injured 10. A roadside bomb in Hazwa market killed two and injured eight. A roadside bomb in Mosul injured 17 people, including 10 policemen. In Kirkuk, a car bomb injured a police colonel near his him, as well as two members of his family. The US military says it killed eight insurgents in an air strike that destroyed a building in Arab Jbour near Baghdad after its ground forces came under heavy fire. In Basra, a British soldier was killed and three were injured in a roadside bomb.

A US air strike killed nine Kurdish Peshmerga militiamen and injured at least six others in Mosul. The US said it killed five armed men in a raid targeting an al Qaeda cell, but is investigating reports from Kurdish officials describing the incident as friendly fire.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/10/news/web.0210.iraq.php

On Saturday 30 bodies were found across Baghdad. A suicide car bomber exploded outside a bakery in Baghdad's Karrada district, killing five and injuring ten. A car bomb on a road in eastern Baghdad killed three civilians and injured five. Kerbala police colonel Hatam Abdul-Hussein was killed in Baghdad's western Mansour district, and his son and an aide were injured. In Iskandariya, a mortar shell injured two civilians. Eight border guard recruits were shot dead in an ambush northwest of Mosul. Gunmen killed three family members and injured two when they stormed their Mussayab home. A suicide car bomber killed one Iraqi soldier and injured five, including three civilians, at a checkpoint in Tal Afar. A US soldier was killed in combat in Diyala province. Fighting in Buhriz between US and Iraqi forces and gunmen, killed five and injured 25.

Today, a suicide truck bomber attacked a Dour police station near Tikrit, killing at least 30 and injuring 50 prisoners, policemen, and passersby. The station was destroyed, and surrounding offices were damaged. A second smaller bomb killed two bystanders. A suicide bomber near a Shiite mosque in southern Baghdad's Ilaam district injured one policeman, while in western Mansour district a car bomb killed one man and injured three. Gunmen in the oil refinery city of Baiji killed Lieutenant Colonel Jamal Mohammad, the chief of serious crimes office, and injured two of his guards. Two attackers were also killed. Mosul police found the bodies of three policemen and two civilians.

An exclusive report from the Independent's journalist Robert Fisk reveals that for the first time Sunni insurgents have disclosed their conditions for ceasefire in Iraq. He acknowledges that the conditions would be impossible for the US Bush administration to countenance, but says "considerable discussion must have gone on" within the Sunni insurgency about its strategy.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article2251354.ece
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2251340.ece

The Israeli army claims that it found four bombs recently planted by Hezbollah south of the blue line in Israel. Hezbollah says the devices had been planted before the war as a defensive measure.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=79287
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/822650.html

Israeli troops and Lebanese armed forces exchanged fire across the Blue Line that separates them, raising deep concerns in the UN, and calls for maximum restraint. A UN spokesman said, "The exchange of fire, which was initiated by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) after an IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) bulldozer crossed the technical fence in an apparent attempt to clear the area between the technical fence and the Blue Line of mines, constitutes a breach of the cessation of hostilities as laid out in Security Council resolution 1701.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc8950.doc.htm
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=79404

In "Jihad versus the Knights of Justice" Ian Black reports on Jordan's war on al Qaeda.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/alqaida/story/0,,2008208,00.html

The UN signed an agreement with Lebanon setting up a Special Tribunal to prosecute the suspected killers of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The agreement must next be ratified by the Lebanese parliament.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10871.doc.htm

Lebanese authorities intercepted a truck transporting weapons belonging to Hezbollah. Hezbollah demanded the return of the weapons, but they are being given to the national army instead.

The nominal Saudi branch of Al-Qaeda announced in its online magazine, Sawt al-Jihad that it is planning major operations to drive Western interests out of the Arabian Peninsula.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=79385

In Syria, 12 Kurds, including three minors, have been sentenced in secret court to jail terms of 2.5 to 7.5 years. They had been arrested in late 2005 for throwing Molotov cocktails. The National Organization of Human Rights in Syria called for an end to emergency courts and for all political prisoners to be freed.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=79267

Following a week of clashes between Islamic militants and Yemeni forces that left at least 42 soldiers dead, and has raised fears that a recent truce could unravel.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6331149.stm
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GTM South Asia
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In Afghanistan, late on Monday, villagers found the bodies of two men accused of spying on pro-Taleban militias. On Friday evening, Taleban ambushed a police truck, killing four officers and seriously injuring three in Kandahar province. The governor of

Helmand province believed that up to 700 insurgents, including Arabs, Chechens, and Pakistani Taleban have crossed into Afghanistan and are preparing to fight British troops in the south. If confirmed, this is the biggest indication so far of a spring offensive.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/11/asia/AS-GEN-Afghan-Town-Captured.php

US forces have fired artillery rounds from eastern Afghanistan into Pakistan, despite Pakistan's insistence that it has denied US forces this right. The US says the attacks were in self-defense.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/11/world/main2458459.shtml

In the northeastern Indian state of Assam, a bomb exploded at a railway station, but resulted in no casualties. No group claimed responsibility, but United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) separatists have carried out many prior attacks.

In Chhattisgarh state, a landmine exploded as police were attempting to disarm it, killing five security personnel, and injuring eight people. Leftist Maoists are active in the area.

Manipur separatists with the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) launched an armed assault against a convoy carrying polling officials for state assembly elections. At least six policemen were killed and several others injured.

Suspected militants in Indian-administered Kashmir are suspected in a gunbattle that killed three soldiers and a civilian.

At Pakistan's international airport in Islamabad, a suspected suicide bomber was killed and three armed men injured in the car park. The purported target has raised particular concern, and an investigation is under way.

A roadside bomb in northwest Pakistan killed two tribal elders and injured a third man. Those responsible for the remote detonation are unknown. Also in the northwest, a Pakistani intelligence agent was killed in a drive-by shooting.

Sri Lanka's air force continued attacks against suspected Tamil Tiger rebel positions in the northeast. Hindu priest Selliah Parameswar, who blessed President Mahinda Rajapakse, has been shot and killed. Tamil Tigers are blames for his death, but deny any involvement.

2. Political Risk Monitor

What may appear to be a small local event, like publishing a cartoon, can often turn out to have a surprising international impact. Your subscription to the Political Risk Monitor provides this analysis, as well as detailed profiles of individuals and other entities. Each monthly issue also includes quick tips for executives managing multinational operations.
http://secure.netsolhost.com/573566.585211/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TP
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PRM Africa
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Chinese President Hu Jintao has wrapped up his third visit to Africa, where he entered in to multiple agreements primarily focused on natural resources and energy.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-02/11/content_5725054.htm
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=298705 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6349961.stm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17081612/site/newsweek/

He visited:
* Cameroon
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx/t293999.htm
http://allafrica.com/stories/200702020595.html
* Liberia
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-02/02/content_5687893.htm
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-02-01-voa41.cfm
* Sudan
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6388512,00.html
http://www.abc.net.au/correspondents/content/2007/s1844703.htm
* Zambia
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx/t296087.htm
* Namibia
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx/t296106.htm
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx/t295741.htm
* South Africa,.
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx/t296101.htm
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx/t295877.htm
* Mozambique
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-02/09/content_5717020.htm
http://allafrica.com/stories/200702080819.html
* Seychelles
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-02/09/content_5721153.htm
http://za.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-02-09T153459Z_01_BAN950553_RTRIDST_0_OZATP-CHINA-SEYCHELLES-20070209.XML

Democratic Republic of Congo's new Prime Minister Antoine Gizenga has named his cabinet. Most are supporters of President Joseph Kabila, but former rebel leader Mbusa Nyamwisi is foreign minister, Nzanga Mobutu has agriculture, and Denis Kalume remains interior minister.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/06/africa/AF-GEN-Congo-Cabinet.php
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=298085

Unrest in the Bas-Congo region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) killed 134 people last week. Violent clashes broke out after the ethnic-based Bundu dia Kongo secessionist group protested elections. UN peacekeepers stepped up their presence and are undertaking an investigation into the situation.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21499

Guinea's President Lansana Conte nominated Eugene Camara as the new Prime Minister. He acted on Friday, ahead of a Sunday deadline to avoid further strikes. His selection of his old ally Eugene Conte has proven unsatisfactory, and upon hearing the news deadly clashes broke out. At least eight people have bee killed, and union leaders promise to resume the general strike.

Ivory Coast is on the "brink of disaster" due to the lack of will among the country's political classes to end the crisis that has divided the country in two. Once of the most promising economies in Africa, it now ranks 163 out of 177 countries on the UN Human Development Index.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57541

The Kenyan Red Cross reports that 60 people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced, in escalating clashes over fertile land in the Mount Elgon region, since December.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=298193

Mauritania and Senegal refused to accept a ship carrying about 200 illegal immigrants, mostly from Kashmir, that broke down in Mauritanian waters. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Society has delivered food and water by boat, but were unable to board the ship. After nearly a week, Spain intervened, and Mauritania agreed to permit the ship to be towed towards the Mauritanian port of Nouadhibou.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6347459.stm
http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/pbnAF/cache/offonce?entryId=13032
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/22F6774F-6FAD-4495-93A8-9107A4990E55.htm

Amid continued rocket attacks and gunfire, Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi opened a reconciliation workshop in Mogadishu. In an effort to consolidate power, he has reorganized his cabinet, demoting deputy Prime Minister and former warlord Hussein Aideed from internal affairs to housing. He is accusing several ministers of inefficiency and misusing funds. On Friday, at least 800 protesters gathered in the north of Mogadishu to protest plans to deploy an African Union peacekeeping force. They burned flags and threatened attacks, but in fact the AU has been able only to gather promises for half of the 8,000 troops required.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=298047
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6347809.stm

South African President Mbeki gave an unusually candid State of the Nation address to parliament, including new measures to address the growing crime rate.
http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/2007/07020911001001.htm
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=298629

Discontent in Zimbabwe is becoming more vocal and more obvious. Among a series of strikes, hundreds of doctors across the country have been demanding better pay and working conditions, and in response about 60 strikers were dismissed. Unemployment is more than 80 percent. Inflation exceeds 1,280 percent, and prices in less than a week have risen by 200 percent. More than 100 white commercial farmers whose eviction notices expired have been given an extension to harvest their crops, but still must leave. President Mugabe says that those who protest plans to extend his rule are deranged and protests would not be tolerated. He also now says that media claims that white farmers will be evicted are false.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/07/news/zim.php
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21182841-663,00.html
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57554
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57536
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=298411
http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=15025&cat=1
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PRM Americas
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Bolivian miners have protested a proposed tax increase by marching to La Paz, throwing dynamite along the way. More than 20,000 of some 50,000 miners in small cooperatives marched. The government says that tax increases will be directed at larger firms, not the cooperatives. Miners ended the protest after the government promised a $10 million investment in their cooperatives. Bolivia is in the process of nationalizing the mining sector. Troops seized control of the Vinto complex, the country's largest privately run tin smelter. President Morales issued a decree nationalizing the complex, and says there are no immediate plans to compensate the owners.
http://www.mineweb.net/american_notes/620049.htm
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/06/america/LA-GEN-Bolivia-Miners-Protests.php
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6AAC8B21-8BB9-4BC8-A10B-D13A8A41D5AB.htm
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8N6ED5O0.htm

