AUTHOR:
TerrorismCentral Editorial Staff

TITLE:
TerrorismCentral Newsletter - September 16, 2007

SOURCE:
TerrorismCentral, September 16, 2007

TEXT:

This week Afghanistan marked the sixth anniversary of its first suicide bombing; the US marked the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks knowing that it remains vulnerable to a reinvigorated al Qaeda; the 25th anniversary of the 1982 Sabra and Chatila massacre that reflects continued disarray in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East; and it has been 20 years since the Montreal Protocol was launched, and proved successful in repairing the ozone layer. International geopolitical risks, disasters, emerging threats, and the latest transnational crimes are also covered. Recommended Reading summarizes reports on the situation in Iraq and the way forward, from the Iraq Study Group to Petraeus, and the related congressional hearings. Best wishes to those of our readers marking Ramadan and Rosh Hashanah.

3. AML/CFT Monitor

Anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism is not simply an issue of compliance with local regulations. It is a global crime that can only be understood by crossing national or regional boundaries. Subscribers to the monthly AML/CFT Monitor receive information and analysis of worldwide incidents, trends, legal and regulatory issues, modalities, and related topics such as financial fraud and narcoterrorism.
http://secure.netsolhost.com/573566.585211/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TP
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AML/CFT Incidents/Cases
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Barry Christopher Bird has been charged in Australian court with using internet cafes to illegally access Australian bank accounts, and launder more than A$100,000 through a syndicate of mules.
http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/15/2033836.htm

Colombian authorities arrested Diego Leon Montoya Sanchez, the principal leader of the North Valley Cartel.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/10/AR2007091000836.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2430913.ece
http://miami.fbi.gov/pressrel/2007/mm20070910.htm
http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/fugitives/montoya.htm

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif flew home , where he was arrested for a money laundering offense, and immediately deported to Saudi Arabia. Pakistan's accountability court adjourned a money laundering hearing against Sharif and members of his family.
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/14/top11.htm
http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=118038
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/10/world/asia/10cnd-pakistan.html

Former Philippine President Joseph Estrada has been found guilty of plunder in connection with embezzling some $85 million, from illegal gambling, tax kickbacks, and bribery, before he was forced out of office in 2001. He has been sentenced to life in prison.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view_article.php?article_id=88209
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/60116/Sandigan-forfeits-Eraps-Velarde-accounts-Boracay-mansion

The Russian intelligence service FSB claims that Arab members of al Qaeda were paid to launch attacks in the southern republic of Ingushetia.
http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2007/09/11/8843.shtml

Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi met in Djibouti last Sunday with businessman Abukar Omar Adan, the primary financier of the Union of Islamic Courts. He says he has cut his ties to the militants.
http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/10_killed_in_Somalia_attacks_including_family_of_four.shtml

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has shut down 40 local and international companies with proven involvement in money laundering and proliferation of dual use and dangerous materials banned under a number of international instruments.
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/09/10/10152629.html

The US Department of Justice has decided not to seek terrorism-related charges against five former officials of Chiquita, involving illegal payments to Colombian paramilitaries.
http://www.chiquita.com/chiquita/announcements/releases/pr070911a.asp
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118960240072225072.html

In Florida Maricel Li was sentenced to 24 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and $556,519.85 in restitution. Associate Marta Perez was sentenced to five months in prison and two years of supervised release. They pleaded guilty to structuring financial transactions in connection with healthcare fraud.
http://miami.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel07/mm20070907a.htm

Ned Davis Maraman Jr pleaded guilty in Tennessee court to money laundering and wire fraud in connection with fraudulent invoices.
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_113270.asp
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AML/CFT Legislation and Regulation
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Algeria is working with French and US experts to address close ties between terrorists and drug trafficking in the country.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2007/09/12/feature-02
http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2007/sep/10/close_link_between_laundering_terrorist_financing_says_algerian_official.html

Argentine President Nestor Kirchner has approved a national AML/CFT agenda.
http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B4B26AD97-184E-487B-B818-281E718E4225%7D&language=EN

The Australian Institute of Criminology reports that crime in Australia in 2004 generated between A$2.8 billion and A$6.3 billion, with a likely figure of A$4.5 billion.
http://www.aic.gov.au/media/2007/20070913.html

Cash declaration regulations have come into force in the Cayman Islands.
http://www.caycompass.com/cgi-bin/CFPnews.cgi?ID=1024985

The UN counterterrorism committee has faulted India for not cracking down on informal channels of terrorist financing, such as hawala.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/Are_We_Ready_Yet/articleshow/2360094.cms

The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development And Transparency (PILDAT) has demanded that the National Assembly and its finance committee pass the Anti-Money Laundering Bill that has been pending for two years.
http://www.pildat.org/eventsdel.asp?detid=210

Panamanians are paying close attention to the possible extradition of former dictator Manual Noriega to France.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0912/p07s02-woam.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2165809,00.html

After former Philippines President Joseph Estrada was convicted of plunder, the question of whether the Anti-Money Laundering Council will file money laundering charges against him has arisen, as plunder is one of the predicate crimes.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=92336

Russia President Putin's pick for the new Prime Minister was the head of the money laundering watchdog, Viktor Zubkov.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a3fbKlvDas00

A South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) working group will meet later this month to study ways to check the growing menace of terrorism financing.
http://www.asianewsnet.net/news.php?aid=12260

South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service has lowered the daily limit for ATM transfers from 50 million won to 30 million, and the limit for a single withdrawal will remain at one million won.
http://english.fss.or.kr/

Sri Lanka's Minister of Highways and Road Development, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, claims that Norway is arming and financing the Tamil Tigers through Eritrea.
http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/7396

Newcastle Business School finance expert Dr Jackie Harvey has analyzed asset recovery data reported by the Home Office, finding no evidence to support the volume of reported money laundering.
http://www.newcastlebusinessschool.co.uk/news-moneylaundering07.aspx
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2938993.ece

FATF released "Switzerland: Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes--FATF Recommendations for Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism". As a first order international financial services center, Switzerland's main source of criminal proceeds is from economic crime. The country is compliant or largely compliant with most FATF recommendations, but needs to improve customer due diligence and to develop due diligence provisions for correspondent banking. Other financial sectors also need to be brought under the regulatory umbrella. It is too early to see results of CFT legislation, and suspicious activity reporting must be made explicit for suspicious activities related to terrorism.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2007/cr07309.pdf (summary)
http://www.fatf-gafi.org/dataoecd/29/11/35670903.pdf (full report in French)

Tanzania's Institute of Finance Management, Center for Advanced Studies in Corporate Governance, Entrepreneurship and Finance (CASCEF) director Professor Tadeo Satta says that the problem of financial crime is increasing worldwide, as "external fraudsters, dishonest staff, money launders, terrorists and other criminals had upped their annihilation activity on the finance industry, in some cases using it to facilitate their illegal activities".
http://www.ippmedia.com/ipp/guardian/2007/09/14/98361.html

Measurements of drug contamination on British banknotes are being used to link them to crimes.
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2005/July/06070502.asp
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6993853.stm

Ramadan has begun, with no resolution for the Muslim community in the US that wants to meet its religious obligations of charity.
http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6147&Itemid=88

US financial rules and regulations related to digital currency exchange agents are unclear.
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=37172
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AML/CFT Modalities
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Al Qaeda is adopting corporate-style takeovers to co-opt regional affiliate groups, and broaden its reach and capabilities.
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-fg-alqaeda16sep16,0,2624709.story

In Algeria real estate has become a safe haven for money laundering.
http://www.elkhabar.com/FrEn/lire.php?ida=80726&idc=52

The Australian Institute of Criminology finds that fraud is the greatest source of laundered funds, followed by the illegal drug trade. Money laundering to, from or within Australia was frequently through structuring transactions to avoid reporting requirements, using accounts in false names and cash smuggling, and made its way to real estate, further criminal activities, and to a lesser extend, luxury goods, and legitimate business.
http://www.aic.gov.au/crc/reports/200304-33.pdf

This article describes how Fatah al-Islam, a Palestinian militant group in Lebanon, attempted to affiliate itself with Al Qaeda, largely to obtain financial and military support, but was turned down after an al Qaeda expert determined that Lebanon is not "a land of jihad".
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/II15Ak02.html

4. Emerging Threat Monitor

Climate change, pandemics, and global economic imbalances are just a few of the threats emerging in this 21st century. Subscribers to the Emerging Threat Monitor stay a step ahead with monthly analysis of trends and responses worldwide. It offers executives a heads-up of new risks, and details of the policies and best practices gleaned from every country around the globe.
http://secure.netsolhost.com/573566.585211/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TP
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ETM Corruption and Transnational Crime
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"Governance Matters 2007: Worldwide Governance Indicators 1996-2006" reports aggregate indicators for 212 countries in the dimensions of voice and accountability; political stability and absence of violence; government effectiveness; regulatory quality; rule of law; and control of corruption. Denmark ranks the best overall, at 100, while Burma comes in dead last at zero.
http://info.worldbank.org/governance/wgi2007/

The Volcker Panel Review of the World Bank's Institutional Integrity Department finds that the bank is ambivalent in the way it views anti-corruption work, which often is not taken seriously. The Bank has a siege mentality that resists anti-corruption investigators, which are often at odds with a vulture focused on seeking lending opportunities and making loans.. The panel calls for the anti-corruption unit to be stripped of key responsibilities and placed under new oversight.
http://www.independentpanelreview.com/
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aKcwkA66FJEc
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118964274677625838.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/13/AR2007091302396.html

Bolstered by the push to corporate transparency, shareholder activism is making new gains in the boardroom.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2007-09-06-shareholders-fight_N.htm

The Tribunal of Inquiry Into Certain Planning Matters and Payments ("Mahon Tribunal"), has taken testimony from Ireland's Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, who denies any financial improprieties, but acknowledges that he has not provided complete information. He completed two days of testimony, and will return for a third.
http://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqt=NEWS+FEATURES-qqqs=news-qqqid=26488-qqqx=1.asp
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/ireland/politics/article2951418.ece
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/frontpage/2007/0914/1189076335486.html
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/0914/breaking39.htm

Indonesia's Supreme Court has ordered Time magazine to pay $106 million for defaming former dictator Suharto by claiming that he and his family had stolen billions in Indonesian state assets, and secreted them abroad. Indonesian prosecutors have filed a civil action, attempting to recover missing state funds. Time will appeal the judgment against it.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118950429660523704.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6283322.stm
http://www.time.com/time/asia/asia/magazine/1999/990524/cover1.html

Kenyan Justice Minister Martha Karua on Tuesday accused rich countries of frustrating the war on corruption by shielding wealth looted from poor states, and applying a double standard in transnational crime by focusing on terrorism and drug trafficking.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200709111002.html

On Thursday, Kenya's parliament passed a law to limit the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) to investigate alleged crimes committed only after 2003. Both the notorious Goldenberg and Anglo Leasing scams predate this, and it may now be impossible to prosecute corrupt politicians implicated in these and other serious cases. The government is now accusing the opposition of limiting KACC's power, and the public is angry.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200709131218.html
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL14884660.html
http://allafrica.com/stories/200709141053.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6992737.stm
http://allafrica.com/stories/200709131095.html
http://www.tikenya.org/
http://www.kacc.go.ke/

Former Philippine President Joseph Estrada has been sentenced to life in prison for corruption during his time in office.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=92260

The Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996 requires agency audits. An AP analysis shows that many federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, lack even basic accounting standards, making it impossible to complete an audit, and leaving them vulnerable to waste, fraud, and abuse.


