AUTHOR:
TerrorismCentral Editorial Staff
TITLE:
TerrorismCentral Newsletter - February 25, 2007
SOURCE:
TerrorismCentral, February 25, 2007
TEXT:
This week, a BBC/Globescan survey of 27 nations found that most people reject the idea that Islam and the West are caught in an inevitable clash of civilizations. That optimistic finding gives some hope that the many incidents of violence recorded here this week can be reversed, including the sevenfold increase in worldwide terrorism since the invasion of Iraq. Another big step came with the announcement this week from UK Prime Minister Blair that British troops will begin drawing down from Iraq. His announcement and related commentaries are provided in Recommended Reading.
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
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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Central African Republic and Chad continue to suffer from anti-government rebels and spillover of the Darfur conflict. Small arms present a growing threat. UN Secretary General Ban is proposing an 11,000-strong peacekeeping force to protect civilians and deter cross-boarder attacks between Darfur, and CAR and Chad.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57712
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article2290039.ece
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=69990
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2007/97
A Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) military court has jailed for life 13 soldiers found guilty of massacring some 30 civilians found in mass graves last November. In another case, Nationalist Integrationist Front (FNI) rebels Uzele Ubemu, Jules Acida, Ufoyuru Agenong'a, Eric Ndjango and Aingani Aikoe were sentenced to life in prison for killing two UN military observers in 2003.
http://www.monuc.org/news.aspx?newsID=13917
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=70288
A northern Nigerian court attempted for a second time to open Mallam Mohammed Ashafa trial on suspicion that he leads the local branch of al Qaeda. Pandemonium at the court led to an adjournment. Prosecutors have applied for a secret trial.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/north/nt123022007.html
Nigerian militants released a US engineer and his Nigerian driver last Sunday. They had been taken hostage in January, with a British man freed earlier because of poor health. On Monday gunmen abducted two Croatian and one Montenegrin oil workers. On Wednesday a Lebanese hostage escaped after nearly three months: his employer Eni-Agip earlier said he had been freed: the Movement for the Emancipation Delta (MEND) threatens retaliation. Two other employees of Agip, seized with him, remain hostage. Kidnapping for ransom is big business in the oil producing Niger Delta. On Friday, gunmen fired on three Lebanese construction workers, killing one. An investigation is underway into the unusual attack, which seemed to deliberately target them.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/cover/february07/23022007/f423022007.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6382219.stm
The continued violence in the Niger Delta is being blamed on:
* The insensitivity of the federal government
http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/niger_delta/nd321022007.html
* State governors' lack of political leadership
http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/niger_delta/nd220022007.html
* Negligence, and
http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/niger_delta/nd320022007.html
* Bad governance.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/niger_delta/nd420022007.html
Note this interview with militant commander Soboma George:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6370929.stm
Sierra Leone war crimes defendant Sam Hinga Norman has died, aged 67. The former Defense Minister led pro-government militia Civil Defense Front (CDF) during the civil war.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=70324
http://www.sc-sl.org/Press/pressrelease-022207.pdf
http://www.sc-sl.org/normanindictment.html
Somalia has set up an anti-terrorism force in which police and military will collaborate in operations against suspected Islamic militants. Ethiopian troops trained the paramilitary force. Since the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) was ousted from the capital Mogadishu, there have been many attacks, resulting in scores of deaths and injuries. Hundreds of families have fled the city and are in temporary camps. The government has banned reporting on the increasing violence and displacements.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57674
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57682
On Tuesday, insurgents clashed with Somali government forces and Ethiopian troops. Mortars and artillery were exchanged in residential areas, where at least 12 people were killed, and more than 40 were injured, including 33 children. Several homes were destroyed. Unknown gunmen shot and killed two interim government administrators in separate incidents on Wednesday. Heavy fighting on Thursday targeted Ethiopian troops, leaving at least one person dead. Several mortar bombs struck the main airport, and four people were injured in a gunbattle outside a city hotel. Two soldiers were killed in a gunfight with a clan militia just outside of Mogadishu. Somali government and Ethiopian troops exchanged fire with unidentified fighters that targeted an Ethiopian defense base on Friday. At least ten people died.
Today, pirates hijacked the MV Rozen, a UN-chartered cargo ship, shortly after delivering a cargo to Somalia's Puntland region. Further details are not yet available: there were 12 crew on board.
New details have emerged of US-Ethiopian campaigns against al Qaeda in Somalia. An Ethiopian official has denied the report.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/23/world/africa/23somalia.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2020122,00.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5AFE977F-D86F-472A-B88C-F841269EEFB8.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/24/world/africa/24ethiopia.html
Sudan government-backed Janjaweed militias are amassing in Darfur. On Monday and Tuesday they attacked civilian villages, pillaging food and burning homes, leaving seven dead and four injured. The banditry and harassment led many villagers to flee. Sudan President Bashir has again accused the US and the West of exaggerating the Darfur conflict, but the International Committee for the Red Cross and many other organizations working in the field indicate that Bashir is the liar.
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmis/
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/sudan-press-briefing-230207
http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSL24114026._CH_.2400
http://www.sd2007.com/
Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels have announced that they will not extend a ceasefire with the government due to expire on 28 February.
http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/news02231.php
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GTM Americas
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In Canada, a dispute over sweeping government claims of national security has threatened the collapse of the Air India inquiry.
http://www.thestar.com/article/183593
The Supreme Court has ruled that security certificates, which have allowed the government to indefinitely detain and deport foreign-born terrorism suspects since 1978, is a violation of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
http://scc.lexum.umontreal.ca/en/2007/2007scc9/2007scc9.html
http://www.thestar.com/article/185343
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/24/world/americas/24ottawa.html
Organization of American States (OAS) peace verification official Sergio Caramagna, reports that 22 new paramilitary groups have been formed, with some 3,000 members. They include former AUC members and former military officers. These new gangs are taking over former trafficking networks. OAS has called for Colombia to strengthen its reintegration program to prevent rearmament and advance a more permanent peace.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N22438757.htm
http://www.oas.org/OASpage/press_releases/press_release.asp?sCodigo=E-051/07
Jorge Noguera, head of Colombia's Administrative Security Department (DAS) has been arrested and charged with murder and collaborating with the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) and other right-wing paramilitaries. The intelligence head, who resigned in October 2005, denies supplying to right-wing militias the names of unionists and human rights workers, many whom were later murdered. This is the latest in a series of scandals related to government affiliations to paramilitaries, and moves the scandal even closer to President Uribe.
http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=N22479142
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/16763125.htm
http://www.ciponline.org/colombia/blog/archives/000242.htm
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR230432006?open&of=ENG-2M3
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N19433186.htm
President Uribe says he is ready to open direct talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
FARC financial chief Nayibe Rojas was convicted in a US federal court of conspiracy to traffic cocaine to the US.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/16744691.htm
The UN Mission in Haiti has arrested 17 more suspected gang leaders.
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minustah/
The 20,000 Mexican troops and police sent to control drug gangs at the Texas (US) border have not been enough. More troops are being sent to Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey, and naval patrols along the Gulf Coast are being increased. Meanwhile, drug cartels are fighting with human traffickers for control of smuggling routes. On Tuesday, opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party congressman Horacio Garza was shot and seriously injured, and his driver killed in Nuevo Laredo when gunmen surrounded his vehicle and opened fire. Assistant state prosecutor Hugo Resendiz Martinez has been detained and questioned for passing information to drug traffickers.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/0219dntexaltar.1987fbd.html
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA022007.01A.NuevoLaredostory.130efec.html
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/20070219-2130-mexico-politicalviolence.html
US President Bush's call to "bring them on" worked: worldwide terrorism has increased sevenfold since the invasion of Iraq. Worse, Iraq has become a cause celebre that is shaping a new generation of terrorist leaders and operatives that will return home and use the lessons they learned.
http://www.lawandsecurity.org/get_article/?id=66
http://www.motherjones.com/news/featurex/2007/03/iraq_effect_1.html
http://www.motherjones.com/news/featurex/2007/03/iraq_101.html
US diplomatic sources have described contingency plans for air strikes on Iran.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6376639.stm
Sergeant Paul Cortez has been sentenced to 100 years in a military prison and given a dishonorable discharge in a plea agreement that spares him the death penalty for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl, and participating in the murder of her family. He is one of four soldiers charged in the atrocity, which occurred last year, and has agreed to cooperate in pending cases against Jesse V. Spielman and Steven D. Green. James P. Barker was previously sentenced to 90 years in military prison.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/22/ap/national/mainD8NEEM4G0.shtml
A 3-person panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which strips US courts of the ability to review foreign prisoners' challenges to their detentions. The decision is being appealed.
http://pacer.cadc.uscourts.gov/docs/common/opinions/200702/05-5062b.pdf
The Justice Department's Inspector General released "The Department of Justice's Internal Controls Over Terrorism Reporting, Audit Report". The department has been gathering statistics since 9/11, and this report reviewed their collection and reporting. They found the process is decentralized and haphazard, and there were few internal controls to ensure accuracy or procedures. The report found only two of 26 data sets were accurate. The others were either inflated or, in some cases, diminished. Cases of drug trafficking, immigration violations, and marriage fraud were among those characterized as terrorist activity.
http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/reports/plus/a0720/final.pdf
A federal grand jury in Ohio returned a superseding indictment that adds Zubair A. Ahmed and Khaleel Ahmed, of Chicago Illinois, with conspiracy to commit terrorist acts against Americans overseas. They join the case pending against Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi, and Wassim I. Mazloum.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/ohn/news/21February2007.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070221suspects-terror,1,2566521.story
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GTM Asia Pacific
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In western Burma (Myanmar), troops captured a base used by Nagaland separatists from India, after a week of heavy fighting. Twelve rebels were reported killed. Burmese casualties were unspecified.
Burmese police arrested and interrogated six people involved in a rare public demonstration, in which some 25 people called for better health and education, stable power, and lower inflation. Police broke up the protest after about half an hour. Three journalists were later released, but three others were arrested for inciting a riot.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/23/asia/AS-GEN-Myanmar-Protest.php
http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=6723&z=163
Associated Press interviewed five Islamic militants accused in a series of attacks in Sulawesi. The uneducated men claimed that Jemaah Islamiah brainwashed them, and encouraged them to seek revenge for the deaths of their relatives.
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/02/18/indonesia.militant.ap/index.html
At least 18 Papuans are serving sentences in Indonesian jails simply for peaceful acts of freedom of expression and opinion. Human Rights Watch new report, "Protest and Punishment: Political Prisoners in Papua", documents these claims, and calls for the prisoners' release.
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/02/21/indone15321.htm
The Philippines Congress was called back in special session to debate an anti-terrorism bill prior to May elections. The bill was approved late on Monday, and President Arroyo signed it into law on Tuesday.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/net/2007/02/20/palace.welcomes.house.approval.of.anti.terror.bill.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6374875.stm
As joint Philippines-US exercises got under way on Monday, government troops clashed with Abu Sayyaf rebels, killing two. One soldier was killed and a second injured.
There is an excellent profile of Abu Sayyaf in the March 2007 issue of The Atlantic.
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/prem/200703/bowden-jihad
Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont is holding security meetings following last Sunday night's wave of 30 bombings throughout the south, in which at least seven people died and more than 60 were injured. The attacks apparently were timed to coincide with the start of Chinese New Year celebrations. Police have arrested three suspects, and are attempting to identify individuals on security cameras. A 1-million-baht reward is on offer. The three men arrested say they were trained by the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK), which is associated with Indonesian extremists, and say the took drugs and carried good luck charms for courage. Military and security leaders believe further attacks are likely.
Investigations into the New Year's Eve bombings continue, amid warnings that further attacks are possible and that the southern insurgency may spread to Bangkok. Security services are monitoring suspected insurgents and student groups suspected of militant sympathies. Previously, the defense ministry estimated that southern insurgents included less than 100 supporters. This week they estimate that 10,000 youths now support the movement, and many have been recruited and trained over the past ten years.
A bomb in Yala on Monday killed another person. A humanitarian worker escaped an ambush that left one soldier injured on Tuesday. A 50-year-old Buddhist woman was not so lucky: she was killed in an ambush, and her 2-year-old grandchild and a friend were injured. A Muslim village chief in Songhla was shot. On Wednesday, insurgents set fire to Thailand's largest rubber warehouse. The 12-hour conflagration blanketed Yala in black smoke, and destroyed 5,000 tons of rubber sheet for export worth some $11 million. Firemen from 30 companies responded. Insurgents shot and killed a Buddhist woman in Narathiwat and a Muslim security official in Yala.. A bomb in Pattani injured two soldiers, while on Saturday two female Russians were shot and killed in their deck chairs.
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GTM Europe
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Last week the European Parliament adopted an internal report on CIA activities in Europe, in which more than 1,245 flights supported the practice of extraordinary renditions. This article describes the views of the Members of Parliament, now that the impact of the report is sinking in. Also note the publication of the approved final report.
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/story_page/017-3275-050-02-08-902-20070216STO03274-2007-19-02-2007/default_en.htm
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/comparl/tempcom/tdip/pe382246.pdf
Belgium detained, questioned, and released nine people after anti-terrorism raids last weekend.
http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=24&story_id=36698
Corsica is holding a series of commemorations to mark the 200th anniversary of the death in London of Pasquale di Paoli, a freedom fighter, soldier, and intellectual. He is considered the father of the Corsican nation. (As a territorial collectivity in France, Corsica holds more powers than other regions.)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6368641.stm
http://www.corse.fr/ (in French)
Italian prosecutors report arresting one suspect and investigating a second in connection with a Mafia plot to kill Giuseppe Lumia, the former head of parliament's anti-Mafia committee.
Italy has indicted 26 suspected CIA agents and five Italian accused in the extraordinary rendition of Osama Hassan Mustafa Nasr ("Abu Omar"). In an Al Jazeera interview, he describes the kidnapping and subsequent torture in Egypt.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/85F028B7-EB30-452D-B427-67179998A1F0.htm
In Kosovo's regional capital, Pristina, a bomb exploded on Monday night, damaging several UN vehicles. On Tuesday, a group calling itself the Kosovo Liberation Army claimed responsibility, and said the attack was revenge for the deaths of two ethnic Albanians killed by UN police on 10 February.
http://www.mrt.com.mk/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2229&Itemid=26
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/20/news/kosovo.php
An explosive device went off at a McDonald's restaurant in St Petersburg, Russia, injuring six people. There was a similar explosion in a supermarket last weekend. Such devices are often associated with hooligans or organized crime.
A Russian special police operation in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan used armored vehicles to destroy a house, leaving three militants dead. One officer was injured.
Spain's Madrid train bombing trials is being streamed online.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/19/business/worldbusiness/19media.html
http://data.datadiar.com/nnapenal/noticias.asp (in Spanish)
British police have arrested primary school caretaker Miles Cooper in connection with seven letter bombs over the past three weeks. The devices injured nine people.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2007080321,00.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6339481.stm
Turkey has charged Hilmi Aydogdu, a Kurdish politician and leader of the Democratic Society Party, with inciting racial hatred and thereby threatening public safety, in connection with warnings against Turkey participating in any military action against the Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk.