Armed gang violence in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, left seven people dead over last weekend, bringing the death toll from 1-4 February to more than 50. This has sparked a new group, the Rio Body Count, to help put pressure on authorities to act against the violence.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N04333421.htm
http://www.riobodycount.com.br

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is angry that Canadian diplomats failed to attend the trial in China of Huseyincan Celil. The ethnic Uighur is a rights activist who was allegedly tortured by China's secret police. He holds dual Canadian and Chinese citizenship.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070207.CELIL07/TPStory/National
http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2007-02-06T193659Z_01_N06238158_RTRIDST_0_CANADA-CHINA-COL.XML

The UN refugee agency called on all armed groups in Colombia to respect international humanitarian law and leave civilians out of the more than four-decades-long conflict which has uprooted some 3 million people in fighting between the Government, leftist rebels and right-wing paramilitaries. Colombia's displaced make up about 8 percent of the total population and represent the largest single group of concern to UNHCR anywhere in the world.
http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/45c8af4b4.html
http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/45c85d4d1c.html

Some 700 UN peacekeepers moved into the Cite Soleil coastal area of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince: the largest anti-gang incursion and the largest security presence to date.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21515
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/10/world/americas/10haiti.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6346549.stm

US President George W Bush has submitted a $2.9 trillion budget to Congress including almost $700 billion in new military spending, most earmarked for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, while cutting domestic spending, including healthcare.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2008/
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-budget6feb06,0,4647679.story
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/06/washington/06assess.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/06/opinion/06tue1.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/05/AR2007020500208.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/05/AR2007020501289.html
http://armed-services.senate.gov/e_witnesslist.cfm?id=2524
http://ombwatch.org/article/articleview/3717

The Department of Defense plans to create a military command center in Africa. It is unclear whether a nation will be found to host it. US military operations in Africa are currently divided among the European Command, the Central Command, and the Pacific Command.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/washington/07africa.html
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2007-02-07T170057Z_01_L07426183_RTRUKOC_0_US-USA-AFRICA-MILITARY.xml
http://armed-services.senate.gov/e_witnesslist.cfm?id=2517
http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2946

The US Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing on "Preserving Prosecutorial Independence: Is the Department of Justice Politicizing the Hiring and Firing of US Attorneys?" A top official acknowledged at least one such case. Another hearing on judicial independence is planned for next week.
http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=2516
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/washington/07attorneys.html

Venezuela and AES Corp have signed a memorandum of understanding under which Venezuela will purchase the US company, which is Venezuela's largest private power provider, to further nationalize key assets.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/international/16656331.htm
http://newsroom.aes.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=202639&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=961107
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PRM Asia Pacific
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The diplomatic crisis between Australia and the Solomon Islands is escalating. Australia has accused Prime Minister Sogavare of wanting to shut down the Regional Assistance Mission. Sogavare has responded with a reminder that the Solomons are a sovereign country, accuses Australia of plotting assassinations, and is rearming police. The Pacific Island Forum and representatives of the Regional Assistance Mission are discussing the situation.
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s1844674.htm
http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Sogavare-takes-new-swipe-at-Australia/2007/02/08/1170524225286.html
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/bulletins/rnzi/200702120618/forum_group_to_review_ramsi_in_honiara_today

The Cambodian port of Sihanoukville has welcomed the arrival of the USS Gary, the first time in more than 30 years that a US warship has docked in the country.
http://english.people.com.cn/200702/11/eng20070211_349188.html
http://www.c7f.navy.mil/news/2007/february/20.htm

China's first major survey on religious beliefs found that 31.4 percent of Chinese aged 16 and above - about 300 million - are religious: three times the official figure of 100 million. Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Christianity and Islam are the five major religions, accounting for 67.4 percent of believers. 62 percent of the 1,435 religious believers surveyed are aged 16-39, while only 9.6 percent are 55 years old or older.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-02/07/content_802994.htm

East Timor has set presidential elections for 9 April. The election will take place in an environment likely to be volatile, with a constantly changing political climate.
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2007/50

Former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri has agreed to surrender. Charges of attempted murder, and supplying weapons and support for rioting last year have been dropped, opening the way for him to stand for reelection. Sporadic gang violence has continued ever since. Meanwhile, Alkatiri plans to sue the Australian Broadcasting Corp for a program that led to his removal from office.
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2007/s1841760.htm
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/alkatiri-to-sue-abc-for-role-in-downfall/2007/02/06/1170524096463.html

Indonesia's West Irian Jaya province will change its name to West Papua to accommodate local preferences.

Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo issued a proclamation for a special session of congress to take palace 19-20 February. She wants legislators to ratify the anti-terror bill and other pending measures. Elections take place on 14 March.

Turkmenistan today held its first multi-party elections. They have been carefully choreographed to ensure victory for acting president and former deputy premier Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov.
http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11675168
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/02/0083fc34-8fff-4556-84ee-16d19d387ee3.html
http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=2/12/2007&Cat=4&Num=016
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/world/asia/11cnd-turk.html
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PRM Europe
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The 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy was held this weekend. The conference focused on global challenges ranging from Iran's nuclear program to climate change. Notably, Russian President Putin openly voiced his concerns over the US role in international insecurity. He began by saying "This conference’s structure allows me to avoid excessive politeness and the need to speak in roundabout, pleasant but empty diplomatic terms. This conference’s format will allow me to say what I really think about international security problems. And if my comments seem unduly polemical, pointed or inexact to our colleagues, then I would ask you not to get angry with me". He went on to discuss the "universal, indivisible character of security is expressed as the basic principle that 'security for one is security for all'", and described the transition from the Cold War to a unipolar world in which "we are witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force - military force - in international relations, force that is plunging the world into an abyss of permanent conflicts. As a result we do not have sufficient strength to find a comprehensive solution to any one of these conflicts. Finding a political settlement also becomes impossible. We are seeing a greater and greater disdain for the basic principles of international law. And independent legal norms are, as a matter of fact, coming increasingly closer to one state’s legal system. One state and, of course, first and foremost the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way. This is visible in the economic, political, cultural and educational policies it imposes on other nations.... And of course this is extremely dangerous. It results in the fact that no one feels safe. I want to emphasize this – no one feels safe! Because no one can feel that international law is like a stone wall that will protect them. Of course such a policy stimulates an arms race." He continues in this vein, pointing to the expansion of NATO and the US "defense shield", the failure of nonproliferation, and the US fueling of a new nuclear arms race, as well as a range of other issues. US representatives described the remarks as openly confrontational, and expressed surprise and disappointment.
http://www.securityconference.de/
http://www.securityconference.de/konferenzen/rede.php?menu_2007=&menu_konferenzen=&sprache=en&id=179&

Bosnia's parliament has approved a new government, four months after the general elections.

The French satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo has gone on trial under anti-racism laws for publishing the cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad that caused fury across the Muslim world last year. High profile public figures, including interior minister and presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy, are defending the magazine.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6339591.stm
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Religion&loid=8.0.384379482&par=0
http://media.guardian.co.uk/presspublishing/story/0,,2007189,00.html

Hungary's independent Gonczol Commission has released its report regarding the wave of violent anti-government protests last year. Prime Minister Ferenc Gyrucsany's admission that he had lied to win re-election sparked the clashes, and he was criticized for failing to realize how much anger his comments would provoke. The opposition was blames for fueling the conflict by leading protestors to believe they supported the violence. The Commission made a number of recommendations to improve policing, including banning demonstrations outside parliament, and a 24-hour time limit to prevent a reemergence of tent cities. They also emphasized the need for political responsibility in place of rhetoric. Civil rights groups have condemned the findings for not addressing failures of the police and justice system.
http://www.meh.hu/tevekenyseg/tevekhirek/goncz20070206.html (in Hungarian)
http://hvg.hu/english/20070209_civil_liberties_gonczol_report_denes2.aspx
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6334851.stm

As the decision over the future of Kosovo approaches, tensions are growing and a return to violence is a distinct possibility. There have been sometimes violent protests on each side of the Serb-Albanian ethnic divide, invariably ending with tear gas and police force, and - today - with death. Clashes between 3,000 ethnic Albanian protesters and police left two dead and others injured. The UN postponed final talks by one week, to 21 February, at Serbia's request. Russia shares Serbia's opposition to Kosovo's independence, insisting that if it is granted sovereignty so should other separatist regions such as Georgia's Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and Moldova's Transdnestr. They could veto a settlement. The proposal currently on the table provides for autonomy with international oversight.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,464291,00.html
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070210/60513716.html
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2007/02/12/011.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6351575.stm

The Netherlands new centrist coalition has announced an amnesty for thousands of illegal immigrants who had arrived prior to 2001.

Yet more concern over possible links between Turkish security forces and extreme nationalists has followed the assassination of ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. A senior officer, and ten police and paramilitary police have been suspended after video images showing officers posing with the teenager who confessed to the murder, and other indications that police may have had advanced warning of the murder. There are also charges that the senior head of police intelligence failed to act, undertaking superficial inquiries and not sharing information with his superiors.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/06/europe/EU-GEN-Turkey-Slain-Journalist.php
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=L02897057
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=102098

The leading UK tabloid newspaper, The Sun, has obtained the cockpit videotape of a friendly fire incident four years ago in which US pilots killed a British soldier and seriously injured several others. The British and US military suppressed the tape, and told the widow that it did not exist and could not be provided to the inquest, which the coroner had requested for evidence. The case has raised questions of Britain's use of civilian courts to hear such military cases, and cooperation with the US, which has now agreed to declassify the video.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007060133,00.html
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L06789497.htm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1339175.ece
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/02/06/iraq.video/index.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6337137.stm

Secretary of State, Peter Hain, MP today said that he believes that all obstacles have been removed for Northern Ireland's devolution on 26 March.
http://www.nio.gov.uk/media-detail.htm?newsID=14081
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PRM Middle East
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Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya and President Mahmoud Abbas met in Mecca, where Saudi King Abdullah successfully brokered an agreement for sharing power in a new government drawn up by Prime Minister Haniya. The quartet of EU, Russia, UN and US mediators has withheld judgment on the agreement, while reiterating its demands that Palestinians renounce violence, recognize Israel, and respect prior agreements in order to receive aid. Israel rejected the agreement as not in keeping with Quartet demands. Russia welcomed the agreement and called for lifting the freeze on direct aid. Palestinian leaders are marketing the agreement around the world to garner international support.
http://www.un.org/news/dh/infocus/middle_east/quartet-9feb2007.htm
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/48D2D52D-DB99-4841-BA14-A3602E729269.htm
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=79326
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/823793.html
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/823792.html (text of Mecca Accord)
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A8725AEC-A7AF-4F5C-B674-5384528FC2EF.htm
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/823843.html
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N09210892.htm

Egypt summoned the Israeli ambassador to the Foreign Ministry in Cairo on Thursday to protest construction work on the Aqsa Mosque/Temple Mount. Egypt's foreign ministry told ambassador, Shalom Cohen, that the excavations could hurt efforts to revive the d Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/823269.html