Texas oil billionaire Oscar Wyatt has gone on trial in the US for allegedly have paid millions in kickbacks to Iraqi government officials under the UN oil-for-food program.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/biz/5122356.html
http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN0547173520070905
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/August07/chalmersdionissievbayoiloilforfoodpleaspr.pdf
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ETM Economies and Financial Systems
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Director-General Pascal Lamy opening the Conference on Multi-lateralizing Regionalism. He said that the point is not whether regionalism is a good or a bad thing, but that "we need to look at the manner in which RTAs operate, and what effects they have on trade opening and on the creation of new economic opportunities... we also need to reflect on whether regionalism is causing harm to multilaterally-based trading relationships."
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/sppl_e/sppl67_e.htm
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/region_e/conference_sept07_e.htm
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/region_e/region_e.htm
http://www.tni.org/detail_pub.phtml?know_id=176&menu=

The UN has launched the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Africa Steering Group, bringing together top officials from the African Union, European Union, African Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Bank to tackle the failure to meet major MDGs adopted in 2000.
http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2734
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sg2131.doc.htm
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

The International Monetary Fund's European Department discussed "Integrating Europe's Financial Markets". Here is a transcript of the press briefing:
http://www.imf.org/external/np/tr/2007/tr070910.htm

The EU High Level Conference on Legal Migration was held on 13 September. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Secretary General Angel Gurria presented "Gaining from Migration: Towards a New Mobility System". The report finds that migrant-sending countries, migrant-receiving countries, and migrants themselves can all benefit. To establish positive labor mobility, the report recommends policies that frame high-skilled migration flows within partnerships between sending and receiving countries. This encourages repatriation of skills and knowledge - brain circulation - rather than brain drain, when the knowledge does not flow back. It also recommends that host countries integrate low-skilled migrants into economies and societies, and harness the energies of diaspora networks, commercial banks and other businesses.
http://www.oecd.org/document/39/0,3343,en_2649_201185_36427431_1_1_1_1,00.html

Speaking before a conference, EU Justice Commissioner Frattini called immigration enrichment, not a threat. The European Commission adopted its third report on migration and integration.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/07/526
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1314

The Transnational Institute released "The EU-Mexico Free Trade Agreement Seven Years On: A warning to the global south". It finds:
"When the EU-Mexico Free Trade Agreement (FTA) came into force in 2000, the then EU trade commissioner Pascal Lamy touted its significance for the future of Europe’s trade strategy. It has since served as a model for further Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (IPPAs) between the EU and Latin American countries and regions. Seven years on, though, the impact of the EU-Mexico FTA is clear. Instead of the promised economic and social benefits, the treaty has left the Mexican state unable to implement policies to promote local small and medium size companies. Mexico’s finance sector is now at the mercy of EU capital, while across various economic sectors the FTA has worked to the benefit of European transnational corporations and to the detriment of Mexican industries. The Mexican example should serve as a warning to other countries in the global South, argue Rodolfo Aguirre Reveles and Manuel Perez Rocha. Where reciprocal trade and investment agreements are made between highly unequal economic actors, these damage national and local economic development and benefit only a handful of transnational corporations."

In the UK, panicking Northern Rock customers have withdrawn about GBP 2 billion, despite Financial Services Authority (FSA) assurances that the bank is solvent, meets all capital requirements, and has a good quality loan book. The Bank of England provided the bank with a liquidity facility, associated with global economic turbulence associated with the US credit crunch following the collapse of sub-prime mortgages. Despite government reassurances, economic fears continue, and Northern Rock is preparing to be sold.
http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Library/Communication/Statements/2007/nr15.shtml
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/financial_services/regulating_financial_services/fin_rfs_mou.cfm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/09/15/cnrock115.xml
http://money.guardian.co.uk/news_/story/0,,2169950,00.html
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a1WB2DqmoXTo
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/09/16/cnrock116.xml

Employment law firm Peninsula claims that employees are wasting 233 million hours a month in social networking. Previously, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) issued advice calling for policies over the use of social networking sites, as well as email and web use - not an outright ban.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6989100.stm
http://www.tuc.org.uk/law/tuc-13641-f0.cfm
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ETM Environment and Climate Change
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Clean Up the World Weekend started on Friday. This year's theme is "Our Climate, Our Actions, Out Future". Some 35 million people are participating in activities ranging from litter removal to tree planting to water conservation to promote sustainable living.
"http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=517&ArticleID=5661&l=en
http://www.cleanuptheworld.org/en

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, one of the most successful environmental agreements, celebrated its 20th anniversary.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1334
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?ArticleID=5666&DocumentID=518&l=en
http://www.uneptie.org/ozonaction/events/20thanniversary.htm
http://ozone.unep.org/Publications/MP_Handbook/Section_1_The_Montreal_Protocol/index.shtml

The Blacksmith Institute released the World's Worst Polluted Places 2007: Sumgayit, Azerbaijan; Linfen, China; Tianying, China; Sukinda, India; Vapi, India; La Oroya, Peru;  Dzerzhinsk, Russia; Norilsk, Russia; Chernobyl, Ukraine; and Kabwe, Zambia. The worst places are home to millions.
http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/ten.php

Life on Earth is disappearing fast and will continue to do so unless urgent action is taken. The World Conservation Union's 2007 IUCN Red List reports that the number of species threatened with extinction has risen from 16,118 last year to a record 41,415. The total number of extinct species has reached 785 and a further 65 are only found in captivity or in cultivation.
http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/redlist2007/index_redlist2007.htm

At a time when CO2 emissions are being blamed for climate change, the oil industry finds itself indebted to it because the little-known practice of storing greenhouse gas underground allows many oil companies to produce more oil for depleted fields.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0911/p03s03-wogi.htm

Bonn Projects that increase the burning efficiency of fossil fuels can now qualify for registration under the Kyoto Protocol’s clean development mechanism (CDM).
http://unfccc.int/files/press/news_room/press_releases_and_advisories/application/pdf/20070914_cdm_press_release_fuel_efficiency_projects.pdf

The water hyacinth, a free-floating perennial aquatic plant native to tropical South America, is suffocating Kenya's Lake Victoria, the second-largest fresh-water lake in the world, causing serious harm to the local economy, particularly fishing.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74270

The National Research Council reviewed the US Climate Change Science Program. Their report finds that the program has made good progress in documenting and understanding changes that are occurring on a global scale, but less progress has been made in the study of regional impacts, human vulnerabilities, and mitigation and adaptation options. This information is poorly communicated to national and local decision makers.
http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11934

Federal district judge for Vermont William Sessions III rejected challenges from automobile manufacturers against rules in California, Vermont, and a dozen other states that set rules to reduce greenhouse emissions, in addition to any set by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
http://www.vtd.uscourts.gov/Supporting%20Files/Cases/05cv302.pdf
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0914/p01s02-usgn.htm
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=afgTAJGgJh5A
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/13/business/environ.php
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ETM Human Rights
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The European Declaration for Tolerance was adopted on 9/11. The dominant interpretation of Islamic doctrine prohibits renunciations of faith, and many who have done so have been threatened. This declaration draws attention to freedom of religion within Islamic culture. A committee of former Muslims has been founded in the Netherlands.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2779524,00.html
http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/dut070911mc

China's firewall is more porous than previously believed, particularly when many users are online.
http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8321

Black consciousness leader Steve Biko died in prison in apartheid South Africa on 12 September 30 years ago, but remains an historical icon.
http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=560259

http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL12524446.html
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=319023
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6989160.stm

Comparisons are drawn between the apartheid South African doctors who covered up Biko's murder, and US physicians who abet abuse at Guantanamo Bay.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200709070644.html
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607614020/fulltext

Switzerland's Federal Commission of Racial Discrimination finds that the current process of naturalization is discriminatory and racist.
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2961294.ece

The Pew Research Center finds radical differences between news headlines chosen by citizens from that of editors.
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/590/digg-reddit-delicious

The US State Department has launched the 2007 International Religious Freedom Report. It identifies the following countries of particular concern for having engaged in particularly severe violations of religious freedom: Burma (Myanmar), China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan.
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/
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ETM Infectious Diseases
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Democratic Republic of Congo has been struck by another occurrence of the deadly hemorrhagic fever Ebola, for which there is no cure, and the causative factors are unknown. More than 170 people have died. The search is on for about 100 people close to the victims, who may be ill. Depending on the strain of Ebola, it kills between 50 an d90 percent of those infected. Neighboring Uganda is on alert for fear the disease could spread. Uganda is already struggling with an outbreak of Marburg hemorrhagic fever.
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2007_09_11/en/index.html
http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/news09121.php

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/index.html
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74300

South African Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang falsely claimed that a 2001 constitutional court judgment limited the department to implementing only monotherapy nevirapine to HIV-positive pregnant mothers. However, dual therapy as a minimum treatment is reportedly due for approval in the near future.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=318959
http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2180874,00.html (in Afrikaans)
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/Aids_Focus/0,,2-7-659_2180881,00.html
http://www.doh.gov.za/docs/hivaids-progressrep.html
http://www.tac.org.za/
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=125&art_id=nw20070911185708559C776237
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/10/africa/AF-GEN-South-Africa-AIDS.php

"Influenza Pandemic: Further Efforts Are Needed to Ensure Clearer Federal Leadership Roles and an Effective National Strategy" is a new report from the US Government Accountability Office that calls for the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services develop rigorous testing, training, and exercises for pandemic influenza to ensure that federal leadership roles and responsibilities are clearly defined, understood, and work effectively. They also call for the Homeland Security Council, which issued a National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza, to set a timeframe for updating their 2006 Implementation Plan, involve key nonfederal stakeholders, and more fully address the characteristics of an effective national strategy.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-781

The House Committee on Homeland Security released, "The 2007 XDR-TB Incident: A Breakdown at the Intersection of Homeland Security and Public Health". The report finds that many of the problems experienced in the Andrew Speaker case have not been remedied. It provides a timetable, identifies process weaknesses, and makes several recommendations. Chairman Thompson said, "This was a real world incident, and there was a breakdown at the intersection of homeland security and public health. The government has numerous plans and policies in place to secure our communities, but they just didn’t follow the playbook. This certainly raises questions about our homeland security if the government had this much trouble countering TB, let alone countering terrorism."
http://homeland.house.gov/SiteDocuments/tbreport.pdf
http://homeland.house.gov/press/index.asp?ID=263&SubSection=0&Issue=0&DocumentType=0&PublishDate=0

Oregon Health and Science University researchers report that smallpox vaccinations last for decades.
http://www.eblue.org/article/PIIS0190962207007803/abstract
http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKTON27396920070912
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ETM Legal Systems
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International legal experts are discovering climate change law, and the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu is a case in point: The Polynesian archipelago is doomed to disappear beneath the ocean. Now lawyers are asking what sort of rights citizens have when their homeland no longer exists.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,505819,00.html

"Above the Law: Police accountability in Angola" is a new Amnesty International report that reveals despite human rights training for Angolan police, officers continue to violate human rights, but in nearly all documented cases, no investigations were carried out, no disciplinary proceedings followed, and no suspected perpetrators were brought to justice.
http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGAFR120052007

Liberia's juvenile justice system is in tatters
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74205

In a rare break from the president, Uganda's commissioner of prisons Johnson Byabashaija opposes capital punishment and thinks some of the 520 or so death row inmates are innocent.
http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/news09123.php

An interim report in the independent review of policing in England and Wales finds that police must be given more freedom from red tape and paperwork.
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news/flanagan-interim-report
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ETM Natural Resources
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Mining is closely associated with earth's most polluted sites.
http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/ten.php
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1661031_1661028_1661020,00.html
http://www.afrol.com/articles/22087

Melting ice has opened the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic, which may prove to be a less expensive alternative to the Panama Canal for shippers.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=6e47ea9c-fc8e-4b79-acd1-492cb8e27fb6&k=7472
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMYTC13J6F_index_0.html

