AUTHOR:
TerrorismCentral Editorial Staff

TITLE:
TerrorismCentral Newsletter - December 9, 2007

SOURCE:
TerrorismCentral, December 9, 2007

TEXT:

From anti-money laundering efforts in Thailand to the latest in zoonotic diseases, you will find the latest reports of global risks and mitigation efforts worldwide in this Newsletter. Note the election coverage, the deepening crises in Afghanistan and Kosovo, and the latest reports of climate change and its consequences. Recommended reading features coverage of the new US National Intelligence Estimate, "Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities". Please note important changes to this subscription service, described in section 8 below.

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
--------------------------------------------------
AML/CFT Incidents/Cases
--------------------------------------------------
Australian Peter Foster has pleaded guilty to laundering money by forging documents to obtain a loan from the Bank of the Federated States of Micronesia. He has been jailed for 4.5 years.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/conman-foster-sent-back-to-jail/2007/12/07/1196812975929.html
http://news.theage.com.au/conman-peter-foster-jailed-over-fraud/20071207-1flu.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22889371-2702,00.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article3019510.ece
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2007/12/08/5798_gossip-news.html

Guernsey's Royal Court previously sentenced Emma Le Sauvage to 27 months in prison for laundering funds stolen from a bank account, using falsified bank information. Her former employer, the Royal Bank of Scotland International, now is pursuing a civil suit against her, and the court has postponed a confiscation order.
http://www.thisisguernsey.com/code/shownewsarticle.pl?ArticleID=003046

In the Indian state of Assam, the outlawed United Front for the Liberation of Assam (ULFA) has launched a massive extortion drive in the state capital, Guwahati.
http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Emerging_Threats/Briefing/2007/12/07/india_ulfa_starts_extortion_drive/1463/

Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) intercepted N$10 million from several Nigerian suspects at the airport en route to Dubai. They have been charged with money laundering and economic crimes.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2676&Itemid=0

EFCC on Tuesday, at the Federal High Court in Lagos, added 124-count charges of alleged money laundering amounting to over N$6.9 billion against former Enugu State governor, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani and 11 other persons.
http://www.efccnigeria.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1833&Itemid=2
http://allafrica.com/stories/200712050135.html

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has closed 92 charities linked to Hamas, and frozen their accounts.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1195546792515&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=87218

British authorities have charged John Darwin - a canoeist who went missing and was declared dead - with making a false statement to procure a passport, and obtaining a money transfer by deception in relation to life insurance fraud. His wife, Anne, is wanted for questioning, and will likely be arrested when she returns from Florida.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/article/0,,2224640,00.html

In the US state of Alaska, former mayoral first lady Murilda "Chris" Hayes pleaded guilty to felony theft and money laundering in connection with misspent federal grants.
http://newsminer.com/2007/12/06/10260/

Former Minnesota banker David C. Von was acquitted of money laundering and other offenses related to an embezzlement case against his wife, Susan A. Von.
http://news.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=2&a=318293

North Carolina, car dealer Kevin Bryan Brogden has been charged with nine counts of money laundering and structuring financial transactions, using vehicle and real estate sales.  Additional arrests are expected.
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071204/NRSTAFF/71204033
http://www.thetimesnews.com/articles/money_8159___article.html/brogden_taken.html

Michael Miller and Paul Monea were sentenced in Ohio federal court for their roles on laundering money through diamond and real estate sales.
http://www.ohio.com/news/12274001.html

William Jewell was convicted in Ohio of money laundering for setting up a series of clinics where pain medication was distributed for cash only.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071207/NEWS01/712070407/1077/COL02
http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071207/UPDATES01/71207004
--------------------------------------------------
AML/CFT Legislation and Regulation
--------------------------------------------------
The Framework Convention Alliance for Tobacco Control's 35 member states gathered in Uruguay to discuss the illegal trade of tobacco, which finances criminal and terrorist groups and robs governments of billions in revenue. The working meeting addressed such issues as international tracking and tracing, AML, markings and codes, record-keeping, supply chain controls, criminalization of various forms of participation in illegal trade, and increased cooperation.
http://www.fctc.org/docs/releases/fca-2007-12-04-media-release-illicit-trade-en.pdf

Cape Verde has set up a Financial Information Unit.
http://www.afriquenligne.fr/news/daily-news/cape-verde-sets-up-task-force-to-fight-money-laundering-2007120813015/
http://www.macauhub.com.mo/en/news.php?ID=4503

Costa Rica has effectively frozen electronic commerce, including online gambling, after imposing a limit of online transfers to $1,000 per day, and additional identification and other security measures.
http://www.igamingbusiness.com/article-detail.php?articleID=15507
http://www.online-casinos.com/news/news5818.asp

The Czech Cabinet approved a new money laundering bill that allows banks to ask clients depositing more than EU1,000 for identification.
http://www.praguemonitor.com/en/227/czech_national_news/15568
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/05/content_7202851.htm

EU anti-terrorism coordinator Gilles de Kerchove calls for better information sharing and other steps to counter terrorism financing.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL0611724820071206

India is moving to the next step of AML/CFT enforcement, as amendments to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act move towards the Cabinet. But the process is on hold for the moment as the Supreme Court agreed to stay a notification regarding constitution of a money laundering tribunal after a petition that the provisions were inconsistent with separation of powers and interfered with judicial functioning.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Banking_Finance_/Money_laundering_Act_to_get_more_teeth_to_snap_at_terror_financing/articleshow/2596123.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/SC_grounds_anti-money_laundering_law/articleshow/2593323.cms
http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2007/dec/05/woman_lawyer_takes_government_money_laundering_tribunal.html
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Policy/SC_stays_money_laundering_panel/articleshow/2599011.cms

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) puts the onus for customer identification requirements on capital market players, which must manage the risks of using transfer agents or other third parties.
http://www.sebi.gov.in/informalguide/computerage.pdf
http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?autono=306608&leftnm=0&subLeft=0&chkFlg=

This article describes the impact of sanctions against Iran, on the Iranian people.
http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=OTM4MjcwMDI=

Jamaica is seen at high risk for money laundering.
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20071202/business/business7.html

Kuwait Central Bank Governor Sheikh Salem Abdelaziz Al-Sabah addressed the "Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism Regional Conference", where he emphasized the country's high priority to AML/CFT.
http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=MTMwMDg5Mjc5MA==
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/client/pagesdetails.asp?nid=8841&ccid=9

The Mozambican Office of Financial Information (Gifim) is due to start operating on 9 January 2008.
http://www.macauhub.com.mo/en/news.php?ID=4491

Nigeria's extension of AML requirements to Designated Non-Financial Institutions continues to raise questions, four years after the legislation was passed.

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=96934
http://scuml.net/c/portal/layout?p_l_id=PUB.1001.12

In Saudi Arabia, political activists attempting to set up a political party have been accused of financing terrorism.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/f2413642-9f6c-11dc-8031-0000779fd2ac.html

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) ministers agreed to a series of cooperative measures, including steps to counter terrorist financing.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?id=b339b6ab-3239-4437-9d6e-815deee648d8

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released "Thailand: Detailed Assessment Report on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism". The assessment describes measures to strengthen the AML/CFT   framework, with large numbers of suspicious transaction reports, and asset seizures related to drug crimes. There are weaknesses in the legal framework, prosecutions, enforcement, and coverage of institutions.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=21492.0

Uganda's central bank has warned foreign exchange bureaus and money remitters to be vigilant and avoid becoming conduits for laundering illegally acquired wealth.
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/220/600141
http://allafrica.com/stories/200712032137.html

HM Revenue and Customs reminds businesses to be ready for the new money laundering regulations that come into force next week, on 15 December.
http://www.gnn.gov.uk/content/detail.asp?ReleaseID=336485&NewsAreaID=2

The US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued interpretive guidance to clarify whether a non-bank owner-operator of an ATM that offers customers of depository institutions no services other than remote access to those customers' accounts at those depository institutions for the purpose of making balance inquiries or currency withdrawals, would be deemed a currency dealer or exchanger or a money transmitter, and therefore would be an MSB. Since funds are not transmissible, the MSB definition is not met.
http://www.fincen.gov/MSB-ATM-Incredible-Vending-Guidance.html
--------------------------------------------------
AML/CFT Modalities
--------------------------------------------------
The illegal tobacco trade is carried out by transnational criminal groups, which use the illegal gains to finance terrorist operations and other serious criminal enterprises.
http://www.fctc.org/docs/releases/fca-2007-12-04-media-release-illicit-trade-en.pdf
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04163.pdf
http://www.publicintegrity.org/report.aspx?aid=351