UN High Commissioner for Refugees senior Iraq operations manager Andrew Harper reports that Iraq's humanitarian crisis will continue for years, as the vulnerable population is being made even more vulnerable by failing social sectors and structures. He cites this supporting information:
* Every day 100 people are killed, hundreds wounded and thousands displaced
* There are 1.8 million internally displaced persons out of a total population of 26 million
* This number could reach 2.7 million by the end of the year
* Nearly 20,000 Palestinians have already fled Iraq, but an estimated 15,000 remain, most in Baghdad. About 700 are trapped in two makeshift camps on the Iraqi side of the Syrian border, since Syria has refused refuge.
* Syria already has up to a million Iraqi refugees; Jordan up to 700,000; up to 80,000 in Egypt; up to 40,000 in Lebanon; and several thousand in Turkey. These countries also need support for their efforts in hosting refugees.
http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/45c385254.html
http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/45ca06284.html

The Association of Iraqi Psychologists explains the impact of the war on children.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2006738,00.html
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57257

Israeli authorities say that repairs are necessary to restore a walkway leading to the al Aqsa Mosque/Temple Mount compound in East Jerusalem. Palestinian leaders fear that the bulldozers and digging will demolish parts of a mound and threaten Islamic archaeological remains. Prime Minister Olmert rejected Defense Minister Peretz's written request to stop the construction, because the damage being caused would foment the Arab world. Israeli police are restricting access to the site, and have made several arrests. The Old City is protected by the UN Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972), and is inscribed on the UN World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger. On Friday, Israeli police used rubber bullets and stun grenades as they stormed the compound to disperse protesters and worshippers. At least 23 unarmed Arab civilians and six Israeli police were injured. Three Palestinian schools were closed because police fear students will participate in protests. The Arab League has condemned Israel for altering features of Jerusalem, but Israel's cabinet approved continued construction.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/822535.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/042E7CCC-D7D0-49F6-AA8F-438133760A85.htm
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/823224.html
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/823799.html
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=36733&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/10/wmid10.xml

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said that his country's problems would lessen if the US pressed Israel to withdraw from Shebaa Farms.
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/02/lebanon_pm_us_s.php

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told US television ABC's Good Morning America program that his country can play a major role in international efforts to end violence in Iraq. He said that the Bush administration was "looking for scapegoats and shipping-boys" in their accusations that Syria was assisting foreign fighters.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2849435&page=1
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PRM South Asia
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UK General David Richards has handed control of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, ISAF, to US General Dan McNeill.
http://www.hq.nato.int/isaf/

Bangladesh army chief Lieutenant General Moeen U Ahmed says they want the interim government to be successful and they have no intention of taking advantage of the current state of emergency.

Bhutan and India signed a revised Friendship Treaty, giving Bhutan more freedom in its foreign and defense policies. Both countries are committed to cooperating on issues related to national interests and not permitting harm to each other's national security. Bhutan will hold elections and become a parliamentary democracy next year, completing their transition from absolute monarchy.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/22863.html

Nepal's government will replace the image of King Gyanendra on its ten rupee bank notes with a picture of Mount Everest. Some Buddhist groups were opposed to having Buddha's picture on the notes.

In Nepal the long-running Maoist conflict has been resolved only to open a new source of conflict, among the Madheshi population, which is a disadvantaged minority making up a third of the population. They have been denied citizenship, and find it nearly impossible to work in the government or army. Ethnic violence is new to the country, but incidents over the past two weeks have at least 27 dead and scores injured. Curfews have been imposed in three affected towns. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has promised to amend the constitution to support a federal system that will give more representation to the south. Following this, the Madheshi has suspended protests.
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=98900
http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/content.php?nid=11294
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6297731.stm
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57557

In Pakistan, unidentified gunmen have killed six members of the opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse says the door is still open for talks with the Tamil Tigers, despite insisting that "You can negotiate with people but not terrorists". (Note link to BBC interview.)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6346509.stm

this

3. AML/CFT Monitor

Anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism is not simply an issue of compliance with local regulations. It is a global crime that can only be understood by crossing national or regional boundaries. Subscribers to the monthly AML/CFT Monitor receive information and analysis of worldwide incidents, trends, legal and regulatory issues, modalities, and related topics such as financial fraud and narcoterrorism.
http://secure.netsolhost.com/573566.585211/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TP
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AML/CFT Incidents/Cases
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Australian businessman Peter Foster has been arrested and charged with money laundering related to offenses against the Bank of the Federated States of Micronesia.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,2116,00.html

Bangladesh Bank has requested financial records of leading political figures, their associates and families, and several businessmen, in connection with a corruption probe.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/02/10/d7021001128.htm

Cuba has deported to Colombia suspected drug kingpin Luis Hernando Gomez Bustamante ("Rasguno", "Scratch"). He is wanted in the US on drug trafficking and money laundering charges as the alleged head of Colombia's biggest drug cartel, Norte del Valle.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/16656236.htm
http://www.state.gov/p/inl/narc/rewards/39426.htm

French police have arrested 13 people suspected of laundering money in support of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6332215.stm
http://www.aina.org/news/20070205155226.htm

A Guernsey court has frozen funds allegedly hidden by Tommy Suharto, the youngest son of former Indonesian dictator Suharto, at the request of Indonesia.
http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=26459

Iraqi forces arrested Deputy Health Minister Hakim al-Zamili for corruption, and channeling millions to Shiite militias, including some operating within hospitals.
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/wp/2007/02/08/2032

Jamaica's National Commercial Bank has been charged with failing to report suspicious transactions undertaken reputed drug lord Norris Nembhard ("Deedo").
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070209/lead/lead2.html
http://www.radiojamaica.com/news/story.php?category=5&story=32709
http://www.hardbeatnews.com/editor/RTE/my_documents/my_files/details.asp?newsid=11929

Mexican law enforcement officials dismantled an alleged Juarez drug cartel cell, and arrested its five members. They plan to extradite more drug traffickers to the US.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/search/ci_5188705 http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/405151.html (in Spanish)
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N08272719.htm

HSBC is under investigation for allegedly helping North Korean customers of a Macau bank accused of involvement in counterfeit US currency and money laundering.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/02/02/ap3388989.html

Russian prosecutors brought new money laundering charges against Yukos founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky, which will add up to ten years to his prison term, preventing him from running in 2008 presidential elections. He was previously charged with fraud and tax evasion.
http://www.tass.ru/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11236305&PageNum=0
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070207/60346699.html
http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?view=CN&storyID=2007-02-05T193348Z_01_L05545847_RTRIDST_0_RUSSIA-KHODORKOVSKY-UPDATE-4.XML
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/05/AR2007020500348.html

Terry Adams, head of the "A-Team" crime family of North London, has pleaded guilty to money laundering associated with racketeering and drug trafficking.
http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/pressreleases/110_07.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=434452&in_page_id=1770
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/11/ngangs11.xml

British police investigating a murder came across evidence of money laundering offenses that led to two arrests.
http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/localnews/display.var.1181304.0.murder_investigation_leads_to_alleged_money_laundering_raid.php

Northern Ireland second hand car salesman James Naylor has been sentenced to 7-years suspended for laundering money through his business for a Dublin drug dealer.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/ireland/article2209693.ece

US Army Colonel Curtis G. Whiteford, US Army Lt. Colonels Debra M. Harrison and Michael B. Wheeler, and civilians Michael Morris and William Driver have been indicted on charges of bribery, fraud, and money laundering involving the theft of millions of dollars from the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq.
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2007/February/07_crm_077.html
http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/070210washingtondc.htm

Last month, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Canadians Stephen Eric Lawrence and John David Lefebvre in connection with the creation and operation of an internet payment services company, Neteller, that facilitated the transfer of billions of dollars of illegal gambling proceeds from United States citizens to various internet gambling companies located overseas. This week an undisclosed number of customer accounts have been frozen.
http://newyork.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel07/neteller_arrests011607.pdf
http://content.neteller.com/content/en/member_businessupdate.htm
http://reason.com/news/show/118561.html

Nancy Hernandez of Birmingham, Alabama and Texans Cresencio Gonzalez Jr., (a volunteer constable), Jose Guadalupe Romero, and Ricardo Gonzalez Rodriguez have been charged with conspiracy to traffic drugs and launder the proceeds.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/4541980.html

Tucson, Arizona (US) immigration agents arrested Maliki Mohamad Diane and Kouyate Saoud on charges of smuggling African diamonds into the US, and attempting to sell them to undercover federal agents.
http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/070208tucson.htm

In North Carolina, former county sheriff's deputy C-T Strickland has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with money stolen from a federal drug forfeiture program.
http://www.wwaytv3.com/Global/story.asp?S=6030261&nav=menu70_2

New York officials have charged 27 owners and employees of wire transfer stores with money laundering in connection with Colombian drug trafficking.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nye/pr/2007/2007Feb07.htm
http://www.wnbc.com/news/10945634/detail.html
http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/070207ny.htm

Gerald Palermo, a former Brookhaven, New York, town official and Republican Party fundraiser, has been charged with laundering his son's bribes.
http://www.co.suffolk.ny.us/da/press/2007/2_9_07.html
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-libroo0210,0,2107677.story

In Pennsylvania, Frank Pavlico has pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering in a plea agreement under which he will cooperate with federal prosecutors investigating reputed mob boss William D'Elia.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17831125

Eleven people in Texas have pleaded guilty to a money laundering scheme in which Uzoma Okechukwu Osuagwu stole confidential financial information that he and his associated used to open accounts and wire money, causing more than $2.5 million in bank losses. The proceeds were divided between Osuagwu and Chukwemeka O. Uwom, Ifeoma Gloria Dimuna, Corey Dennard Sharp, Jarret K. Spaulding, Lakeisha Shaunte Stredic, Jeanna Joiner, Johnny Hawkins Jr., Rodney B. Newton, Kevin Okechukwu Onwudiwe, and Gisselle J. Madison.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4520014.html

Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission arrested Zimbabwean Ross Ernest Moore for attempting to smuggle over $2.7 million to Dubai.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200702060419.html
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AML/CFT Legislation and Regulation
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A Bangladesh Bank modernization project has languished, leaving its regulatory and supervisory capabilities weak and ineffective, and far behind other central banks in Asia.
http://www.financialexpress-bd.com/index3.asp?cnd=2/4/2007&section_id=1&newsid=51518

India plans to relax money laundering rules for no-frills bank accounts that have zero or very low minimum balances, and limited transaction facilities, to support lending to the underprivileged.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/PMLA_no_problem_for_no-frills_bank_acs/articleshow/1569208.cms

Malta's attorney general has used new powers to re-arrest Gaetano Caramazza after a magistrate ruled there was insufficient to charge him on fraud, money laundering, and criminal association.
http://www.maltastar.com/pages/msFullArt.asp?an=9702

The Philippines' Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has been granted authority to monitor all expenses incurred by those running for local and congressional posts. This effort is intended to combat public financing through illegal funds, particularly as obtained through the drug trade.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=65919
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/man/2007/02/08/news/anti.money.laundering.group.to.monitor.poll.expenses.of.bets.html

The Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF) completed the Mutual Evaluation Report of Syria on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism. It found that AML/CFT measures were implemented or in progress in most areas, with particular weaknesses in statistical analysis and reporting. They recommend that Syria draw more attention to risks resulting from drug trafficking, corruption, and bribery.
http://www.menafatf.org/Linkcounter.asp?rid=681&attached=MutualEvaluationReportofSyria.pdf

The Bank of England has added 11 names to the list of individuals and entities sanctioned for terrorist financing, and implemented UN sanctions on Iran.
http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/news/2007/007.htm
http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/news/2007/009.htm

The US Federal Reserve sent 363 tons of shrink-wrapped stacks of $100 bills, amounting to nearly $12 billion, to Iraq between May 2003 and June 2004. More than $8.8 billion was disbursed without financial controls, and some of it is likely to have ended up in the hands of insurgent groups, and others bearing ill will against the US. Other massive sums have been lost to corruption and waste.
http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1164&Issue=Iraq+Reconstruction
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/washington/07bremer.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/06/iraq.cash.reut/index.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2008189,00.html
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AML/CFT Modalities
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Boba Borojevic describes charities in Bosnia and Kosovo channeling money to terrorist organizations.
http://www.serbianna.com/columns/borojevic/049.shtml

Using charities to finance terrorism is also the topic of this opinion article, regarding recent arrests in Saudi Arabia.
http://english.daralhayat.com/opinion/OPED/02-2007/Article-20070207-9c5358f4-c0a8-10ed-00cd-6695dc852a58/story.html

This article reviews the complex case of Muhammad Salah and Abdulhalim Ashqar, who were acquitted on 1 February of financing and supporting Hamas' terrorist activities.
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2561

4. Emerging Threat Monitor

Climate change, pandemics, and global economic imbalances are just a few of the threats emerging in this 21st century. Subscribers to the Emerging Threat Monitor stay a step ahead with monthly analysis of trends and responses worldwide. It offers executives a heads-up of new risks, and details of the policies and best practices gleaned from every country around the globe.
http://secure.netsolhost.com/573566.585211/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TP
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ETM Corruption and Transnational Crime
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"Integrity Report of the World Bank Group, Fiscal Years 2005 - 2006" points to anti-corruption efforts over the past two years. The Institutional Integrity Department (INT) investigated and closed 441 external investigations into fraud and corruption in Bank financed projects. As a result of such investigations, the Bank debarred 58 firms and 54 individuals due to fraud and corruption. Since 1999, the World Bank has sanctioned 338 firms and individuals, and is the only multilateral development bank to publish and announce all sanctions, a major deterrent to wrongdoing.
http://www.worldbank.org/integrity

Under Bangladesh's state of emergency, imposed in January, the interim administration has launched a massive anti-corruption drive. Last weekend more than 50 politicians, including nine former ministers, were arrested. More than a dozen senior politicians have been arrested this week on charges of activities against the state, sabotage, and corruption. It is notable that no restrictions have been placed on the media.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0207/p07s02-wosc.html
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/02/09/d7020901033.htm
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/B78703F2-1E4F-498B-8F20-9FBC72F4855B.htm

German prosecutors are investigating bribery allegations involving a South African defense contract.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,464319,00.html

Ghanian opposition party member and former minister Dan Abodakpi was jailed for ten years on fraud charges related to a feasibility study that was never completed. His National Democratic Congress party has responded with an indefinite boycott of parliament.

Israeli Prime Minister Olmert's personal aide Shula Zaken has been suspended from her job for six months during a bribery investigation.

Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sent political parties a list of 135 politicians it claims are too corrupt to participate in April elections, including Vice President Atiku Abubakar and more than two dozen regional governors. A majority of those listed are opposition candidates. The ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) says it will replace all 52 candidates accused of corruption, but opposition parties reject the list as sabotage.
http://www.efccnigeria.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1242
http://www.efccnigeria.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=92
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6338017.stm
http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/cover/february07/7022007/f507022007.html

South Korea 's President Roh Moo-hyan has pardoned more than 434 businessmen and politicians convicted of financial crimes to boost "national unity".
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/09/asia/AS-GEN-SKorea-Amnesty.php

Hyundai Motor Company chairman Chung Mong-koo has been jailed for three years for embezzlement. He remains on bail pending appeal.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8N3LK5O0.htm

Switzerland's Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has outlined its strategy to fight corruption as a means to combat poverty.
http://www.sdc.admin.ch/index.php?navID=26466&itemID=150138&langID=1

Thailand's Democrat Party launched a 350-page "black book" detailing 34 cases of alleged corruption and abuse of power under the Thaksin government.
http://nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30026026
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ETM Economies and Financial Systems
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Finance ministers and central bankers from the world's seven richest nations, the G7, met for two days to discuss foreign exchange, hedge funds, energy and education. The G7 has called for China to loosen exchange controls and take Japan's economy into account to address a falling yen. The G7 remains largely oblivious of the issues facing Africa.
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/BUSINESS/02/09/g7.finance.ap/index.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6351857.stm

India's Joint Secretary Ministry of Finance Kumar Sanjay Krishna predicts that the economy will cross the one trillion dollar mark by the end of next year.
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=81108

The US House Committee on Financial Services held a hearing on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), One Year After Dubai Ports World. Last year Dubai Ports World attempted to purchase the company that operates most US ports, but abandoned the effort after public outcry and congressional efforts to prevent foreign acquisitions of components of the US critical infrastructure. The US is increasingly dependent on foreign capital, and this raises a range of security and safety issues, but businesses are worried that the scales may tip too far, and discourage foreign investment and trade.
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/hr02072007.shtml
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ETM Environment and Climate Change
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Director of the China Meteorological Administration, Qin Dahe, says that China is already affected by global warming, as evidenced by record temperatures and water shortages. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu called for rich nations to take action and says that China does not have the money or technology to have a significant impact: Economic development is necessary for China to curb its use of dirty fuels.
http://english.eastday.com/eastday/englishedition/node20676/userobject1ai2615209.html http://english.eastday.com/eastday/englishedition/node20676/userobject1ai2615164.html
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s1841976.htm
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-02/07/content_802992.htm

The European Commission plans to abolish "safe havens" of environmental crime and strengthen environmental protection through criminal law. The proposed directive obliges Member States to treat serious offences against the environment as criminal acts and to ensure that they are effectively sanctioned. It sets minimum sanctions for environmental crimes, such as the illegal emission of hazardous substances into the air, water or soil, the illegal shipment of waste, or the illegal trade in endangered species, all of which can have devastating effects on human health and the environment. They also undermine the efficiency of EU environment legislation. In serious cases criminal sanctions such as prison sentences should be applied, as they have a much higher dissuasive effect than, for example, administrative sanctions.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/166
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/50

The European Commission launched a new comprehensive strategy to ensure the long-term viability of the European car industry. Major initiatives include reduction of administrative burdens, road safety, trade, and applicable research and development. Controversy has erupted over the strategic reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, which is based on an integrated approach, involving not only engine technology, but also technological improvements (e.g. setting minimum requirements for air-conditioning systems, the compulsory fitting of tire pressure monitoring systems, setting maximum tire rolling resistance limits and the use of gear shift indicators) and increased use of bio-fuels. It also focuses on additional efforts by Member States like traffic management, improvement of driver behavior and infrastructure as well to further reduce 2 emissions. Car manufacturers argue that the proposed measures will make the industry less competitive. The Commission is attempting to use quality and innovation to change the nature of cutthroat pricing that dominates the industry today.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/157
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/47
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/46
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6339915.stm

These efforts are directly connected with the EU commitment to meet its greenhouse gas emission targets. This week, the Commission proposed a legislative framework to address measures described above in addition to last week's proposed new fuel quality standards.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/155
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/co2/co2_home.htm

French energy company Total has launched the first integrated carbon dioxide capture and geological sequestration project in a depleted natural gas field.
http://www.total.com/en/press/press_releases/pr_2007/070208-co2-capture-sequestration_11400.htm

"Last Stand of the Orangutan: State of Emergency" says that natural rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo are being cleared so rapidly that up to 98 percent may be destroyed by 2022 without urgent action, much faster than earlier projections due to illegal logging, which is estimated to account for more than 73 per cent of all logging in Indonesia. In addition to the environmental damage and corruption, this trend threatens the survival of the orangutan, and requires emergency response including curbing global demand for lumber.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=499&ArticleID=5513&l=en

For the first time, a trade group of competitive electricity suppliers representing nearly 40 percent of US power generation has called for "comprehensive, mandatory federal legislation to require steps to minimize the impact of greenhouse gases on the environment". When they know what needs to be done, they can deploy new technologies and remain competitive, without having to deal with the chaos of state or ad hoc regulations.
http://www.epsa.org/forms/documents/DocumentFormPublic/view?id=7C4E000000E4
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ETM Human Rights
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A global conference to end recruitment of children into armed conflict took place this week. The estimated 250,000 child soldiers in the world were called a time bomb that threatens future stability, mostly effecting Africa. Countries that recruit children should no longer be allowed to slip by. Investment in rehabilitation programs is also essential. 58 countries have signed the Paris Principles, an accord to prevent the use of child soldiers and disarm underage fighters.
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_38218.html
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/liberia_38219.html
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57565
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_38231.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A4EB9968-FE40-403B-898A-E8D51A1D6970.htm

Austrian authorities report dismantling an international child pornography ring involving more than 2,360 people from 77 countries.
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/02/07/kids.online.porn.ap/index.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6341737.stm

A US court has ruled that more than a million women can join a class action suit against retail giant WalMart, for bias against women that affected their pay and promotions. WalMart is appealing the ruling. If the company loses the case, it could face billions in damages.
http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/D12BAFD84138E886882572790082A486/$file/0416688.pdf
http://www.walmartfacts.com/articles/4798.aspx
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/BUSINESS/02/06/walmart.suit.reut/index.html
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ETM Infectious Diseases
--------------------------------------------------
Senior UN System Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza David Nabarro says that avian influenza, last season transmitted by migrating wild birds, is now being spread through the poultry trade. Despite some successful efforts of countries to contain the virus, no one can afford to be complacent as it could potentially mutate into a human pandemic, and more pandemic preparedness is essential. Since late last year, outbreaks of avian flu have been confirmed in Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand, China, Japan, Egypt, Nigeria, Hungary, Turkey and the UK.
http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2007/070209_Nabarro.doc.htm
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/index.html

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) expressed confidence in the UK's ability to respond adequately to an outbreak of bird flu at a commercial turkey farm, but warned that greater support is needed to help countries still struggling to control the virus, such as Indonesia, Egypt and Nigeria.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000492/index.html
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en
http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/subjects/en/health/diseases-cards/special_avian.html

Despite initial praise for Britain's response, there is now fear that H5N1 has spread beyond the turkey shed where it was first find, and may have been introduced into the human food chain.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/birdflu/story/0,,2009286,00.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=435010&in_page_id=1770
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1356200.ece
http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/latest/2007/animal-0208.htm

New outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza have been reported:
* Following the death of a 17-year-old girl, Egypt has confirmed 12 H5N1 deaths, and is testing more possible infections
* Another Indonesian woman died today, bringing the number of deaths in Indonesia to 64. The number of infections continues to rise.
* Northern Nigeria has a new outbreak after an 8-month lull, and has culled more than 5,000 chickens
* Pakistan has its first outbreak in nearly a year, in a flock of chickens and peacocks
* South Korea has begun culling thousands of chickens after the sixth H5N1 outbreak has broken out
* Turkey has confirmed a poultry outbreak in the southeastern province of Batman

FAO and the World Health Organization are concerned that Indonesia will no longer provide avian influenza samples. It has signed an agreement with US pharmaceutical company Baxter, and says it wants to maintain control of all virus samples discovered in the country. Indonesia has been one of the countries worst hit by H5N1, and has the most human fatalities. Limiting access to the virus hampers global efforts to prevent a human pandemic.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/exclusive-bird-flu-deal-a-setback-to-control/2007/02/07/1170524163483.html
http://www.baxter.com/about_baxter/news_room/news_releases/2007/02-07-07-indonesia.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/world/asia/07birdflu.html
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/guidelines/earlyrelease2007/en/index.html

Although no incidents of sustained cat to human transmission of H5N1 have been reported, FAO is beginning field studies to evaluate their role in disease transmission. In the meantime, they recommend that where H5N1 has been found in poultry or wild birds, cats should be separated or kept indoors. They should not be killed as a control option because they are not a serious transmission risk but their removal could lead to a surge in rodents, which can harm agriculture and transmit disease to humans.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000490/index.html

The US Occupational and Health Administration has published new safety and health guidelines on preparing workplaces for pandemic influenza.
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=13698

Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay have issued a dengue fever alert, triggered by higher temperatures and rainfall. More than 18,000 people have already been infected, and the disease is killing hundreds every day. This is more than the total of all cases last year.
http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7BC013665C-D37A-4346-A60F-9702A15B2640%7D)&language=EN
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ETM Legal Systems
--------------------------------------------------
Luo Gan, one of the nine members in the new Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, and China's top law and order official, said that an independent judiciary is not appropriate and that judges must follow official party positions.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/china-tells-courts-to-toe-party-line/2007/02/04/1170523960816.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/03/world/asia/03china.html
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK135110.htm

The European Crime and Safety Survey finds that Ireland and the UK have the highest levels of common crimes in the EU.
http://www.europeansafetyobservatory.eu/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/06/ncrime06.xml

South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki has promised to increase the size of the police force, from 152,000 to 180,000 within three years, to tackle the country's high crime rate. Reducing crime is particularly important ahead of the 2010 World Cup, which will be hosted in South Africa.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=298575
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=298633
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6345195.stm

UK Criminal Justice Minister David Hanson MP said that the new Protocol for community-based restorative justice schemes has stringent safeguards in place to protect the rights of victims and offenders alike and will ensure that accredited schemes conform to policing and the rule of law, has said. Northern Ireland's community-based restorative justice schemes now have until April to seek formal accreditation.
http://www.nio.gov.uk/media-detail.htm?newsID=14071

Using an amendment to the Violence Against Women Act that permits DNA collection from anyone under federal arrest for criminal or immigration violations, the US Department of Justice now plans to make DNA sampling as routine as fingerprinting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/05/washington/05dna.html
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ETM Natural Resources
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China's hunger for metal and drug addicts' need for cash combined to create rampant metal theft in the US.
http://www.csoonline.com/read/020107/fea_metal.html
http://www.csoonline.com/read/020107/fea_metal/slide01.html
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ETM Populations
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In "The HIV/AIDS Crisis in Papua New Guinea", Center for Independent Studies (CIS) researcher Miranda Darling Tobias discusses the biological, social and political factors involved in this imminent crisis:
"The rapid spread of HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea has created a health emergency. At least 120,000 Papua New Guineans are likely to have HIV/AIDS and infections are spreading quickly. Infection rates are now estimated to be 2% to 3% of the population. If present rising infection trends persist, 18% of the population could be affected by 2010 and 25% could be affected by 2020. Papua New Guinea could lose a million people to the disease. The decline in the labor force and in gross domestic product per capita would be catastrophic."
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ETM Social Responsibility
--------------------------------------------------
South Africa's Department of Minerals and Energy and diamond producer De Beers have announced plans to create a new diamond mine controlled by blacks.
http://www.debeersgroup.com/NR/rdonlyres/85892283-0FFB-49CD-B074-A4524A4331F1/2585/MR090207_Namaqua.pdf
http://za.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=businessNews&storyID=2007-02-09T142026Z_01_BAN938585_RTRIDST_0_OZABS-DE-BEERS-SAFRICA-20070209.XML
http://www.dme.gov.za/

The Ceres/Calvert report concludes that despite growing financial losses in various business sectors from climate change, over half of the 500 largest publicly traded companies in the US are doing a poor job of disclosing climate change risks to their investors. Furthermore:
* 80 percent of the 228 companies that responded to the survey (182 companies) addressed the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but only a quarter (59 companies) disclosed measurable emissions reductions targets and specific time frames for reductions.
* Nearly 75 percent of the responding companies (171 companies) acknowledged bottom-line risks associated with extreme weather events such as hurricanes, fires and floods. However, very few of the companies surveyed link more-extreme weather to climate change and fewer still - only four percent - disclosed strategies for mitigating and adapting to the growing physical impacts from climate change.
http://www.calvert.com/news_newsArticle.html?article=10667&image=cn.gif&keepleftnav=Calvert+News

The Cooperative Insurance Sustainable Leaders Trust, an ethical investment fund, has become the first such fund to top the UK performance charts.
http://www.moneynews.co.uk/2986/cis-sustainable-leaders-trust-tops-sector/
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ETM Technology
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The South African Medical Research Council and Health Minister have called for an investigation after the finding that 20 of the 604 women who participated in clinical trials of a microbicide have tested positive for HIV.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=298397
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=298285
http://www.conrad.org/press/phaseIIItrials.htm
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2007/s01/en/index.html

The South African Aids Vaccine Initiative announced the start of the first large-scale test of a concept HIV vaccine, which will involve 3 000 participants in South Africa.
http://www.saavi.org.za/1press2007.htm
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ETM Weapons (WMD, Proliferation)
--------------------------------------------------
Six-party talks regarding North Korea's nuclear program resume in Beijing on Thursday. There has been some progress, albeit limited, but talks today have stalled over the amount of energy aid.
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/02/07/nkorea.talks.reut/index.html
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200702/kt2007020911573611950.htm
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200702/kt2007020917430511990.htm
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/02/11/nkorea.talks.ap/index.html

Last Saturday Iran hosted a diplomatic visit from representatives of non-aligned nations to its Isfahan uranium conversion facility. This marketing effort was insufficient to prevent the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from freezing 22 technical assistance projects. This decision followed a review of 45 direct and multinational programs, and some could be revived if modified to comply with UN sanctions. Only projects directly associated with peaceful purposes, particularly medical and safety applications will continue. Meanwhile, Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani cancelled meetings planned with IAEA and EU leaders this weekend, and the alliance attempting to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons remains split over tactics.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/world/middleeast/04iran.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/03/world/middleeast/03iran.html
http://www.isis-online.org/publications/iran/TechnicalCooperationFeb2007.pdf
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/09/AR2007020900832.html
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,465367,00.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/08/ap/world/mainD8N5GFVG1.shtml

Today, Iranian President Ahmadinejad dismissed proposals to suspend its nuclear program as a precondition for talks.
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/11/iran.nuclear/index.html

British think tank Chatham House reports that "A good deal of the effect of a terrorist attack in the United Kingdom using CBRN could prove to be self-inflicted by the victims of the attack - the general public, business leaders and government officials - or magnified by alarmist media". This is one of three observations in Paul Cornish's new report, "The CBRN System: Assessing the threat of terrorist use of: chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons in the United Kingdom". It also addresses "the likelihood and consequences of a terrorist attack in the United Kingdom using CBRN, and the preparedness (often described as 'resilience') of all levels of UK government, the private sector and the wider public to meet such an assault", and the variable nature of CBRN weapons.
http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/pdf/research/niis/CBRN0207.pdf

The Henry L. Stimson Center released "25 Steps to Prevent Nuclear Terror: A Guide for Policymakers". The report details barriers to success in Cooperative Nonproliferation programs, addressing a range of issues associated with lack of interagency collaboration, unrealistic expectations, inefficient congressional oversight, and overly burdensome restrictions on program implementation.
http://www.stimson.org/cnp/pdf/25_Steps_complete.pdf

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released preliminary figures regarding incidents of illicit trafficking and other unauthorized activities involving nuclear and radioactive materials in 2006. The Office of Nuclear Security reported 149 confirmed incidents, of which 15 involved the seizure of nuclear and radioactive materials from individuals who possessed them illegally. 85 incidents involved theft or loss of nuclear or other radioactive materials, mainly radioactive sources. In about 75 per cent of the cases, the materials lost or stolen had not been recovered at the time of reporting. The remaining 49 involved other unauthorized activities, primarily unauthorized disposal of radioactive sources and radioactively contaminated materials and discovery of uncontrolled, or orphan, radioactive materials. Another 103 incidents were reported in 2006 that occurred in previous years.
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2007/itdb_update.html
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2007/georgia_material.html

French Muslim convert Willy Smith has gone on trial in Paris following his 2003 extradition from Australia. He denies charges of planning a terrorist strike against an Australian nuclear power plant.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-france-security.html

The US Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General released an oversight report regarding the Biowatch monitoring network. The report finds significant problems with the program, which installed detectors in urban areas to test for some 20 potential terrorist pathogens. They found multiple operational errors, including improper transfers, missed decontamination, and lack of quality control. The level of deficiencies increased from one evaluation to another.
http://www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/mgmtrpts/OIG_07-22_Jan07.pdf

The 2001 anthrax attacks have left a long legacy. Only this week has the quarantined American Media building been certified free of anthrax and safe to occupy.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N06282940.htm
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-27amianthrax,0,591394.story?coll=sfla-news-palm

Russia, increasingly concerned over the expansion of the US "defense shield", plans to build eight new ballistic missile submarines by 2015 and upgrade its nuclear arsenal to ensure nuclear parity with the US. Oil wealth is permitting Russia to significantly increase its defense budget.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/07/europe/EU-GEN-Russia-New-Weapons.php
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070207/60350944.html

The US continues testing of its Minuteman 3 strategic missiles and supporting infrastructure. They are looking for additional funding for installations in Alaska and other locations.
http://www.vandenberg.af.mil/
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/02/07/military/10_31_242_7_07.txt
http://www.lompocrecord.com/articles/2007/02/08/news/centralcoast/news06.txt
http://www.mda.mil/mdalink/pdf/07news0025.pdf
http://www.adn.com/news/military/story/8626740p-8519089c.html
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/8624909p-8517362c.html