Iraq's carefully drafted compromise on a draft oil law appears to have collapsed. Kurds have proceeded to sign contracts under their own regional oil law, under the current constitution. The Kurdish Regional Government has demanded that the oil minister resign, following his remarks that these contracts are illegal.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/13/africa/13baghdad.php

http://www.slate.com/id/2174011/
http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/2005/issue3/Iraqiconstitution/constitution.html
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ETM Populations
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The UN General Assembly has adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 143 voted in favor and 11 abstained. Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States voted against the non-binding text, which sets out the individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples, as well as their rights to culture, identity, language, employment, health, education and other issues. More than 370 million indigenous people live in 70 countries worldwide.
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/declaration.html

Members of Canada's Six Nations maintained a blockade in southwestern Ontario to protest developments on land they say they own. One man was hospitalized with serious head injuries following a confrontation with what is believed to be one or more native protestors. Canada is one of only four nations that voted against the indigenous rights declaration.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=e725a044-026f-461e-998d-649fcacdc693&k=8990
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=eb345ff8-d73e-4b4d-98b7-81d483b03233&k=45476

Under the guise of the war on drugs and terror, the way is being cleared for major economic interests in Colombia's Lower Putumayo. In "Petroleum and Conflict in Cofan Territory: Spraying, displacement and economic interests", the Transnational Institute examines the impact of coca cultivation, petroleum activity and the armed conflict on the ancestral territory of the Cofan community.
http://www.tni.org/detail_page.phtml?&&act_id=17235

The German cabinet decided last month to stop subsidizing the hard-coal mining industry by 2018. For miners, it means a beloved tradition and a way of life is coming to an end.
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evw7nbI458jhcaI1

In the past 10 days the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has recorded the arrival of 12 boats carrying 925 Somalis, Ethiopians and others. At least 56 Africans have died violently, some reportedly beaten or doused with acid by smugglers, as the new season of people smuggling gathers steam across the Gulf of Aden in a perilous exodus that takes tens of thousands of Somalis and Ethiopians to Yemen every year, after summer storms subside. So far this year more than 10,000 people have reportedly arrived in Yemen in 103 boats. At least 282 people died and 159 remain missing and presumed dead. In 2006, nearly 29,000 people were recorded arriving in Yemen in 237 boats, at least 328 died and 310 others were recorded as missing. Somalis registered at the UNHCR's reception centre in Yemen said they left due to conflict, arbitrary killings, the threat of detention, drought and lack of work. Somalis account for half the migrant flow and most have fled conflict in southern and central parts of the country, including Mogadishu, the capital. There are nearly 90,000 registered refugees in Yemen, almost all of them Somalis.
http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46ea55294.html
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ETM Social Responsibility
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Grant Thornton LLP completed a corporate responsibility survey that finds business executives believe such programs can be profitable and help achieve strategic goals:
* 77 percent expect corporate responsibility initiatives to have a major impact on their business strategies over the next several years.
* 77 percent anticipate more spending on environmental programs
* 50 percent expect greater allocation to social responsibility programs
* 45 percent say economic/governance initiatives will see more funding
* 19 percent report having a single point person in charge of all their corporate responsibility programs.
* 68 percent say they expect environmental responsibility reporting to be mandatory within the next three to five years, yet 55 percent say they have no plans to do any kind of corporate responsibility reporting.
* The four greatest obstacles to successful execution of corporate responsibility programs are: focus on quarterly earnings or other short-term targets, cost of implementation, measuring and quantifying ROI, and a non-supportive corporate culture.
* The three greatest benefits of enacting corporate responsibility programs are: improves public opinion, improves customer relations and attracts/retains talent.
* 72 percent believe that government should regulate companies for their effect on the environment
* 56 percent said companies should be regulated for their effect on human rights and labor practices.
* 70 percent of respondents foresee increased government regulation for environmental responsibility in five years or less.
* 62 percent believe that pressure to pursue corporate responsibility programs in the future will come chiefly from consumers (45 percent) and investors (21 percent).
* 64 percent believe that the human resources department should take on social programs;  50 percent say operations should be in charge of environmental initiatives; and 57 percent say finance should be responsible for economic responsibility programs.
http://www.grantthornton.com/portal/site/gtcom/menuitem.550794734a67d883a5f2ba40633841ca/

Big-name hotel chains like Hilton Hotels Corp., Marriott International, and Starwood are striving to become more environmentally friendly, with mixed results.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118946977050123233.html

Corporate Social Responsibility is a relatively new concept in the Middle East. This article describes Cisco's efforts to target human capital in the MENA region.
http://www.ameinfo.com/132189.html
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ETM Technology
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The European Commission has become the world's largest public investor in nanotechnology.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1321

The British Association's annual Festival of Science this week covered everything from bias in animal experiments and bungee jumping to terrorism tracking and the science of chocolate.
http://www.the-ba.net/the-ba/Events/FestivalofScience/index.html

Chief science advisor Sir David King has outlined seven principles in a universal ethical code for scientists, similar to the Hippocratic Oath for physicians:
* Act with skill and care, keep skills up to date
* Prevent corrupt practice and declare conflicts of interest
* Respect and acknowledge the work of other scientists
* Ensure that research is justified and lawful
* Minimize impacts on people, animals and the environment
* Discuss issues science raises for society
* Do not mislead; present evidence honestly
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6990868.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/footandmouth/story/0,,2167888,00.html
http://www2.cst.gov.uk/cst/reports/#11

Developments in multi-dimensional imaging are improving facial recognition, not only for surveillance, but even to diagnose rare genetic conditions.
http://www.the-ba.net/the-ba/Events/FestivalofScience/FestivalNews/_areyousure.htm
http://www.the-ba.net/the-ba/Events/FestivalofScience/FestivalNews/_Facinguptogenetics.htm

Voice synthesis will soon be identical to that of a human speaker, presenting new opportunities for terrorist weapons, and new issues of social responsibility.
http://www.the-ba.net/the-ba/Events/FestivalofScience/FestivalNews/_virtualvoices.htm

US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers wanted a simple, quick method for making thin films of block copolymers or BCPs (chemically distinct polymers linked together) in order to have decent samples for taking measurements important to the microelectronics industry. What they got for their efforts was an unexpected bonus: a unique annealing process that may make practical the use of BCP thin films for patterning nanoscale features in next-generation microchips and data storage devices.
http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/nalefd/2007/7/i09/abs/nl071354s.html

At the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) and the Hahn-Meitner Institute in Berlin, Germany, a team of international physicists used intense beams of neutrons to probe a series of antiferromagnets, materials in which each spin - an intrinsic property of an atom that produces a tiny magnetic field called a magnetic "moment" - cancels another, giving the material a net magnetic field of zero. The results revealed evidence of a rare and poorly understood "quantum paramagnetic" spin state, in which neighboring spins pair up to form "entangled spin singlets" that have an ordered pattern and that allow the material to weakly respond to an outside magnetic field - i.e., become paramagnetic. This state has been postulated as a possible underlying mechanism for high-temperature superconductivity, may eventually serve as a test of current and future theoretical models of exotic spin states.
http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nmat1986.html
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ETM Weapons (WMD, Proliferation)
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IAEA Director General ElBaradei said that the international community has taken on board a variety of international instruments relevant to nuclear security, and he welcomed the rapid entry into force of the International Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. However, progress on ratifying the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material remains slow, with only 11 of 128 states accepting it.
http://untreaty.un.org/English/Terrorism/English_18_15.pdf
http://untreaty.un.org/English/Terrorism/Conv6.pdf

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that Iran has resolved certain matters regarding its nuclear program, but other important issues need to be verified. Iran has, for the first time, agreed on a plan with a defined timeline to do this. Iran's refusal to suspend enrichment activities remains problematic. IAEA Director General ElBaradei called again for a double time-out, in which both enrichment and sanctions would be suspended, providing a breathing space for resumed negotiations. Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani warned that further sanctions against Iran, as the US has pushed for, would endanger cooperation.
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Statements/2007/ebsp2007n013.html
http://www.live-pr.com/en/iranian-president-warns-against-security-r1048143858.htm
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-09/12/content_6101739.htm

A team of Chinese, Russian and US experts arrived in North Korea on Tuesday for discussions on how to disable North Korea's nuclear facilities. Inspections took two days, and the experts said the visit was useful. Efforts continue to develop strategies for nuclear disablement, including provisioning fuel to North Korea.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-09/11/content_6704484.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-09-13-nuclear-nkorea_N.htm?csp=34


US officials, relying largely on Israeli reports, suspect that North Korea may be assisting Syria and Iran to build nuclear installations.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/12/AR2007091202430.html
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/903398.html
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3448829,00.html
http://www.nypost.com/seven/09132007/news/worldnews/syrias_nuclear_threats.htm
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/903688.html

Following last week's conviction in South Africa of a German engineer involved in nuclear proliferation, South African IAEA envoy Abdul Minty called on the international community to do more to crack down on parts of the AQ Khan nuclear supermarket that are still operating. South Africa has no plans to immediately share information on nuclear smuggling with other countries.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=318922
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=319060

IAEA released the latest report of nuclear and radiological trafficking, from the Illicit Trafficking Database (ITDB), which finds theft and loss of nuclear and other radioactive materials remain a persistent problem. More than 250 incidents involving unauthorized possession and related criminal activities, theft or loss of nuclear or other radioactive materials, and other activities such as unauthorized disposal of radioactive materials were reported to ITDB last year, of which 150 occurred in 2006 and the rest mainly in 2005. Of the 150 incidents that occurred in 2006, 14 involved unauthorized possession and related criminal activities and can be described as illicit trafficking, containing such factors as illegal possession, movement, or attempts to illegally trade in the materials. The majority of these incidents involved sealed radioactive sources and the materials included natural uranium, depleted uranium, and thorium. In January 2007, Georgia reported to the ITDB an incident that occurred in February 2006 and involved the seizure of 79.5 grams of 89 per cent-enriched uranium. Another 85 incidents in 2006 involved thefts, losses or misrouting of nuclear or other radioactive materials. Eight of these incidents involved high-risk dangerous radioactive sources that are classified as Category 2 and 3. Another 51 reported incidents involved various types of material recovery showing no direct evidence of criminal behavior, such as detection of materials disposed of in an unauthorized way.
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2007/itdb.html

The International Institute for Strategic Studies released "Strategic Survey 2007". It predicts that nuclear proliferation and terrorism will remain priorities next year. Addressing North Korea and Iran, they summarize:
"The nuclear proliferation threats from North Korea and Iran have not abated, but two sets of talks lend an appearance, at least, of amelioration.  The Six-Party Talks process aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula set an ambitious deadline of December for disabling North Korea’s plutonium-related facilities and for a complete declaration of all of its nuclear programs.  Whether any of the ‘disabling’ will be permanent, whether North Korea will acknowledge its uranium enrichment-related activities, whether the US soon will remove North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, and what further price Pyongyang will demand all remain to be seen.  The steps agreed so far also say nothing about North Korea’s nuclear stockpile, estimated to include enough separated plutonium for 5–10 weapons. The work plan announced last month between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) aims to clear up questions about Iran’s past nuclear activities but does nothing to constrain its present activity, as repeatedly demanded by the UN Security Council.  Nevertheless, by demonstrating some cooperation with the inspectors, Iran likely has bought itself several more months of respite from additional Council resolutions.  There is no doubting the penalty that the two current UN sanctions have imposed on Iran’s economy, an economic cost magnified by the market risk-based decisions by many Western businesses and financial institutions to reduce their exposure in Iran.  To date, however, neither incentives nor disincentives have been sufficient to alter Tehran’s strategic decision-making. Throughout the summer, Iran continued to install more uranium gas centrifuges at Natanz - nearly 3,000 to date - and to learn more each day about simultaneously operating multiple cascades of the centrifuges, albeit at very low levels of production.  Less important for now than the actual numbers is how well the centrifuges are working, although both factors affect judgments about when Iran may be able to produce enough highly enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon.   By our calculation, 2009 or 2010 remains the worst-case prediction.  Facing this timeline, those states most concerned about an Iranian weapons capability may argue that patience is not a virtue. Iran could avert a crisis by pausing its program so that serious negotiations could begin and the US could elongate the time-frames if it had a fuller picture of Iran’s genuine capacities. What is certain is that during 2008 policy on Iran will need very refined attention. The principal efforts will be focused on building deeper consensus amongst the permanent members of the UN Security Council. As this develops, it is evident that the US is trying to hedge against diplomatic failure by trying to build the conditions for containment of Iran. Major arms transfers to the region have been proposed, but the question remains what strategic posture the GCC states feel able publicly to adopt towards Iran. Most of the regional leadership would be alarmed by a nuclear Iran, but equally concerned by the consequences to them of any military strike to pre-empt that capacity. The twin worries both about a nuclear Iran and a pre-emptive US strike capture accurately the prisoner’s dilemma to which many Gulf leaders are hostage: Iran is their permanent, but potentially hegemonic neighbor and the US an unpopular but necessary ally. Caught between the two, it is natural for many of the GCC states to hedge, an attitude that makes the development of a containment policy, the natural strategic response to a potentially nuclear Iran, very hard for the US to orchestrate. Whether diplomacy can succeed in postponing the worst-case scenario will be one of the world’s most vexing security challenges for the next 12 months."
http://www.iiss.org/publications/strategic-survey-2007/strategic-survey-2007-press-statement