Under Section Three of Jamaica's Money Lending Act and Money Lending (Prescribed Rates of Interest) Order of 2007, there is only provision for the recovery of loans that carry an interest rate below 40 per cent per annum in a court of law. This is far below the super interest rates many of the current investment schemes have been offering to their lenders - between 118 per cent and 120 per cent per year on principal amounts that start from a minimum of $100,000. Such investments make the perfect vehicles to launder tainted funds because unregulated and high-yielding, they operate through the formal system in order to make payments to their clients, which makes them desirable vessels for money launderers.
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20071202/lead/lead2.html

This article questions whether Canadian military aid is funding assassinations in the Philippines.
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=44&ItemID=14456

In their recent review, the IMF explains, "Thailand is susceptible to money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF) because illicit proceeds are generated from drug trafficking, illegal gambling, theft, prostitution, human trafficking, illegal logging, corruption, and from crime in bordering countries and because of a terrorist problem in its southern region. The illegal economy in Thailand has been estimated up to 13 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and with ML predicate offenses estimated to generate illicit proceeds of up to 5 percent of GDP. In addition, the widespread use of cash and a large informal sector, estimated at up to 53 percent of GDP, provide many avenues for illicit proceeds to be laundered in Thailand.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=21492.0

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
--------------------------------------------------
ETM Corruption and Transnational Crime
--------------------------------------------------
Transparency International has released the Global Corruption Barometer 2007. Key findings include:
* About one in ten people around the world had to pay a bribe in the past year; reported bribery has increased in some regions, such as Asia-Pacific and South East Europe.
* Bribery is particularly widespread in interactions with the police, the judiciary and registry and permit services.
* The general public believes political parties, parliament, the police and the judicial/legal system are the most corrupt institutions in their societies.
* Half of those interviewed – and significantly more than four years ago – expect corruption in their country to increase in the next three years, with some African countries the exception.
* Half of those interviewed also think that their governments' efforts to fight corruption are ineffective.
* Austria, Canada, France, Iceland, Japan, South Korea, Sweden and Switzerland pay the fewest bribes, involving only one percent of people paying bribes
* Cameroon pays the most bribes, with 79 percent of the population paying bribes, most often to the police and judiciary. Cambodia follows, with 72 percent, Albania (71 percent), Kosovo (67 percent), Macedonia (44 percent), Pakistan (44 percent), Nigeria (40 percent), Senegal (38 percent), Romania (33 percent), and the Philippines (32 percent).
http://www.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/2007/gcb_2007

Bangladesh's Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) next week will begin scrutinizing around 70,000 allegations that have so far been submitted to the commission and initiate investigation according to the importance of the complaints.
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=14541

A Canadian court has released arms dealer Karlheinz Schreiber on bail after he testified on his questionable dealings with former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. The move further delays his extradition to Germany, where he is facing numerous charges.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,521498,00.html
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=c39b8cc9-b32b-4454-9075-008d7dc97268&k=38755

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty welcomed the new report done for national Integrated Market Enforcement Teams of RCMP investigators on improving the national system of catching people who commit securities crimes.
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/news/2007/2007_12_03_adv_imet_e.htm
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=24e62f01-b05e-47ce-8e0e-c6dc603da3c0&k=92072

Chinese prosecutors have found high incidence of commercial bribery in infrastructure and real estate projects, most implicating the government officials in charge.  In the first 10 months prosecutors have investigated 4,240 bribery cases in infrastructure and real estate projects, accounting for 48.4 percent of the total commercial bribery cases, and involving $87.6 million.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/06/content_7211600.htm

In Iraq, nonstop theft and bribery have turned into survival tactics.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/world/middleeast/02baghdad.html?

Following a bribery scandal that implicated former Nigerian government officials, Nigeria has cancelled a contract previously awarded to German engineering company Siemens.
http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=97185

South Koreans have grown tired of the corrupt ways of their big businesses, but fear that striking these behemoths too harshly may hurt their own economic wellbeing. Samsung is a case in point. This week, another ten executives were banned from traveling.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/business/worldbusiness/04samsung.html
http://www.asianewsnet.net/biz.php?aid=13761

US State Department Inspector General Howard J. Krongard has resigned, following accusations that he impeded a Justice Department investigation of Blackwater, and other inquiries. His resignation takes effect 15 January.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/07/embattled-state-dept-inspector-general-resigning
http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2007/12/cookie-crumbles.html
http://oig.state.gov/

The number of civil and criminal cases filed against US businesses and their subsidiaries abroad has doubled since 2004. Bribes to foreign customs agents and officials are at the top of the heap, and some firms are turning themselves in, hoping for regulatory leniency, or are stepping up oversight of foreign units and firing perpetrators.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/04/AR2007120402184.html
http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/pubcorrupt/pubcorrupt.htm
--------------------------------------------------
ETM Economies and Financial Systems
--------------------------------------------------
The International Labor Organization (ILO) released "The Right to Decent Work of Persons with Disabilities". The report calls for greater efforts to break down the barriers that still prevent millions of people with disabilities from fully participating in the labor market, citing a strong link between disability and poverty. At the same time, there is a growing awareness that people with disabilities represent enormous, untapped economic potential, and that they can make a valuable contribution to national economies.
http://www.ilo.org/global/What_we_do/Events/Campaigns/lang--en/WCMS_087695/index.htm"

In Finance and Development, December 2007, the lead article is "Global Governance: Who's in Charge?" In it, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) examines the financial, health, environmental, and trade challenges facing the international community in the 21st century and asks whether today's system of global governance is equipped to cope with them. It asserts that the system that served as a model for much of the 20th century is out of date, and it explores what needs to be done to strengthen it.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2007/12/index.htm

A mixture of idealistic goals and pragmatic instruments can help minorities gain full access and participation in labor markets. A High Level Group of Experts recommends the following:
* Make the inclusion of members of ethnic minorities into the society, in particular into the labor market, a priority of the political agenda
* Pursue equality mainstreaming and gender mainstreaming
* Identify and address specific barriers to inclusion of members of ethnic minorities
* Establish a sustainable long-term policy for inclusive labor markets, using a targeted, but not ethnically segregated approach
* Mobilize all relevant actors, making use of the opportunities and value the contributions from members of ethnic minorities to the society
* Allocate the necessary resources
* Support mutual learning by highlighting good practice, developing knowledge and strengthening the analytical tools
* Focus specifically on the implementation of policies to improve the situation of Roma in terms of education, employment, health and housing.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1833
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/536

Industry Canada has released guidelines clarifying application of the Investment Canada Act as it relates to foreign state-owned enterprises investing in Canada. It includes a review of major foreign investments to ensure they provide net benefit to Canada.
http://www.ic.gc.ca/cmb/welcomeic.nsf/261ce500dfcd7259852564820068dc6d/85256a5d006b9720852573aa0064f587!OpenDocument
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=b95a2d25-9867-4af9-ac9d-dde80d13eca5&k=41540

The European Economic and Social Committee released a study of the Social Economy, which found:
* From a macroeconomic perspective, the Social Economy in Europe is very important, in both human and economic terms. It employs over 11 million people, equivalent to 6.7 percent of employees.
* Associations alone employ 7 million people and they account for over 4 percent of GDP and a membership of 50 percent of the citizens of the EU.
* 240,000 cooperatives are economically active, providing employment to 3.7 million people and having 143 million members.
* Health and social welfare mutuals provide assistance and cover to over 120 million people.
* Insurance mutuals have a 23.7 percent market share.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=CES/07/117
http://eesc.europa.eu/

In Europe, women aged 25-54, one in ten are inactive due to family responsibilities.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=STAT/07/169

The European Commission approved a UK rescue aid package for Northern Rock.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1859
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/545

The Commission fined producers of chloroprene rubber EU243.2 million for market sharing and price fixing in the European Economic Area (EEA).
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1855
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/544

Note this feature on The Great Silk Road today:
Part 1: The Great Silky Way nowadays
http://enews.ferghana.ru/article.php?id=2210
Part 2: The Road
http://enews.ferghana.ru/article.php?id=2238
Part 3: Chinese expansion
http://enews.ferghana.ru/article.php?id=2252