5. Critical Infrastructure Monitor

The 21st century is the interdependent century. Understanding the implicit and explicit networks on which we rely, and the interdependencies among the sectors of the critical infrastructure, is essential for business continuity, economic success, and our very survival. The Critical Infrastructure Monitor, published monthly, analyzes these sectors, regulatory frameworks, and issues of enterprise risk management in global supply chains.
http://secure.netsolhost.com/573566.585211/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TP
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CIM Agriculture and Food
--------------------------------------------------
To address rising urbanization, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched the Food for the Cities urban farming campaign.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000484/index.html

The UN Environment Program (UNEP) Global Environment Outlook (GEO) Year Book 2007 notes that climate change may aggravate the fishery situation by increasing the acidity of oceans and seas and bleaching coral reefs, which are important nurseries for fish. One management technique for countering the collapse includes a dramatic expansion of marine protected areas.
http://www.unep.org/geo/yearbook/yb2007

Hong Kong, Japan, Jersey, Russia, and South Korea have banned British exports following the discovery of a commercial flock infected with H5N1 avian influenza. The European Commission called the bans totally disproportionate, as the UK took all recommended control measures, and they called for exports to return to normal as quickly as possible. Properly cooked poultry is safe to eat. The UK Department of Agriculture has imposed new importing rules as a precaution: the infection has been associated with imported birds. Now, inspectors are checking to see if infected meat has made its way onto supermarket shelves.
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/144
http://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/press/press_releases/2007/pr0705_en.htm
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2010583,00.html
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2010563,00.html
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2007/feb/avianflu

Brazil, one of the world's largest agricultural producers, risks a sharp cut in coffee and other major crops over the next 50 to 100 years due to global warming
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N05466722.htm

In the US state of California, citrus crops largely perished in unusually cold weather. Now Australia's drought is destroying citrus and grapes as stored irrigation water has run out.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/last-gasp-for-fruit-as-water-runs-out/2007/02/06/1170524096368.html
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CIM Banking and Finance
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After finding that e-commerce is popular in the EU but usually confined to domestic markets, the EU is going to revise rules to remove barriers to cross-border trade.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/165

The Irish Payment Services Organisation (IPSO) has set 17 March as the deadline for implementing chip and PIN security.
http://www.chipandpin.ie/
http://www.safecard.ie/retailer/pubs_r.html
http://www.ipso.ie/

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and banks’ foreign exchange dealers have set up a committee on conformity with the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) master agreement on swap transactions to ensure compliance with global best practices.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/business/february07/09022007/b109022007.html

The UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) has published its Business Plan for 2007/8. Its priorities include the move towards more principles-based regulation, facilitated by appropriate investments in people, information systems, and regulations.
http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Library/Communication/PR/2007/019.shtml

FSA's Financial Risk Outlook calls on companies to improve business stress testing. This is important at this time because geopolitical risks, market complexity, price volatility, and other issues have created an environment in which a severe event would have greater impact.
http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Library/Communication/PR/2007/017.shtml

Following a 14 percent jump in personal theft in the UK, the payments association APACS released advise for card holders protection while using a cash machine, and calls for the use of a designated privacy space in front of ATMs that also promotes security. The Home Office has begun outlining ATM privacy areas as yellow boxes.
http://www.apacs.org.uk/media_centre/press/07_26_01.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6343507.stm

Meanwhile, chip and pin frauds are increasing, including a recent situation at a BP garage in England. Police are investigating.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/surrey/6334671.stm
http://icsurreyonline.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0800redhillandreigate/tm_headline=petrol-station-customers-hit-by-credit-card-scam&method=full&objectid=18557207&siteid=50101-name_page.html

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued a letter providing guidance to registered futures commission merchants (FCMs), in complying with regulations on the preparation and filing of annual audited financial reports.
http://www.cftc.gov/files/tm/tmfcmguidanceletter2006.pdf
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CIM Chemical
--------------------------------------------------
Comments are arriving at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding their draft chemical security regulations. Initial comments came from New Jersey, which is the only state with its own chemical security regulations. New Jersey wants to ensure their standards are not preempted by less stringent federal rules. Now, the industry and outsider observers are entering the fray.
http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_acc/sec_news_article.asp?CID=206&DID=4774
http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=45906
http://ombwatch.org/article/articleview/3714
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-6/11710013419920.xml

Indiana investigative reporters for Channel 8 in Indianapolis are investigating hazardous chemical safety, beginning with a report on dangers during transportation.
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6060619

The Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is continuing its investigation to determine the root causes of the powerful 22 November 2006 explosion in Danvers, Massachusetts. The CSB team is using computer models to interpret at least 100 different examples of blast damage. CSB Chairman Carolyn W. Merritt said, "Of all the accidents the Board has investigated since its establishment in 1998, the Danvers explosion caused the most severe damage to homes and nearby businesses. This blast was considerably more powerful than might be expected from a manufacturing facility of this type. For that reason, I have asked the staff to review the guidance that is currently available to urban planners and local permitting officials on chemical facility siting to see if it can be improved. Better guidance and separation distances may help protect residents from accidents at new facilities, but for existing facilities the only option is improved prevention".
http://www.csb.gov

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing on Oversight of Recent EPA Decisions. The panel raked Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator over the coals for undermining regulations intended to protect public health and the environment. Among the issues raised were EPA decisions last year to relax reporting requirements, limit the role of scientists, close libraries, and other rollbacks, while refusing to set a health standard for perchlorate, and the reversal of an air toxics control classification policy.
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_id=78a52250-802a-23ad-4274-59a54b06a447
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-464T
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CIM Commercial Facilities
--------------------------------------------------
After rioting football (soccer) fans killed a policeman, stadiums across Italy has been closed until existing safety regulations are met. This includes closed-door games, no block sales to hardcore fans, the addition of stewards, surveillance, intelligence, and strict enforcement. Six stadiums have been given approval to reopen.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6333153.stm
http://football.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-6404756,00.html
http://eur.i1.yimg.com/eur.yimg.com/i/eu/fifa/hoen.pdf

US public parks increasingly are privately operating. The consequences of this shift could include disenfranchisement of the poor.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-parks11feb11,0,3215039.story

The American Media Inc (AMI) building in Boca Raton, Florida (US) has reopened. It was the first target of 2001 anthrax attacks, and the last to be decontaminated.
http://www.bocaratonnews.com/index.php?src=news&prid=18776
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/16648114.htm
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CIM Cybersecurity
--------------------------------------------------
Exploit code has begun circulating for a security hole in CA's BrightStor ARCServe Backup software. The remote buffer-overflow was initially disclosed on 12 January, when a patch was released.
http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/vulninfo/vuln.aspx?id=34958
http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2007-0169
http://downloads.securityfocus.com/vulnerabilities/exploits/BrightStor_msgeng_rexp.pl

Windows Vista security tools have failed to detect viruses circulating online more often than any other program tested.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6331959.stm
http://www.viruslist.com/en/analysis?pubid=204791916
http://www.virusbtn.com/vb100/archive/2007/02

Microsoft Excel has a critical vulnerability that may affect other Office applications. It is being exploited in a limited way at this time.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/932553.mspx
http://secunia.com/advisories/24008/

Johns Hopkins has lost computer backup tapes containing payroll data on 52,000 workers and medical information of 83,000 patients.
http://www.jhu.edu/identityalert/

The US Department of Veterans Affairs is investigating another lost laptop containing personal information about some veterans.
http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1287

Hackers attacked the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) podcast website and planted a virus that may have infected visitors to the site.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/stories/2007/02/04/0204cdchack.html
http://www.cdc.gov/about/news/2007/02/computer_virus.htm

A. James Clark School of Engineering researchers led by Michel Cukier report that hackers attacks are nearly constant at the rate of one every 39 seconds.
http://www.eng.umd.edu/news/news_story.php?id=1881

The University of New Hampshire released the UNH Cyber Threat Calculator, which gauges the treat level a would-be attacker poses to sectors of the critical infrastructure that rely heavily on IT and networks.
http://www.unh.edu/news/cj_nr/2007/jan/lw25cyber.cfm

Carnegie Mellon has developed a methodology that can help detect insider threats as early as possible, involving management, IT, human resources, security officers and others who "must understand the psychological, organizational and technical aspects of the problem, as well as how they coordinate their actions over time."
http://www.cylab.cmu.edu/default.aspx?id=2013

Cambridge University researchers have discovered a way to lift Chip and PIN authorization codes.
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/research/security/projects/banking/relay/
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/research/security/projects/banking/relay/bounding.pdf
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6333929.stm
http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2007/02/06/chip-pin-relay-attacks/)

Pennsylvania coroner G. Gary Kirchner has been charged with giving his username and password to newspaper reporters so they could use a confidential law enforcement site for their stories.
http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/press.aspx?id=2179

Islamic militants are using YouTube for propaganda purposes.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=298642
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CIM Dams and Bridges
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Australia's water shortage has made control and investment of dams a major political and security issue.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21195842-601,00.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200702/1844046.htm?newengland
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/120233.html

The US Government Accountability Office said auditors were told by Homeland Security officials that they had "limited knowledge" about how the criteria changes would impact an area's eligibility standing, and they didn't have the money to find out, demonstrating a serious error when the Department of Homeland Security rewrote anti-terrorism grant criteria. Sacramento and San Diego dams situated near heavily populated areas deserved security funds.
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/120233.html

The Kentucky Department of Homeland Security is investing $300,000 to provide weather radios and upgrade 911 emergency notification systems for towns below Wolf Creek Dam, which is undergoing emergency repairs for leaks, and is rated at high risk of failure.
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/16658761.htm
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070208/NEWS01/70208037/1008
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CIM Defense Industrial Base
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The European Defense Agency held a conference on strengthening the European Defense Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB). More than 300 government, industry and academic representatives, warned that radical change was needed to create a genuine defense market across the continent. The current fragmented market is unlikely to survive.
http://www.eda.europa.eu/news/2007-02-01-0.htm

The US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a series of hearings on Iraq reconstruction, identifying massive cases of waste, fraud and abuse:
* On Tuesday, the Committee heard from Ambassador L. Paul Bremer and Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, who published an audit report in 2005 that concluded that more than $8.8 billion in cash was disbursed without adequate financial controls. As Committee Chairman Henry Waxman commented, "Who in their right mind would send 363 tons of cash into a war zone?"
http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1164&Issue=Iraq+Reconstruction
* On Wednesday, the Committee examined the costs of Blackwater’s security operations to the taxpayer and the adequacy of federal oversight of Blackwater and other security contractors, and heard testimony from family of four Blackwater employees killed in Fallujah through war profiteering.
http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1165&Issue=Iraq+Reconstruction
* On Wednesday they discovered violations involving private security services that has led the army to reduce payments to KBR by nearly $20 million. Similar action is likely to follow in a number of Halliburton contracts.
http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1166&Issue=Iraq+Reconstruction
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0c960860-b71a-11db-8bc2-0000779e2340,_i_rssPage=5aedc804-2f7b-11da-8b51-00000e2511c8.html

On Thursday, the Committee turned its attention to the Department of Homeland Security's management of large contracts that rely on private contractors as "system integrators". They focused on two multi-billion investments in failed/failing programs: Deepwater and the Secure Border Initiative.
http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1167