Communists in the ruling Congress party coalition have warned the government not to proceed with a nuclear cooperation agreement with the US, which they say violates the Common Minimum Program that was agreed in a 2004 compromise.
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=3887

India's Kalpakkam nuclear facility is developing a reactor to use in the first Indian-build nuclear-powered submarine. The secret development is likely to undergo sea trials next year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,,2166611,00.html

South Korea warns that the proposed US-India agreement could set a bad precedent for North Korea.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Rest_of_World/Seoul_warns_US-India_nuke_deal_could_set_bad_example/articleshow/2358935.cms

A new Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) report demonstrates the detrimental impact replacement of the UK's Trident nuclear weapons system would have on employment.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01693.html

Wake Forest University researchers have designed a handheld field instrument that detects and identifies radioactive particles.
http://www.wfu.edu/news/release/2007.09.11.a.php

Vietnam has signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with the US, in which the US will help adopt civilian nuclear energy while controlling proliferation risks.
http://www.nnsa.doe.gov/docs/newsreleases/2007/PR_2007-09-12_NA-07-35.htm

Russian scientist Oleg Maeiannikov is the latest in a growing number of researchers targeted by the intelligence agency FAB for allegedly misusing classified information, in this case for allegedly smuggling a biological material, namely attenuated typhoid vaccine.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/14/europe/EU-GEN-Russia-Scientist-Investigation.php

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Acambis' ACAM2000 live smallpox vaccine for protection of high-risk individuals. This  is the first biodefense vaccine approved as part of the US Strategic National Stockpile, which was established in 2001 to provide medications to the public in the event of a public health emergency or bioterrorism incident.
http://www.acambis.com/default.asp?id=1981
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01693.html

A new report finds that smallpox vaccinations last for decades.
http://www.eblue.org/article/PIIS0190962207007803/abstract
http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKTON27396920070912

Albania is the first nation to eliminate its chemical weapons stockpile.
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2007&m=September&x=20070910122132sjhtrop0.4438898

Cambodia has established a National Authority for the Prohibition of Chemical, Nuclear, Biological and Radiological Weapons, in compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
http://www.opcw.org/pressreleases/2007/PR92_2007.html

The socialist leaders of the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia plus Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer and Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) chief Kurt Beck signed a declaration on Friday, condemning US plans to base its missile defense shield on European soil. Russian and US officials held talks, but the US said there is no change in its plans
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,2782845,00.html?maca=en-bulletin-433-html
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/10/europe/EU-GEN-France-US-Missile-Defense.php

Russia has tested a thermobaric (fuel-air) bomb that is the most powerful in the world, and the largest non-nuclear explosive device, larger than the US Moab. They call it the father of all bombs.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070911/78058645.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6990815.stm

In "Space Based Infrared System High Program and its Alternative" the US Government Accountability Office says that the system for tracking enemy missiles is billions over budget and years behind schedule.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1088R

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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Food prices are rising:
* Maize and wheat prices have shot up to their highest levels since 2000 in the past few months. An increased demand for biofuel production may keep prices above historic levels for the next 10 years and have an impact on food aid.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74287
* Wheat prices have surged to a record of more than $9 per bushel.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6990821.stm
* Millions of Italians took the drastic measure of not eating their customary plate of pasta to protest unjustified increases in staple foods.

* Increased global demand for biofuel has pushed up the already buoyant price of maize in South Africa, forcing aid agencies to procure food from elsewhere to feed an expected more than six million food-insecure people in southern Africa.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74286

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says that with more intense, longer droughts searing ever-larger areas since the 1970s, particularly in the tropics, one of the most important issues facing the world today is the need to ensure food security through the sustainable management of water and soil resources. 2007 has already seen a high number of extreme events, such as droughts in parts of southern Africa leading to a reduction in maize production of about 40 to 60 per cent in Lesotho, Swaziland and Zimbabwe
http://www.wmo.ch/pages/mediacentre/press_releases/pr794_e.html

"Adaptation Planning and Strategies" was a UN workshop held to address the dual role of agriculture as both a culprit and a victim of global climate change, and how to cope with the resulting implications for the viability and productivity of world agro-ecosystems. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) described its efforts to provide creative solutions and alternative approaches, such as introducing crop varieties that can tolerate heat and water stress. In agriculture, the livestock sector alone accounts for an estimated 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and deforestation is responsible for 18 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. Introducing improved livestock management and crop practices, coupled with adaptive management of forests, could have a very significant impact. Adopting land-use practices such as conservation agriculture would also help to maintain significant amounts of carbon in the soil. Rice production may be the main source of anthropogenic methane, producing up to 100 million tons per year, but this crop feeds more than half the world's population, and is often jeopardized by adverse and extreme weather conditions. Different and improved rice varieties with greater salinity tolerance could be beneficial. If food security and environmental considerations are taken into account, the transition to greater use of biofuels could also held reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000654/index.html

Delegates from 109 countries attended the first International Technical Conference on Animal Genetic Resources. They adopted the first internationally agreed framework, including financing for developing states, to halt the erosion of the genetic diversity of livestock, seen as crucial in mitigating the effects of global warming and protecting world food supplies.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000655/index.html

Sustainable Agriculture Action Group (SAAG) representatives raised concerns that Pakistan's current position for protecting key crops would harm small farmers and peasant's livelihood and national food security.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C09%5C16%5Cstory_16-9-2007_pg5_10

Just after British authorities declared foot and disease clear, another outbreak was identified. In this case, the disease was probably spread on the wheels of a tractor or other vehicle, rather than by movement of animals, after leaking through a drain at the Pirbright research facility. Investigations - and culling - continue.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/latest/2007/animal-0914.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6993169.stm
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1470932007
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/15/nfoot115.xml&DCMP=EMC-new_15092007

The US Interagency Working Group on Import Safety has completed their strategic framework document, to begin to address the highest levels of food and product safety. The new strategy shifts from the current point-of-entry intervention model to a prevention with verification model that addresses product safety at every step of the producer to consumer import cycle. They identify six building blocks to support this:
* Advance a common vision
* Increase accountability, enforcement and deterrence
* Focus on risks over the life cycle of an imported product
* Build interoperable systems
* Foster a culture of collaboration
* Promote technological innovation and new science.
http://www.importsafety.gov/report/index.html

The National Academies Board on Health Sciences Policy released "Challenges for the FDA: The Future of Drug Safety, Workshop Summary (2007)", addressing the future of the US Food and Drug Administration.
http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11969#toc

Local government officials and the Washington, D.C., hospitality industry teamed up to hold a food-borne bioterrorism exercise to ensure tourists and residents the industry and government are ready to combat regional emergencies.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20070910/BUSINESS/109100012/1006

Farms and ranches in the western US are increasingly concerned they could become the target of agroterrorism.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-09-10-voa53.cfm

Vietnamese consumers have been hit by a string of food scares involving dangerous pesticides on fruit and vegetables, cancer-causing chemicals in soy sauce, and formaldehyde in the national dish, pho noodle soup.

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CIM Banking and Finance
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Australian police have warned internet banking users not to give out passwords following the arrest of a man who used internet cafes to illegally access accounts.
http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/15/2033836.htm

Community bankers are being strongly encouraged to revise patch management programs because increased vulnerabilities render manual patching dangerously ineffective.
http://www.bankersonline.com/vendor_guru/bankonit/tech_bankonit_082707.html

Ameritrade released details of an investigation into unauthorized "backdoor" code that exposed personal data. They say, "This issue is larger than TD Ameritrade and is something that all companies involved in e-commerce should be aware of and prepared to address. We participate in industry peer groups to share information on these types of threats in the interest of protecting all of our clients".
http://www.amtd.com/newsroom/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=264044
http://www.amtd.com/spam_faq.cfm

Bank of America is introducing one-time passwords and codes for mobile phones or internet banking, adding another level of security.
http://newsroom.bankofamerica.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=7872
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,137057-c,onlinesecurity/article.html

In "Securities and Exchange Commission: Steps Being Taken to Make Examination Program More Risk-Based and Transparent" the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) criticizes the way the SEC's enforcement division manages investigations and the pace at which settlements are distributed to investors.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1053

On Thursday the SEC charged 69 auditors with issuing audit reports on the financial statements of public companies while they were not registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).
http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2007/2007-183.htm
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CIM Chemical
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In the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security hearing on Confronting the Terrorist Threat to the Homeland Six Years After 9/11, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff testified:
"To keep dangerous chemicals out of the hands of terrorists, we have initiated a risk-based chemical security program using the regulatory authority we were granted last year by Congress. In April of this year, we issued an interim final rule that requires chemical companies to assess the risks posed by their facilities and the chemicals they house or produce, and to implement security countermeasures to meet federal chemical security standards. Because we want to approach chemical security comprehensively, we’ve also taken steps to protect dangerous chemicals in transit.  Through agreements with the rail industry, we will reduce the time that rail cars carrying toxic inhalation hazards (TIH) remain at a standstill in rail yards.  Further, last year we proposed regulations to require a positive chain of custody and better tracking capabilities for rail cars transporting TIH and other high-risk hazardous materials.  In addition, we worked closely with the Department of Transportation on its proposed regulations to require rail carriers transporting TIH and other high risk materials to select the safest and most secure routes.  When finalized, these actions will significantly reduce the risk of an airborne chemical threat endangering our cities and major population centers."
http://hsgac.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=479
http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/testimony/testimony_1189515509899.shtm

The American Institute of Chemical Engineers opened its 52nd Annual Safety in Ammonia Plants and Related Facilities Symposium today. It continues through 20 September.
http://www.aiche.org/Conferences/Specialty/Ammonia.aspx
http://www.aiche.org/ammonia
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CIM Commercial Facilities
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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is providing expertise to support the security of major public events against the threat of nuclear terrorism, including ongoing preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. More than 900 items of security equipment were supplied to member states, including border detection equipment for 29 countries. Integrated Nuclear Security Support Plans were completed in 38 countries. Nuclear security training has been provided to some 1,650 individuals from 90 countries in the past year.
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Statements/2007/ebsp2007n013.html

Hundreds of Iraqis staged a protest on Wednesday against the construction of a dividing wall between a Shia and a Sunni area of Baghdad.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6991448.stm