The US Congress granted the President Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) in 2002. In the five years following, the US pursued 17 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with 47 countries, of which six are approved and in force, and four more have been negotiated. This trade comprises about 16 percent of US trade and foreign direct investment. In "International Trade: An Analysis of Free Trade Agreements and Congressional and Private Sector Consultations under Trade Promotion Authority", the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) provides additional economic data, and makes recommendations to managing agencies to improve information access and timeliness of congressional consultations, as well as timeliness of re-chartering trade advisory committees, and meeting statutory representation requirements.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-59
--------------------------------------------------
ETM Environment and Climate Change
--------------------------------------------------
The UN Climate Change Conference opened in Bali, Indonesia on Monday with a call for a clear agenda that will lead countries toward a new deal to address the problem by 2009 so that it can enter into force in 2013 when the current regime expires.
http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_13/items/4049.php

Australia stole the show at the start of the UN climate talks, when it ratified the Kyoto Protocol. This leaves the US as the only developed country that has not ratified Kyoto.
http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSL03614362._CH_.2400

Note this transcript of a press briefing from International Monetary Fund Deputy Managing Director Takatoshi Kato and his colleagues, on the Macroeconomic and Fiscal Challenges of Climate Change.
http://www.imf.org/external/np/tr/2007/tr071205.htm

The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2008 summarizes the top ten CO2 emitters:
Germany: CCPI rank 2, with three percent of global CO2 emissions
India: CCPI 5; 4.23 percent
UK: CCPI 7; 1.95 percent
China: CCPI 40; 18.8 percent
Italy: CCPI 41; 1.67 percent
Japan: CCPI 42; 4.47 percent
Russia: CCPI 50; 5.69 percent
South Korea: CCPI 51; 1.65 percent
Canada: CCPI 53; 2.02 percent
USA: CCPI 55; 21.44 percent
http://www.germanwatch.org/klima/ccpi.htm

Deutsche Welle provides an interactive climate change map:
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/1,2692,11798,00.html

A proposal to pay poor countries to save forests is moving forward. Indonesia attacked developed countries for empty propaganda and stalling proposals to pay to protect the world's forests.
http://www.asianewsnet.net/news.php?aid=13764
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/indonesia-says-west-stingy/2007/12/06/1196812919899.html

The World Meteorological Organization noted that increased investment in predicting, monitoring and developing adaptation measures for climate change is critical. In addition to mitigation, efforts must be bolstered to help populations adapt to water scarcity, extreme weather and other natural hazards, which could be exacerbated by global warming.
http://www.wmo.ch/pages/mediacentre/press_releases/PR_803_en.html
http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_13/items/4049.php

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet agreed on a comprehensive package to slash Germany's greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent before 2020.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,2988348,00.html?maca=en-bulletin-433-html
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,521603,00.html

With over half of its population living below sea level, the Netherlands is particularly at risk from the effects of climate change. One new idea is to build an off-shore island in the shape of a tulip to provide extra land for housing and offer coastal protection.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,2980236,00.html?maca=en-bulletin-433-html

Environment America released "When It Rains, It Pours". Key findings include:
* Scientists expect global warming to increase the frequency of heavy precipitation.
* An increase in the number of downpours does not necessarily mean more water will be available.
* Weather records show that storms with extreme precipitation have become more frequent over the last 60 years.
* New England and the Mid-Atlantic experienced the largest increase in extreme precipitation frequency.
* Climate divisions covering more than half of the land area of the United States show a statistically significant trend toward more frequent storms with extreme precipitation.
* These findings are consistent with previous studies of extreme precipitation patterns, both in the United States and across the globe. For example:
* The severity of the trend toward more intense downpours in the future depends upon our emissions of the pollution that drives global warming.
* To address global warming, America should limit emissions of global warming pollution, while improving energy efficiency and increasing the use of renewable energy.
http://www.environmentamerica.org/home/reports/report-archives/global-warming-solutions/global-warming-solutions/when-it-rains-it-pours
--------------------------------------------------
ETM Human Rights
--------------------------------------------------
The International Day of Disabled Persons was marked on 3 December. This year's theme was "Decent work for persons with disabilities".  One out of every 10 people in the world have a disability, and that of these, approximately 470 million are of working age. Despite efforts to ensure access to jobs, people with disabilities as a group often face disproportionate levels of poverty and unemployment. An estimated 80 percent of people with disabilities live in developing countries. Of these, some 426 million live below the poverty line.
http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?navid=22&pid=109

One in six journalists jailed worldwide are being held without any publicly disclosed charge, many for months or years at a time and some in secret locations.
http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2007/imprisoned_07/imprisoned_07.html

To improve girls' education, West African governments must adopt national policies addressing all aspects of violence against schoolgirls.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=75695

Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, Doctors Without Borders) released "The Women Testify". Ten eyewitness reports describe how Angolan soldiers in the diamond-rich northern Angolan province of Luanda Norte have raped, beaten and tortured illegal Congolese migrant workers before deporting them across the border.
http://www.msf.org/source/countries/africa/drc/2007/angola_report/DRC_the_woman_testify-10.pdf

Burma (Myanmar) continues forcibly to recruit child soldiers.
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2007/666
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/12/05/burma17484.htm
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/12/05/burma17481.htm

Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression Ambeyi Ligabo, completed a 5-day visit to Honduras. He reports that Honduran journalists, media owners and many members of civil society face a climate of rampant insecurity that includes the threat of assassination, pressure from organized crime and widespread impunity for those who carry out violent acts against them. Honduras has made important advances in framing legislation to strengthen freedom of expression and protect practitioners, but the Government needs to step up its efforts to ensure that journalists and others enjoy better protections. One journalist was assassinated recently and two others have gone into voluntary exile for fear of being killed as well.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=24958&Cr=honduras&Cr1=

Kyrgyzstan journalists have been targeted more than a dozen times in the past year, and one was murdered. Even state media staff no longer feels safe.
http://enews.ferghana.ru/article.php?id=2256
http://enews.ferghana.ru/article.php?id=2213

Mexico has passed a law that allows terminally ill patients to refuse treatment.
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN04548521
--------------------------------------------------
ETM Infectious Diseases
--------------------------------------------------
"Impact of Globalization and Animal Trade on Infectious Disease Ecology" offers a commentary on zoonotic diseases with serious health implications for humans. Global trade in the movement of animals has reached staggering numbers: 37,858,179 individually counted live amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles were legally imported to the US from 163 countries in 2000–2004. These included Asian macaques, South American rodents, and African great cats. This trade represents a substantial risk to human health, as witnessed in recent cases of monkeypox, human tularemia and salmonellosis.
http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/13/12/1807.htm?s_cid=eid1807_e

"Responses to Avian Influenza and State of Pandemic Readiness" is a new UN/World Bank report. It says that despite significant advances to deal with the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu in the past two years, countries must maintain their vigilance and cooperate in the face of a possible pandemic
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sag417.doc.htm
http://www.undg.org/index.cfm?P=39

China has reported its 17th official H5N1 avian influenza fatality, following the death of a man last Sunday, in southern Jiangsu province.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/02/asia/AS-MED-China-Bird-Flu.php

India's swift, fair and efficient disbursement of compensation to poultry owners hit by bird flu in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Manipur helped the country contain the outbreak without mass animal casualties or a single case of human infection. Prime Minister Singh called for greater international funding to fight avian influenza. India has pledged $2 million.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bird_flu_Indias_efforts_earn_praise/articleshow/2595936.cms
http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/07/stories/2007120754131500.htm
http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/07/stories/2007120759331500.htm

Following recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Poland and Romania, the EU's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health voted in favor of eradication and control measures. The measures in place in the UK, in response to the outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza on turkey holdings in Norfolk in November, were re-confirmed.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1839
http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/latest/2007/animal-1112.htm

Foot and mouth disease measures have been revised for Cyprus and the UK.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1840

The Ebola outbreak in Uganda has claimed another two lives, bringing the toll to 18 dead and 93 affected. The new strain is much less virulent than prior outbreaks. This week two Ugandan doctors helping the fight against the outbreak died Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 21. Health workers on the border with Kenya are on high alert, and the Uganda Medical Workers Union has urged its member health workers to leave the worst affected area. Members of parliament want to declare a state of emergency over the rapidly spreading epidemic, and impose quarantine on affected areas, as the number of suspected cases has nearly doubled in the past ten days.
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=nw20071202231331348C237776
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=75702
http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&newsid=112106
http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/Union_tells_doctors_to_leave_Ebola_zone.shtml
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=75738
http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/MPs_want_govt_to_declare_state_of_emergency_over_Ebola_outbreak.shtml
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2007_12_07/en/index.html