Two High Court judges in London ruled that the home secretary was entitled to exclude Lotfi Raissi, an Algerian pilot and UK resident, from a Home Office compensation scheme for victims of miscarriages of justice because the proceedings fell outside the criminal justice process. Raissi had been detained for nearly 5 months after the US requested his extradition on false charges that he had been involved with the 9/11 attacks. The highly publicized accusation deprived him of his job, and he says has damaged his reputation and caused distress and mental injury. He will appeal
http://www.guardian.co.uk/september11/story/0,,2018929,00.html
In an unpublished report, London Metropolitan Police say they have identified 169 gangs operating in London. More than a quarter of these groups, each containing 20 to 30 members, have been involved in murder, and nearly half in serious assaults.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/6383933.stm
John Kenneway was one of three Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) prisoners convicted of murdering former Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) leader Billy Wright in 1997. After he committed several other offenses, his early release has been suspended, and he has been returned to prison.
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GTM Middle East
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Egyptian security forces found a ton of explosives hidden underground near the border with Gaza, probably stored for terrorist attacks in the Sinai peninsula.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1171894500153&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Nasrollah Shanbe Zehi has been publicly hanged at the scene of last week's bombing in Iran's southeastern city of Zahedan. Militant group Jundallah claimed the bombing, which killed 11 members of the Revolutionary Guards. Zehi was arrested soon after the bombing and confessed thereafter.
In northwestern Iran, near the Turkish border, Revolutionary Guards attacked a group of suspected Kurdish rebels. They report 17 dead, and one Guard killed when his helicopter crashed in poor weather.
US military officials claim that Iranian patrol boats are assessing defenses near Iraq's offshore oil terminals. Iran has held three days of war games, including missile tests.
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/19/iran.iraq/index.html
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=79698
Al Jazeera has reported potentially explosive charges by a Sunni woman that three Shia-led police force members raped her after she was detained over the weekend until US soldiers released her. The claim has opened a sectarian divide in the government. Shia Prime Minister Maliki says the claims are false and dismissed the official who demanded an international inquiry. Senior Sunni officials insist the claims are true. Reports of medical evidence are contradictory: a hospital record report included no name but a handwritten note of no injuries, while a nurse claims to have treated the woman for such injuries. Just days later a second woman has made similar claims involving Shia police and army recruits. In this case, four soldiers have been arrested and confessed. These cases are pouring fuel on the sectarian fire.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/21/world/middleeast/21cnd-iraq.html
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/COL124652.htm
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/52510F8E-AF01-450C-B9FA-44D5B05CAD9D.htm
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/8C033A2E-1C93-480C-9C14-186DE618D361.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6386317.stm
A day after last Sunday's massive bombings, that left more than 60 dead, more attacks in Baghdad and elsewhere defied the massive US and Iraqi security effort. A bomb in a minibus in central Baghdad killed four people on Monday in the Karrada district of Baghdad. In Dhuluiya, a suicide car bomber rammed into the main gates of the army chief's house, killing four people and injuring eight. Another car bomb killed a man and injured two in the town of Mahmudiya. Eight bodies were found shot in Mosul. In Tal Afar two booby-trapped houses detonated during a police search. Four people were killed, including a policeman and a 12 year-old boy, and five were injured, including two policemen.
Overnight to Tuesday, 25 were found across Baghdad. A suicide bomber blew himself up at a funeral, killing seven mourners and injuring 20 others. A car bomb near a gas station in the Saidiya district killed five and injured 11. A car bomb near a Soura vegetable market killed five and injured 20. Mortar attacks in the Dora district killed at least eleven. In the town of Hawija, a roadside bomb injured an oil installation guard. In Taji, a truck carrying chlorine gas exploded near a restaurant. Six people died and 148 were injured, including many women and children poisoned by the gas. US aircraft destroyed a vehicle, killing five insurgents .At a combat outpost north of Baghdad, installed as part of the security operation, suicide bombers detonated three cars loaded with explosives, killing two US soldiers and injuring 17. In Hawija, four Iraqi soldiers were killed and nine injured as they tried to dismantle a bomb planted inside the base. Two US soldiers were killed in combat in separate incidents in Anbar.
On Wednesday, Denmark and the UK announced troop withdrawals, while bombers and gunmen continued their attacks. A suicide car bomber in the central city of Najaf killed at least 13 people and injured dozens, at a checkpoint near a crowded market. In Baghdad, a roadside bomb targeting a patrol killed one policeman and injured three. Twenty bodies, most tortured, were found across the city. A car bomb in a Kirkuk market injured ten people, two roadside bombs near a bus terminal injured another nine, and five tortured and shot bodies were found. Eight bodies, including three policemen, were found shot dead across Mosul. Iraq's defense ministry reports killing three insurgents and arresting 28 in different parts of Baghdad. Rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire brought down another US helicopter, but all nine on board were evacuated without serious injury.
On Thursday, there was also another chlorine bomb attack. The device exploded at Bayaa, in southwest Baghdad. Six people died and 73 people were harmed, most sickened by the gas. Fourteen bodies were found across the city. A US soldier on patrol in Baghdad was shot and killed. Across Baghdad, police found 20 bodies, most tortured before being shot. Near Taji, US forces killed three militants in an air strike suspected of preparing to attack a patrol that had arrested six insurgents linked to al Qaeda. A 6-hour gunbattle in Ramadi left 26 dead. Most were insurgents, but some women and children were also affected. Hilla police retrieved a body from the Euphrates. Five bodies were found around Kirkuk. An Ad Diwaniyah roadside bomb killed a US soldier. Ten bodies, including a police captain, were found in Mosul. All had been shot in the head. Three US soldiers were killed in combat in Anbar.
On Friday five bodies were found across Baghdad. Mortar shells in Amil neighborhood killed one child and injured five, and another mortar in Abu Disheer district injured three civilians. A US convoy killed two young boys and injured another in Zafaraniya, where they were hiding in a ditch to evade the gunbattle going on around them. Four bodies were found in Kirkuk.
On Saturday just hours after Prime Minister Maliki said that sectarian killings and kidnappings had fallen, a truck bomb exploded as worshippers left a Sunni mosque in Habbaniyah. 52 people were killed and 110 injured. In southwest Baghdad, mortar rounds killed three and injured four in Amil district. At a checkpoint near Baghdad airport, an armed assault left eight police officers dead and two injured. Two militants also died. In southern Baghdad a suicide car bomb exploded near the home of President Talabani, killing one person and injuring four. In the Adil area of western Baghdad, a rocket killed two and injured three. In central Alawi district a car bomb near a bus terminal killed two and injured seven. A car bomb killed two and injured three when it exploded near a passing Iraqi army patrol in western Baghdad's Jamja district. In southern Abu Dshir, mortars injured ten people. Al Aryaj newspaper editor Samir Menshed Shaheen was shot and killed in Kirkuk. In Mosul, gunmen stormed the home of former Baath party senior member Ibrahim Hemdan and shot him dead. Iraqi troops supported with US air cover killed more than ten suspected militants at a base north of Baghdad, and 12 suspected al Qaeda were detained during US raids in Falluja. Iraqi security forces report they killed 11 militants and captured 75.
Today, a suicide bomber in east Baghdad detonated his explosives-laden belt near the main entrance to the College of Administration and Economics. He killed more than 40 people, mostly students, and injured more than 30. A car bomb in the Karrada district injured four. An explosion near the Iranian embassy killed one. A mortar injured two in south Baghdad. Mortar rounds in southern Abu Dshir neighborhood killed up to ten people. In central Baghdad, a car bomb killed two and injured four. Iraqi police arrested ten employees of a media company. In Kirkuk, a roadside bomb seriously injured three people. Mahmudiya police arrested eleven people. In Mosul, US forces killed two insurgents, detained five, and captured a suspected al Qaeda leader.
Israel has denied a report in the British newspaper the Telegraph that Israel is negotiating with the US regarding an air corridor over Iraq through which to strike Iran's nuclear facilities.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/24/wiran124.xml
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/829673.html
Israel's head of military intelligence research, Brigadier General Yossi Baidatz, reported to the Knesset that Hezbollah is rearming, and has replenishing their stock of rockets, giving them more firepower than before the war. Defense Minister Amir Peretz said his report pertains not to actual force but to the potential for acquiring military capabilities. Peretz insisted that Hezbollah's network of outposts was less than a quarter that of before the war. The new military chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi said that Israel may have to confront Hezbollah to prevent it rearming. Although Peres downplayed claims of Hezbollah's renewed strength, Israel has complained that the UN has not stopped weapons coming from Syria
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/827823.html
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/21/africa/ME-GEN-Israel-Hezbollah.php
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1171894475251&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
On Wednesday, Israeli planes flew at low altitudes across large areas of southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Army fired on an Israeli drone. Violations of Lebanese airspace continued on Thursday.
http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=L2199961
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unifil/index.html
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=79793
An Israeli report of a Syrian troop build-up near the Golan Heights, funded by Iran, is fueling speculation of attack.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/828935.html
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=79806
In Beirut, Lebanese security forces found a bomb in the street on Tuesday. On Thursday, eight devices and bomb-making equipment were found in three caches.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=79804
In the West Bank on Wednesday, undercover Israeli forces (dressed as Palestinians) ambushed Mahmoud Abu Obeid's car and shot him dead. Obeid was the local Islamic Jihad commander. Israel says he ordered a suicide attack foiled by border police on Tuesday. On Thursday, Israeli forces raided Jenin Camp. They clashed with Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade activists and arrested several people, including two members of Hamas.
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GTM South Asia
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Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka witnessed more suicide attacks in 2006 than anywhere in the world, next to Iraq. Only one incident was reported in 2001 and 2002. There were two attacks in 2003, six in 2004, 21 in 2005, and more than 90 in 2006.
http://ipcs.org/whatsNewArticle1.jsp?action=showView&kValue=2226&status=article&mod=b
US officials and analysts who previously described al Qaeda leaders as isolated and cut off from operational control, now say that they have reestablished and expanded the network in tribal regions at the Afghan-Pakistan border. Pakistan denies reports of expanded activities in North Waziristan. Taleban military commander Mullah Dadullah says he has deployed more than 6,000 fighters for an imminent spring offensive. The Taleban controls large parts of Afghanistan's southwestern Helmand province.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/19/africa/web.0219intel.php http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/02/19/pakistan.alqaeda/index.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/47A8804C-851C-4F8B-A237-6490F90165DB.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,,2020034,00.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/B27A5D56-0E55-4EAA-8B88-F523D18D15F5.htm
In Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar, Taleban forces carried out their heaviest assault to date, on Monday. They targeted a Canadian army convoy, which escaped casualties, but the subsequent fighting killed an Afghan policeman and a civilian. Taleban seized the Baqwa district of Farah province, forcing Afghan police to flee. On Tuesday in Khost, a suicide bomber dressed as a doctor blew himself up at a hospital function, injuring three US soldiers. A US soldier was killed in combat in Kunar province, and there were battles between Taleban and coalition forces in Uruzgan province. On Wednesday, in Helmand province, a landmine killed UK marine and in western Afghanistan an ambulance convoy was attacked, killing a female Spanish soldier, and injuring two others.
In Bangladesh, a deadline for 50 corruption suspects ended on Sunday. Soon after, police arrested the former housing and public works minister, the former aviation and tourism minister, and several others. Of the 50 suspects, 33 missed the deadline to submit their wealth statements.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/02/26/d7022601022.htm
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/02/26/d7022601011.htm
The fifth anniversary of the 2002 Gujarat riots was marked on 22 February. More than 2,500d people, mostly Muslims, were killed in rioting that followed a fire on a train in Godhra, in which 59 Hindus died. This week, India's Supreme Court ruled that 87 Muslim men held in connection with the fire can seek bail. The anti-terrorism laws under which they were detained have been repealed. Few Hindus have been held accountable, and Muslims say the wounds have not healed. The commission investigating the riots hopes to complete its work next year, and is considering issuing separate reports on the fire and the riots.
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1854699.htm
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL114527.htm
http://www.rediff.com/news/godhra.html
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/India/Panel_may_split_Guj_riot_reports/articleshow/1670331.cms
About midnight last Sunday the Samjhauta (Friendship) Express train traveling from Delhi, India to Lahore, Pakistan, was hit with two explosions that sparked a massive fire. 68 people were killed, mostly Pakistanis. The explosives appear to be a mixture of sulfur, potassium nitrate, and glass bottles filled with kerosene, and packed in a suitcase, triggered with a timer. Several people have been arrested for questioning, and the investigation has expanded to several states. At least 25 of those killed have not been identified and were buried in a mass funeral on Saturday: if later DNA tests verify identity, relatives have the right to exhume them.
http://www.nr.indianrail.gov.in/scripts/static/RecentReleasesDisplay.aspx?id=1577
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=81676
http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,,2016529,00.html
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/specialcoverage/1638565.cms
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/6374607.stm
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\02\25\story_25-2-2007_pg1_2
Police released images of two suspects.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,,2017135,00.html
In the northeastern state of Manipur, separatist rebels attacked a convoy of paramilitary troops, killing 15.
In Indian-administered Kashmir, DNA tests have confirmed that Abdul Rehman Paddar, a carpenter, was a civilian killed in 2006. Police staged a gun battle to cover up his death, and he was buried as a Pakistani militant. His death was one of many staged killings and disappearances of persons in custody, and led to massive protests. Families continue to demand an investigation into those who disappeared.
Nepal's Maoist rebels bean leaving weapons cantonments because of inadequate food and poor accommodation. The Home Ministry has urged them to return, and promises that money to improve conditions will be found within a week. Initial funds were provided today, and the combatants have begun returning.
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=101852
An Afghan refugee's dismembered body was found on Monday in the town of Ghulam Khan, in Pakistan's North Waziristan region. A note accused the Afghan, a native of Khost, as a US spy. This was the latest in a series of attacks that has led Human Rights Watch to call for improved security for civilians in tribal areas.
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2007/02/23/pakist15392.htm
Pakistani journalist and newspaper editor Sohail Qalander and his friend Niaz Ali had been kidnapped in Western Frontier Province's provincial capital, Peshawar, on 2 January. They were able to escape during a gun battle on Tuesday. He said they were tortured and not allowed to pray, and said the captors all spoke Pashto but were otherwise unrecognizable.
Anwar-ul-Haq (Anwar) and Usman Ghani were charged in a March 2006 suicide bombing that killed a US diplomat. Pakistani officials are presenting evidence at their trial, including connecting them to a splinter cell of a Pakistan jihadi group with help from an al Qaeda operative.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/24/world/asia/24pakistan.html
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C02%5C25%5Cstory_25-2-2007_pg7_12
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C01%5C01%5Cstory_1-1-2007_pg1_1
Bomb threats in North West Frontier Province closed schools for two days. In Punjab province, two people were killed when the bomb they carried on a bicycle accidentally exploded.
Sri Lanka's air force bombed an alleged Tamil Tiger training camp in the northern town of Vavuniya. The Tigers deny the air force claim that two targets were killed, and insist that a civilian area was targeted and killed two civilians. A suspected Tamil Tiger mine exploded near the eastern town of Batticaloa, killing at least three people, including a policeman, and injuring 16.
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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Burundi is discussing ceasefire implementation with a large delegation of the country's last active rebel group, the Forces for National Liberation (FNL).
Chad's Prime Minister Pascal Yoadimnadji has died, age 56. He suffered a brain hemorrhage in Paris, where he had been flown for treatment of a heart attack.
Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) human rights situation is deteriorating, particularly with numerous cases of robberies, summary executions and escalating reports of sexual violence against male and female civilians. The army and police perpetrate most of these incidents.
http://www.monuc.org/News.aspx?newsID=13903
Gambia has expelled UN envoy Fatou Zimba for criticizing President Yahya Jammeh's claim that he can cure HIV/AIDS.
http://www.observer.gm/enews/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7397&Itemid=33
http://www.observer.gm/enews/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7399&Itemid=33
In response to a less violent security situation, Guinea has reduced the hours of curfew under martial law. Trade union leaders met this week with government officials and colleagues from bordering Liberia and Sierra Leone, which fear increasing number of refugees. Union leaders insist that the new Prime Minister Eugene Camara is too close to the president and must be replaced: just a more inclusive administration is insufficient. On Friday, parliament rejected an extension of martial law. Today, trade union leaders and opposition candidates gave President Conte a list of candidates for Prime Minister. If one of these is chosen, the strike would be called off early next week.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57689
Lesotho's general elections have given a landslide majority to the governing Lesotho Congress of Democrats (LCD). The newly formed opposition All Basotho Convention (ABC) won 17 of the 80 directly seats. Another 40 seats are allocated under proportional representation.
Nigeria's appeals court has ruled that President Olusegun Obasanjo does not have the power to dismiss his Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who should remain in his post despite joining the opposition Action Congress party. The case will be appealed to the Supreme Court.
Rwanda is releasing more than 9,000 prisoners, most jailed over the 1994 genocide. Those being released include the sick, elderly, and children, and include no significant genocide figures.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article1409301.ece
Senegal's presidential elections were held today. Campaigning was peaceful until mid-week, when supporters of President Abdoulaye Wade and his former Prime Minister and opposition candidate Idrissa Seck clashed, injuring ten people. Today, voting lines have been long, and the day calm. About five million from a population of 11 million are voting, with hopes that this election will finally bring peace.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L23127502.htm
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=300197
http://jurnalo.com/jurnalo/storyPage.do?story_id=19785
The UN Security Council has approved deployment of an African Union peacekeeping force to Somalia. Uganda would be the first to deploy, and plans to phase in 1,500 soldiers, beginning within the next two weeks. Burundi, Ghana and Nigeria have agreed to send another 2,500 troops, but a total of 8,000 are needed.
South Africa Court discharged Raymond Stanley Archer, Victor Dracula, Louis du Preez, Errol Harris, Mazanga Kashama, Neves Tomas Matias, Hendrik Jacobus Hamman and Simon Witherspoon after finding that the state had not proved charges that the men were mercenaries involved in planning a coup in Equatorial Guinea in 2004. Although their actions were unlawful, the magistrate found no indication that they had knowingly contravened the Regulation on Foreign Military Assistance Act. Witherspoon appealed to the government to take steps to free Nick du Toit, who was sentenced in Equatorial Guinea for 34 years in prison after his conviction on charges of terrorism, crimes against the head of state, and possession of weapons and explosives. He retracted his initial confession, claiming he was tortured. South Africa itself was implicated in the case during testimony, and has hastened to deny approving the plot.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=nw20070223133952762C688772
http://www.guardian.co.uk/equatorialguinea/story/0,,2020190,00.html
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=300118
http://www.citizen.co.za/index/article.aspx?pDesc=32685,1,22
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3597450.stm
A group of South African Afrikaner businessmen and farmers delivered a report on the pilot Renosterrivier project, which highlights problems with land reform. The report says a narrow focus on land reform is counterproductive and does not address underlying problems such as low profitability, lack of training and experience, lack of finance, inefficiency, lack of information, and poor access to markets. It calls for the state to purchase and lease land, with appropriate investments in training and finance.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=13&art_id=nw20070222164055250C264562
http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/national.aspx?ID=BD4A393713
Zimbabwe riot police stopped the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party from holding a rally last weekend. Dozens of people were hurt and about 130 were arrested. This has led MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai to announce that they have had enough, and promise to increase efforts to force out President Mugabe. This will be difficult now that a 3-month ban on political meetings has been imposed. In addition to the highest inflation rate in the world - 1600 percent - and 80 percent unemployment, the crumbling infrastructure has now generated a cholera outbreak, and there is no bread in Harare.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57676
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6382405.stm
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=299842
http://www.commark.org/.../AFRIKAANS%20BUSINESSMEN%20ACCEPT%20CHALLENGE%20-%20RENOSTERRIVIER%20PRESS%20RELEASE.pdf
President Robert Mugabe marked his 83rd birthday with lavish celebrations. He says he has no intention of stepping down. The state-run Herald headlined "President an unparalleled visionary".
http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=15485&cat=10
http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=15468&cat=1
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=300156&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/
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PRM Americas
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Colombia's Foreign Minister Maria Consuelo Araujo has resigned following the arrest of her brother, Senator Alvaro Araujo, on suspicion of links with the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) and other paramilitary groups. This increases pressure on President Uribe, whose many allies have been linked to right-wing paramilitaries guilty of drug trafficking, massacres, and other serious crimes. Fernando Araujo has been appointed the new foreign minister, just weeks after he escaped from captivity: he was a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) hostage for six years.
http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7BE110ADDE-E29E-4D49-A4DF-0BCD19C7A485%7D)&language=EN
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6377491.stm
The bodies of three members of El Salvador's governing Arena party and their driver were found in a bullet-ridden and burned car in Guatemala, where they had been heading to a regional conference. Four Guatemalan policemen have been arrested in connection with the murders, which are likely politically motivated. The manner of their deaths evokes the 1980s civil war.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/20/america/LA-GEN-Guatemala-Bodies-Found.php
Mexico's parliament has condemned an alleged US border violation involving US contractors building a border fence.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/tijuana/20070222-2213-usa-mexico-fence.html
The Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services released "Locking Up Family Values". The new report compares immigration detention centers to prisons, in violation of congressional guidelines to house such families in nonpenal, homelike environments. Immigration officials routinely use facilities that separate children from parents, and often provide inadequate medical care, food, and educational opportunities, while imposing harsh disciplinary tactics.
http://www.womenscommission.org/newsroom/press_releases/022207.shtml
http://www.lirs.org/LockingUpFamilyValues.pdf
Recently, the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has turned more attention toward those who hire undocumented or illegal immigrants. A case this week involved a national cleaning service that knowingly hired illegal immigrants, and committed tax and other frauds, including falsifying documents to convince employers that the workers were legal.
http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/070222grandrapids.htm
The army, navy, and an independent panel will undertake reviews of US military hospitals following an extremely critical Washington Pose investigation that found soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan sharing quarters with rodents and cockroaches, and often waiting months for disability pay.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2007/02/21/LI2007022100671.html
http://armedservices.house.gov/apps/list/press/armedsvc_dem/skelton_walterreed022107.shtml
http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=3110
New York City residents "suffer the same rasping cough, shortness of breath and gastrointestinal pains as thousands of rescue and recovery workers who fell ill from the dust and smoke at ground zero", but medical support has been provided primarily to 9/11 first responders.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/21/nyregion/21clinic.html
"Venezuela: Hugo Chavez's Revolution" is a new report from the International Crisis Group that warns:
"Venezuela is at risk of serious internal conflict if President Hugo Chavez continues to polarize society and dismantle the checks and balances of representative democracy after his recent landslide re-election. Chavez has been reconstructing Venezuela since his first election in 1998. Under the guise of "direct" or "participatory" democracy, he has progressively weakened the political system. Venezuela is not yet a dictatorship but its government is increasingly autocratic and militarized, with the free press under pressure. Whether the social polarization and accumulating tensions turn violent depends primarily on whether Chavez acts with restraint."
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=4674&l=1
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PRM Asia Pacific
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Australian Prime Minister Howard has committed up to 70 more non-combat troops to Iraq to provide training. US Vice President Cheney, on a visit this week, praised this decision and Howard's commitment to the "war on terror". Public opinion in Australia took the opposite perspective. Clashes between police and anti-war campaigners broke out, and there were several arrests.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/violent-ferals-blamed-for-affray/2007/02/23/1171734021114.html
Cheney delivered several presentations, including Remarks to the Australian-American Leadership Dialogue in which he said, "And it is they, the terrorists, who have ambitions of empire. Their goal in the broader Middle East is to seize control of a country, so they have a base from which they can launch attacks against governments that refuse to meet their demands. Their ultimate aim -- and one they boldly proclaim -- is to establish a caliphate covering a region from Spain, across North Africa, through the Middle East and South Asia, all the way to Indonesia. And it wouldn't stop there."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/02/20070223.html
Australia has turned to Indonesia for a solution to the problem of 85 Sri Lankan asylum seekers intercepted on Wednesday. To bypass the UN Refugee Convention, Australia plans to send them to Indonesia, which is not party to the convention, and then send them back to Sri Lanka.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/deal-to-send-boat-people-packing/2007/02/23/1171734021096.html
Australia and East Timor have brought into force two treaties that will allow exploration and exploitation of oil resources in the Timor Sea, but puts on hold other maritime claims for 50 years.
http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/2007/fa019_07.html
East Timor Prime Minister and Nobel Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta has declared his candidacy for the presidency, in April elections. He will stand against up to eight other candidates. Incumbent President Xanana Gusmao is not running for president, but is forming a new party to contest general elections in mid-year, possibly putting him in place as the Prime Minister. Meanwhile, gang violence continues to create turmoil, including an incident this week in which two Australian peacekeepers fired at youths shooting steel arrows. One of the youths was killed and two others injured.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/ramoshorta-set-to-stand-for-president/2007/02/23/1171734017534.html
East Timor's Commission of Truth and Friendship has begun its first hearing, addressing violence around the 1999 independence vote.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/howards-stance-on-east-timor-labelled-gungho/2007/02/19/1171733684538.html
http://www.ctf-ri-tl.org/ctf1/index.php
Fiji's military ruler Commodore Frank Bainimarama says he plans to call elections in 2010.
http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=57442
Of Indonesia's 17,504 islands, only about 7,870 have been named. Minister for small island development Alex Retraubun has set 2007 as the goal for providing names to the islands without. The names will then be submitted to the UN.
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/gegn22wp85.pdf
http://www.unesco.org/csi/
Hernani Pastolero is the 49th journalist to be killed in the Philippines since 2001. The editor of the weekly Lightning Courier was shot twice in the head.
http://news.balita.ph/html/article.php/20070220161607911
Pastolero's case is just one of hundreds of extrajudicial killings documented since President Gloria Arroyo came to power in 2001. This week, two separate reports linked some members of the Philippines' armed forces to the killings, and criticized the government's lack of action, but found no evidence that the killings were politically sanctioned. In the UN report released on Wednesday, special envoy Philip Alston suggested that the government was in a state of denial over the issue. On Thursday, the government-backed Melo Commission issued its report, which focused on executions of leftist activists. Because killings continue, Melo's work will also. Armed forces head General Hermogenes Esperon insists that communist rebels are responsible for the assassinations. The findings of these reports may be used to support legal action against retired Major General Jovito Palparan and others implicated by the reports.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21643
http://www.op.gov.ph/news.asp?newsid=17262
http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&fi=p070222.htm&no=87
http://www.op.gov.ph/news.asp?newsid=17268
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/News200702230401.htm
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/nation/view_article.php?article_id=49657
http://www.philonline.com.ph/~krptn/index.html
South Korea and the US have reached agreement for the US to hand back full control of South Korea's military by 2012.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Feb2007/d20070223sdrok.pdf
Tuvalu, one of the Pacific islands that will disappear if sea levels rise, has attempted to discuss assistance with Australia, but has been repeatedly rebuffed. Australia says that "environmental refugees" are not a category under the Refugee Convention. In Kiribati, villages have already had to relocate from the receding shoreline.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/pm-rejects-tuvalu-on-sea-level/2007/02/19/1171733684706.html
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aaC50Lp_M1nE&refer=asia
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PRM Europe
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Abkhazia and South Ossetia - breakaway regions of Georgia, and Moldova's separatist Transdnestr region met in Moscow to discuss the conflicts that began after they declared independence during the break-up of the Soviet Union, but were not internationally recognized. They believe that their future independence is tied to the status of Kosovo, an Albanian region of Serbia.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20070221/61072849.html
http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2007-6-7
http://www.regnum.ru/english/756882.html
Albania held elections on 18 February. Election Day was calm overall, but voting was marred by procedural shortcomings and in some places, tension. Votes are still being counted.
http://www.osce.org/item/23350.html
In Bosnia Herzegovina, NATO troops raided the homes of Sasa and Sonja Karadzic on suspicion of providing support to their father, indicted war criminal Radovan Karadzic.
http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=22100
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6377711.stm
Denmark Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced that its 460 troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by August. A unit of 50 soldiers will continue to operate four observation helicopters.
http://www.cphpost.dk/get/100515.html
http://www.stm.dk/Index/dokumenter.asp?o=3&n=0&d=2787 (in Danish)
http://www.stm.dk/Index/dokumenter.asp?o=3&n=0&d=2786 (in Danish)
Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi resigned on Wednesday after lowing by two votes a key foreign policy measure. President Giorgio Napolitano rejected the resignation and held talks with key politicians to support Prodi's efforts to form a new coalition. A vote of confidence will take place next week.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6389311.stm
http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/international/ticker/detail/Italy_s_centre_left_supports_Prodi_to_stay_as_PM.html?siteSect=143&sid=7550145&cKey=1172187498000
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/25/europe/EU-POL-Italy-Politics.php
Kosovo's Albanian majority wants independence. Serbia opposes independence. UN proposals offer supervised independence. Serbia says this is just a path towards independence. UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari, at the final round of talks, sees no prospect of an agreement, but the talks are positive and will continue to early March.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6431318,00.html
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/117213420235.htm
Meanwhile, Serbia is still without a government, following inconclusive elections in January.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/23/AR2007022300664.html
In the Netherlands, a new cabinet has been sworn in. The centrist cabinet plans to re-examine hardline immigration and integration policies of the former conservative government. Two Muslim politicians appointed to the new cabinet will support these efforts, but have also reawakened the question of dual nationality. State Secretary for Social Affairs Ahmed Aboutaleb has joint Moroccan and Dutch citizenship. The State Secretary for Justice is Dutch-Turkish Nebahat Albayrak.
http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/ned070222mc
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/23/europe/EU-GEN-Netherlands-New-Politics.php
http://www.refdag.nl/artikel/1292817/Dutch+Cabinet+gets+its+first+Muslims.html
Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko is further isolated from parliament following its rejection of his nominees for foreign minister and security service chief. The pro-western opposition has called on Yushchenko to restore political order and seek early elections.
http://www.kyivpost.com/top/26168/
http://en.rian.ru/world/20070224/61191039.html
UK Prime Minister Blair told Parliament that British troops would begin returning home from Iraq. Read the full statement in Recommended Reading, below. More than a thousand British troops will be sent to Afghanistan.
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page11057.asp
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2//hi/south_asia/6388717.stm
Note this 3-part series, "Blair: The Inside Story", and two exclusive Radio 4 Today program interviews.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/6361771.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6385647.stm
The Muslim Council of Britain launched "Towards Greater Understanding - Meeting the Needs of Muslim Pupils in State Schools". The information and guidance document criticizes head teachers for not accommodating reasonable requests to wear religious symbols, and calls for prayer rooms and individual changing cubicles. The Department for Education and Skills said they were not involved in preparing the document, and it does not represent official guidance. The government has previously provided guidance and does not endorse this document, which has no binding power on schools.
http://www.mcb.org.uk/downloads/Schoolinfoguidance.pdf
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/6391271.stm
In connection with ongoing review of the UK Official Secrets Act, the Interceptions of Communications Commissioner reports that nearly half a million requests to monitor people's phone, email, and postal communications were made in just over a year. Sir Swinton Thomas also reported nearly 4,000 errors, including 67 mistakes related to direct intercepts. He calls these numbers unacceptable. He also called for lifting the 4-decade ban on tapping members of parliament. These details come as Prime Minister Blair acknowledged that fingerprints of everyone obtaining cards would be checked against unsolved crimes. More than 27,000 people have signed an electronic petition against these identity cards. On Wednesday, political opponents criticized the plan, and promised to prevent it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6376033.stm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article1409395.ece
http://www.mi5.gov.uk/output/Page437.html
http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page10960.asp
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,2017401,00.html
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PRM Middle East
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US Secretary of State Rice met with Palestinian Authority President Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Olmert. They agreed only to meet again. Abbas says he will push for the planned unity government to comply with Western demands, while Hamas political leader Meshal warns that such explicit yet rhetorical demands merely delay agreements, including negotiations for the release of Israeli soldier Shalit. Russia and the UK are among the countries considering whether to break ranks and support the elected Hamas-led government. Such efforts may receive impetus following a UN report that half of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are malnourished, the direct result of the Hamas boycott.