Crackling embers and glowing firebrands might make for a romantic evening in front of the fireplace, but for homeowners in high fire-risk areas, windborne fire material is the stuff of nightmares. To learn how to mitigate such threats, researchers at Japan's Building Research Institute (BRI) and the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have built a firebrand generator that can be used to study the way firebrands ignite structures. The unique device allows for the generation of controlled and repeatable firebrands that can be adjusted to be representative of typical firebrands produced from burning vegetation. NIST and BRI fire engineers recently used the NIST firebrand apparatus to observe, for the first time, the mechanism of firebrand penetration through building vents fitted with screens. The results demonstrated the need to design building vents both in Japan and the United States that can resist firebrands.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-09/nios-nfd091407.php
http://www.emmps.wsu.edu/fire.behavior/

University of Cambridge researcher Dr Keith Seffen provided a new mathematical analysis of the collapse of the World Trade Center that demonstrates once the collapse began, it was destined to be rapid and total. Calculations of the residual capacity of the building to resist the weight of the floors above under collapse conditions was limited, and once collapse had started, it would take only 10 seconds for the building to go down - just a little longer than the free-falling of a coin dropped from the top of either tower. This provides a credible scientific explanation for the totality of the collapse, and counters suggestions that the collapse was a controlled demolition.
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2007091002
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CIM Cybersecurity
--------------------------------------------------
Microsoft issued four security patches in the September update, only one of which was critical.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms07-sep.mspx

A worm targeting Windows PCs is spreading through Skype's instant messenger.



http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/im-worm_w32_skipi_a.shtml
http://www.symantec.com/enterprise/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2007-091011-2911-99

Public exploit code is targeting users with Firefox and Quicktime installed, which threatens to install backdoors and remotely run privileged code.
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/751808
http://www.gnucitizen.org/blog/0day-quicktime-pwns-firefox

Yahoo's Right Media advertising network served millions of banner ads laced with Trojans on social networking and other websites.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/09/banner_ad_trojan_served_on_mys_1.html

Kaspersky analyst Sergey Golovanov describes vulnerabilities in online games.
http://www.viruslist.com/en/analysis?pubid=204791963

Garlik released the UK Cybercrime Report. It found that more than three million online crimes were carried out last year. The UK is hit by one every ten seconds. 60 percent of incidents last year were directed against individuals, and there were more than 90,000 incidents of online identity theft.
https://www.garlik.com/press/Garlik_UK_Cybercrime_Report.pdf

CA released its mid-year threat outlook, warning of internet threats facing home users.
http://ca.com/us/press/release.aspx?cid=154132

Reports that China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) and Russia are hacking foreign governments continue to surface, in what may be the first publicized salvos of a secret multinational cyber war.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,2779880,00.html?maca=en-bulletin-433-html
http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/news/france/20070909-Internet-piracy-france-secuirty-china-hacker.html

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=internetNews&storyid=2007-09-12T044941Z_01_PEK70504_RTRIDST_0_OUKIN-UK-CHINA-INTERNET-SECURITY.XML
http://www.sophos.com/security/blog/2007/09/580.html
http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/analyses/malobfjsc.html
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/06/china_net_attack_uk_us_titan_rain/
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article2409865.ece
http://www.heritage.org/About/Staff/LarryWortzel.cfm
http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/PUB784.pdf

The mechanism for stealing login credentials of foreign embassies, as reported last week, has been traced to the popular Tor privacy program.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/10/misuse_of_tor_led_to_embassy_password_breach/

An IT engineer used another worker's identity to steal about 4,000 documents from a Caterpillar company server in the US.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9035278

TD Ameritrade Holding Corp reports that personal data on six million retail and institutional customers has been compromised following a database intrusion.
http://www.amtd.com/newsroom/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=264044

Gregory Kopiloff has been arrested on a Seattle, Washington, federal grand jury indictment on two counts of Aggravated Identity Theft, and Accessing a Protected Computer Without Authorization to Further Fraud, in connection with using P2P file sharing programs to invade the computers of hundreds of victims across the S to get access to their personal information in tax returns, credit reports, bank statements and student financial aid applications.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/waw/press/2007/sep/kopiloff.html

Many Web-based services, from shopping to online word processing, allow computer programs to talk to each other and exchange user data across several Web sites without human intervention. Many of the attractive features of this Web 2.0, including greater access to information and one-stop transactions that process information from several websites, are at odds with traditional ways of maintaining computer security. A new National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) publication, called "Guide to Secure Web Services”"(NIST Special Publication 800-95), provides details on how to make Web 2.0 more secure while maintaining its flexible and convenient features.
http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-95/SP800-95.pdf.

Recommendations for a new set of requirements intended to make future voting systems more secure, reliable, and easier for all voters to use have been submitted in a 598-page report by an advisory panel to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC). Key new recommendations include guidelines that
* allow auditing of voting system records independently from the voting system’s software,
* allow each voter to verify the accuracy of their vote before leaving the polling station,
* improve voting system reliability and reduce problems with failing machines on election day,
* tighten security measures through digital signatures and other means to protect voting system software against unauthorized alterations, and
* ensure voting systems are relatively easy to use accurately based on the results of laboratory tests in which participants vote in mock elections.
http://www.eac.gov/News/press/docs/09-06-07-draft-voluntary-voting-system-guidelines-delivered-to-eac
http://vote.nist.gov/TGDC.htm
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CIM Dams and Bridges
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Ghana is strengthening security in the two districts spanning the Bui Dam project, including efforts to rid the area of black flies that transmit river blindness.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200709110569.html
http://www.kessbenfm.com/news_read.php?nid=972

Pakistan military officials investigated an explosion in Tarbela, which was a suicide attack. Investigators found that security lapses at the Special Services Group base had allowed the bomber to easily enter, with no check on civilians from adjacent colonies. Employees had rented the majority of those houses to civilians, posing a serious security threat to the country's largest dam.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=10137

The number of problem dams in the US is increasing.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0913/p02s01-usgn.html

The question of how to pay for repairs on the more than 6,000 U.S. bridges that are rated "structurally deficient" has been at the center of a recent House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing, which revealed ideological differences on gas taxes versus congestion pricing and toll lanes, among many other proposals.
http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingdetail.aspx?NewsID=285
http://transportation.house.gov/us%20bridgemap.shtml
http://transportation.house.gov/bridgemaps.shtml
http://public.cq.com/docs/cqt/news110-000002578076.html

Security has increased at California's Crystal Springs Reservoir to thwart attempts to blow up the dam or contaminate the water supply.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/localnews/ci_6870121

Texas has more than 100 high-hazard dams, but the safety information is classified for fear of providing information useful to a terrorist.
http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=7060760&nav=0s3d
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CIM Defense Industrial Base
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India has built its defense industrial base through a network of local suppliers that has lowered costs, but created production vulnerabilities.
http://www.business-standard.com/economy/storypage.php?leftnm=3&subLeft=1&chklogin=N&autono=297565&tab=r

Sri Lanka plans a housing development for armed forces personnel in Anuradhapura district.
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_07/September16145859SL.html

The Defense Systems and Equipment International Exhibition (DSEi) took place in London 11-14 September. It is the UK's largest defense exhibition, and was accompanied by scores of protesters.
http://www.dsei.co.uk/
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/11/europe/EU-GEN-Britain-Arms-Show.php
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6988666.stm

BCB International, a UK-based firm, and Famous Glory Holding, a Chinese company, were thrown out of the biennial DSEi for promoting leg irons for prisoners and battlefield captors.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/armstrade/story/0,,2167067,00.html

The aerospace industry sector is worth GBP 20 billion a year to the UK economy. The Aerospace Wales Forum (AWF) has called on niche manufacturers to diversify and adapt their skills base to meet the needs of the industry, and secure their place in the aerospace supply chain.
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0300business/0100news/tm_headline=adapt-for-aerospace-industry-urged&method=full&objectid=19787812&siteid=50082-name_page.html

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released four defense reports this week:
"Quadrennial Defense Review: Future Reviews Could Benefit from Improved Department Of Defense Analyses and Changes to Legislative Requirements"
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-709
"Defense Infrastructure: Challenges Increase Risks for Providing Timely Infrastructure Support for Army Installations Expecting Substantial Personnel Growth"
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1007
"Military Base Realignments and Closures: Plan Needed to Monitor Challenges for Completing More Than 100 Armed Forces Reserve Centers"
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1040
"Defense Infrastructure: Overseas Master Plans Are Improving, but DOD Needs to Provide Congress Additional Information about the Military Buildup on Guam"
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1015
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CIM Emergency Services
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In Australia's state of Queensland, the new premier Anna Bligh has made resuscitating the crisis-hit ambulance service the first priority.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22424131-3102,00.html
http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=53988

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) laid out a series of benchmarks to ensure that wireless carriers meet E911 location accuracy requirements within five years.
* Memorandum Opinion and Order
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-167A1.pdf
* Public Notice
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-168A1.pdf
* News Release
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-276578A1.pdf
* Martin Statement
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-167A2.pdf
* Copps Statement
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-167A3.pdf
* Tate Statement
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-167A4.pdf

Jiri Boudnik is a Czech architect who has been living in the US for the last 20 years. On 9/11, he witnessed the fall of the Twin Towers from his office in Brooklyn, and rushed to the scene to help. In the days following he continued to assist fireman, ambulance men, and police in their hunt for survivors by designing a computer model of the World Trade Centre as was, to help the rescuers find their way through the rubble.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/95331

In "September 11: Improvements Needed in Availability of Health Screening and Monitoring Services for Responders", the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that six years after the attack on the World Trade Center (WTC), concerns persist about health effects experiences by WTC responders and the availability of health care services for those affected. Several federally funded programs provide screening, monitoring, or treatment services to responders. GAO has previously reported on these programs. The most recent updates finds continued lack of availability particularly for nonfederal responders residing outside of New York City.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1229T

The House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing to examine if enough was done to protect workers from safety and health hazards at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks, and on the role of the city of New York. Testimony indicated that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration failed to protect the log-term health of rescue workers and called for a coherent national strategy.
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/speech/edlabor_dem/RelSep12911workers.html

The US National Fire Protection Association released the 2006 National Fire Experience Survey. It finds that public fire departments responded to 1,642,500 fires, a 2.5 percent increase from 2005, and the highest total since 2002, when fire departments responded to 1,687,500 fires. Also note details of catastrophic multiple-death fires for 2006.
http://www.nfpa.org/publicJournalDetail.asp?categoryID=1487&itemID=35832&src=NFPAJournal
http://www.nfpa.org/publicJournalDetail.asp?categoryID=1487&itemID=35833&src=NFPAJournal

In Arizona, specialty emergency care has been put on call in Tucson.
http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/201488
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/201479.php

Exposure to drug-resistant staph infections is becoming a growing concern for California fire fighters. As more antibiotic-resistant strains have appeared, exposure has become such a concern for emergency responders that many fire fighters are pushing for legislation designating staph infections as a workplace injury.
http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/26580
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CIM Energy
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OPEC members have agreed to increase oil production by 500,000 barrels a day to meet concerns over a growing imbalance between supply and demand.
http://www.opec.org/opecna/Press%20Releases/2007/pr102007.htm

Oil prices hit an all-time high of over $80 per barrel on Wednesday and Thursday, after Hurricane Humberto caused a power failure that closed some refineries, mainly in Texas.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0DD5738D-97B4-4416-BE37-A724B9D4BA3F.htm
http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/12/markets/oil_eia/index.htm


Belarus' energy ministry will spend more than $31 billion on energy security through 2020. Cross subsidy schemes will be transitioned to flexible tariffs.
http://naviny.by/rubrics/inter/2007/09/14/ic_news_259_276942/
http://law.by/work/EnglPortal.nsf/0/116D9DC3F3C9EE70C2257355004750CF?OpenDocument

The European Commission appointed four project coordinators to monitor and facilitate the implementation of four priority energy projects: the high voltage connection France-Spain; the off shore wind connections in the Baltic and North Sea areas; the NABUCCO gas connection; and the power connection between Germany, Poland and Lithuania.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1317