Ranking Minority Member Thomas Davis III asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the use of the National Guard for federal overseas missions. GAO's report, "Reserve Forces: Actions Needed to Identify National Guard Domestic Equipment Requirements and Readiness" finds that the high use of the National Guard for federal overseas missions has reduced equipment available for state-led domestic missions, at the same time it faces an expanded array of threats at home.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-60

The US Bush administration's policy of outsourcing nearly all government work has led to a surge in contractors. The amount spent has risen from $107 billion in 2000, to $400 billion, with little oversight or accountability.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/washington/04contract.html

Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele discuss Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), a "stealth company" with 9,000 government contracts, many of which involve secret intelligence work.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/03/spyagency200703
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CIM Emergency Services
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The EU has implemented a 112 number for emergency services in all member states, but more than two-thirds of Europeans are unaware of the number, and in some countries the service is unreliable. An awareness campaign has been launched.
http://www.eena.org/
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/doc/factsheets/044-112_en.pdf
http://www.112petition.eu/

Switzerland is questioning why it continues to require underground nuclear shelters.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6347519.stm

The US Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on The Present and Future of Public Safety Communications. The discussion covered public-private partnerships and the use of wireless networks.
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=1813

Presidential Directive HSPD18 lays out how federal medical personnel should respond to a WMD attack.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/02/20070207-2.html

The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) warns that the Bush administration's proposed budget cuts for local and state medical preparedness programs will damage their ability to respond to bioterrorism, a pandemic, or other biological incidents. Although some additional funds have been moved to pandemic flu, overall preparedness funding would be 25 percent below the 2005 level.
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/biz-plan/news/feb0707budget.html
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CIM Energy
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Brazil and the US are the world's largest biofuel producers. They are discussing a new partnership to encourage ethanol use throughout Latin America.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/07/AR2007020702316.html

Energy-hungry China is scouring the earth for new sources. Energy is one of President Hu's interests in his tour of Africa. China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) are collaborating with Russia's Rosneft oil producer to explore supplies in the Arctic and develop transportation systems from Russia to China, through Mongolia.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=305842
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070208-1301-chinainafrica.html
http://www.cfr.org/publication/9557/

Iran. Qatar and Russia are contemplating a natural gas cartel.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/08/opinion/edrussia.php
http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=2/6/2007&Cat=9&Num=039

Britain's Braes O'Doune wind farm, based in Scotland, has become only the 7th in the world to have more than two gigawatts of operational wind power capacity.
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CIM Government Facilities
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India has asked Google to blur or distort images of its military sites and other areas where security is a concern.
http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2007/02/04/afx3392691.html
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CIM Information Technology
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An unusually powerful distributed denial of service attacked overwhelmed at least three of the 13 root servers that manage global internet traffic, including servers at UltraDNS, the US Department of Defense, and ICANN.
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/02/06/internet.attacks.ap/index.html
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/020706dnbushackerattack.1197a9.html

VeriSign announced Project Titan to address such threats, as well as rising consumer demand.
http://www.verisign.com/press_releases/pr/page_040677.html

Safer Internet Day was marked on 6 February. This year focused on making the internet safer for children.
http://blog.eun.org/SID2007/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6336509.stm

Chinese computer maker Sichuan Sinomanic Technology LLC developed the $129 Tian En GX-2. Priced similarly as the One Laptop per Child project, it does not include a monitor, but has a television connection. The company says the system was developed to help narrow the digital divide, particularly between the rural and urban populations.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/02/06/HNchinese$129pc_1.html
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CIM Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste
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French energy group Total plans to branch out from oil and gas to renewables and nuclear energy.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/5bd2dfb2-b494-11db-b707-0000779e2340,_i_rssPage=abb716b0-2f7a-11da-8b51-00000e2511c8.html

Israel is considering building a nuclear power station.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/824416.html

Japan's new National Energy Strategy calls for increased nuclear generation, and plutonium extraction to power future reactors.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/IB10Dh01.html

Japan's Mihama-3 reactor in Fukui prefecture resumed full-scale commercial operation 2.5 years after it was shut down after the country's deadliest nuclear plant accident, when a steam pipe ruptured, killing five workers and injuring six.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/02/07/ap3404345.html
http://cnic.jp/english/newsletter/nit102/nit102articles/nit102mihama.html

Sweden's state-owned Vattenfall nuclear operator has suffered a series of safety scares at the Forsmark plant, leading to the resignation this week of its chief executive, Lars Fagerberg. The most recent incident was the discovery that reactor 1 was operating for seven months with rubber packing inside the reactor containment: this was categorized as a category one incident. The Board of Directors has adopted an action plan to ensure thorough reporting and follow-up.
http://www.vattenfall.com/www/vf_com/vf_com/370103press/558539press/index.jsp?pmid=78931&WT.ac=content
http://www.vattenfall.com/www/vf_com/vf_com/370103press/370135press/385357press/index.jsp?pmid=78920&WT.ac=content
http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/International/nyhetssidor/artikel.asp?ProgramID=2054&Nyheter=&artikel=1191960
http://www.eux.tv/article.aspx?articleId=2519

US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman Dale Klein said he hopes the NRC will not be to an impediment to the licensing of new reactors that utilities want to build in the coming decade.
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2007/07-023.html
http://www.platts.com/Events/pc709/

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) released a report outlining plans to modernize the Cold War-era nuclear weapons complex, which currently consists of eight major facilities: Los Alamos National Laboratory (New Mexico), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (California), Sandia National Laboratories (New Mexico and California), Pantex Plant (Texas), Y-12 National Security Complex (Tennessee), Kansas City Plant (Missouri), Savannah River Site (South Carolina) and Nevada Test Site (Nevada).
http://www.nnsa.doe.gov/docs/newsreleases/2007/Trans_of_NNSA_WC_2007-31-07.pdf

The Oyster Creek nuclear plant in the state of New Jersey breeched a safety agreement to stop further corrosion of the container liner, but this may not effect its request for a licensing extension.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/08/nyregion/08oyster.html

A National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) inspection of the Pantex nuclear weapons plant near Amarillo, Texas, has found their contractor, BWXT, has implemented an effective chemical safety program, but found problems with fire protection, lack of warning signs, and inventory problems.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/16651689.htm
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CIM Public Health and Healthcare
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The International Day Against Female Genital Mutilation was observed on 6 February. The UN Population Fund reported on an alarming trend to use healthcare workers to perform cutting in the mistaken belief that it would minimize problems. In fact, the practice itself leads to serious increases in pregnancy complications, higher death rates (by up to 55 percent) of babies, and other physical and psychological problems.
http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=927

University College London researchers reviewed studies into the effects on people's mental health. They found widespread effects even if people are not directly involved or in the area.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6317015.stm

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released "Health Information Technology: Early Efforts Initiated but Comprehensive Privacy Approach Needed for National Strategy". The report finds that the Department of Health and Human Services has not established a way to connect disparate privacy and security issues related to electronic health records. Another report addresses "Prescription Drugs: Oversight of Drug Pricing in Federal Programs".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-238
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-481T
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CIM Telecommunications
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Bouygues Telecom, Cosmote, Debitel AG, Deutsche Telekom Group, Go Mobile, Hutchison 3G Europe, Jamba! GmbH, Mobile Entertainment Forum, Orange Group, Royal KPN N.V., SFR, Telecom Italia S.p.A, Telefonica Moviles, S.A., Telenor, TeliaSonera and Vodafone Limited are all signatories of the European Framework on Safer Mobile Use by Younger Teenagers and Children. They agree to support access control for adult content; awareness-raising campaigns for parents and children; the classification of commercial content according to national standards of decency and appropriateness; and the fight against illegal content on mobiles.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/139

Japan's Telecommunications Carriers Association reports that the number of mobile phone subscribers now exceeds 100 million.
http://www.tca.or.jp

UK mobile operators Vodafone and Orange agreed to pool their networks.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/b302ce68-b7e2-11db-bfb3-0000779e2340.html
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CIM Transportation
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Australian airport security may be threatened by widespread use of contractors and subcontractors, with lax security clearance checks. Legislation for further testing was passed in the lower house and will move to the Senate.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Aviation-security-card-launch-bungled/2007/02/08/1170524212520.html

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has recommended that Canada improve cargo screening and training programs.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2007/02/11/3588042.html
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070204/airport_security_070204/20070204

Another US media investigation has uncovered a hole in Chicago's airport security in which a lost of stolen aviation security badge can be used to pass through a side employee gate with no additional security features.
http://cbs11tv.com/consumer/local_story_037101858.html

The Port of Wilmington, Delaware, will be the first in the US to implement the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program.
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070209/BUSINESS/702090316/1003

US House Committees on Homeland Security and Transportation each held hearings on rail safety and security. They found that even risk assessments for passenger rail have not been completed.
http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingdetail.aspx?NewsID=25
http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingdetail.aspx?NewsID=34
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-390T
http://hsc.house.gov/issues/index.asp?ID=161&SubSection=0&Issue=1&DocumentType=0&PublishDate=2/11/2007&issue=1
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-442T
http://www.amny.com/news/local/transportation/am-rail0207,0,4737299.story

Los Angeles transit officials invested millions in high-tech security devices after 9/11, but no one is stationed underground to help subway passengers in a crisis.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-subway11feb11,0,5626845.story
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CIM Water
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"14 Features of Active and Effective Water Security" are addressed in this article:
http://www.chiefengineer.org/content/content_display.cfm/seqnumber_content/2857.htm

Untreated toxic waste from tanneries, hospitals, pharmaceuticals, chemical and dyeing factories in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is threatening the city's groundwater, and even the surface of the land.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/02/07/d702072501136.htm

A tribunal set up 17 years ago to decide on a dispute over sharing water from the Cauvery river in southern India has determined that Tamil Nadu state will get 419 billion cubic feet of water a year and Karnataka 270 billion, less than half of what it says it needs. Kerala will get 30 billion cubic feet and Pondicherry seven billion. Security forces were put on high alert to avoid rioting like that in 1991 that left 18 dead. This has not stopped protests, including a nationwide general strike. Legal appeals are also proceeding.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6330567.stm
http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-02-06T144905Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-286535-1.xml
http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/11/stories/2007021117960100.htm

Northern Ireland may face massive fines after a European court found inadequate treatment at nine waste waterworks.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/6333687.stm

6. Disaster Reduction Monitor

Natural and manmade events are inevitable, but they need not become disasters. Subscribers to the monthly Disaster Reduction Monitor learn from past incidents to prevent future disasters. It includes analysis of historical events, emerging risks and risk mitigation, and features new techniques to address disaster reduction, ranging from technical advances to regulatory best practices and micro-finance.
http://secure.netsolhost.com/573566.585211/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TP
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DRM Incidents
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Heavy rains in Somalia during the past month displaced tens of thousands of people and polluted wells. An outbreak of cholera has killed more than 150 people and hospitalized thousands.

An outbreak of cholera that killed 80 people in the Republic of Congo's town of Pointe-Noire has now spread to the capital Brazzaville.