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2007/feb/80665.htm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/20/wmeast20.xml
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6375615.stm
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/22/news/diplo.php
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/5ff26566-c21a-11db-ae23-000b5df10621.html
http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2377
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2293476.ece
Internet blogger Abdel Kareem Soliman has been sentenced in Egyptian court to four years in prison for insulting Islam and President Hosni Mubarak.
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/egy-200207-news-eng
http://www.freekareem.org/
In Gaza, factional fighting between rival supporters of Fatah and Hamas on Friday and Saturday left five dead and fifteen injured.
Iraq ended a 3-day border closure imposed as part of the security crackdown. Pandemonium followed as thousands of civilians converged on the only two Syrian entry points. Iraq's displaced population poses an increasing threat to the individuals and their families, and to regional stability. Poverty presents another threat. From a thriving middle income in the 1970s and 1980s, a third of Iraqis now live in poverty, and more than five percent under extreme poverty.
http://www.unhcr.org/iraq.html
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21607&Cr=Iraq&Cr1=
On Friday, US troops detained Ammar al-Hakim and his two bodyguards as he returned to Iraq from Iran. After they were seized at the checkpoint, US troops questioned them for nearly 12 hours. Ammar is the eldest son of the powerful Shiite political leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the largest party in parliament, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad apologized, said that no disrespect was intended, and that the circumstances would be investigated. The incident has generated mass protests and a political furor.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A20DE61F-E4F5-4FEF-88B6-9F9FA4129463.htm
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/IraqCoverage/story?id=2901692&page=1
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PAR461015.htm
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/24/africa/ME-GEN-Iraq-Amar-Al-Hakim.php
http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=2/25/2007&Cat=2&Num=003
On Friday, a thousand international, Israeli and Palestinian protestors marked the 2-year anniversary of their weekly demonstrations against Israel's "security fence". Israeli troops clashed with demonstrators, using water cannon and teargas as the protestors retreated. At least 16 people were injured. On Thursday, Israel's High Court of Justice ruled that it is permissible for Israeli Defense Forces to build fences around West Bank settlements even when they cut deeply into Palestinian lands.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/829659.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5F370D65-4584-4B33-9C4B-FE041E2C3767.htm
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/829388.html
In an exclusive interview with Der Spiegel, Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah al-Dardari explains why the US wants to use Syria as an excuse for its failure in Iraq and why peace in Iraq is impossible without the involvement of Damascus. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Rice has told Israel to end even exploratory talks with Syria, since they would be considered a Syrian victory.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,467754,00.html
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/829441.html
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PRM South Asia
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Afghanistan's upper house of Parliament has joined the lower house to pass a bill giving amnesty to war crimes. The bill now passes to President Hamid Karzai. Karzai opposes the law, but after a demonstration of some 25,000 proponents, including top government officials and former Mujahideen fighters, he may be more inclined to sign.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=70322
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/atrocity-survivors-still-wait-for-justice/2007/02/23/1171734017519.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6389137.stm
The UK is sending another thousand troops, after efforts to convince NATO allies to contribute failed.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,,2020034,00.html
http://www.economist.com/world/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8733593
Bangladeshi banker and Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus has formed his own political party, Nagarik Shakti (Citizen's Power). He has written a letter to Citizens describing this endeavor.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/02/23/d7022301075.htm
The Samjodha (Peace) train bombing is said to target the peace process, but both India and Pakistan agree that this will not be the case. This week they made progress in developing confidence building measures to further ensure against accidental nuclear incidents.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200702240314.htm
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=44166
http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2007/february/22/articles/take_the_peace_process_forward.html
http://www.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/world/10106717.html
Nepal's King Gyanendra delivered his annual Democracy Day message to the nation, in which he defends his 2005 assumption of absolute power as essential to keep order during the Maoist insurgency. The "incarnation of Lord Vishnu" is now very unpopular: stones were thrown at his motorcade last week. The government has condemned Gyanendra's statement as a violation of the people's movement and the interim constitution. Elections later this year will determine the fate of the monarchy.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/02/20/d70220130880.htm
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=101152
In eastern Nepal, leaders of the Madhesi community have threatened indefinite nationwide strikes and blockades if the government fails to meet their demands for greater autonomy and political rights
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57686
In Pakistan, Punjab province's social welfare minister Zill-e-Huma was shot and killed as she prepared to address a political meeting. The gunman, Ghulam Sarwar, has been arrested. He told police that women in senior positions violate God's rule.
http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=ISL33535
http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?169605
Sri Lanka has asked for India to help control weapons trafficking across the narrow channel that separates them. Chief Minister M Karunanidhi of the nearest Indian state, Tamil Nadu, warned that stern action will be taken against political leaders and individuals linked to the Tamil Tigers. He said that his Kazhagam Party sympathies towards their struggle should not be seen as approval for Tiger attacks.
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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Colombian cocaine kingpin Jorge Asprilla-Perea was sentenced to 30 years in prison for importing and/or distributing more than 50,000 kilograms of cocaine. The former head of the Los Niches Cartel was extradited from Colombia to the United States in 2000, and pleaded guilty to cocaine importation and distribution charges in May 2002.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/February07/asprilla-pereasentencingpr.pdf
http://www.dea.gov/pubs/states/newsrel/nyc022107.html
Israeli police raided and made several arrests at the offices of Shintrako Ltd. and Mayan Customs Brokers and International Forwarding, suspected of funding Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/830324.html
In Jamaica, the National Commercial Bank (NCB) was served summons regarding failure to report financial transactions of alleged drug kingpin Norris "Deedo" Nembhard. Prosecutors are pursuing a case in which NCB will be charged with breaches of the Money Laundering Act.
http://www.radiojamaica.com/news/story.php?category=2&story=33168
London police have closed street stalls run by animal rights activists for alleged support of extremist acts. They report that Stop Huntingdon Life Sciences (SHAC) collected about GBP80,000 per year. SHAC, which opposes animal testing, has been linked to criminal activities across the UK.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/animalrights/story/0,,2018524,00.html
Northern Ireland's Special Criminal Court has convicted Don Bullman of membership in the Irish Republican Army (IRA). He was implicated in the massive Northern Bank robbery.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/20/europe/EU-GEN-Ireland-IRA-Money-Laundering.php
Victor Vazquez and David Margolis have been charged in the US with conspiracy to violate restrictions on travel to Cuba. Vazquez is also charged with making materially false statements in applications to obtain religious travel licenses to Cuba. The Cuban Sanctions Enforcement Task Force, headed by the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, is moving aggressively to pursue criminal investigations against those involved in unlicensed dealings with Cuba, whether travel, remittances, or other prohibited activities. The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has detected abuse of among religious license applicants and the travel providers who service them, including fabricated religious organizations, ministers, and programs of religious activity.
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/hp274.htm
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls/PressReleases/070222-01.html
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls/PressReleases/Attachments/070222-01.Complaint.pdf
http://www.treasury.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/programs/cuba/cuba.shtml.
Toros Seher was convicted in US federal court in Atlanta, Georgia, of concealing the proceeds of illegal drugs among legitimate sales at his jewelry stores. Sentencing for money laundering, conspiracy, and failure to report large cash transactions is scheduled for 11 July.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan/press/2007/02-22-07b.pdf
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2007/02/19/daily39.html
Erick Wotulo, a citizen of Indonesia, and a retired Indonesian Marine Corps General, pleaded guilty in federal court in Baltimore, Maryland, to conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and money laundering, in connection with attempting to purchase equipment for the Tamil Tigers.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/md/Public-Affairs/press_releases/press07/IndonesianManPleadsGuiltytoConspiracytoProvideMaterialSupporttoaTerroristOrg.html
http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/4677
In Massachusetts, Joseph P. Garvey was sentenced to 71 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and restitution in connection with his conviction for money laundering and fraud related to fraudulent sale of insurance policies, using a shell company with the false name of Transamerica.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/ma/
Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari ("Michael Mixon") was charged in a New York federal district court with donating more than $150,000 to a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan. The Republican Party donor and activist is a loan investment program administrator. He pleaded not guilty to charges of terrorist financing, material support to terrorists, money laundering, and wire fraud and fraud conspiracy.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/16/terror/main2488520.shtml
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7006526063
Lee Mazur pleaded guilty in federal court in Pennsylvania to charges of money laundering and conspiracy to obtain loans in the name of his father, a local judge.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07053/764030-55.stm
South Carolina has charged Kyle Wimmer with bank fraud and money laundering in connection with false real estate deals. He was one of 23 people federal authorities indicted in an international money laundering scheme that includes residents of Canada, Germany, and Thailand.
http://www.heraldonline.com/109/story/13209.html
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/16739767.htm
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AML/CFT Legislation and Regulation
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In the Australian state of New South Wales, the Casino Control Authority has released its triennial section 31 report under the Casino Control Act of 1992. It concludes that Star City is suitable to continue to operate a casino license, and will address several matters requiring further consideration. The most serious of the matters raised was the case of bank clerk and pathological gambler Erick Tjandra, who gambled away A$10.4 million from his employer, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, despite being monitored for nearly a year and believing the source of his funds was suspicious. The report recommends better reporting to AUSTRAC, and improved oversight by AUSTRAC, including ascertaining measures Star City has in place to ensure compliance once terrorist financing laws are in force.
http://www.casinocontrol.nsw.gov.au
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/casino-stood-by-as-clerk-lost-stolen-millions/2007/02/23/1171734021126.html
Bangladesh Bank (BB) sent letters to all financial institutions, asking them to provide information of financial transactions of suspicious people to law enforcement agencies, and instantly to freeze accounts of suspicious clients when ordered by any first class magistrate or metropolitan magistrate. This request is in connection with law enforcement investigations into financial crimes, particularly in connection with the current anti-corruption drive.
http://www.bangladesh-bank.org/
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/02/23/d70223011712.htm
Bangladesh is developing AML/CFT legislation, but the Ministry of Home Affairs wants two separate laws, while the Ministry of Finance, international agencies, and donors like the US, believe unified legislation is necessary.
http://www.financialexpress-bd.com/index3.asp?cnd=2/23/2007§ion_id=1&newsid=53412&spcl=no
Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (KRP) reported a record 10,000 suspicious activity reports in 2006, an increase of 6,000 from 2005. Ten percent led to preliminary investigation; the majority linked to white collar crime and foreign exchange activities.
http://newsroom.finland.fi/stt/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=15055&group=General
http://www.poliisi.fi/poliisi/krp/home.nsf/ (in Finnish)
Indian officials have implemented UN sanctions banning exports to Iran that could be used in its nuclear program.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/02/23/d702234302114.htm
Macedonia's government has approved the initial draft of an AML law.
http://www.makfax.com.mk/look/novina/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=2&NrArticle=55775&NrIssue=277&NrSection=10
Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika assented to the Money Laundering Bill last August, but has not appointed a head of financial intelligence, which is necessary to build the underlying AML/CFT structures.
http://www.nationmalawi.com/articles.asp?articleID=20740
Mexico's lower house of Congress has passed a CFT bill. It would punish terrorist financiers with up to 40 years in prison. The Senate approved criminalizing terrorist financing and tracking suspicious transactions last year. President Felipe Calderon is expected to put the legislation into effect by publishing it in the official gazette.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/21/america/LA-GEN-Mexico-Terrorism-Bill.php
Pakistan's Ministry of the Interior has banned the Islamic charities al-Rashid Trust and al-Akhtar Trust for alleged links to terrorist organizations.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/18/asia/AS-GEN-Pakistan-Terror-Funds.php
Pakistan's Central Board of Revenue has brought in international consultants to support AML/CFT training, particularly for sectors not addressed in current legislation.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=43917
Philippines military and police are keeping watch on at least five organizations they believe are supporting the New People's Army (NPA), a communist rebel group responsible for ongoing attacks.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/bag/2007/02/20/news/communist.npa.backers.monitored.by.authorities.html
Russia loses up to $30 billion a year from fictitious banking operations.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070220/61011207.html
South Korea reports that North Korea's legislature passed a law against money laundering last October.
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200702/kt2007022021303011990.htm
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/21/asia/AS-GEN-NKorea-US-Money-Laundering.php
"Spain: Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes - FATF Recommendations for Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism" has been released. It finds a generally comprehensive AML/CFT framework, although CFT legislation is incomplete and does not address acts of individuals not part of a terrorist group. Legislation for confiscating and freezing funds is not yet fully implemented. Statistical data is limited, so analysis of the impact of these measures is difficult. More resources for Spain's financial intelligence unit, SEPBLAC, are recommended. Preventive legislation for customer identification, determining beneficial owners, and other areas are inadequate, particularly in the broader financial sector. Spain is reviewing its legislation for the Third EU Money Laundering Directive. Financial institutions in Spain include credit institutions; insurance companies and brokers; securities companies; investment companies; deposit companies; money exchange and money transfer businesses; and leasing companies. Designated non-financial businesses and professions include casinos; real estate agents; dealers in precious metals and stones; legal advisors; external accountants and auditors; notaries; lawyers; and court representatives in certain circumstances as well as other activities, such as trade in art works and antiques. http://www.fatf-gafi.org/dataoecd/26/35/36461995.pdf
The Asian tribune's Daya Gamage discusses the fear that US judicial decisions could once again permit Tamil Tiger fundraising within the US, and calls for Sri Lanka to use diplomatic efforts against this.
http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/4670
Switzerland's gem and jewelry industry has embraced the Kimberley Process to curb trade in blood diamonds, but says that more can be done to set industry standards during mining and cutting to better guarantee the origins of diamonds.
http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front/detail/Diamond_profession_considers_Kimberley_legacy.html?siteSect=105&sid=7510291&cKey=1171008956000
The UK National Audit Office completed a review of the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA), which is in the process of being transferred to the Serious Organized Crime Agency. The report found:
* ARA has spent GBP65 million and recovered assets worth GBP23 million
* On current performance, ARA is unlikely to become self-financing by 2009-10
* Half of all cases ARA took on in 2003-05 were still ongoing by August 2006
* 90 percent of those trained as financial investigators had not completed the continuous professional development required to retain accreditation
http://www.nao.org.uk/pn/06-07/0607253.htm
The US Treasury designated Jihad al-Bina, a Lebanon-based construction company formed and operated by Hezbollah, which is a specially designated terrorist organization. This action prohibits transactions between US persons and the designated entities and freezes any assets those entities may have under U.S. jurisdiction. Jihad al-Bina shrugged off the designation, and says its projects will not be affected.