In India energy security is used to both bolster and oppose the government's case for entering into a nuclear cooperation agreement with the US.
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=3&theme=&usrsess=1&id=170006
http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?autono=298106&leftnm=4&subLeft=0&chkFlg=

Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are discussing ways to diversify their export routes, which are currently controlled by Russia.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/11/asia/AS-GEN-Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan-Energy.php

The Nabucco pipeline is a proposed natural gas pipeline that is planned to transport natural gas from Turkey to Austria, via Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary. This week at a conference on the pipeline, EU energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs addressed the project and supply security.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/07/531
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1338
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CIM Government Facilities
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Some Nigerian cabinet ministers have been rejecting their security details.
http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=89060

The UK Commons Defense Committee released "The Work of Defense Estates". The report finds that some armed forces housing is in an appalling condition. The worst need to be corrected as a priority, but it will take decades to bring accommodations to standard. Use of an outside contractor was unsatisfactory and generated confusion over responsibilities.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmselect/cmdfence/535/53502.htm

The Pentagon plans to build a military base near the Iran-Iraq border to try and prevent the flow of weapons by Shia fighters into Iraq.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BC6747CC-8401-4151-9E94-749E6FC0D147.htm
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CIM Information Technology
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First the internet, now the Grid connects computers across the world, creating a giant supercomputer. This was demonstrated at the British Association's annual Festival of Science this week.
http://www.the-ba.net/the-ba/Events/FestivalofScience/FestivalNews/_gridcomputing.htm

The Philippines new chair of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology Ray Anthony Roxas Chua was appointed in August but has not yet reported to the post. When Chua returns from the US in October, he will face a barrage of delayed e-government projects, including voting systems.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view_article.php?article_id=88616
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view_article.php?article_id=88893

Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), a university-research consortium for semiconductors and related technologies, announced a public-private partnership with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to support research and innovation in nanoelectronics, with a goal of developing a radical, yet practical, successor to the basic electronic building blocks in today’s computers.
http://www.src.org/member/news/nist_nri_9_13_07.asp
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view_article.php?article_id=88605

In performing its missions, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) relies extensively on information technology (IT). Recognizing this, DHS’s fiscal year 2006 appropriations act required its Chief Information Officer (CIO) to submit a report to congressional appropriations committees that includes, among other things, an IT human capital plan, and the act directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the report. In "Information Technology: DHS's Human Capital Plan Is Largely Consistent with Relevant Guidance, but Improvements and Implementation Steps Are Still Needed", GAO finds the plan is largely consistent with federal guidance and associated best practices; however, it does not fully address 15 important practices that GAO examined. GAO suggests that completion and implementation of a comprehensive plan is imperative.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-425
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CIM National Monuments and Icons
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Robert Fisk writes of the human urge to "smash history into tiny pieces".
http://news.independent.co.uk/fisk/article2941871.ece

Pro-Taleban militants in northwest Pakistan detonated a bomb on Tuesday, damaging a rock engraved with images of Buddha. The attack recalls the internationally condemned Taleban destruction of Afghanistan's Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pakistan/Bomb_damages_Buddhist_relic_in_Pakistan/articleshow/2359837.cms

US homeland security efforts have improved risk calculations since the days when Washington, DC, was classified as at low-risk of terrorist attack, New York City had no national monuments or icons listed on a Department of Homeland Security registry, and Indiana boasted the most potential terror targets of any state.
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9767834
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CIM Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste
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The World Nuclear Symposium was held in London 5-7 September, focused on the theme of "Our Nuclear Future: Converting Vision to Reality". Among the presentations, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei discussed the need for small and medium-sized reactors in developing countries, and James Lovelock focused on respecting the earth.
http://www.wna-symposium.org/index.html

Armenia has positioned nuclear energy as the backbone of the country's energy security. It is negotiating construction with Canada and Russia.
http://armenianow.com/?action=viewArticle&AID=2484&CID=2468&IID=&lng=eng
http://news.trendaz.com/cgi-bin/readnews2.pl?newsId=1003719&lang=EN

Azerbaijan will construct a small reactor in 2009.
http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=35016
http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=23340

Czech power producer CEZ wants to use its capital and experience to help Polish energy group Polska Grupa Energetyczna construct Poland's first nuclear power station.
http://www.abcmoney.co.uk/news/062007130088.htm

India's Principal Scientific Adviser, R Chidambaram, says that nuclear power is inevitable for India to meet its energy security needs.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/13/stories/2007091354631300.htm

Jordan has signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with the US.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/904074.html

Russia has signed control of the Tianwan 2 reactor to China.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKL124808020070912

Russian fuel for Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor is ready, but even after it is delivered, the plant cannot open until at least six months after.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070913/78573966.html

South Korea has approved construction of two APR-1400 nuclear reactors, Shin-Kori 3 and 4. Construction begins in October.
http://www.khnp.co.kr/eng2/index.html

The UK held public consultations in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Newcastle and Norwich regarding the future of nuclear power in the UK. A survey conducted in conjunction with these events found:
* 52 percent of men agreed that it would be in the public interest to give energy companies the option if investing in new nuclear power stations, while only 33 percent of women agreed.
* 52 percent of those over 60 years agreed compared with 39 percent of people aged between 30-44 years
* 88 percent agreed that climate change is a critical challenge for the UK
* 96 percent agreed that ensuring a secure and reliable supply of energy is a critical challenge for the UK
* 90 percent were concerned or very concerned about the creation of new nuclear waste
* 83 percent were concerned or very concerned about safety and security issues
http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=314428&NewsAreaID=2
http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page13025.asp
http://nuclearpower2007.direct.gov.uk/

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has told officials to pursue all available options to prevent the UK government from transporting nuclear warheads across Scotland. Part of his concern relates to the deleterious impact on employment.
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1444572007
http://www.cnduk.org/pages/binfo/tdtemp.pdf

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) released an unclassified version of their annual inspection report to Congress. In 2006 NRC conducted 298 security inspections at nuclear power plants (of which 21 were performance-based force-on-force inspections). These inspections identified 73 findings of which 67 were of very low security significance and 6 were of low to moderate security significance.
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1885/

The National Nuclear Security Administration has converted the research reactor in Indiana from the use of highly enriched uranium fuel to low enriched uranium.
http://www.nnsa.doe.gov/docs/newsreleases/2007/PR_2007-09-13_NA-07-36.htm

Debate over the future of the Pilgrim nuclear plant in Massachusetts is focused on terrorism vulnerabilities.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/09/16/pilgrim_described_as_at_risk_from_terrorists/

In "Radiation Exposure Compensation Act: Program Status" the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviews compensation of people exposed to radiation resulting from nuclear weapons development and testing programs during the Cold War.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1037R

Vietnam has signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with the US, in which the US will help adopt civilian nuclear energy while controlling proliferation risks. CNN reporter Jill Dougherty describes her first hand observation.
http://www.nnsa.doe.gov/docs/newsreleases/2007/PR_2007-09-12_NA-07-35.htm
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/16/btsc.vietnam.nuclear/index.html
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CIM Postal and Shipping
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The global shipping industry are concerned over US efforts to increase security, and believe that prior legislation was sufficient.
http://www.ftd.de/karriere_management/business_english/:Business%20English%20Shippers%20US/252137.html

In Canada, the Dundas Postal Alert security check program assists isolated seniors and people with a disability.
http://www.dundasstarnews.com/dsn/news/news_877361.html

Jars filled with prunes led to the evacuation of a Georgia (US) post office and road closure.
http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=103082
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/northfulton/stories/2007/09/14/postoffice_0915.html
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CIM Public Health and Healthcare
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Child deaths worldwide have reached a record low, falling below 10 million per year for the first time to 9.7 million, down from almost 13 million in 1990, thanks mainly to campaigns to combat measles and malaria and promote exclusive breast-feeding
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40855.html

International humanitarian agencies have agreed on a new set of guidelines on the mental health and psychosocial needs of survivors of conflicts and disasters.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2007/pr46/en/index.html

The World Health Organization (WHO) published a new set of pocket-charts that will help health workers to identify people at risk of heart attacks and strokes and save lives by prescribing the most appropriate treatment.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2007/pr47/en/index.html

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) completed a recent survey of physicians regarding the status of specialty care. Staff shortages and system capacity top the list of concerns. New CMS President Dr Brian Day warns that the Canada Health Act is failing, and that principles more than 40 years old need to be revisited.
http://www.cma.ca/index.cfm?ci_id=10040543&la_id=1
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=558fdde3-12e6-4dce-ae7f-a30834577cbd&k=2813

The UK Parliament Health Committee warned of a worrying lack of progress in the key project to secure and rollout electronic medical records for 50 million patients.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmselect/cmhealth/422/42202.htm
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CIM Telecommunications
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iPhone software unlocking has gone on sale, and a free version is also available.
http://iphoneworldwideunlock.com/about.html (Australia)
http://www.1digitalphone.com/ (Germany)
http://iphone.fiveforty.net/wiki/index.php/Latest_Progress_Report
http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/12/the-story-behind-the-free-open-iphone-sim-unlock-software/

This article describes the reluctance of ISPs to thwart malicious software.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/10/isps_ignore_strorm_worm_and_other_malware/

Australia's parliament is reviewing new telecommunications surveillance legislation.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/spy-laws-track-mobile-phones/2007/09/16/1189881342905.html

Finland's Security Police (SUPO) want telecommunications operators to retain records of phone and internet traffic for two years, to enable the data to be used in potential criminal investigations. This would be the maximum under the related EU directive.
http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Security+Police+want+to+retain+telecommunications+data+for+two+years/1135230190172
http://www.yle.fi/news/left/id69413.html

Sweden's TerraNet has developed a peer-to-peer wireless mesh network that hopes to dramatically improve communications in the developing world by offering free calls, without expensive infrastructure.
http://www.terranet.se/

The UK Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Program finds no short-term adverse effects to use of mobile phones, but long-term cancer risks cannot be ruled out.
http://www.mthr.org.uk/documents/MTHR_report_2007.pdf
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6990958.stm
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CIM Transportation
--------------------------------------------------
On the sixth anniversary of 9/11, aviation security expert Tim Van Beveren describes how those attacks changed the nature of hijackings and the threat of aerial terrorist strikes.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2778273,00.html

Canadian Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon has extended Passenger Protect program exemptions to 31 March 2008, pending regulatory consultations on identification requirements for air travelers under 18 years of age.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/mediaroom/releases/nat/2007/07-H174e.htm
http://www.passengerprotect.gc.ca/home.html
http://www.tc.gc.ca/vigilance/sep/passenger_protect/executive_summary.htm.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/vigilance/sep/passenger_protect/Q&A.htm

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is stepping up security to match the aviation sector's rapid growth.
http://www.xpress4me.com/news/uae/dubai/20003138.html

An undercover investigation from the Sunday Telegraph reveals baggage chaos in Britain's main airport, Heathrow.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml?xml=/travel/2007/09/16/et-lhr-116.xml

The US Department of Homeland Security Inspector General (IG) completed A Follow-up Review of the Transportation Security Officer Background Check Process. In February 2002, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) assumed responsibility for passenger and baggage screening at airports.  Screening is performed by Transportation Security Officers.  To ensure no officer presents a threat to national security or public trust, job applicants undergo a background investigation. In a January 2004 report, "A Review of Background Checks for Federal Passenger and Baggage Screeners at Airports", the IG discovered a variety of limitations to this background check process. This follow-up determined that the process has improved since the 2004 report, but some important challenges remain.  Officers still undergo a background investigation with employment standards exceeding most national security positions, and the checks are inefficient in some respects. TSA has not implemented all necessary steps that would improve security and reduce costs. OIG made nine recommendations to improve the management of the background check process.
http://www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/mgmtrpts/OIG_07-67_Aug07.pdf

TSA has taken steps to address security vulnerabilities in its Redress Management System web site and other systems.
http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/trip_rms.shtm