As Uganda grapples with the deadly Ebola outbreak in the west, medics are struggling to contain a rising spate of meningitis and bubonic plague in West Nile, cholera in Hoima and Buliisa, and yellow fever in the northern district of Kitgum.
http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/Four_epidemics_hit_Uganda.shtml
--------------------------------------------------
ETM Legal Systems
--------------------------------------------------
Addressing the sixth Assembly of States Parties, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has quickly established itself as the centerpiece of our system of international criminal justice. He said that ICC's long-term success depends on greater international cooperation, and called on member states to maintain funding and public advocacy. He noted that some of the situations under investigation are unstable, and, "There are no easy answers to this morally and legally charged balancing act. However, the overarching principle is clear: there can be no sustainable peace without justice. Peace and justice, accountability and reconciliation are not mutually exclusive. To the contrary, they go hand in hand".
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sgsm11310.doc.htm
http://www.icc-cpi.int/home.html&l=en

ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told the UN Security Council that although "Sudan has known the nature of the case against Ahmad Harun and Ali Kushayb for 10 months, they have done nothing. They have taken no steps to prosecute them domestically, or to arrest and transfer them to The Hague". This lack of cooperation requires a strong and unanimous message to Sudan to ensure that the two accused war criminals face justice.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9186.doc.htm
http://www.icc-cpi.int/press/pressreleases/307.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/CF6D0EA1-945C-421B-BE2C-26EE68BDC68E.htm

The EU has approved a regulation harmonizing the rules concerning the law applicable to contractual obligations ("Rome I"). It builds on the fundamental principle that the governing law of a contract is that agreed by the contracting parties, provides citizens and companies of the EU the security to enter into a contract in the knowledge that courts in all the Member States will apply the same principles on those cross-border elements of contractual disputes. In turn, this will facilitate the mutual recognition of court decisions in the European Union.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1872

The US incarcerates more people per capita than any other country. Justice Department statistics show that at the end of 2006, 2.25 million people were incarcerated: an all-time high.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/p06.htm

"Chronic Indifference: HIV/AIDS Services for Immigrants Detained by the United States" is a new Human Rights Watch report that calls for the Department of Homeland Security to upgrade its care and treatment of immigrant detainees with HIV. There are nearly 30,000 immigrants detained in hundreds of prisons, jails, and immigration detention centers throughout the US. The government has no idea of how many of these immigrants have HIV or AIDS, or how many are receiving the necessary care.
http://hrw.org/reports/2007/us1207/

A leaked copy of a March 2004 manual of "Standard Operating Procedures" for Guantanamo Bay was published on the Web site Wikileaks.org.
http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Gitmo-sop-2004.
--------------------------------------------------
ETM Natural Resources
--------------------------------------------------
Iraq's Shiites have turned on their Kurdish allies over the stormy issue of oil contracts with foreign companies, joining a furious Oil Minister Hussein Shahristani in declaring them invalid.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/business/?id=23376

The Gas Monitoring Committee of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission revealed that Nigeria loses 2.5 billion dollars annually as a result of gas flaring
http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=97159

In Devonshire, England, Australian company Wolf Minerals will reopen the historic Hemerdon mine, which produced tungsten and tin. Hemerdon was last used for World War II armaments, and has been closed for more than 60 years.  Once launched, it will be the largest producer of tungsten outside China.
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=181429&command=displayContent&sourceNode=229968&home=yes&more_nodeId1=133174&contentPK=19163332
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22880781-664,00.html
http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page36?oid=41279&sn=Detail
--------------------------------------------------
ETM Populations
--------------------------------------------------
The Center on Housing Rights and Evictions has announced the Housing Rights Violator Awards. They go to Beijing Municipality / BOCOG (jointly), Burma's ruling SPDC and Slovakia. The Protector Award went to Naga City in the Philippines, while the individual Defender Award was received by Pakistani housing rights activist Baseer Naveed.
http://www.cohre.org/2007Awards

As negotiators meet in Bali to frame a legally binding regime on international responses to climate change, the UN Environment Program released "Assessments of Impacts and Adaptations to Climate Change". The report describes how communities spanning the globe are coping with the problem, illustrated through case studies ranging from food security in the Sahel, pastoralists in Mongolia, rice farmers in the lower Mekong basin and artisanal fishing communities in South America.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=523&ArticleID=5715&l=en"
http://www.gefweb.org/

Statistics Canada released detailed analyses of data from the 2006 Census on immigration and citizenship, as well as the composition of Canada's language groups. It found that 20 percent of people living in Canada are foreign-born, the highest level in 75 years, and second in the world only to Australia.
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/071204/d071204a.htm

Quebec and Ottawa have signed an agreement in principle to provide semi-autonomous status for the Inuit-majority Nunavik region.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=146829
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2007/12/05/nvk-sign.html

European ministers are discussing employment and migration issues. They want to take a common global approach, and regret delays in transposition of European rules on procedures for granting asylum.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/550
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/549
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1834
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/538

Israeli anti-settlement organization Peace Now reports that in the past ten years, nearly 3,500 demolition orders were issued, but only just over a hundred were observed. In short, Israel has carried out only three percent of its own demolition orders in Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
http://www.peacenow.org.il/data/SIP_STORAGE/files/5/3485.pdf

Whalers in the US state of Alaska fear oil drilling may curtail way of life.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/12/04/america/03alaskaoil.php?page=1
--------------------------------------------------
ETM Social Responsibility
--------------------------------------------------
One World Trust has released the 2007 Global Accountability Report. It assesses 30 of the world's most powerful organizations, and their capabilities regarding transparency, participation, evaluation, and complaint and response mechanisms. This year's highest performers are the UN Development Program, Asian Development Bank, UN Environment Program, UN World Food Program, Inter-American Development Bank, Christian Aid, The International Accounting Standards Board, The General Electric Company, GlaxoSmithKline, and The Coca-Cola Company.
http://www.oneworldtrust.org/?display=index_2007_home
--------------------------------------------------
ETM Technology
--------------------------------------------------
While the public in Member States that were part of the EU before 2004 are generally open to science news, with more than 62% saying that they are interested in scientific research, this figure falls to just 38% for those Member States that joined since 2004. The differences range from 80% in Sweden to just 24% in Bulgaria. This is just one of the findings in a new Eurobarometer survey on scientific research in the media. The survey also shows a difference in the subjects of interest, with the newer Member States more focused on information technology and space, whereas the pre-2004 Member States saw higher levels of interest in medicine, environment and energy. This survey is being presented at the First European Forum on Science Journalism, taking place in Barcelona on 3 and 4 December. A new European Guide to Science Journalism Training will also be presented at that event, along with two studies assessing the attitudes of European scientists and senior media representatives respectively on the practices, challenges and opportunities they encounter in their daily work.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1836
--------------------------------------------------
ETM Weapons (WMD, Proliferation)
--------------------------------------------------
For the latest news on Iran's nuclear programs, see Recommended Reading, below.

US President Bush wrote to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, calling for denuclearization leading towards potential normalization of diplomatic relations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/07/world/asia/07korea.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/07/AR2007120700241.html

The US continues to encourage India to move forward on a nuclear cooperation deal, but different parties within India continue to present bars to an agreement.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/05/stories/2007120561371400.htm
http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/05/stories/2007120558660100.htm
http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/05/stories/2007120554101400.htm
http://www.hindustantimes.com/FullCoverage/FullCoverage.aspx?Special=Nucleardealimbroglio

Saudi newspaper Okaz reported that suspected al Qaeda terrorists smuggled eight Chinese-made missiles into the country before they were arrested in last week's sweep.
http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=NjcxMjIzOTg5

Other reports claim that China continues to arm the Burmese military junta.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=9523

The capture in Slovakia of nuclear materials last week raises proliferation concerns in the expanding EU.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1204/p06s04-woeu.html

5. Critical Infrastructure Monitor

The 21st century is the interdependent century. Understanding the implicit and explicit networks on which we rely, and the interdependencies among the sectors of the critical infrastructure is essential for business continuity, economic success, and our very survival. The Critical Infrastructure Monitor, published monthly, analyzes these sectors, regulatory frameworks, and issues of enterprise risk management in global supply chains.
http://secure.netsolhost.com/573566.585211/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TP
--------------------------------------------------
CIM Agriculture and Food
--------------------------------------------------
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) released two reports this week. "Rising Food Prices Threaten World's Poor People" reports that income growth, climate change, high energy prices, globalization, and urbanization are all converging to transform food production, markets, and consumption. As a result, global food demand and prices are likely to rise, threatening the livelihoods and nutrition of poor people in developing countries. "The World's Most Deprived" finds that 162 million of the world's poorest people survive on less than 50 cents a day. If concentrated in a single nation, they would comprise the world's seventh most populous country.
http://www.ifpri.org/pressrel/2007/20071204.asp
http://www.ifpri.org/pressrel/2007/20071106.asp