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/hp271.htm
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/828812.html
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=79785
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2571
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AML/CFT Modalities
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Spanish authorities have identified the following techniques used for laundering money: use of term deposits, transfers abroad through accounts of Spanish limited companies supposedly involved in importing goods, transactions through corporate networks, use of bridging accounts, organized VAT fraud schemes, use of cash deposits and withdrawals and exchange of currency for high denomination notes. Underground banking operations between Spain and Morocco, related to hashish trafficking and smuggling, is also a recurrent trend. To finance terrorism, the following methods have been identified: funds masked as donations to finance the projects of a non-profit organisation (ETA, Islamic terrorism); creation of groups of companies involved in publishing, printing and distribution of books, magazines and newspapers for the purposes of propaganda, which then serve as a conduit for depositing funds obtained through coercion (extortion, kidnapping, etc.); fraudulent collection of subsidies, tax returns, etc.; creation of cultural associations by representatives of the terrorist organisation to facilitate the opening of current accounts and to serve as a cover for their control of goods and services; and the use of alternative remittance system transfers.
http://www.fatf-gafi.org/dataoecd/26/35/36461995.pdf
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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Angolan authorities have arrested Global Witness anti-corruption campaigner Sarah Wykes, from the UK, on charges of spying. She was working towards transparency in the oil sector.
http://www.globalwitness.org/media_library_detail.php/506/en/angola_immediate_release_of_anti_corruption_campaigner_required_
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6383005.stm
Argentina has detained Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi. He is wanted in India in connection with the Bofors arms bribery and fraud scandal Argentina and India do not have an extradition treaty, so Argentina will process the extradition request on the basis of reciprocity.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/5922_1937399,0015002100000000.htm
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/never-ending-saga-of-the-bofors-scam/34314-3.html
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=81928
Bahamas' immigration minister Shane Gibson has resigned over accusations that he abused office by speeding up model Anna Nicole Smith's application for permanent residency. He has denied wrongdoing, but apologized for any perceived offense.
http://www.mfabahamas.org/Shane%20Gibson%20Address.htm
http://www.mfabahamas.org/PM%20National%20Address%20180207.htm
Bangladesh's Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) named 50 people believed to have amassed illegal wealth, including a former state minister who owns 132 Dhaka apartments under various names. Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's personal secretary suggests that Zia turned a blind eye to acts of corruption by her son and relatives.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/02/20/d7022001011.htm
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/02/20/d7022001033.htm
Israel's police chief Moshe Karadi has resigned after a criminal investigation into Police Commander Yoram Levy and Police Superintendent Reuven Gilboa was launched regarding misconduct for failure to investigate alleged links between senior officers and organized crime associates.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/827784.html
Japan's Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission (SESC) is investigating Sanyo's accounts following allegations of falsifying its 2003 report. Shares in the electronics giant fell 21 percent on the news.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20070224a1.html
http://www.fsa.go.jp/sesc/
SESC is also investigating construction machine maker Komatsu on suspicion of insider trading.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20070224a2.html
In its continuing effort to eradicate Russian oil firm Yukos, the Kremlin's receiver is auctioning off the companies assets in late March. The receiver placed a value of some $22 billion on the five oil refineries, oil production, shares in other companies, and other assets, which is significantly less than they are worth, but is also less than the $26 billion tax bill claimed by the Russian government.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2007/02/22/045.html
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/22/business/EU-FIN-Russia-Yukos.php
http://www.yukos.com/
South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) party plans to charge fees to business leaders to meet senior government officials. The case is increasing pressure to regulate party funding.
http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/PrintEdition/Article.aspx?id=388608
http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/pr/2007/pr0218.html
Sweden has launched an investigation into engineering company Saab, which is 20 percent owned by BAE Systems. They are probing bribery allegations regarding arms dealings in the Czech Republic. Czech police are also investigating bribery claims. Bribery investigations regarding BAE continue in South Africa, the UK, and elsewhere.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/72aaaa0a-c063-11db-995a-000b5df10621.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/armstrade/story/0,,2017736,00.html
South Korean businessman Tongsun Park, 71, was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, a $15,000 fine, and a forfeiture of $1.2 million for his role in connection with corruption of the UN Oil-for-Food Program. He was found guilty last July of conspiring to act in the US as an unregistered agent of the Government of Iraq. He had received some $2 million in bribes from Baghdad.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/February07/parksentencingpr.pdf
Ukraine's parliament issued an arrest warrant for Arbuzysnk Court Judge Oleh Pampura, who is accused of taking bribes. His current whereabouts are unknown.
http://www.kyivpost.com/top/26169/
February is Scams Awareness Month in the UK.
http://www.oft.gov.uk/News/Press+releases/2007/27-07.htm
The apparent failure of the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to make any progress in a 2-year investigation of BAE kickbacks has led ministers to consider folding the office into the Serious and Organized Crime Agency (SOCA). The Assets Recovery Agency is already being merged into SOCA, which is characterized increasingly as an agency like the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,3297,00.html
The US House Committee on Natural Resources held an Interior Department oversight hearing that focused on audits, reports and investigations from the department's Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office. Inspector General Earl Devaney said that 90 percent of department employees dedicated and ethical, but there is a widespread culture of ethical lapses and lack of accountability. He explained the ethical and management problems as simple greed: "Outside of the month at the Treasury Department, everything else that someone would want is at Interior: oil, gas, mines, land, and water. It's been my experience that when a lot of money is at stake, bad people will show up eventually". Numerous serious problems include ineffective law enforcement, inadequate protection, failure to follow funding and procurement laws, preferential treatment in awarding contracts and procurements, lack of significant punishments for abuses, etc. The most egregious example may be the loss of billions in oil and gas revenue payments never made by companies leasing federal properties.
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/hearings/hearingdetail.aspx?NewsID=13
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ETM Economies and Financial Systems
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A global conference in Berlin has focused on promoting gender equality around the world. Since 1970, women's average life expectancy has increased by some 20 years in developing countries, and the education gap has been dramatically reduced. However, women still trail men in the workplace, where they earn 22 percent less than men; in the bank where their access to credit is small; and on the farm, where they get just one percent of the total credit going to African agriculture. A new Gender Action Plan targets women's empowerment in key infrastructure sectors of energy, transport, water and sanitation, agriculture, private sector development, and finance.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21227023~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTGENDER/0,,contentMDK:21104005~menuPK:336874~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:336868,00.html
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) "Development Cooperation Report" says that aid donors must increase funding for aid programs faster than any other public expenditure to meet commitments to increase aid to #130 billion, and double aid to Africa by 2010. Aid funding has been rising by five percent annually, but to meet this goal by 2010 it would have to rise by eleven percent.
http://www.oecd.org/document/38/0,2340,en_2649_201185_38144422_1_1_1_1,00.html
The shortage of foreign language skills in enterprise is having a serious impact on the European economy:
* A significant amount of business is being lost to European enterprise as a result of a lack of language skills. On the basis of the sample, it is estimated that 11% of exporting European SMEs (945,000 companies) may be losing business because of communication barriers.
* The survey identified a clear link between languages and export success. Four elements of language management were found to be associated with successful export performance: taking a strategic approach to multilingual communication, appointing native speakers, recruiting staff with language skills and using translators and interpreters. There could be very significant gains across the whole EU economy if all exporting SMEs employed one or several of these techniques.
* English is a key language for gaining access to export markets. However, the survey results suggest that the picture is far more complex than the much-quoted view that English is the world language. Russian is extensively used in Eastern Europe (along with German and Polish). French is used to trade in areas of Africa and Spanish is used similarly in Latin America. Longer-term business partnerships depend upon relationship-building and relationship-management. To achieve this, cultural and linguistic knowledge of the target country are essential.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/79
Multilingualism improves competitiveness.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/230
The EU has imposed a record EU 992,312,200 fine on four elevator and escalator manufacturers for price fixing and carving up markets. Germany's ThyssenKrupp was fined EU 480 million, including a 50 percent penalty for repeat offenses. US company Otis was fined EU 225 million, Finland's Kone EU142 million, and Switzerland's Schindler EU144 million. Appeals are pending.
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/209
http://www.thyssenkrupp.com/en/presse/art_detail.html&eid=TKBase_1172061357171_16299859
http://www.otis.com/news/newsdetail/0,1368,CLI32_NID20499_RES1,00.html (in French)
http://www.kone.com/en/main/0,,content=61430,00.html
http://www.schindler.com/group_kg_mr_news?news=88444
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a working paper that examines the Danish flexicurity model of combining a flexible labor market with a generous welfare system to achieve low unemployment. Modeling this policy indicates that its efficacy depends on the initial level of unemployment and the country's budgetary situation.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2007/wp0736.pdf
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ETM Environment and Climate Change
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The Global Roundtable on Climate Change (GRoCC) group of more than 90 companies and organizations worldwide formed to move forward a post-Kyoto framework to affect policy and industry changes to create sustainable energy systems necessary for economic growth, by taking advantage of these opportunities:
* The world's governments should set scientifically informed targets, including an ambitious but achievable interim, mid-century target for global CO2 concentrations, for "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system," in accordance with the stated objective of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
* All countries should be party to this accord, which should include specific near- and long-term commitments for action in pursuit of the agreed targets. Commitments for actions by individual countries should reflect differences in levels of economic development and GHG emission patterns and the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities.
* Clear, efficient mechanisms should be established to place a market price on carbon emissions that is reasonably consistent worldwide and across sectors in order to reward efficiency and emission avoidance, encourage innovation, and maintain a level playing field among possible technological options.
* Government policy initiatives should address energy efficiency and de-carbonization in all sectors, allow businesses to choose among a range of options as they strive to minimize GHG emissions and costs, encourage the development and rapid deployment of low-emitting and zero-emitting energy and transportation technologies, and provide incentives to reduce emissions from deforestation and harmful land management practices.
* Governments, the private sector, trade unions, and other sectors of civil society should undertake efforts to prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change, since climate * Signatories to this statement will support scientific processes including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); work to increase public awareness of climate change risks and solutions; report information on their GHG emissions; engage in GHG emissions mitigation, which can include emissions trading schemes; champion demonstration projects; and support public policy efforts to mitigate climate change and its impacts.
http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/grocc/
There is a 50 percent chance that widespread ice sheet loss may unavoidable because of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2016243,00.html
Australia's Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull MP, announced plans to phase out incandescent light bulbs in favor of compact fluorescents or other more efficient technologies, a measure that he predicts should reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by 4 million tons by 2012.
http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/env/2007/pubs/mr20feb07.pdf
Indonesian Forum for Environment (WALHI) and other environmental groups are criticizing a World Bank plan to develop sustainable logging in Indonesia's tropical forest. Environmentalists warn of lack of oversight and governance, and condemn the harm to small farmers deprived of land, soil pollution, and development of environmental monoculture.
http://www.eng.walhi.or.id/kampanye/hutan/strukturisasi/070221_plantation_world_bank_mr/
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/EASTASIAPACIFICEXT/INDONESIAEXTN/0,,contentMDK:21229409~menuPK:224605~pagePK:2865066~piPK:2865079~theSitePK:226309,00.html
In Antarctic waters, the Japanese whaling vessel Nisshin Maru was stricken on 15 February by a fire in its meat processing unit. in which one sailor died. New Zealand is demanding the vessel be removed to prevent environmental harm, a concern shared by Australia. Both countries also oppose whale hunting. Conservation groups suggest that this will mean the end of the seasonal whale hunt, but Japan is attempting to repair the vessel, and has refused help offered by Greenpeace's Esperanza to tow the damaged ship away from pack ice. The company managed to restart the ship's engines and will decide next week whether to continue its work or return to Japan.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070224a9.html
http://www.shippingtimes.co.uk/item220_NISSHIN_MARU_update.htm
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21283101-1702,00.html
UK Environment Secretary David Miliband, Spain's Cristina Narbona and Slovenia's Janez Podobnikargue argue that the EU should commit unilaterally to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020, at the very least. On Tuesday, EU environment ministers agreed to this, and will seek a 30 percent cut worldwide if matched by other developed nations.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6370209.stm
"The Burning Issue: Climate Changed, Let's Cut the Carbon" reports that the UK's claim that its carbon emission of only 2 percent is a huge underestimate. Taking into account global operations, British companies are responsible for 15 percent.
http://www.christianaid.org.uk/climatechange/index.htm
A new National Research Council report identifies for the US Climate Change Science Program the essential elements of effective global change assessments, including strategic framing, engagement of stakeholders, credible treatment of uncertainties, and a transparent interface between policymakers and scientists. The report reviews lessons learned from past assessments, which are intended to inform policymakers about the scientific underpinnings of critical environmental issues such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, and ozone depletion.
http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20070223.html
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking public comment on the draft "Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2005". The inventory reports a 16 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions and a spike in car-related carbon dioxide emissions over this period.
http://epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport07.html
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ETM Human Rights
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A BBC/Globescan survey of 27 nations finds that most people reject the idea that Islam and the West are caught in an inevitable clash of civilizations.
http://www.globescan.com/news_archives/bbciswest/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/6369529.stm
Recruitment of child soldiers continues in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57672
South Africa's Freedom of Expression Institute has lodged a complaint to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) regarding South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) failure to uphold freedom of expression. They point to the controversy around the non-screening of the Thabo Mbeki "Unauthorized" documentary, the blacklisting of commentators, the SABC's refusal to release the report of the Commission of Enquiry into the blacklisting saga and, recently, the resignation of a number of staff members from the news department.
http://www.fxi.org.za/pages/Media%20&%20ICT/Press/Press%20Statements/SABCcomplaintrelease.html
http://www.fxi.org.za//PDF%27s/PDF%27s/Media%20&%20ICT/SABCcomplaint.pdf
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reports on the Klu Klux Today. Once considered moribund compared to other white supremacist movements, is undergoing a resurgence by exploiting fears of immigration, gay marriage, and urban crime.
http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/kkk/intro.asp?LEARN_Cat=Extremism&LEARN_SubCat=Extremism_in_America&xpicked=4&item=kkks
Researchers from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University and the Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State University, completed research on the effects of voter identification requirements on voter turnout. The US Election Assistance Commission (EAC) commissioned the research. It found that ID requirements lower turnout, and disproportionately affect minorities, the poor, and the elderly.
http://www.eagleton.rutgers.edu/News-Research/VoterID_study.html
http://www.eac.gov/
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ETM Infectious Diseases
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The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has urged Nigeria to increase control measures on poultry farms and markets. Nigeria is the first and only sub-Saharan country to report a human avian influenza fatality, and the virus is still circulating in poultry flocks with outbreaks reported in at least 10 states. Spreading along major trade routes, the virus places neighboring countries at risk. FAO calls for heightened surveillance, targeted vaccinations, and infection controls in markets and on farms. Some 300,000 poultry in Nigeria have died due to H5N1 and another 400,000 have been culled as part of control measures.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000499/index.html
All 25 EU member states, Iceland and Norway have national pandemic influenza preparedness plans for the health sector and are preparing to make them operational, and surveillance systems are in place, as well as training and awareness efforts. At least two more years' work is needed to be fully prepared. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control identifies these key areas for further work:
* Integrated planning across governments
* Making plans operational at the local level
* Interoperability at the national level
* Stepping up prevention efforts against seasonal influenza
* Extending influenza research
http://www.ecdc.eu.int/pdf/Pandemic_preparedness.pdf
http://mnr.world-television.com/ECDC/pandemic/
Other recent avian influenza news:
* Afghanistan has detected outbreaks of H5N1 in two provinces
* Egypt has recorded its 22nd human infection. Of those infected, 13 have died.
* Jakarta, Indonesia, is planning the relocation of all bird markets and slaughterhouses by 2008, in an attempt to limit spread of the virus in highly populated areas.
* An Indonesian policeman has died of suspected bird flu, making him the country's 64th fatality, of 81 confirmed infections. He died two days after his chickens began dying.