Participants at the 133rd meeting of the International Union of Marine Insurers (IUMI) raised concerns about the shrinking pool of talented and experienced crew workers as shipping fleets continue to expand, by as much as 30 percent since 1998. Other concerns were raised by technical and operational risks high demand raises for energy companies and their insurers.
http://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=11076
http://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=11085
http://www.iumi.com/

From 15 December security clearances will be required of Canadian port security workers.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/mediaroom/releases/nat/2007/07-H173e.htm

India's External Affairs Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee addressed the Institute for Security and International Studies (ISIS) on "India’s Look East Policy: Implications for Thailand and South East Asia". He explained, "On maritime security especially, India has entered into bilateral arrangements, including MoUs signed with Thailand and Indonesia, for joint coordinated patrols by the Navies of India, Indonesia and Thailand in the Bay of Bengal at the mouth of the Malacca Straits. We have also offered to contribute to capacity building of littoral states in this area. The participation of navies of Southeast Asian countries in the bi-annual MILAN exercises has also fostered closer regional cooperation on maritime security issues."
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=31253

When oil spills occur in US waters, federal law places primary liability on the vessel owner or operator, up to a statutory limit. A federal Oil Spill Liability Trust supplements this polluter pays approach. Under the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) was directed to examine spills that cost the responsible party and the Fund at least $1 million. In "Maritime Transportation: Major Oil Spills Occur Infrequently, but Risks to the Federal Oil Spill Fund Remain" GAO recommends that the Coast Guard determine whether an dhow liability limits should be changed, by vessel type, and make recommendations about these changes to Congress, and secondly, adjust the limits of liability for vessels every three years to reflect changes in inflation.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1085

Maoists in India continue to target railway infrastructure. An improvised explosive device on Thursday was targeting a goods train, often used for security personnel, but was a bomb disposal squad removed the device.
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEQ20070913235304&Page=Q&Headline=Naxal+bid+to+blow+up+train+foiled&Title=ORISSA&Topic=0

Attacks on buses and trains have killed more than 400 people worldwide since 2004, but since 9/11 the US Congress has s appropriated less than a penny per passenger for rail security compared to about $7 per airline passenger, despite the fact 16 times more people use trains and buses.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--railsecurityfundi0912sep12,0,1030380.story
http://www.register-mail.com/stories/091607/MAI_BE9DD4TE.GID.shtml

Confidential information on Chicago's transit systems has been leaked, revealing detailed information on how rail and bus systems can be attacked. An investigation is under way.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/377343/chicago_transit_security_information.html

The Asian Development Bank has released a road policy reform action plan for China's road passenger and freight transport.
http://www.adb.org/Documents/Books/Policy-Reform-Road-Transport/default.asp

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has primary federal responsibility for reducing crashes involving large trucks and buses. In "Motor Carrier Safety: Federal Safety Agency Identifies Many High-Risk Carriers but Does Not Assess Maximum Fines as Often as Required by Law", GAO reviews safety regulation compliance, finding a generally good record. They recommend that FMCSA select certain high-risk carriers in the accident safety evaluation area for compliance reviews and revise its policy for assessing maximum fines.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-584

From 1 December Bolivia will require visas for US tourists. The action is designed to treat US tourists as the US treats Bolivians.
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/09/11/bolivia.crash.ap/index.html
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CIM Water
--------------------------------------------------
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) International Hydrological Program has brought together government and academic experts to look at new proposals and technologies for dealing with the growing pressure on freshwater supplies, the poor administration of existing water resources and the general degradation of the environment.
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=39382&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

A three-day water and wastewater treatment technology trade show was held in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka to facilitate the adoption of sustainable effluent treatment plants and environment management by local factories.
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=3604

Burkino Faso may become the frontline in Africa's nest major war: over water.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74308

In "Water Resources: Four Federal Agencies Provide Funding for Rural Water Supply and Wastewater Projects" the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) explains that rural areas generally lack adequate funds for constructing and upgrading water supply and wastewater treatment facilities. Therefore, they typically rely on federal grants and loans to fund these projects. GAO examined areas of overlap among funding agencies, and recommended actions to ensure that Congress has adequate information to determine whether funded projects merit continued financing, or duplicate other agency efforts.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1094

A recent federal ruling revising water usage is likely to increase food prices and cut agricultural jobs.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0912/p02s01-ussc.html

In the US state of California, water from Paradise Lake is currently fed by spillway to the Paradise Irrigation District treatment plant and hence the Magalia Reservoir. Work has begun to switch to a gravity-fed pipeline. Replacing the spillway will improve security and save money.
http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_6902463

Security has increased at California's Crystal Springs Reservoir to thwart attempts to contaminate the water supply or blow up the dam.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/localnews/ci_6870121

Long Beach, California, has imposed the region's most severe water restrictions in years, a response to record dry weather and a court ruling likely to limit water deliveries from northern California.
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-water14sep14,0,4151511.story

In the western states of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, water needs for the potential oil shale industry will likely be limited by lack of water.
http://www.postindependent.com/article/20070915/VALLEYNEWS/109150056

6. Disaster Reduction Monitor

Natural and manmade events are inevitable, but they need not become disasters. Subscribers to the monthly Disaster Reduction Monitor learn from past incidents to prevent future disasters. It includes analysis of historical events, emerging risks and risk mitigation, and features new techniques to address disaster reduction, ranging from technical advances to regulatory best practices and micro-finance.
http://secure.netsolhost.com/573566.585211/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TP
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DRM Incidents
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Today a budget airliner filled with foreign tourists crashed on the Thai resort island of Phuket, killing 88 people as it broke up and burst into flames while trying to land in heavy rain. 42 people survived and were being treated in nearby hospitals

In Mexico, a truck carrying more than 25 tons of dynamite to a factory exploded, killing 28 and injuring more than 140. The cause is under investigation.

Torrential rainfall in northwestern Rwandan has left at least 15 people dead and damaged homes in three villages, leaving hundreds of people homeless.

A bus carrying pilgrims in Mexico plunged off a mountain road, leaving nine dead and 38 injured.

An 8.4-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Sumatra region on Wednesday. At least ten people were killed, hundreds injured, and there was extensive damage to coastal properties. Tsunami warnings were triggered twice, but the waves emerged in a location away from populated areas. A 7.8 quake struck on Thursday, which experienced 41 earthquakes with magnitude over 4.5 through the day.

Flooding in Bangladesh and India has now left some 1.5 million people homeless.

Paraguay has declared a state of emergency following massive fires that have destroyed thousands of acres in three northeastern provinces, and required major evacuations.
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DRM Response and Recovery
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International humanitarian agencies have agreed on a new set of guidelines to address the mental health and psychosocial needs of survivors in response to emergencies such as conflicts or disasters, identifying useful practices and flagging potentially harmful ones.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2007/pr46/en/index.html

Tanzanian authorities are persuading people in villages near Ol Doinyo Lengai to move to safer areas after the volcano erupted.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74303

University College London researcher Dr Tiziana Rossetto has presented a multi-disciplinary approach to disaster management to ensure damaged infrastructure is rebuilt resiliently.
http://www.the-ba.net/NR/exeres/3CBBE990-1A33-4073-8804-A3CA165FE9FE.htm

This week UK Environment Agency chief executive Baroness Young called for insurance companies to withdraw flood insurance to deter developers that, even when refused planning permission, plan to build on flood plains.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/6986985.stm

Aon UK's latest Risk Bulletin features "Flood Fiasco: The Insurance Aftermath of the UK Floods".
http://www.aon.com/uk/en/about/Publications/images/risk-bulletin-141.pdf
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DRM Risks
--------------------------------------------------
The Benfield UCL Hazard Research Center published the 2007 Hazard and Science Risk Review. It continues the climate change discussion started last year, and also reviews seismic risk, tsunami risk, flood risk management, and coastal flood risk.
http://www.benfieldhrc.org/hrsr2007

A year after the introduction of a strict new road law that was meant to make Czech roads safer the authorities has had the opposite effect. Transport Minister Ales Rebicek says it is time to consider new measures.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/95300

In northern Ghana flooding has affected more people than in all other West African countries combined - 275,000 - yet the disaster has received little international attention compared to floods elsewhere in the region.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74278

A cholera epidemic in Iraq has killed ten people, infected 16,000, and put nearly three million people at risk. Iran has dispatched 16 tons of chlorine to help curb transmission. Cholera is caused by contaminated food or water.
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2007_09_10a/en/index.html
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LSGZ-76WDCS?OpenDocument
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=22446&sectionid=3510212
http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/6789CFCC5031B504C125735600401C54?OpenDocument

Three reports released on Monday highlight the US's continued vulnerability to disasters:
* "The 2007 XDR-TB Incident: A Breakdown at the Intersection of Homeland Security and Public Health"
http://homeland.house.gov/SiteDocuments/tbreport.pdf
* "Influenza Pandemic: Further Efforts Are Needed to Ensure Clearer Federal Leadership Roles and an Effective National Strategy".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-781
"Federal Funding for Public Health Emergency Preparedness: Implications and Ongoing Issues for Local Health Departments"
http://www.naccho.org/documents/SurveyReport_Final.pdf
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DRM Mitigation
--------------------------------------------------
Guy Carpenter published the Casualty Specialty Update and a report on legislative trends affecting the Continental European casualty insurance industry.
http://www.guycarp.com/portal/extranet/popup/press/PDF/2007/Casualty Update 091107.pdf
http://www.guycarp.com/portal/extranet/popup/press/PDF/2007/Cont Europe Legislative Casualty 091207.pdf

The Insurance Information Institute (III) describes how insurers and policymakers continue to deal with the potential economic fallout of terrorism, and says this demonstrates the vital need for a long-term government terrorism risk insurance program.
http://www.iii.org/media/updates/press.776373/

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the National Preparedness Guidelines and Target Capabilities List, which define the plans and capabilities necessary for the US to address catastrophic threats. There are four elements to the framework:
* The national preparedness vision, which provides a concise statement of the core preparedness goal for the nation.
*  The fifteen National Planning Scenarios, which collectively depict the broad range of natural and man-made threats facing our nation and guide overall homeland security planning efforts at all levels of government and with the private sector. They form the basis for national planning, training, investments and exercises needed to prepare for emergencies of all types.
*  Universal Task List (UTL), which is a menu of some 1,600 unique tasks that can facilitate efforts to prevent, protect against, respond to and recover from the major events that are represented by the National Planning Scenarios. Although no single entity will perform every task, the UTL presents a common language and vocabulary that supports all efforts to coordinate national preparedness activities.
*  Target Capabilities List (TCL), which defines 37 specific capabilities that states and communities and the private sector should collectively develop in order to respond effectively to disasters.
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/National_Preparedness_Guidelines.pdf

The National Fire Protection Association released the 2006 National Fire Experience Survey. Public fire departments responded to 1,642,500 fires, a 2.5 percent increase from 2005. An estimated 2,620 civilians died in residential fires in 2006, a decrease of 14.2 percent. With home fire deaths still accounting for 2,580 fire deaths or 80 percent of all civilian deaths, fire safety initiatives targeted at the home remain the key to any reductions in the overall fire death toll. Five major strategies are:
* Widespread public fire safety education is needed on how to prevent fires and how to avoid serious injury or death if fire occurs. Information on the common causes of fatal home fires should continue to be used in the design of fire safety education messages.
* More people must use and maintain smoke detectors and develop and practice escape plans.
* Wider use of residential sprinklers must be aggressively pursued.
* Additional ways must be sought to make home products more fire safe. The regulations requiring more child-resistant lighters are a good example, as are requirements for cigarettes with reduced ignition strength (generally called fire-safe cigarettes). The wider use of upholstered furniture and mattresses that are more resistant to cigarette ignitions is an example of change that has already accomplished much and will continue to do more.
* The special fire safety needs of high-risk groups, e.g., the young, older adults, and the poor, need to be addressed.
http://www.nfpa.org/publicJournalDetail.asp?categoryID=1487&itemID=35832&src=NFPAJournal

7. Recommended Reading

This week Recommended Reading features a collection of recent reports about the situation in Iraq, and related commentary.