A boat capsized off Cameroon en route to Nigeria. Of the 100 people on board, 18 survivors have been found.

The Philippines military has ruled out terrorism in the chemical tanker explosion last week that killed 50 and injured 65.

A Chinese bridegroom was returning from his wedding with 31 friends and family when his truck veered off the road and fell 262 feet down a cliff. He and 15 of the guests died.

A state of emergency has been declared in northern areas of New York state along the Great Lakes, where some ten feet of snow has accumulated in storms beginning 4 February. At least 20 people have died, and the snow continues to fall.

Early this morning, a fire broke out in a South Korean detention center. At least nine Chinese and Uzbek nationals were killed, and 17 others were injured. More than 20 other illegal immigrants awaiting deportation were rescued unharmed. More than a hundred firefighters were needed to control the fire, and its cause is under investigation.

A cold wave with temperatures as low as 42 degrees F below zero spread across the US from the northern Plains across the Great Lakes, leaving at least six people dead.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/stormcenter/2007-02-05-northern-cold_x.htm
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DRM Response and Recovery
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Flooding that affected up to 75 percent of the Indonesian capital Jakarta slowed during the week as monsoon rains moved on: more rain will follow. Nearly half a million people have been displaced. At least 80 people died, but more deaths could follow as the filthy floodwaters are likely to bring disease, including diarrhea, dysentery, and rat-borne diseases, as well as dengue, which had broken out prior to the flooding. The disaster has also hampered avian influenza control efforts. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono did not intervene in the uncoordinated response for which no one was responsible, but called on the city's governors to coordinate future efforts. Despite the widespread devastation, he did not declare an emergency. As citywide disinfection begins, the future viability of Jakarta is also in question.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aLOZuzOoeJD
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/02/09/indonesia.floods.ap/
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/jakartas-future-under-cloud-as-water-retreats/2007/02/09/1170524304080.html
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/09/news/indo.php

Shoreline Cruises, which operated the Ethan Allen tour boat, and its Captain Richard Paris, have been indicted for failing to have enough crewmembers. The boat capsized in New York in 2005, killing 20 elderly tourists. Boat capacity was calculated when it was built in 1966, but modifications, including a heavy roof, should have led to a significant reduction, from 48 to 14 passengers.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-liboat06,0,5923640.story
http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2006/MAR0603.htm
http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/boating/4199636.html
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DRM Risks
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The Rift Valley Fever outbreak that killed 140 Kenyans since December has spread to Somalia and Tanzania. Border control measures are in place to control livestock, but mosquitoes are the main transmission vector.

Four earthquakes in Kyrgyzstan within a month have raised concerns over their ability to respond to emergencies, particularly since larger quakes are expected.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57308

Only nine locations in the US are prepared for an Atlantic tsunami.
http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=91638
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06519.pdf

Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority has released their draft "Integrated Ecosystem Restoration and Hurricane Protection: Louisiana's Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast".
http://www.louisianacoastalplanning.org/draft_master_plan.html
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-7/1170831845324620.xml
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DRM Mitigation
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Following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) finding that that changes in the atmosphere, the oceans, glaciers and ice caps show unequivocally that the world is warming as the result of human activities, the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) will speed up implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action to reduce the risks facing millions of people exposed to climate-related calamities.
http://www.unisdr.org/eng/hfa/hfa.htm
http://www.ipcc.ch

In Bangladesh, Oxfam is working to provide short- and long-term assistance to families affected by waterlogging in the southwest.
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what_we_do/where_we_work/bangladesh/waterlogging.htm

Indonesia plans to relocate thousands of impoverished slum-dwellers living on riverbanks. They have been blamed for contributing to last weeks disastrous floods, including blockages, sediment, and waste. These badly hit residents are angry at the lack of aid provided them, including food and medicine shortages.

The British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) says that small businesses often fail to plan for the unexpected, and offers a Business Resilience Construction List to help with this.
http://www.biba.org.uk/broker/brokernotes/Business%20Resilience/Business%20Resilience.htm

7. Recommended Reading

While Israel, the UK and US insist that military action against Iran is an option, and their harsh rhetoric continues to add to charges against the country, the chorus of voices opposed to military action against Iran is growing.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2010087,00.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6330133.stm
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2007/01/taunting_iran.html
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=42544

Crisis Action members include Amicus, Amos Trust, British Muslim Forum, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Foreign Policy Centre, GMB, International Physicians against the Prevention of Nuclear War, Medact, Muslim Council of Britain, Muslim Parliament, Ockenden International, Oxfam, Oxford Research Group, Pax Christi, PCS, People and Planet, and Unison. These organizations have united in an effort to encourage a new diplomatic push to talk with Iran and avert conflict. "Time to Talk to Iran" is their report. It warns that a military attack would have disastrous consequences and calls for the British government and its allies to engage in a sustained effort for face to face talks between Iran and the US, and a compromise on the suspension of uranium enrichment as a precondition for negotiation. A US or Israeli led attack on Iran would likely unleash a series of negative consequences such as:
* Strengthened Iranian nuclear ambitions
* Even greater instability in the Middle East and broader region, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan
* Inflammation of the 'war on terror'
* Exacerbated energy insecurity and global economic hardship
* Damage to developed and developing economies
* Environmental degradation
* Civilian casualties.
http://fpc.org.uk/fsblob/831.pdf
http://fpc.org.uk/fsblob/832.pdf (Farsi translation of Executive Summary)

"Iran: Ahmadinejad's Tumultuous Presidency" is a new report from the International Crisis Group that says:
"President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faces growing domestic discontent and policy criticism but broad diplomatic engagement on all fronts remains the best way for the U.S. to encourage pragmatic Iranian policy. Ahmadinejad’s recent electoral setbacks, increased elite criticism of his foreign policy performance, and failure to achieve his economic program have all weakened him, but Washington would be wrong to conclude its more aggressive posture against Iran in Iraq and naval build-up in the Gulf, much less a direct military intervention, would produce cracks in the regime. Instead, the U.S. should show willingness for broad engagement with Iran without preconditions."
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=4647&l=1

German newspaper Der Spiegel interviewed International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General and Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei:
"SPIEGEL ONLINE: The United States government is threatening to capture or kill Iranian agents in Iraq and Tehran has announced it will install thousands of centrifuges for the enrichment of uranium in Natanz. Are we witnessing a dramatic escalation of the conflict?
"ElBaradei: If we continue on the same course, we could see a spiral of escalation. There is an urgent need for creative diplomacy and leadership. Diplomacy is pressure and engagement, and I very much hope that we can find the right balance. A durable, peaceful solution will not come through pressure only. It will ultimately come at the negotiating table."
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,465367,00.html

Last year, the Oxford Research Group issued "Iran: Consequences of a War", which found that a major American attack on Iran's nuclear sites would kill up to 10,000 people and lead to war in the Middle East.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/13/wiran13.xml

French presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy says he is a friend of the US, but not an unquestioning one, and opposes any talk of military intervention in Iran.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L05703707.htm

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says, "The enemies know any aggression will give way to a wide reaction from Iranian people toward them and their interests in all parts of the world.... Some say that the US president is not the type who acts based on calculations or thinks about the consequences of his action. But even these people can be brought to their senses."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2008811,00.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/DDF80EED-25C1-4689-8D08-7E7CF13E0228.htm

Iran's former President and Expediency Council chair Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani warned that any military attack would be very costly, "Fortunately the Muslims have understood the plot of the enemies and we would witness formation of a big Islamic movement against global hegemony and aggressors in the future".
http://www2.irna.com/en/news/view/line-24/0702085556171718.htm

Iranian reformers say that US rhetoric strengthens Iranian President Ahmadinejad: "Mr Ahmadinejad tries to make the international situation worse and worse. And now with the UN Security Council resolution, he can say, 'Look, we are in a dangerous position, and nobody can say anything against us, because the enemy is coming into the country.' Exactly like George W. Bush in Washington, DC. They are helping each other. They need each other, I believe."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iran11feb11,0,4172725.story

The Washington Post reports that last week, the CIA sent an urgent report to President Bush's National Security Council that Iranian authorities had arrested two al-Qaeda operatives traveling through Iran on their way from Pakistan to Iraq, providing evidence that Iran appears committed to stopping al-Qaeda foot traffic across its borders. That assessment comes as the Bush administration is preparing to publicly accuse Tehran of cooperating with and harboring al-Qaeda suspects.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/09/AR2007020902294.html

Lieutenant General Robert G Gard Jr US Army (Ret), Former assistant to the Secretary of Defense, president, National Defense University; General Joseph P Hoar US Marine Corps (Ret), Former Commander in Chief, US Central Command; and Vice Admiral Jack Shanahan US Navy (Ret), Former Director of the Center for Defense Information and currently Chairman, Military Advisory Committee wrote to the Sunday Times (UK) to warn of the disastrous consequences of any military attack on Iran.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/debate/letters/article1324075.ece

In its current issue, the Economist says that despite Defense Secretary Gates' statement that the US is not preparing for a war with Iran, " Iran and United States are heading for a collision. Although the risk is hard to quantify, there exists a real possibility that George Bush will order a military strike on Iran some time before he leaves the White House two years from now". It goes on to describe the indications that this would happen, and why a military strike on Iran would be foolish and dangerous for more than the US.
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8668903
http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8669160
http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8669153

In testimony before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski testified, "If the United States continues to be bogged down in a protracted bloody involvement in Iraq, the final destination on this downhill track is likely to be a head-on conflict with Iran and with much of the world of Islam at large. A plausible scenario for a military collision with Iran involves Iraqi failure to meet the benchmarks; followed by accusations of Iranian responsibility for the failure; then by some provocation in Iraq or a terrorist act in the US blamed on Iran; culminating in a 'defensive' US military action against Iran that plunges a lonely America into a spreading and deepening quagmire eventually ranging across Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan".
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2007/hrg070201a.html

Niall Ferguson, writing in The Telegraph, has reached similar conclusions: "...the risks of such an attack by the United States are sobering. The backlash on the ground in Iraq - and elsewhere - could indeed be ferocious. There is no guarantee that the Iranian nuclear program would suffer more than temporary disruption. The political effects in Iran (to say nothing of the rest of the Middle East) would be to strengthen the radicals around President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the very moment when they seem to be losing popular support. There is, in short, a real danger that a pre-emptive strike against Iran could turn Goliath into Samson, bringing the temple of Dagon crashing down on everyone in the Middle East, including Samson himself."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/02/11/do1101.xml

8. Asset Management Network News

NEW REPORTS:
* "The Interconnected Century: Critical Security Issues" describes the ways in which individuals, governments, and businesses rely for their very survival on networks, both explicit and informal. It raises the issues of how these networks interact, and provides examples of practical ways to address risks and opportunities in each sector of the critical infrastructure.
* "Trends in Terrorism 2006" provides statistical summaries and analysis of the trends in attacks, tactics, facilities, geographic distribution and other areas for 2006. It includes quantitative comparison over time, and compares these to trends over the past 40 years, and how they compare to natural disasters. This year has expanded to include a chronology of major incidents.