* H5N1 was confirmed in chickens found on private farms in two Moscow, Russia, suburbs, and has been identified in six districts near Moscow. Control measures are in place.
* An outbreak in an Islamabad, Pakistan zoo has killed four peacocks and a goose. The zoo has been closed and dozens of birds culled.
* Philippines customs officials stopped a Japanese national from attempting to smuggle boxes containing 160 fresh eggs in his luggage, for personal consumption.
* The Philippines has banned any live birds, live poultry, and poultry products from the UK
* Ukraine has temporarily banned poultry imports from the Moscow Region.
* Compensation will be provided for poultry workers at the Bernard Matthews poultry farm, following a 40 percent drop in sales that will lead to temporary layoffs.
A measles outbreak in North Korea has killed four and infected 3,000.
Romania has the highest number of tuberculosis cases in Europe. This week they have detected 200 students testing positive, and seven active cases from a school in northern Romania, possibly spread by an infected adult working at the school.
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ETM Legal Systems
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Ireland has welcomed a UK decision to no longer consider Irish prisoners for deportation from the UK except in exceptional circumstances.
http://foreignaffairs.gov.ie/home/index.aspx?id=27390
http://www.guardian.co.uk/prisons/story/0,,2016943,00.html
Kenya's judges and lawyers have raised concerns at the first Judiciary Open Day regarding justice delayed, and diminished judicial independence.
http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&newsid=92058
http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&newsid=92088
http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143964962
Britain's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Lord Carlile of Berriew QC, analyzed the way in which the control order system was operated in 2006, and concluded that the system is a justifiable and proportional safety valve that should be used as a last resort. Many of these suspects should simply be prosecuted. Parliament has renewed control order legislation for another year.
http://security.homeoffice.gov.uk/news-publications/publication-search/independent-reviews/lord-carlile-ann-report.pdf?view=Binary
After a US Justice Department inspector general found that a shortage of Arab translators prevented screening letters from convicted terrorists to Islamic extremists, new security measures were taken. Other physical improvements at high security facility in Colorado are incomplete.
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2007/February/07_opa_104.html
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5369872,00.html
http://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/flx/index.jsp
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ETM Natural Resources
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Rising prices of base metals are attracting large gold mining firms into new areas of black gold, zinc, silver, and diamonds.
http://www.thestar.com/article/183512
Higher prices are also attracting thieves, particularly for copper.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/eastsidenews/2003583280_glance22e.html
http://www.expressandstar.co.uk/2007/02/22/safety-fears-on-copper-thefts/
In turn, new laws are proposed in several US states to impose limits on scrap and salvage yards. The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) has developed suggested legislative language.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/02/22/thieves_of_scrap_metal_targeted/
http://www.isri.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Materials_Theft&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=11095
ISRI also has taken steps to provide members and community leaders with resources to address metals theft, including Recommended Practices and Procedures for Minimizing the Risks of Purchasing Stolen materials, a theft alert system, case studies, and so on.
http://www.isri.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Materials_Theft
Acelor Mittal has signed an agreement to develop iron ore mining in Senegal. The $2.2 billion agreement includes building a new port and rail infrastructure. South Africa's Kumba Iron Ore is considering legal action over its prior option to acquire a controlling stake.
http://www.arcelormittal.com/index.php?lang=en&page=49&tbPress=here&tb0=76
http://za.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=businessNews&storyID=2007-02-23T160116Z_01_BAN329540_RTRIDST_0_OZABS-ARCELORMITTAL-SENEGAL-20070223.XML
Zambian Finance Minister Ng'andu Magande announced that the mineral royalty tax would be increased from the current 0.6 percent to the world average of 3 percent, tax holidays for foreign investors would be curtailed, and company tax for mining firms would be increased to ensure more mining revenues are collected. A few days later he said these changes won't affect existing mining companies, which are expanding on the basis of the prior agreement. Zambia charges foreign investors one of the lowest mineral royalty rates in the world, and this back peddling is generating increasing criticism.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=70279
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ETM Populations
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Armenians approved a constitutional change in 2005 to abolish a constitutional clause banning dual nationality. This week, parliament passed the first reading of a bill giving ethnic Armenians the right to hold dual citizenship. The population inside Armenia is 3.2 million, but the diaspora is some eight million, and remittances from the diaspora are double Armenia's budget. The move to boost the population is motivated by both economic and security concerns.
http://www.yerkir.am/eng/index.php?sub=news_arm&id=29224
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=103657&bolum=102
http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2007/02/F678B1F4-9F38-4200-A5DD-84B2D393D4B8.ASP
Cameroon has more than 250 indigenous languages, and both French and English are official languages. A mixture of French, English, and Creole - franglais - is becoming common among students.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6376389.stm
The EU is considering the economic impact of shortages of language skills in enterprise, and a political agenda for multilingualism.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/79
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/80
Former South African President FW de Klerk has criticized the erosion of the Afrikaans language, which is enshrined as one of the fundamental constitutional rights in negotiations that ended apartheid.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=300151
Uganda has begun to offer free secondary education for children who complete primary school. At this time, only 40 percent of Ugandan children attend secondary school, but about 100,000 are taking up the offer, which begins this week. This will double the number of secondary students.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L19223537.htm
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ETM Social Responsibility
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The Wharton School's societal wealth program insists that the projects it helps become self-sustaining.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1d925570-c371-11db-9047-000b5df10621.html
http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu/research/societalWealth.html
The Socially Responsible Business Forum launched the Socially Responsible Business Forum Marketplace, where readers could go and shop from companies that are aligned with the values of socially responsible business and socially conscious consumers.
http://www.sociallyresponsiblebusinessforum.com/marketplace
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ETM Technology
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The European innovation gap with the US keeps narrowing.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/221
Note the 2006 European Innovation Scorecard summary of the situation in the 27 member states.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/74
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ETM Weapons (WMD, Proliferation)
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Wednesday 21 February was the deadline the UN Security Council set for Iran to freeze nuclear activities. Rather than freezing uranium enrichment, it has expanded the program, and insists that it will continue their work for peaceful nuclear power in the shortest time possible. Iranian President Ahmadinejad suggested that existing nuclear powers suspend their own programs. The Security Council is now discussing options, including a US proposal to expand sanctions that is unlikely to garner support from China, Russia, or others. US credibility in this matter is harmed by reports that much of the intelligence given to UN inspectors was wrong, and that none of it has led to a major discovery.
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2007/iran_iaeaboard.html
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/41df0d86-c11b-11db-bf18-000b5df10621,dwp_uuid=be75219e-940a-11da-82ea-0000779e2340.html
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2891048
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2019519,00.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-usiran25feb25,0,4451045.story
The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) has released their latest assessment of North Korea's current stocks of separated plutonium, providing an indication of the potential size of their nuclear arsenal: up to 12 weapons.
http://www.isis-online.org/publications/dprk/DPRKplutoniumFEB.pdf
North Korea's uranium enrichment capabilities may threaten last week's agreement. North Korea has denied having this capability, but intelligence indicates that one was obtained through AQ Khan's nuclear supermarket.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/916def76-c219-11db-ae23-000b5df10621.html
http://www.isis-online.org/publications/dprk/DPRKenrichment22Feb.pdf
IAEA Director Baradai has accepted an invitation from North Korea to visit for talks in March.
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2007/dg_dprk.html
There is a growing consensus that a less aggressive US nuclear position could help resolve the issues of Iran and North Korea, as well as broader threats of proliferation.
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_security/
http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2007_2_22.html#872E555D
Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a law approving the Additional Protocol to its nuclear safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity presented to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) preliminary criteria for identifying research that could enable bioterrorism, and a code of conduct for those performing such studies.
http://www.biosecurityboard.gov/pdf/NSABB%20Draft%20Guidance%20Documents%2027Sep06%20(12%2011%202006).pdf
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued two reports regarding necessary investments in chemical and biological defense. The reports warn that the staff and equipment shortages caused by the war in Iraq are hampering the ability of specialized units to respond to attacks on the homeland.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-143
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-113
A third GAO report addresses issues associated with expansion of biological research laboratories funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-333R
Iraqi insurgents used a chlorine-filled tanker truck as a weapon. When it exploded on Tuesday, nine people were killed and 150 injured, mostly harmed by the toxic fumes. There were two smaller incidents the week before and in late January. Another improvised chemical weapon using chlorine exploded near Baghdad on Wednesday.
http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-02-20T175617Z_01_L16903919_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-IRAQ-1-COL.XML
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/20/AR2007022000104.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2019161,00.html
http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=3139
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/22/world/middleeast/22iraq.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/22/iraq.main/index.htmls
The Divine Strake test of a massive conventional explosion to emulate a nuclear bunker buster has been cancelled.
http://www.dtra.mil/newsservices/press_releases/display.cfm?pr=divine_strake_cancelled
Sri Lanka asked India to help control suspected Tamil Tiger weapons trafficking across the Palk Straits that separates the two countries.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/02/22/d702221301101.htm
The Czech Republic and Poland say they are inclined to agree to provide bases for the US missile defense shield. Russia warns that such a step would make them military targets. US officials are using Iran as an example of why the shield is necessary, in an effort to defuse Russian concerns.
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070219/60961175.html
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2356736,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6426748,00.html
http://www.praguemonitor.com/en/28/czech_national_news/1658/index.html
http://www.wbj.pl/?command=article&id=36105&type=wbj
http://en.rian.ru/world/20070220/61003316.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/22/world/europe/22policy.html
The UK is also in early conversations about hosting the US defense shield.
http://www.economist.com/daily/news/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8758093
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6390621.stm
The Oslo Conference on Cluster Munitions, 22-23 February, released the following Declaration:
A group of States, United Nations Organizations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Cluster Munitions Coalition and other humanitarian organizations met in Oslo on 22 – 23 February 2007 to discuss how to effectively address the humanitarian problems caused by cluster munitions. Recognizing the grave consequences caused by the use of cluster munitions and the need for immediate action, states commit themselves to:
1. Conclude by 2008 a legally binding international instrument that will:
(i) prohibit the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians, and
(ii) establish a framework for cooperation and assistance that ensures adequate provision of care and rehabilitation to survivors and their communities, clearance of contaminated areas, risk education and destruction of stockpiles of prohibited cluster munitions.
2. Consider taking steps at the national level to address these problems.
3. Continue to address the humanitarian challenges posed by cluster munitions within the framework of international humanitarian law and in all relevant fora.
4. Meet again to continue their work, including in Lima in May/June and Vienna in November/December 2007, and in Dublin in early 2008, and welcome the announcement of Belgium to organize a regional meeting.
http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/
http://www.hrw.org/doc/?t=arms_clusterbombs
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6390957.stm
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
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Kenya has lifted a ban on livestock slaughter in some northern districts. The ban, imposed due to an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever, remains in place in other districts, where surveillance and infection control measures are also in place.
Jamaica, the University of the West Indies, the Coconut Industries Board and the Jamaican Scientific Research Council, developed a cold preservation process that preserves bottled coconut water fresh for up to ten weeks. This process retains the natural flavor destroyed in commercial canning processes.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000500/index.html
US disaster planning has provided little support to the food industry. In the event of a pandemic, with more people staying at home, federal and state governments have not addressed how groceries would be supplied.
http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/02/19/food_industry_lacks_disaster_plan_support/
http://www.fmi.org/foodsafety/avian_flu.htm
Kansas State University National Agricultural Biosecurity Center director addressed the threat of agriterrorism at the AAAS meeting. He pointed out that animal populations are more concentrated, and transported more widely. Few technical barriers exist to prevent intentional introduction of highly infectious and contagious biological agents that could seriously damage the livestock industry and other areas of food and agriculture.
http://nabc.ksu.edu/content/weblog/article/k_state_national_agricultural_biosecurity_center_director_speaker_at_americ/
http://presszoom.com/story_124476.html
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CIM Banking and Finance
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The Bank of Uganda has set a Shs20 million limit for checks, to encourage electronic transfers and discourage fraud.
http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/news02191.php
Millions of customers in the UK's biggest banks are preparing to take action to claim back excessive and possibly illegal bank charges. The Office of Fair Trading had deemed penalty charges on credit cards illegal, and now are likely to extend this ruling to nearly identical fees levies by banks. The Financial Ombudsman says the voluntary code of conduct has failed to protect consumers. Each day, up to 5,000 customers complain about high penalty fees.
http://money.independent.co.uk/personal_finance/invest_save/article2287041.ece
http://www.oft.gov.uk/News/Press+releases/2007/26-07.htm
http://comment.independent.co.uk/leading_articles/article2287012.ece
http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/
http://money.guardian.co.uk/news_/story/0,,2019090,00.html
MBNA is starting to charge cardholders who have positive balances on their credit card accounts.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2007/02/20/cmcredit20.xml
In the US, the President's Working Group on Financial Markets (PWG) released a set of principles and guidelines to guide financial regulators in supervising hedge funds. They call for greater due diligence, but no additional legislation.
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/hp272.htm
The US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has alerted financial institutions to assess the impact of the extension of daylight time on information systems, and implement appropriate updates as needed.
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2007/fil07017.html
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CIM Chemical
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About 2,000 tons of mercury are released into the environment each year, from coal-fired power stations, waste incinerator, artisanal mining of gold and silver, and from products such as fluorescent light bulbs, dental fillings and thermometers. The UN Environment Program Global Ministerial Environment Forum launched a voluntary program to reduce health and environmental threats from toxic mercury. If this is not successful within two years, a legally binding treaty could follow.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=499&ArticleID=5526&l=en
http://www.johannesburgsummit.org
http://www.chem.unep.ch/MERCURY
"Leaking Underground Storage Tanks: EPA Should Take Steps to Better Ensure the Effective Use of Public Funding for Cleanups" is a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Such leaky tanks can contaminate groundwater and soil. GAO recommends that the EPA ensure tank owners maintain adequate financial responsibility coverage and state assurance funds provide reliable coverage and other things to ensure timely cleanup.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-152
The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board has released its 2007-2012 strategic plan, heightening the emphasis on chemical safety.
http://www.csb.gov/index.cfm?folder=news_releases&page=news&NEWS_ID=342
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CIM Commercial Facilities
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Israel's public security minister promises to implement the Zeiler Commissions conclusions following a 2001 disaster in which 23 people died and 380 were hurt when a wedding hall collapsed. However, the state comptroller has found serious failures in how the commission findings sere handled, including continuation of the PalKal construction method responsible for the collapse.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/828410.html
A Harvard University referendum passed by a large majority a $10 fee to fund renewable energy at the college.
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=505015
In Texas, two recent assaults against children in a mall bathroom raised multiple security questions. In particular, the bathrooms are set back from central shopping areas, down long hallways. This design was typical of older malls, and because it is not easily remedied multiple levels of security are needed, including high quality staff.
http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/02/25/02252007wacmallsexassault.html
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CIM Cybersecurity
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Apple has released four patches in its February security update.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305102
Fulcrum Inquiry computer forensic examiners analyzed 70 used hard drives purchased from 14 different sources. Although most of the data was supposedly cleansed, they were able to recover personal data from two-thirds of the working drives.
http://www.fulcruminquiry.com/Selling_More_Than_You_Bargained_For.htm
Supermarket chain Stop and Shop discovered that credit and debit card numbers were stolen by card skimmers at two card readers at two stores. The impact of the investigation is under investigation.
http://www.stopandshop.com/about/eft_customer_letter.htm?linkid=2
http://www.stopandshop.com/about/security_faq.htm?linkid=2
Retail group TJX announced that it now believes its computer system was first hacked in July 2005. TJX continues to believe there was no compromise of customer data after mid-December 2006. In addition to consumer data, some credit and debit card data, and drivers license numbers have been compromised.