* December 2006: The Iraq Study Group report

Congress appointed the Baker-Hamilton Commission to assess the situation in Iraq and make policy recommendations, which included a phased withdrawal and diplomatic outreach to Iran and Syria. It found that violence in Iraq was underreported, and little was understood about the sources of violence. US President Bush rejected the key recommendations, but they continue to surface in the ongoing debate.
http://www.usip.org/isg/iraq_study_group_report/report/1206/iraq_study_group_report.pdf
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/14/politics/politico/thecrypt/main3260408.shtml
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070914/NEWS07/709140321/1009
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1662086,00.html


* July 2007: Rising to the Humanitarian Challenge in Iraq

This briefing paper from Oxfam and the NGO Coordination Committee in Iraq found that, "Armed violence is the greatest threat facing Iraqis, but the population is also experiencing another kind of crisis of an alarming scale and severity. Eight million people are in urgent need of emergency aid; that figure includes over two million who are displaced within the country, and more than two million refugees. Many more are living in poverty, without basic services, and increasingly threatened by disease and malnutrition. Despite the constraints imposed by violence, the government of Iraq, the United Nations, and international donors can do more to deliver humanitarian assistance to reduce unnecessary suffering. If people’s basic needs are left unattended, this will only serve to further destabilize the country". This report was instrumental in a UN resolution to expand its role in Iraq.
http://www.oxfam.org/en/files/bp105_humanitarian_challenge_in_iraq_0707.pdf/download
http://www.ncciraq.org/
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73758
http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/paper/index.php?article=3106


* September 2007: The People's Report

United for Peace and Justice says, "The failure of the Iraq War has also meant a huge cost to our democracy at home. We have paid an enormous price: in the deaths and shattered minds and bodies of our young soldiers; in the threats to an economy ravaged by billion-dollar bills to pay for an illegal war; in the destruction of so much of our infrastructure, security and social fabric because of human and financial resources diverted to Iraq; and in the shredding of our Constitution and civil rights as fear becomes a weapon in the hands of the Bush administration aimed at Congress, the courts and the people of this country". It cites these figures:
* Two million Iraqis have fled the war to seek hard-to-find refuge in neighboring countries, and an additional two million Iraqis have been forced by war fueled violence to flee their homes and remain displaced and homeless inside Iraq.
* Most Iraqis have electricity for only about five hours a day, clean water remains scarce for most and unobtainable for many, and Iraq's oil production remains a fraction of what it was before war.
* Occupation, war and violence have so decimated the Iraqi economy that unemployment has reached up to 40% and higher, and underemployment an additional 10% or more.
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/downloads/peoplesreport.pdf


* September 2007: The Jones Report

Retired US Marine Corps General James Jones chaired the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq, comprised of 20 former senior military, defense, and law enforcement individuals. The report said Iraq's police force had been infiltrated by sectarian militias and should be disbanded and reorganized, and that although military special forces are capable and effective, overall the security forces will not be able to fulfill essential security responsibilities independently over the next 12-18 months. General Petraeus disagreed, insisting that Iraq's national police are weak but not so corrupted by sectarian bias that they need to be disbanded.
http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_progj/task,view/id,1028/
http://www.c-span.org/rss/video.asp?MediaID=32356


House Armed Services Committee hearing:
http://armedservices.house.gov/apps/list/speech/armedsvc_dem/skeltonos090607b.shtml
http://hascaudio.house.gov/FC090607.wma (audio)


* September 2007: The Government Accountability Office (GAO)

GAO is Congress's investigative arm. It has released more than a hundred reports regarding the war and reconstruction in Iraq since January 2002. As required under Public Law 110-28, GAO released "Securing, Stabilizing, and Rebuilding Iraq: Iraqi Government Has Not Met Most Legislative, Security, and Economic Benchmarks". This report cited continued high levels of violence across the country, and found that Baghdad had failed to meet 11 of the 18 political and security goals set out by Congress.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d071230t.pdf
http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/featured/oif.html

Senate Committee on Armed Services
http://armed-services.senate.gov/e_witnesslist.cfm?id=2914

House Committee on Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committee joint hearings:
"Iraqi Benchmarks: An Objective Assessment"
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=888
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/press_display.asp?id=411
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/110/lantos090507.htm
"Beyond the September Report: What's Next for Iraq?"
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=889
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/110/lantos090607.htm
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/110/skelton090607.htm
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/110/bat090607.htm


* September 2007: The Petraeus Report

This report was submitted from the White House in accordance with Section 1314 of the US Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007 (Public Law 110-28). It includes an assessment, driven by top military commander General David Petraeus, of how the Iraqi government is performing in its efforts to achieve a series of specific benchmarks contained in the Act, and any strategic adjustments warranted in light of that performance. The report cited limited success, but was far more optimistic than any of the prior reports.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/09/20070914.html (report)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/09/20070913.html (fact sheet)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/09/20070913-2.html (Bush address)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/09/20070914-4.html (Bush address to military personnel)
http://armedservices.house.gov/apps/list/speech/armedsvc_dem/skeltonos090507.shtml
http://hascaudio.house.gov/FC090507.wma (audio)
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/SODA-76R57K?OpenDocument
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/9EDE3213-3E5E-41FF-A111-F3E290E56EDC.htm
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N10348890.htm

Senate Committee on Armed Services
http://www.senate.gov/~armed_services/statemnt/2007/September/Crocker 09-11-07.pdf (Ambassador Crocker)
http://www.senate.gov/~armed_services/statemnt/2007/September/Petraeus 09-11-07.pdf (General Petraeus statement)
http://www.senate.gov/~armed_services/statemnt/2007/September/Petraeus Testimony Slides 09-11-07.pdf (Petraeus slides)

House Committee on Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committee joint hearings:
http://armedservices.house.gov/apps/list/speech/armedsvc_dem/skeltonos091007.shtml
http://armedservices.house.gov/apps/list/press/armedsvc_dem/skeltonpr090707.shtml
http://armedservices.house.gov/apps/list/press/armedsvc_dem/skeltonpr091307.shtml
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/speech/ca52_hunter/Petraeus_oped.shtml


* September 2007: International Institute for Strategic Studies Strategic Survey 2007

From the Introduction:
"The testimony before Congress this week provided by General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker highlighted both the successes but also the problems faced by the US administration in Iraq.  Petraeus naturally highlighted the military gains made by the surge.  The surge, which began in February and reached its peak in terms of troop deployment in June, saw increased US forces stationed amongst the population of Baghdad.  This new approach has impeded al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia’s ability to deploy mass casualty attacks in and around the city.  It has also constrained the activities of Shia death squads attempting to exact revenge by terrorizing Sunni residential areas in the capital.  Although the data on Iraq are clearly open to analysis, the level of violence fluctuates from month to month and remains higher than in 2004 and 2005, civilian casualties have dropped from their peak in the second half of 2006.  In June, July and August 2006, for example, Baghdad suffered from an average of 42 car bombs a month.  This average dropped to 23 during the same period this year.
 
"Petraeus also stressed notable successes against al-Qaeda in Anbar province, the heart of the so-called ‘Sunni triangle’.  Here US forces have capitalized on the so-called ‘Anbar awakening’, supporting Sunni tribes who have revolted against the harsh Islamism imposed upon them by al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia.  The hope is that this model can be successfully transferred to other areas surrounding Baghdad.
 
"However, the sustainability of these gains and a further reduction in violence is increasingly dependent upon Iraq’s own security forces.  Although there has been progress in the training and expansion of the Iraqi army, a congressional report suggested it is still 18 months to two years away from self sufficiency.  That same report added that the national police were so penetrated by Shia militias that it should be disbanded and rebuilt.
 
"If General Petraeus could report limited success on the security front Ambassador Crocker faced a much more difficult task politically.  The government headed by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was supposed to be one of national unity.  However, two key Shia parties and more importantly the main Sunni political block left the government after disagreements with the prime minister.  The Sunni Tawafuq or Consensus Front complained that Maliki was unwilling or unable to reduce the sectarian actions of key ministries including the Ministry of Interior and its police force.  Maliki’s constitutional and political weakness lies at the heart of this problem.  Constitutionally the prime minister does not have a great deal of power to impose his will on a fractious cabinet.  Politically Maliki is only the deputy leader of a comparatively small Shia party with no militia.  His government is dominated by the two Kurdish parties and most importantly the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council and its militia the Badr.  Until Maliki manages to accrue more power in the office of the prime minister he will be unable to control let alone remove sectarian actors scattered throughout his government.
 
"Acceleration in efforts for political reconciliation remains the surge that is most important in Iraq, for any military gains to be sustained. For this to happen, the US needs to put much greater political pressure on the Iraqi government to reform.  Goals will need to be set for Cabinet ministers, from Nuri al-Maliki on down, ranging from the removal of sectarian actors through to the unbiased delivery of government services.  If these targets are not met then the US might have to consider reducing its financial and security support for those ministries and ministers not complying with its requests."
http://www.iiss.org/publications/strategic-survey-2007/strategic-survey-2007-press-statement


* General News Coverage
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/09/12/iraq.almaliki/index.html
"A debacle by any other name"
http://www.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/region/10153644.html
"Al-Maliki: Iraq Report 'Realistic'"

"At Street Level, Unmet Goals of Troop Buildup"
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/world/middleeast/09surge.html
"Back Iraq when I'm Gone"
http://www.suntimes.com/news/world/557440,CST-NWS-bush14.article
"CBS News: America in Iraq, The Road Ahead"
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/america_in_iraq/main502243.shtml
"Comments On Iraq Report, War Plans"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6922611,00.html
"European Press Review: It's Time for Miracles in Iraq"
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evw7zyI458jhcaI1
"General Sir Mike Jackson attacks US over Iraq" http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/01/wirq101.xml
"Hints of Progress, and Questions, in Iraq Data"
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/08/world/middleeast/08military.html
"Historian Interview: 'The US Will Lose War Regardless What it Does'"
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,504865,00.html
"Interview with Iraq Study Group director: 'Current Troop Levels Cannot Be Maintained'"
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,504891,00.html
"Iraq Welcomes Petraeus Report"
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=75b692c6-ccc5-4360-82eb-06856e97537e&k=79156
"Iraq's Military: The Legacy of the Jundis"
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,504893,00.html
"Little progress for Iraq government"
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/4C62DD6F-9B02-45EF-8736-2D0DF30B49BB.htm
"Media Pans Bush Speech"
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_070914.htm
"A New Report on Iraq Lends Ammunition to Both Parties"
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/07/washington/07cong.html
"Patchwork in Progress?"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/13/AR2007091301679.html
"Patience is the key to General Petraeus's surge"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/09/11/do1102.xml
"Petraeus rebuffs 'war criminal' critics"

"The President Asserted Progress on Security and Political Issues. Recent Reports Weren't Often So Upbeat"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/13/AR2007091302710.html
"Progress Report Iraq: Delay Decision on Major Cuts, Petraeus Says"
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,504812,00.html
"President tries to flip debate, buy time for his plan"
http://www.suntimes.com/news/world/557444,CST-NWS-bushside14.article
"Redefining the Iraq War Debate"
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/12/opinion/main3255561.shtml
"Statistics the Weapon of Choice in Surge Debate"
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14198105
"Testimony, Recent Reports Not Always On Same Page"
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/09/11/testimony_recent_reports_not_always_on_same_page/
"White House report says little progress made on Iraq benchmarks"
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/14/business/policy.php
"Xinhua special report: Tension Escalates in Iraq"
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/07ylk/index.htm

8. Asset Management Network News

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