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) forecasts cereal production at 1,202 million tons, slightly down since the last forecast. However, sustained demand, particularly from the biofuels industry, as well as historically low levels of stocks and insufficient increased production, is keeping prices high, harming the world's most vulnerable populations. The higher temperatures, unpredictable rainfall and sea level rises associated with climate change present even greater challenges.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000723/index.html
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000724/index.html

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics says that only India and the least developed countries will lose more food production to climate change than Australia.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/climate-to-slash-farm-exports-heavily/2007/12/06/1196812922266.html
http://www.abareconomics.com/

China has shut down more than 1,400 substandard slaughterhouses in the past three months under a special campaign to improve product quality and food safety.
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/6316595.html

A unique safety net program being piloted in Ethiopia, which attempts to break away from the traditional humanitarian model, is being punted in the UN Development Program's Human Development Report 2007/2008 as a "bold attempt" to tackle food security threats posed by an uncertain climate.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=75709

India has 650 million agricultural employees, but up to 80 percent of it is subsistence agriculture.
http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/248247.html

The European Court of Auditors' Special Report No 7/2007 on the control, inspection and sanction systems relating to the rules on conservation of Community fisheries resources addresses what is causing the failure in the management of community fisheries resources. They cite unreliable catch data, inspections of limited effectiveness, systems for following up infringements and imposing sanctions that are often inappropriate, and all of this in a context of overcapacity which jeopardizes compliance with the rules: these are the main findings of the European Court of Auditors in its latest Special Report on fishing in Community waters. The multiple shortcomings that it identifies call into question whether the various measures for fishery resources management, and the total allowable catch (TAC) and quota system in particular, are operating effectively. In conclusion, the Court of Auditors makes numerous recommendations that the political authorities must implement if they want the common fisheries policy (CFP) to achieve its objective of sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1862
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/552
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=ECA/07/35
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/07/792

Morocco is investing in drought controls, crop diversification, irrigation, and other measures to protect the agricultural sector.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2007/12/07/feature-02

The US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing on Developing a Comprehensive Response to Food Safety, where they heard that risk-based proposals for food safety would actually make it harder to mandate controls, even on high-risk products.
http://help.senate.gov/Hearings/2007_12_04/2007_12_04.html

Meat processors are looking for ways to keep ground beef safe.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/business/06meat.html

Maryland Extension Agent Stanley W. Fultz's cautioned attendees at a recent annual Agriculture Forum to be wary of terrorists looking for ways to cripple the American economy, instill fear and cause a loss of confidence in the country's food safety.
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/business/display.htm?StoryID=68558
--------------------------------------------------
CIM Banking and Finance
--------------------------------------------------
The China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) announced earlier this year that fraud and crime in banking had dropped 62 percent in the first half of 2007. Most of these occurred through loopholes in internal controls. As a result, the Ministry of Public Security has dispatched liaisons to help curb potential financial crimes.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/05/content_7204258.htm

Germany's central bank has launched an investigation after a hairdresser discovered classified plans for a vault system at its Berlin branch in a rubbish bin in his backyard.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2992098,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/germany/article/0,,2223650,00.html

Meticulous thieves in Malta last month stole more than EU1 million, leading to enhanced security measures, including armed guards, delayed time locks, and other measures.
http://www.maltastar.com/pages/msFullArt.asp?an=17144
http://www.di-ve.com/Default.aspx?ID=72&Action=1&NewsID=48430&newscategory=31

Nepal has formed a banking security taskforce.
http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2007/nov/nov29/news05.php

A Zimbabwe tourism promoter Denis Paul faces up to a year in jail for using a 10-cent Zimbabwe bank note — not enough to buy a matchstick — as a business card at a tourism fair in London.

http://africa.reuters.com/odd/news/usnL06336261.html
--------------------------------------------------
CIM Chemical
--------------------------------------------------
India is calling for students to be trained on safe chemical handling and hazard response.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/05/stories/2007120553210600.htm

Nearly all of 51 large oil and petrochemical refineries in the US have not adequately addressed one or more of Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) recommendations on plant safety
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/85/i50/8550notw4.html

Under new chemical rules from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), facilities with high concentrations of certain chemicals will be labeled high-risk, which could affect the number of visitors to theme parks and other business establishments, including theme parks like Florida's Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-chemicals0307dec02,0,4429718.story

The Florida Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) is campaigning for  safe alternatives to chemicals commonly found in popular consumer products, released into our air and water, or dumped into toxic waste sites even within neighborhoods.
http://www.floridapirg.org/issues/toxic-free-communities2

New York's efforts to revise fire codes to include controlling hazardous chemicals garnered approval from CSB.
http://www.csb.gov/index.cfm?folder=news_releases&page=news&NEWS_ID=401
--------------------------------------------------
CIM Commercial Facilities
--------------------------------------------------
Afghanistan's capital Kabul is the victim of a rapid, unregulated and unequal urbanization.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75508

Shopping malls openness and accessibility present serious vulnerabilities, and can be attractive targets to attackers, particularly at the holiday season.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/suffolk/ny-limall075491020dec07,0,1176269.story
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/06/eveningnews/main3586609.shtml
--------------------------------------------------
CIM Cybersecurity
--------------------------------------------------
FreeBSD has released a number of security updates, including a serious archiving bug.
http://security.freebsd.org/advisories/FreeBSD-SA-07:09.random.asc
http://security.freebsd.org/advisories/FreeBSD-SA-07:10.gtar.asc

OpenOffice has released a fix to a highly critical flaw that permitted computer hijacking.
http://www.openoffice.org/security/cves/CVE-2007-4575.html
http://secunia.com/advisories/27928/

Cisco has advised Windows users of Cisco Security Agent software to upgrade because of a security bug.
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/707/cisco-sa-20071205-csa.shtml
http://secunia.com/advisories/27947/

There has been an epidemic of .gov sites hosting malicious software and "adult" content.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/01/government_sites_serve_malware/

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier said that a serious privacy breach at Passport Canada's website is fixed. Nonetheless, the privacy commissioner will investigate the incident, which revealed personal data of online passport applicants.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=92780c18-fcd4-4c44-8149-40aa7433100e&k=48

In the UK, HM Revenue and Customs acknowledged seven significant security breaches involving lost personal data over the past 2.5 years, raising claims of systemic failures. A reward of GBP20,000 is on offer for recovery of missing benefits discs containing personal details of 25 million people. Information Commissioner Thomas warns that this could be just the tip of the iceberg.
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,2222877,00.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3007329.ece
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2007/12/06/20-000-to-find-our-missing-cds-87/
http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=conWebDoc.16399
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/childbenefit/update-faqs.htm

Citizens' Advice Bureau in Northern Ireland reports that a laptop containing personal details of up to 60,000 people has been stolen. The data was encrypted, and protected with additional levels of security on the machine.
http://www.citizensadvice.co.uk//news/newsdetails.cfm/nkey/126
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-7135536,00.html

Memorial Blood Centers in the US state of Minnesota is notifying 268,000 donors of the theft of a laptop that contained personal information, including Social Security Numbers.
http://www.memorialbloodcenters.org/MBC/DesktopModules/DisplayAnnouncement.aspx?ItemID=226&mid=127&tabIndex=22&TabID=24
http://www.startribune.com/local/12190641.html

Michael Keehn has been arrested on charges of computer fraud related to intentionally accessing and damaging the SCADA system used by California's Tehama Colusa Canal Authority ("TCCA").
http://sacramento.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel07/sc112807.htm

William Sullivan, a former database administrator, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy in which he accessed the customer data of more than eight million individuals, at Certegy Check Services and Fidelity National Card Services, and sold it to a second individual, who re-sold the information to direct marketers and other sources. He must provide full restitution and will serve up to ten years in prison, supervised release, and additional fines.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/flm/pr/2007/nov/20071128_Sullivan_TpaComputerInfoTheftInd.pdf
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/flm/pr/2007/nov/20071128_SullivanPleaAgg.pdf

Although companies have information security policies, they are not well enforced, and convenience often trumps security.
http://www.ponemon.org/press/RC_PonemonSurvey_FINAL.pdf

The head of Britain's domestic intelligence agency MI5 wrote to 300 key businesses to warn that China is spying on their computer systems. Rolls-Royce and Royal Dutch Shell have reportedly fallen victim to such attacks. China rejects the accusations.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2980250.ece
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/china/article2988228.ece
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/04/content_7199294.htm
--------------------------------------------------
CIM Dams and Bridges
--------------------------------------------------
The Australian state of New South Wales' State Water Corporation in installing security systems at the Hume Dam to combat vandalism and petty crime that otherwise could close it to the public.
http://www.bordermail.com.au/news/bm/local/1049067.html