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/tjx/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&newsId=20070221005600&ndmHsc=v2*A938775600000*B1172369727000*C4102491599000*DgroupByDate*J2*N1001148&newsLang=en&beanID=1809476786&viewID=news_view
http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/02/22/tjx_says_theft_of_data_may_go_back_to_2005/
In England, a laptop containing personal information and financial details of Worcestershire County Council staff was stolen.
http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/display.var.1216931.0.security_alert_as_thousands_told_bank_details_have_been_stolen.php
Dr Neal Krawetz examines the difficulty in using numbers to determine the actual threat behind reports of laptop theft and phishing.
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/435
The US Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General released a redacted version of "Letter Report: DHS's Implementation of Protective Measures for Personally Identifiable Information". The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) and its components are in the process of implementing the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Memorandum 06-16, "Protection of Sensitive Agency Information". DHS is in the process of identifying personally identifiable information systems, encrypting laptop computers, and implementing remote access security and offsite transportation and storage controls. Until all related systems are identified, and adequate controls implemented, DHS lacks assurance that sensitive data are properly protected.
http://www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/mgmtrpts/OIGr_07-24_Jan07.pdf
Australia's Access Card Consumer and Privacy Taskforce released a discussion paper on voluntary and medical emergency information on the proposed national smart card. They have identified numerous problems, in particular the need to address what information is absolutely essential in a crisis, versus that which would be merely convenient.
http://www.accesscard.gov.au/discussion/Discussion Paper Voluntary Medical and Emergency Information.pdf
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CIM Defense Industrial Base
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The UK Ministry of Defense has grounded the fleet of Nimrod MR2 aircraft pending checks for possible fuel pipe problems.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6390737.stm
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports on "Military Personnel: Strategic Plan Needed to Address Army's Emerging Officer Accession and Retention Challenges".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-224
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CIM Emergency Services
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Dirty bomb dispersion tests indicate that dirt and grit generated from an explosion throw up larger fragments, limiting the spread of radioactive particles. Therefore, first responders will not need to wear full radioactive suits or air tanks.
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2007/218/1
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/dirty-bombs.html
The US Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General reviewed the medical response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. They strongly recommend hand-on training. Computer-based training did little to prepare medical teams for the conditions and situations encountered. In addition, more nurses, dentists, and mental health workers are needed on response teams.
http://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-09-06-00030.pdf
http://oig.hhs.gov/publications/docs/press/2007/commcorps.pdf
The US state of Massachusetts has launched a $4 million program to support community health centers and steer patients away from crowded hospital emergency rooms.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/02/18/state_moves_to_reduce_use_of_ers/
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CIM Energy
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The price of corn has doubled and other grain prices are also rising, threatening the growth of biofuels, as well as food security.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/997406be-c29c-11db-9e1c-000b5df10621.html
Bolivia's state-controlled oil and gas company Petroleo Brasileiro SA and Russia's energy giant Gazprom have signed a protocol on cooperation in prospecting and exploration of natural gas resources in Bolivia.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/23/business/LA-FIN-Brazil-Petrobras-Gazprom.php
London Mayor Ken Livingstone has signed an agreement with Venezuela to provide cheap bus and tram travel for some 250,000 low-income residents.
http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=10936
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CIM Government Facilities
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The new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood was first budgeted between GBP10 to 40 million. After nearly ten years, the cost has hit GBP414.4 million. In October 2004 there were 45,000 recorded defects. Only 13 remain, and of these seven are being corrected while six are disputed across multiple contractors. Five of these are related to water leakages or pooling. Legal action is being pursued regarding the chamber roof strut that detached last year and forces Members to meet elsewhere.
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/nmCentre/news/news-07/pa07-018.htm
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=284342007
Concerned citizens are raising funds to adapt municipal buildings for greener energy.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/02/22/a_green_energy_effort_has_the_wind_in_its_sails/
The US House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, held a hearing on the status of the Capitol Visitor Center. Construction has encountered multiple problems, and consequently more delays will follow.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-507T
The General Services Administration (GSA) is incorporating new accessibility standards at its over 7,100 leased locations.
http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?pageTypeId=8199&channelId=-13259&P=&contentId=22463&contentType=GSA_BASIC
San Francisco, California's new federal building is radically different from traditional government high-rises. Incorporating post-9/11 security measures, it is also designed to reduce the use of energy and natural resources.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/25/MNG2DOATDN1.DTL
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CIM Information Technology
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A US federal court ruled in favor of Alcatel-Lucent, ordering Microsoft to pay $1.52 billion for patent infringement. If upheld on appeal, it would be the largest judgment in history. In the meantime, MP3 patents are turned upside down by the finding that these patents preceded those developed subsequently, on which current MP3 licenses have been based.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/23/technology/23patent.html
http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/legal/02-22-07AlcatelLucentStatement.mspx
http://www.casd.uscourts.gov/
Google has introduced business versions of its hosted applications, aimed directly at the core businesses of Microsoft and IBM.
The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) is a non-profit web safety think-tank, funded by membership of technology, telecoms and content firms. It was launched in Europe this week to establish events, public education initiatives and offer a range of products to improve dialogue between government and technology firms, and to educate and empower parents.
http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,,2019019,00.html
http://www.fosi.org/
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CIM Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste
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Russia's completion of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant will be delayed over a payment dispute. A debt settlement plan has been proposed, and Russia emphasizes that there will be no suspension or freeze on the construction.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/20/europe/EU-GEN-Russia-Iran-Nuclear.php
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070221/61079671.html
Russia's Techsnabexport, Renova and Vneshtorgbank have established a joint venture to produce uranium in Namibia
http://en.rian.ru/business/20070223/61166642.html
South Africa is considering enriching its own uranium for new nuclear power plants. It is discussing nuclear cooperation opportunities with Russia. Russia has already signed agreements to develop gold and uranium production.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=299669
http://en.rian.ru/world/20070221/61076416.html
http://en.rian.ru/business/20070221/61072743.html
The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a report on its investigation into the 2005 leak of radioactive liquid within the Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant facility, part of the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant. They describe the events, and point to significant operational and management failings, and list a total of 55 recommendations and actions for improvement. The most serious failures were serious breaches of regulations and the lack of a questioning attitude or challenge culture at the company.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/thorp.htm
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CIM Public Health and Healthcare
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The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS have welcomed the detailed findings of two trials undertaken in Kenya and Uganda, which corroborate findings that male circumcision has a protective effect against acquiring HIV.
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607603237/fulltext
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2007/s04/en/index.html
In Burkina Faso, a herpes drug was found to help control AIDS, opening an avenue of research into prevention and treatment methods.
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/356/8/790
WHO has responded to an outbreak of Yellow Fever in Togo with a mass vaccination campaign to protect 1.3 million people.
http://www.who.int/features/2007/yellow_fever/en/index.html
The UK Office of Fair Trading recommends reform of the Pharmaceutical price Regulation Scheme to deliver better value for money from National Health Service, which currently buys GBP7 million branded medicine, and could save hundreds of millions with value-based pricing. The current plan sets a cap on profits, but this does not ensure the best price.
http://www.oft.gov.uk/News/Press+releases/2007/29-07.htm
The HPV vaccine protects women from the genital human papillomavirus, which can lead to cervical cancers. It is recommended for females aged 9-26 years. There is dispute over whether to make the vaccine mandatory. This week, Texas Governor Perry's executive order to require vaccination was superseded by House legislation.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/20/eveningnews/main2381159.shtml
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/022207dntexhpv.b38d82.html
http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/STDFact-HPV-vaccine.htm
http://www.gardasil.com/
In a 5-4 decision, the US Supreme Court has overturned a $79.5 million award for punitive damages in the death of a smoker. The court ruled that damages could be imposed only on harm caused the plaintiff, not for harm to other victims not part of the suit. The judges did not comment on tobacco firm Philip Morris's request to determine if the payment was constitutionally excessive.
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/05pdf/05-1256.pdf
The Federation of American Hospitals has outlined the "Universal Coverage Passport" to provide universal health care.
http://www.fahs.com/press_releases/press_releases/2007/HCP%20release%20FINAL.doc
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CIM Telecommunications
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Satellite radio companies XM and Sirius announced plans to merge. The proposal must clear antitrust hurdles.
http://xmradio.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=1423
http://investor.sirius.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=230306&cat=&newsroom=
Apple and Cisco have agreed to each use the name iPhone for their internet telephony products, resolving their trademark dispute.
http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2007/corp_022107b.html?CMP=ILC-001
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/02/21iphone.html
The European Commission is taking steps better to exploit radio spectrum and ultra-wideband to meet today's wireless communication needs.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/205
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/68
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/72
Kenya's success in using mobile phones to track down most wanted criminal Simon Matheri Ikere has pointed to law enforcement and emergency response applications.
http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&newsid=92262
http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&newsid=92264
Thailand's ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's sale of family shares in the Shin telecommunications group is one of the reasons the military displaced him. As well as corruption charges, the sale gave control of one of Thailand's most critical assets to Singapore. Thailand is now talking with Singapore's Temasek Holdings regarding options to buy back a controlling interest.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aYQ95YEXJR4Y
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CIM Transportation
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Transportation Security Administration (TSA) administrator Kip Hawley discusses the challenges of revamping the No-Fly List. The program is five years behind schedule, and will not be completed until 2010 at the earliest.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/21/news/secure.php
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=airports&id=news/HAW01307.xml
The Air Canada Pilots Association has called for better airline cockpit protection.
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=94dbfc45-9f13-4ba3-b3a7-b62e483b7671&k=6734
Israeli Prime Minister Olmert has asked the transportation minister to review security inspections Israeli Arabs are forced to undergo, following repeated incidents of harassment and a related report on racial profiling.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3368739,00.html
The Malacca Straits are being fitted with radar equipment to help reduce piracy threats. Coordinated security efforts among littoral countries have greatly checked the number of attacks, from 31 in 2004 to 15 in 2005, and only two in 2006.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/20/business/media/20radio.html
Nanotechnology may be used in various applications for container security.
http://www.marinelink.com/Story/ShowStory.aspx?StoryID=206052
http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=1488.php
Last year, after the 7/11 train explosions in Bombay (Mumbai) India, railway stations across the country were reviewed for risk, and security proposals were created. Few of these measures were undertaken, and this week's explosions, in which 68 people died, have resurrected earlier concerns. Proposals for Explosive Vapor Trace detectors, X-Ray baggage inspection machines, X-Ray body scanner portals, doorframe and hand-held metal detectors and bomb-disposal and dog squads had been on hold. An even older tragedy, five years ago, when an express train turned into a death trap raised a different set of security issues. Most of the dead and injured this week suffered, as has passengers five years ago, because barred windows prevented anyone from escaping, and flammable interiors fueled the fire.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/23816.html
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/rail-security-off-track-india-needs-to-train-cops/34063-3.html
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/23831.html
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411319/995997
The Heritage Society recommends patience to address rail security, not money or legislation.
http://www.heritage.org/Research/HomelandDefense/em1021.cfm
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/viewstory.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200702/NAT20070221a.html
https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2005/100905.html#FeatureArticle
Fearing further attacks in Thailand, and the possible spread of the southern insurgency to the capital Bangkok, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) and Bangkok Metro have stepped up security measures and have asked for passengers to cooperate in allowing checks of packages and baggage. Staircase and elevator services been suspended to ensure that all passengers are channeled through checkpoints. The Australian embassy issued a travel warning that includes reports of possible bombings at crowded places such as department stores, sky train and subway stations.
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CIM Water
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The Local Government and Shires Association of New South Wales accused the state government of diverting water infrastructure funds to finance supplying water to 12 towns by tanker. They call instead for more water storage facilities, including dams. Rather than spending funds on drought relief, they want investments to drought-proof the country.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/councils-shortchanged-on-water-says-rural-group/2007/02/19/1171733685132.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200702/s1849205.htm
http://www.lgsa.org.au/
In Bangladesh, the Chittagong Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has found commercial firms and apartments have been pilfering hundreds of thousands of liters of Wasa water everyday, causing huge loss of government revenues.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/02/22/d702223501124.htm
The Committee on the Scientific Bases of Colorado River Basin Water Management, National Research Council released a report that warns severe water shortages will constrain population, agriculture and industry in the south-western US, the fastest growing section of the US.
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=11857
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 floods in Mozambique left more than forty people dead and more than 120,000 people along the Zambezi river displaced; their crops and homes destroyed in the floods. Cyclone Favio hit on Thursday, killing three and injuring 70. Response to the disaster has been hindered by lack of access. Only one UN helicopter is available to move supplies to those affected, but after the cyclone, South Africa has offered more helicopters and other assistance.
In eastern Bolivia, floodwaters continue to rise after two months of heavy rain. A state of emergency has been declared, and the government has appealed for international aid as several areas have been rendered inaccessible through mudslides. At least 40 people are dead, ten missing, and 340,000 displaced. President Morales has blamed developed countries' failure to combat climate change for the worst flooding in two decades.
A boat carrying a school trip capsized near a wildlife park in India's southern Kerala state. At least 18 children and four teachers died. 17 of the 40 on board are missing.
A fire broke out on the Levina I ferry as it set sail from Jakarta, Indonesia's capital. 41 bodies have been recovered, and 316 people were rescued. More than a dozen people are believed missing, but the precise number on board was unknown. The fire started on the lower deck, probably from a truck carrying chemicals.
Today on the Levina I a second disaster struck, when the ferry suddenly sank with safety inspectors, police, and journalists on board. A TV cameraman died, two people were seriously injured, and three are missing. They did not wear life vests during the inspection.
Landslides triggered by heavy rain in Indonesia's island of Java have killed at least nine, while several others remain missing.
In England, A Virgin train derailed. One woman died. Investigators suspect that a points failure may have caused the accident, so points across the entire network are being checked as a precaution.
A disaster was narrowly averted when a truck driver mishandled a curve and crashed through a bridge. It came to rest on a structural pillar. Had it fallen onto the road below, there would have been many more casualties than just the driver.
A 5-storey residential high-rise collapsed, killing one woman and injuring 26. The collapse was blamed on poor construction, but no details have been provided.
A giant sinkhole opened in Guatemala City. Although it swallowed several houses and a large truck, there were no casualties. More than a thousand homes were evacuated. Sewer repairs are under way.
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DRM Response and Recovery
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Although displaced residents of Jakarta have begun to return home, flood-related illnesses including diarrhea, dengue fever, and severe respiratory problems pose a serious problem. The number of leptospirosis infections, probably transmitted through floodwaters contaminated with rat urine, has risen to more than 112. E-coli infections are also rising, including many babies ill because their formula was mixed with contaminated water. Recovery efforts reflect a major economic divide in the city, where the poor are on the streets and in the hospitals. Jakarta will use its reserve funds to support recovery projects. More heavy rain is predicted over the weekend.
In Mexico, 19 February marked the anniversary of last year's coalmine explosion that killed 65 men. Most have never been recovered from underground.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/20070219-0126-mexico-mine-.html
The head of the subway network in Sao Paulo, Brazil, has resigned following last month's station collapse in which seven people were killed.