A group of 33 reporters investigated China's Three Gorges Dam, including water quality, relocated residents, new towns, and other issues. The power plant has generated 59 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity so far this year, about 10 billion more than last year'.
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/6316563.html
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/6317241.html

The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has suspended its planned demolition of unauthorized structures, pending investigations into complaints by some property owners.
http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/200712/11111.asp

Malaysia is installing surveillance and monitoring systems at the Babagon Dam.
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=54471

Mali and Niger have secured $400 million in Islamic finance to build new dams.
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL03339422.html
--------------------------------------------------
CIM Defense Industrial Base
--------------------------------------------------
Bangladesh has finalized Private Security Service Rules that include mandatory licensing.
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=14542

The European Commission plans to open the defense industry to more competition.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1860
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/547
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/546
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/07/789
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/05/europe/EU-GEN-EU-Defense-Industry.php

US companies like scandal-plagued Blackwater aren't the only ones sending fighters to Iraq: German mercenaries are also part of the mix. They are either getting rich in the process or returning home in a coffin.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,516434,00.html

Tokyo's defense spending is in the spotlight following bribery accusations.
http://us.ft.com/ftgateway/superpage.ft?news_id=fto120520072343036984

Russia's second-largest bank, VTB, will sell its 5 percent stake in the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS) to the new United Aviation Corporation at the market price.
http://www.reuters.com/article/mergersNews/idUSL081002220071208
http://en.rian.ru/business/20071208/91480780.html

A UK official investigation found that known fuel leakage problems combined with aging components and a lack of modern fire suppressants probably caused the most deadly air crash suffered by the British military since the Falklands war, when an aging Nimrod spy plane caught fire, killing all 14 on board during an Afghan operation last September.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/military/story/0,,2221776,00.html
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article3221612.ece

The British Association of Private Security Companies (BAPSC)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7128046.stm
http://www.waronwant.org/Getting%20Away%20With%20Murder+15215.twl

The US Pentagon and State departments have agreed on procedures they say will improve oversight of private security contractors operating in Iraq.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/washington/05blackwater.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7130147.stm
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2007/oct/94013.htm
--------------------------------------------------
CIM Emergency Services
--------------------------------------------------
Interpol this week conducted a two-day tabletop exercise in France involving the response to an international terrorism attack involving plague bacteria.
http://www.interpol.int/Public/ICPO/speeches/SGBioT20071203.asp

Eleven centers in Canada and the US are collaborating on a new trauma treatment in place of blood. The research is controversial because patients eligible for the study are unable to consent.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119569833595740.xml

Canadian authorities have arrested about a dozen people in connection with hoax 911 emergency calls, including bomb threats, since late September.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=2b4e9f37-51ed-480f-8970-9b5be70a5374&k=4423

A cobra bite in a Canadian hospital has raised the issue of whether private snake collectors are responsible for stocking their own anti-venom. Canadian hospitals stock rattlesnake  anti-venom, but not treatment for non-native species.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=1f708c07-81c0-4176-8d83-2cb24b99e608&k=67874

UK telecom regulator Ofcom will require VoIP systems to connect 999 emergency calls from September 2008.
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2007/12/nr_22071205
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/voip/voipstatement/

The Bush administration intends to slash counterterrorism funding for police, firefighters and rescue departments across the country by more than half next year, according to budget documents obtained by The Associated Press. The proposals have been roundly condemned.
http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=20840

http://www.newstimes.com/ci_7630133

EMTs are better trained, and have become more difficult to keep.
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/headlines/ci_7589525

Notify NYC is a new pilot program in which residents and workers sign up to receive alerts via cell phone, email, or text messages regarding floods, chemical spills, or other emergencies.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/nyregion/05notify.html
--------------------------------------------------
CIM Energy
--------------------------------------------------
Biofuels present both benefits and risks for developing countries.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200712061079.html
http://allafrica.com/stories/200712061077.html

OPEC has decided to leave production unchanged for now, as it identifies an acceptable price range.
http://www.opec.org/opecna/Press%20Releases/2007/pr142007.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/business/worldbusiness/06opec.html

China released a draft energy law for public comment. It plans to collect more than $8 billion in special funds from oil producers for public and low-income subsidies.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/04/content_7198391.htm
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/6317237.html

The European Commission has welcomed the Council's support to accelerate energy technologies for a low-carbon future, and the substantial progress in the Council for the internal energy market package.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1838
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1835

India's Minister of External Affairs, Pranab Mukherjee said the Integrated Energy Policy-2006 provides for exploration and exploitation of all sources of energy. The nuclear cooperation agreement with the US could open new opportunities for energy security.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200712061722.htm
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200712071655.htm

Auto policy experts were still struggling on Monday to determine exactly what would change under the new US Energy Bill, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi characterized as "a shot heard 'round the world for energy independence". She will work with the Senate to move the bill forward.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/washington/04fuel.html
http://speaker.house.gov/newsroom/pressreleases?id=0433

The National Petrochemical and Refiners Association (NPRA) says that the US energy legislation fails both security and economic goals. They particularly object to biofuels.
http://www.npra.org/news/releases/detail.cfm?docid=3337&CFID=21824444&CFTOKEN=47877084
http://www.npra.org/spotlight.cfm?docid=3336&CFID=21824448&CFTOKEN=68062625

The National Association of Manufacturers also says that the energy bill provides neither independence nor security.
http://blog.nam.org/archives/2007/12/energy_bill_nei.php
--------------------------------------------------
CIM Government Facilities
--------------------------------------------------
US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff gave landowners along the. border with Mexico 30 days to allow federal surveyors on their land or they will be taken to court, and their property seized.
http://www.themonitor.com/news/land_7178___article.html/chertoff_border.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-fence8dec08,1,7657717.story

New York City fire officials have proposed an updated fire code that is meshed with revised building rules.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/nyregion/06fire.html
--------------------------------------------------
CIM Information Technology
--------------------------------------------------
Experts estimate approximately 70 percent of the 20 million to 50 million tons of electronic waste produced annually around the world ends up in China, with most of the rest going to other undeveloped or developing nations. Most of the time the waste is broken or melted down by poor migrant workers who are paid only a few hundred dollars a month, and face serious health and safety problems.
http://www.livescience.com/environment/071119-ap-china-ewaste.html

More than 70 percent of Hong Kong households have a personal computer connected to the internet.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/07/content_7212891.htm

A rapid increase in third party ISO 9001 certificates has raised concern in India.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200712071733.htm

European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media, Viviane Reding, addressed the Publishers' Forum on the topic of  "The convergent publisher – Print media in the broadband economy"
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/07/788

Following last month's major hack of Fasthosts, which triggered a police investigation, the British web hosting company performed an emergency password reset. More support staff were brought in to address support requirements for the poorly handled incident response.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39291202,00.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/gloucestershire/7124755.stm
--------------------------------------------------
CIM National Monuments and Icons
--------------------------------------------------
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) warned that a German court's decision to authorize the construction of a bridge over the Elbe River could lead to the removal of the Dresden Elbe Valley from the World Heritage List, because it could irreversibly damage the values and integrity of the Dresden Elbe Valley. Protesters were dragged away from the site this Saturday, while the German government has threatened to claw back subsidies for the project.
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=41264&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,2991785,00.html?maca=en-bulletin-433-html

A US National Park Service advisory committee unanimously recommended that the world's first full-scale nuclear reactor, Hanford B, be designated a National Historic Landmark.
http://www.nps.gov/
http://www.b-reactor.org/
--------------------------------------------------
CIM Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste
--------------------------------------------------
The prolonged shutdown of the Chalk River Atomic Energy Plant in Ontario, Canada, has led to a serious shortage of medical materials. The head of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on blasted Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. for violating license requirements at its Chalk River,
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071207/isotope_problems_071207/20071207?hub=CTVNewsAt11
http://www.canada.com/topics/technology/story.html?id=513a6185-a04d-4f25-a3d5-4dcea889c6d3&k=10901
http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/newsroom/releases/news_release.cfm?news_release_id=291

The European Commission has given a favorable opinion to the initiative of Natsionalna Elektricheska Kompania (NEK) of Bulgaria to build a new nuclear power plant at the site of Belene, according to the requirements of articles 41 to 44 of the Euratom Treaty. http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1874

A German study finds that children under five living near nuclear power stations contract cancer at a greatly higher rate than the national average.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2994904,00.html

The Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is considering potential sites for nuclear power plants. The central government is also considering sites in other states.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Govt_considering_potential_sites_for_setting_up_nuke_plants/articleshow/2601167.cms

Latvia and the US have agreed to coordinate efforts against nuclear and radiological smuggling.
http://www.nnsa.doe.gov/docs/newsreleases/2007/PR_2007-12-03_NA-07-56.htm

South Korea's Ministry of Science and Technology said that it has decided to run the Gori 1 reactor in Busan for ten more years, although it had reached its 30-year projected lifespan in June, and faces objections from residents and environmental groups.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/12/133_15091.html

Spain's Vandellos II nuclear plant was stopped on last Sunday morning after a notifiable incident related to control bars. The cause of the automatic shutdown will be investigated, but the incident was not serious.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKL0228355320071202
http://www.csn.es/ (in Spanish)

The UK has organized the disposal of 9,000 radioactive items to stop them falling into the hands of terrorists
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7131801.stm

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued an order to nearly 1,000 licensees to begin fingerprinting and criminal history checks for all persons granted unescorted access to certain radioactive materials.
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2007/07-163.html

The NRC has received applications for a uranium recovery operation in Wyoming and a new reactor at North Anna.
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2007/07-164.html
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2007/07-165.html
--------------------------------------------------
CIM Postal and Shipping
--------------------------------------------------
Australian transport authorities have backed away from key anti-terrorism measures after being advised increased screening of air cargo on passenger flights could jeopardize exports and threaten some industries.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22889377-23349,00.html

Growing freight and logistics bottlenecks at US ports and borders threaten America’s ability to compete in a global economy. Increased security measures are contributing to the costly delays.
http://www.logisticsmgmt.com/article/CA6510580.html?industryid=48468
--------------------------------------------------
CIM Public Health and Healthcare
--------------------------------------------------
Citing the need for medicines better tailored to children's needs, the World Health Organization (WHO) unveiled plans for further research and development into child medicine. The "make medicines child size" campaign aims to raise awareness and spur action to address the need to ensure that all children under the age of 15 have better access to medicines appropriate for them. WHO also released the first international List of Essential Medicines for Children, containing over 200 medicines that are deemed safe for children.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2007/pr63/en/index.html

Indoor residual spraying campaigns, free insecticide-treated mosquito bednets, new-generation treatments and increased funding has led to declines in morbidity and mortality related to malaria, which kills more than 1 million people annually, 90 percent of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607617966/fulltext

Repairs at Canada's Chalk River nuclear facility have choked off supply of radioactive isotopes used for diagnosing and treating thousands of patients. A safety upgrade due for completion in 2005 has not yet been completed.
http://www.thestar.com/article/283108
http://www.thestar.com/article/283446

Dr. Brian Dufresne, the Northern Lights Regional Health Center's chief of emergency medicine, said that there is at least one verbal or physical threat in the emergency room each day, including a recent assault on a security guard. The Canadian physician wants the hospital's security guards to be outfitted with Tasers or pepper spray to counter a recent increase in violence.
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=b6b0b4ff-3927-4568-86bc-6db88718a71d

A new report by European Commission scientists shows that urgent guidelines are needed for the counseling of patients that opt to screen their embryos created by in vitro fertilization (IVF) for serious genetic disorders, and there is a need for specific quality assurance schemes. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is the practice of testing embryos for conditions such as Huntington's, hemophilia and cystic fibrosis before they are implanted in the mother. As the first report to give a full picture of this practice at European level, it shows that PGD is a well-established practice in many Member States, but regulations, standards and accreditation requirements can differ widely. The report, drawn up by the Commission's in-house scientific service, the Joint Research Centre, in co-operation with a number of European research centers, will help provide more knowledge and information about current PGD services.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1868

Nigeria is concerned over the lack of attention paid the Lassa fever epidemic that has been ravaging the country since he 1980s, killing an average of 5,000 people each year.
http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=96963

A critical shortage of antiretroviral drugs in Togo has temporarily eased with the arrival of a two-month supply of the life-prolonging medication. HIV-positive people and AIDS activists in Togo say an unstable supply of ARVs in the country is putting lives in danger.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=75711
--------------------------------------------------
CIM Telecommunications
--------------------------------------------------
More than half of European households have internet access, and the number with hi-speed broadband has risen sharply. The Dutch come in at the top, and Bulgaria has the least access.
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page?_pageid=1073,46587259&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&p_product_code=KS-QA-07-023
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,2984472,00.html?maca=en-bulletin-433-html

UK telecom regulator Ofcom announced details of its fourth radio spectrum auction for new broadband services. It also published a new framework for premium rate services regulation.
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/10-40notice/statement/
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2007/12/nr20071205

Some senior industry figures in the UK suggest that the push for next-generation broadband could be premature.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7114642.stm

Google will bid for a portion of the US 700 Mhz spectrum, open for auction in January.

--------------------------------------------------
CIM Transportation
--------------------------------------------------
International Civil Aviation Day is celebrated every year on 7 December. This year's theme is "Global Air Transport: A Driver of Sustainable Economic, Social and Cultural Development". The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said that global air transportation has brought millions of jobs, a major boost to the world economy and valuable savings in time for many people, but its benefits may be in jeopardy unless the industry takes more steps to improve its environmental performance. Last year 2.1 billion passengers traveled on scheduled flights, which does not include charter and other aircraft operations. Almost 40 million tons of cargo were carried by air. Civil aviation's contribution to the world economy is worth an estimated $3.5 trillion, or about 8 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP), according to the Air Transport Action Group. About 32 million jobs are linked either directly or indirectly to the industry as well.
http://www.icao.int/icao/en/aviation_day.htm http://www.icao.int/icao/en/nr/2007/pio200712_e.pdf

Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) released its internal report on its involvement with Mr. Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport in October. The Polish visitor was killed when a Taser was used against him. Based on this review, CBSA immediately is acting on these recommendations:
* The CBSA, along with other partners such as the Vancouver Airport Authority, will review procedures on services provided for international travelers and those waiting to meet them.
* The CBSA will update its list of employees who can speak languages other than English and French. The CBSA will also review its interpreter services to make sure that the services are provided as quickly as possible.
* More cameras will be installed to provide an expanded coverage of the CBSA’s area at Vancouver International Airport.
 * The Agency will explore options to have more patrols and security checks within the CBSA’s area.
 * The CBSA will review its procedure to ensure that all persons referred for further examinations report to the secondary examination areas within a reasonable amount of time.
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/media/release-communique/2007/1126-r-eng.html
http://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/story.html?id=a98c73b8-0b6c-4903-ab7a-f34bcf8f63a9
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2007/12/08/robert-dziekanski-timeline-his-tragic-final-hours.aspx

The European Consumer Center Network reports that air passenger complaints rose in 2006.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1867

India's Civil Aviation ministry has expanded the list of Very Very Important People and Very Important People exempt from pre-flight screening. The three chiefs of defense staff are among those exempted.
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=33809
http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/07/stories/2007120754141500.htm

A test of security controls at Oslo, Norway's main airport at Gardermoen had such shockingly poor results that several security guards were dismissed and aviation officials are demanding improvements.
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article2141057.ece

South Africa is investigating arms smuggling from Zimbabwe after a large arms consignment was found at OR Tambo International airport.
http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=652677
http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/crime1justice/0,2172,160556,00.html

The UK Civil Aviation Authority reports that the number of air rage incidents on British planes increased by more than 60 percent last year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/dec/07/airrage
http://www.caa.co.uk/

While aviation accidents in the US are relatively infrequent, recent incidents have heightened concerns about safety on airport runways and ramps. In "Aviation Runway and Ramp Safety: Sustained Efforts to Address Leadership, Technology, and Other Challenges Needed to Reduce Accidents and Incidents", the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says that increased congestion at airports may exacerbate ground safety concerns. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is implementing the Next Generation Air Transportation System to better manage traffic. GAO recommends several measures to enhance runway and ramp safety, such as updating the national runway safety plan, collecting data on runway overruns, and working with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and industry to collect and analyze better information on ramp accidents.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-29
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/delta/stories/2007/12/05/runwayc_1205.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2223651,00.html

Since 9/11, federal agencies have faced the challenge of protecting sensitive information while also sharing it. One form of protection involves identifying and marking such information as sensitive but unclassified. In "Transportation Security Administration's Processes for Designating and Releasing Sensitive Security Information", the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviewed efforts to improve policies and procedures for such designations, and found satisfactory progress in several areas.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-232R