Bureaucratic hurdles and insufficient experience hindered the medical response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.
http://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-09-06-00030.pdf
http://oig.hhs.gov/publications/docs/press/2007/commcorps.pdf
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DRM Risks
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Several insurance companies are among the signatories to the Global Roundtable on Climate Change (GRoCC). Global warming contributes to increases in the number and volume of extreme events, and creates an urgent need to address new risks.
http://www.munichre.com/pages/06/press_releases/2007/2007_02_20_press_release_248_en.aspx
http://www.allianz.com/en/allianz_group/press_center/news/commitment_news/environment/news_2007-02-20.html
http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/grocc/
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that locust numbers have continued to increase along the northern coast of Eritrea and adjacent coastal areas of Sudan and other Red Sea and Gulf of Aden countries, which could face important infestations of the crop-devouring insects this winter due to unusually good rains and favorable ecological conditions. Monitoring and control efforts are proceeding.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000503/index.html
http://www.fao.org/ag/locusts/en/info/info/index.html
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DRM Mitigation
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The EU has made progress in preparing for pandemic influenza, but there is at least two more years of work to do.
http://mnr.world-television.com/ECDC/pandemic/
Some 45 million people living along the coasts of Europe will benefit from a new tsunami early-warning system. Ten percent of observed worldwide tsunamis occur in the Mediterranean Sea.
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=36750&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, speaking to Parliament during Prime Minister's Question Time, made the following statement:
"With permission, Mr Speaker, I shall make a Statement, on recent developments in Iraq and across the Middle East.
Saddam was removed from power in May 2003. In June of 2004 the UNSC passed a resolution setting out the support of the international community for the incoming Interim Government of Iraq, for a political process leading to full democratic elections overseen by the UN itself and for Iraq's reconstruction and development after decades of oppression and impoverishment under Saddam's dictatorship.
In January 2005 the first elections were held for a Transitional National Assembly. 7 million people voted. A new constitution was agreed. In December 2005 full Parliamentary elections were held. 12 million Iraqis voted and in May 2006 the first fully elected Government of Iraq was formed. It was expressly non-sectarian, including all the main elements of Iraqi society - Shia, Sunni and Kurdish. Throughout there has been full UN backing for the political process and now for the Government of Prime Minister Maliki.
Successive UN Resolutions have given explicit approval for the presence of the MNF.
The political process has thus continued through these years. For example, as we speak, the Iraqi Parliament is awaiting the report on amending the Constitution from its Constitutional Review Committee; a draft law on de-Baathification, relaxing some of the restrictions on former Baath Party members; and the new hydrocarbon legislation which will attempt to spread fairly and evenly the proceeds of Iraq's considerable oil wealth.
However, the political process, the reconstruction, the reconciliation, everything that the UN have set out as the will of the international community and Iraqis have voted for, has been thwarted or put at risk by the violence and terrorism that has beset the country and its people. From the appalling terrorist outrage in August 2003 that killed the UN Special Representative and many of his colleagues to this day, Iraq and Baghdad in particular has been subject to a sickening level of carnage, some aimed at the MNF but much aimed deliberately to provoke a sectarian struggle between Sunni and Shia. The bombing of the shrine at Samarra in February 2006 was designed precisely to provoke Shia death squads to retaliate against Sunni.
The violence comes from different sources. Some of it originates with former Saddamists; some with Sunnis who are worried that they will be excluded from the political future of Iraq. Much of the so-called "spectacular" suicide bombings are the work of Al Qaida whose grisly presence in Iraq since 2002 has been part of their wider battle with the forces of progress across the world. Now Shia militant groups like Jaish-al Mahdi - JAM - are responsible for the abduction and execution of innocent Sunni.
These groups have different aims, different ideologies but one common purpose: to prevent Iraq's democracy from working.
Throughout all the wretched and inexcusable bloodshed, one hope remains. Talk to anyone in Iraq of whatever denomination, whether Iraqi, or part of the MNF, whether civilian or military, and they all say the same thing: the majority of Iraqis do not want it to be like this. They voted despite the violence. They know its purpose and its effect and they hate both.
There can be legitimate debate about what was right and what was wrong in respect of the original decision to remove Saddam. There can be no debate about the rights and wrongs of what is happening in Iraq today. The desire for democracy is good. The attempt to destroy it through terrorism is evil. Unfortunately that is not the question. The question is: not should we, but can we defeat this evil; do we have a plan to succeed?
Since the outset our plan, agreed by Iraq and the UN, has been to build up Iraqi capability in order to let them take control of their own destiny. As they would step up, we would, increasingly, step back. For three years therefore we have been working to create, train and equip Iraqi Security Forces capable of taking on the security of the country themselves. In normal circumstances, the progress would be considered remarkable. There are now 10 divisions of the Iraqi Army, over 130,000 soldiers, able in significant parts of the country to provide order. There are 135,000 in the Iraqi Police Service. There the progress has been more constrained and is frequently hampered by corruption and sectarianism but nonetheless, again, in normal circumstances it would be considered a remarkable effort. The plan of General Petraeus - then an Army Commander in Iraq, now the Head of the Coalition forces there - which was conceived in 2004 has in its essential respects been put in place.
But these are not normal circumstances. The Iraqi Forces have often proved valiant. But the various forces against them have also re-doubled their efforts. In particular in and around Baghdad where 80-90 per cent of the violence is centered, they have engaged in a systematic attempt to bring the city to chaos. It is the capital of Iraq. Its strategic importance is fundamental. There has been an orgy of terrorism unleashed upon it in order to crush any possibility of it functioning.
It doesn't much matter if elsewhere in Iraq - not least in Basra - change is happening. If Baghdad cannot be secured, the future of the country is in peril. The enemies of Iraq understand that. We understand it.
So, last year, in concert with our Allies and the Iraqi Government, a new plan was formulated, and promulgated by President Bush in January of this year. The purpose is unchanged. There can be only one purpose in Iraq: to support the Government and people of the country to attain the necessary capability to run their own affairs as a sovereign, independent state.
But the means of achieving the purpose were adjusted to meet the changing nature of the threat. The Baker/Hamilton report, to which I pay tribute, also informed the strategy.
There are three elements to the plan. First, there is the Baghdad Security Initiative, drawn up by Prime Minister Maliki and currently underway. It aims, like the Operation in Basra has done, to take the city, district by district, drive out the extremists, put the legitimate Iraqi Forces in charge and then make it fit for development, with a special fund in place able to deliver rapid improvement.
It began last Tuesday. It is far too early to tell its results, though early indications are more promising than what was tried, unsuccessfully, some months back. In particular, there is no doubt of its welcome amongst ordinary people in Baghdad.
The second part of the plan is a massive effort to gear up the capability of the Iraqi Forces, to plug any gaps in command, logistics, training and equipment.
Thirdly, there is a new and far more focused effort on reconciliation, reconstruction and development. There are now talks between Iraqi officials and both Sunni and Shia elements that have been engaged in fighting. It is again too early to draw conclusions, but this is being given a wholly different priority within the Iraqi Government and by the MNF.
In addition, there have been changes made by Prime Minister Maliki - to whose leadership I pay tribute - to the way economic development and reconstruction monies are administered within the Iraqi Government - with DPM Barham Saleh given specific responsibility. This will allow the disbursement of funds to be made and will allow, in Baghdad and elsewhere, development and reconstruction to follow closely on the heels of improved security.
The objective of all of this is to show the terrorists they cannot win; to show those that can be reconciled that they have a place in the new Iraq; and the Iraqi people that however long it takes, the legitimate Iraqi Government which they elected and which the international community supports, will prevail.
The aim of the additional US forces announced by President Bush is precisely to demonstrate that determination. If the Plan succeeds, then, of course, the requirement for the MNF reduces including in Baghdad. It is important to show the Iraqi people that we do not desire our Forces to remain any longer than they are needed; but whilst they are needed, we will be at their side.
In this context, what is happening in Basra is of huge importance. Over the past months, we have been conducting an operation in Basra, with the 10th Division of the Iraqi Army, to reach the stage where Basra can be secured by the Iraqis themselves.
The situation in Basra is very different from Baghdad. There is no Sunni insurgency. There is no Al Qaida base. There is little Shia on Sunni violence. The bulk of the attacks are on the MNF. It has never presented anything like the challenge of Baghdad. That said, British soldiers are under regular and often intense fire from extremist groups, notably elements of JAM. I would like, as I have often done in this House, to pay my profound respects to the British Armed Forces. Whatever views people have about Iraq, our Forces are dedicated, professional, committed and brave beyond belief. This country can be immensely proud of them. We send again our whole-hearted sympathy to the families of those that have fallen, and the injured and their families also.
As a result of this operation, which is now complete the Iraqi Forces now have the primary role for security in most parts of the city. It is still a difficult and sometimes dangerous place. But, many extremists have been arrested or left the city. The reported levels of murder and kidnapping are significantly down. Surveys of Basrawis, after the Operations had been conducted, show a much greater sense of security. There is reconstruction now happening in schools and health centers, around 300 projects altogether.
A few days ago, DPM Barham Saleh organized the Basra Development Forum. He announced a $200 million program of development in infrastructure and public services. In addition, the international community - with Britain in the lead - has developed projects to increase power supply, put in place proper sewage systems, and increased the supply of drinking water to thousands of homes. The plan to develop Basra port will be published later this year. The problems remain formidable, not least in providing work where for decades, 50 per cent or more of the city has been unemployed.
In an extraordinary development, the Marsh Arabs, driven from one of the world's foremost ecological sites by Saddam, have been able to re-settle there.
What all of this means is not that Basra is how we want it to be. But it does mean that the next chapter in Basra's history can be written by Iraqis.
I have discussed this with Prime Minister Maliki and our proposals have his full support and indeed represent his wishes.
Already we have handed over prime responsibility for security to the Iraqi authorities in Al Muthanna and Dhi Qar. Now in Basra, over the coming months, we will transfer more of the responsibility directly to Iraqis. None of this will mean a diminution in our combat capability. The actual reduction in Forces will be from the present 7,100 - itself down from over 9,000 two years ago and 40,000 at the time of the conflict - to roughly 5,500. However, with the exception of Forces which will remain at Basra Palace the British Forces will be located at Basra Air Base and be in a support role. They will transfer Shaibah Logistics Base, the Old State Building and the Shaat Al'Arab Hotel to full Iraqi control.
The British Forces that remain in Iraq will have the following tasks
* training and support to Iraqi Forces
* securing the Iraq/Iran border
* securing supply routes
and, above all, the ability to conduct operations against extremist groups and be there in support of the Iraq Army when called upon.
Over time and depending naturally on progress and the capability of the ISF, we will be able to draw down further, possibly to below 5,000 once the Basra Palace site has been transferred to the Iraqis in late summer. We hope that Maysan Province can be transferred to full Iraqi control in the next few months and Basra in the second half of the year. The UK military presence will continue into 2008, for as long as we are wanted and have a job to do. Increasingly our role will be support and training, and our numbers will be able to reduce accordingly.
Throughout MND(South East), the UK depends on the steadfastness of our coalition partners - Denmark, Australia, Romania, the Czech Republic and Lithuania. I pay tribute to them. I welcome the continuing Australian role at Tallil in Dhi Qar province. We are keeping in close touch with our allies as the transition proceeds.
The speed at which this happens depends, of course, in part on what we do, what the Iraqi authorities themselves do; but also on the attitude of those we are, together, fighting. Their claim to be fighting for the liberation of their country is a palpable lie. They know perfectly well that if they stopped the terror, agreed to let the UN democratic process work and allowed the natural talent and wealth of the country to emerge, Iraq would prosper. We would be able to leave. It is precisely their intent to eliminate such a possibility.
In truth, this is part of a wider struggle taking place across the region. The Middle East is facing an epochal struggle between the forces of progress and the forces of reaction.
The same elements of extremism trying to submerge Iraq - or Afghanistan for that matter - are the same elements that across the region, stand in the way of a different and better future. None of this absolves us from responsibility. In fact, for too long, we believed that provided regimes were "on our side", what they did to their own people was their own business. We must never forget that Saddam inflicted one million casualties in the Iran-Iraq war and butchered hundreds of thousands of his citizens, including, by chemical weapons attack, wiping out whole villages of people.
We need now to recognize that the spread of greater freedom, democracy and justice to the region is the best guarantee of our future security as well as the region's prosperity. That is why peace between Israel and Palestine is not an issue inhabiting a different domain of policy. It is a crucial part of the whole piece. I shall meet President Abbas later today, talk to Prime Minister Olmert, and within the last 24 hours have had detailed discussions both with President Bush and Secretary Rice. I will once again emphasize the importance of basing the proposed NUG on the Principles of the Quartet. I will also stress our complete and total determination to use the new opportunity to create the chance for peace.
I have always been a supporter of the State of Israel. I will always remain so. But for the sake of Israel as well as for all we want to achieve in the Middle East, we need a proper, well functioning, independent and viable State of Palestine.
We should support all those across the region who are treading the path of progress - from the Government of Lebanon, whose Prime Minister courageously holds firm to democracy, to those countries and there are many, who are taking the first fledgling steps to a different and more democratic governance.
As for Iran and Syria, they should not be treated as if the same. There is evidence recently that Syria has realized the threat Al Qaida poses and is acting against it. But its intentions towards Iraq remain ambiguous and towards Lebanon hostile.
The statements emanating from Iran are contradictory, but as the words yesterday of the head of the IAEA indicate, their nuclear weapons ambitions appear to continue. But both countries - though very different - have a clear choice: work with the international community or defy it. They can support peace in Palestine, democracy in Lebanon, the elected Government of Iraq - in which case they will find us willing to respond; or they can undermine every chance of progress, uniting with the worst and most violent elements, in which case they will become increasingly isolated, politically and economically.
But what nobody should doubt is that whatever the debates about tactics, the strategy is clear: to bring about enduring change in the Middle East as an indispensable part of our own enduring security. The poisonous ideology that erupted after 9/11 has its roots there, and is still nurtured and supported there. It has chosen Iraq as the battleground. Defeating it is essential. Essential for Iraq.
But also, now, for us here in our own country. Self-evidently the challenge is enormous. It is the purpose of our enemies to make it so. But our purpose in the face of their threat, should be to stand up to them, to make it clear that however arduous the challenge the values that they represent will not win and the values we represent, will.
COMMENTARY AND RESPONSE:
----------------------------------------------
"An Inglorious but Necessary Retreat"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2018252,00.html
"Assessing Blair's Iraq troop plan"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6381703.stm
"Blair's Challenge on Iraq"
http://www.smh.com.au/news/editorial/blairs-challenge-on-iraq/2007/02/22/1171733944805.html
"Blair Is Right On Troops"
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21269819-7583,00.html
"Blair Mulls Legacy With UK Troop Withdrawal"
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/news/archives/editorial/2007223/103061.htm
"Britain Tiptoes Away in the Dark"
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=79773
"Democrats seize on UK troop cuts"
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/4df971fa-c1e4-11db-ae23-000b5df10621.html
"Iraq troop cuts divide opinion in Washington"
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/3ce681b6-c219-11db-ae23-000b5df10621.html
"Iraqis Welcome British Withdrawal"
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/1F6017E4-AB71-4E0B-A249-964FBBDFFCF8.htm
"A Load of Bunk from the PM's Bunker"
http://comment.independent.co.uk/columnists_a_l/simon_carr/article2293458.ece
"Reality Check as Tony Pulls Out"
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/mashekblog/archive/070222/reality_check_as_tony_pulls_ou.htm#more
"Regional Press Worries About Iraq Withdrawal"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6385575.stm
"The Retreat From Basra"
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2293469.ece
"The Two Believers"
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21271463-24218,00.html
"What Is To Become Of Iraq?"
http://www.observer.gm/enews/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7406&Itemid=26
"White House Press Gaggle"
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/02/20070221-1.html
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.