A TSA baggage screener and three baggage handlers employed at the Jacksonville International Airport were indicted on charges they stole laptop computers and other valuables from luggage.
http://www.news4jax.com/news/14801803/detail.html
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/120807/met_223788133.shtml

Another TSA screener was charged with trespassing after he boarded a plane at JFK International Airport without a ticket or boarding pass.
http://www.wnbc.com/news/14795306/detail.html
http://gothamist.com/2007/12/07/even_if_youre_a.php

Canada's Port of Halifax will be compliant with new security clearances for workers when Transport Canada’s credential requirements become mandatory 15 December.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/996858.html

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi welcomes foreign monetary and technical aid to enhance security in the Straits of Malacca, but is opposed to a US-led force patrolling the area.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/12/3/nation/19645005&sec=nation

In Nigeria's Rivers State, Governor Rotimi Amaechi has appealed for the Nigerian Navy to increase security patrols on coastal waterways, where piracy is on the rise. He called for additional funding to accomplish this, and also reduce bunkering.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2644&Itemid=44

The UK is implementing airport-style scanning at the 250 busiest rail stations when security chiefs believe there is a real threat.
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1822552007

A CSX Transportation railcar filled with motor oil derailed on tracks cutting through an office complex in South Baltimore, Maryland. CSX is working on a plan to let cities know when dangerous cargo will pass through.
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2007/12/03/daily37.html
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.ci.train08dec08,0,1762878.story
http://wjz.com/local/csx.train.freight.2.603162.html

Several Canadian provinces have pressed the US for enhanced drivers' licenses rather than passports.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=2432f1a1-94ae-4c8c-9a30-32e3e5d77e6f&k=95676

The US House Committee on Homeland Security has written to Homeland Security Chertoff to delay acceptance of Boeing's high-tech border fence, citing concerns that ongoing problems have not been addressed.  Despite these concerns, DHS has conditionally accepted the system.
http://homeland.house.gov/press/index.asp?ID=308
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38764
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119708351414518097.html
--------------------------------------------------
CIM Water
--------------------------------------------------
The first-ever Asia-Pacific Water Summit was held in Beppu, on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. 3-4 December. Worldwide water resources continue to be spoiled, wasted and degraded, but high population growth, unsustainable consumption, pollution and poor management of clean water sources in Asia-Pacific pose exceptional concerns. Asia Pacific also accounts for 80 percent of the death toll from water-related disasters such as floods and tsunamis.
http://www.apwf.org/
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/03/content_7190171.htm
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view_article.php?article_id=104502
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11311.doc.htm
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/world/20071207TDY03103.htm

A 2-year study commissioned by India's Punjab Pollution Control Board found mutated DNA in blood samples of 65 percent of the people tested, as well as high levels of arsenic and mercury in the tap water. This may be causing genetic mutations in the population.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/world/asia/04water.html

In the US state of Georgia, the expanding drought is pushing drinking water suppliers toward extraordinary measures to keep metro Atlanta's drinking water flowing and fit to drink, and water disaster measures may be necessary - but not yet. However, at least two counties have failed to meet the mandated ten percent reduction in water production.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2007/12/03/dirtywater_1204.html
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2007/12/04/worstcase_1205.html
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2007/12/05/targets_1206.html?cxntnid=amn120607e
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7104547.stm

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services' Drinking Water State Revolving Fund has financed water security grants to support fencing, alarms, lighting, reinforced doors and locks, generators, chlorinators and other equipment, for 85 communities.
http://www.yorknewstimes.com/stories/112707/localnews_watergrants.shtml

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
--------------------------------------------------
DRM Incidents
--------------------------------------------------
The official death toll from 15 November Cyclone Sidr rose to 793 in Bagerhat as six more decomposed bodies were recovered.

An explosion at a coalmine in central China has left at least 105 miners dead.

High winds and heavy rains in the northwestern US states of Oregon and Washington have killed at least seven people, and left tens of thousands without power. States of emergency have been declared in both states.

A barge struck the Hong Kong-registered Hebei Spirit while it anchored at South Korea's scenic western coastline off Daesan port. Thousands of tons of crude oil have leaked out from the large tanker, in an accident roughly a third the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill.
--------------------------------------------------
DRM Response and Recovery
--------------------------------------------------
The humanitarian situation in Bangladesh in the wake of November's devastating Cyclone Sidr is much worse than previously understood. More than 8.5 million people were affected: about 1.5 million more than originally thought. About 2.6 million Bangladeshis across nine districts of the South Asian delta country still need immediate life-saving assistance. The death toll has increased slightly to 3,268, the number of people considered missing is 872 and the number of injured has been revised upward by 5,000 to almost 40,000. The material damage is also more severe than understood: nearly 564,000 homes have been completely destroyed, a leap of 200,000 on earlier reports, while another 885,280 houses have been damaged. At least 1.25 million livestock have been confirmed killed, more than twice the previous estimate, and the area of cropland damaged has risen to 2 million acres.
http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1080
http://ochaonline2.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=7480

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said Tuesday that an Air France plane that crashed at Toronto's Lester B. Pearson International Airport in 2005 came in too fast and landed almost halfway down the runway. The final investigation report will be released next week.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=bcf9fae0-709b-40f9-bbf5-2852e2e15762&k=88199

The manager of the Chinese mine where there was a fatal explosion this week, Gao Jianmin, and a legal representative, Wang Hongliang, were arrested. The mine's operating license has been suspended and bank accounts frozen pending an investigation.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,2223638,00.html

The US Department of Justice filed suit last week against Regal Stone Ltd., Fleet Management Ltd., and Capt. John Cota - the owners of the Cosco Busan, which hit a support of the San Francisco Bay Bridge on 7 November, spilling 58,000 gallons of oil. Justice construed this as a violation of the National Marine Sanctuary Act, the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, and the Park System Resource Protection Act, and claims the owners and captain were negligent and breached federal safety and operating regulations.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-spill1dec01,1,3437718.story
--------------------------------------------------
DRM Risks
--------------------------------------------------
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released "Ranking Port Cities with High Exposure and Vulnerability to Climate Extremes: Exposure Estimates: Environment Working Papers No 1". The report says that the impact of climate change and urban development could more than triple the number of people around the world exposed to coastal flooding by 2070. Miami is the most exposed city today and will remain so in 2070, with exposed assets rising from approximately $400 billion today to over $3.5 trillion. By 2070, eight of the most exposed cities will be in Asia. Guangzhou is the second most exposed city in terms of assets, followed by New York, Kolkata, Shanghai, Mumbai, Tianjin, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. Ranking port cities with high exposure and vulnerability to climate extremes finds that around 150 million people could be exposed to a 1 in 100 year coastal flood event by 2070, up from 40 million today. The estimated financial impact of such an event would also rise $35 trillion by 2070, up from $3 trillion today.
http://www.oecd.org/document/34/0,3343,en_2649_201185_39727650_1_1_1_1,00.html

South Africa's Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has called on the mining industry to address safety concerns after 240,000 mine workers downed tools this week in the country's first strike over safety standards.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=75712

The Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State University predicts an above average 2008 hurricane season, with 13 named storms of which seven may become hurricanes, and three of these will be intense or major hurricanes.
http://www.newsinfo.colostate.edu/index.asp?url=news_item_display&news_item_id=699150346

In "When It Rains, It Pours", Environment America reports that storms with heavy rainfall are now 24 percent more frequent in the U.S. than they were 60 years ago, a finding consistent with scientists’ predictions about global warming.
http://www.environmentamerica.org/news-releases/global-warming-solutions/global-warming-solutions/new-report-extreme-downpours-up-24-percent-in-u_s#y1vBE7835MVUirwYRTM2HQ

"Multifunctional Integration: The Positive Side of Risk" is a new TowerGroup report that finds many financial institutions continue to view and manage risk in the traditional fashion - as a threat that may bear a negative impact in the future. Lacking a more comprehensive, proactive and integrated view of risk, many institutions mandate narrowly focused risk control and mitigation strategies, and then overreact when unforeseen or damaging events arise - as in the recent sub-prime crisis.
http://www.towergroup.com/research/news/news.htm?newsId=3600

Holiday meals, alcohol, and stress contribute to making December and January the deadliest months for heart disease.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/03/AR2007120301120.html
--------------------------------------------------
DRM Mitigation
--------------------------------------------------
As climate change makes the developing world even more vulnerable to natural disasters, developed countries extend a global partnership for sharing satellite images.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1205/p06s02-woaf.html

A national disaster management commission in Afghanistan has allocated $2.5 million for possible disaster management operations during the winter months. In addition, the World Food Program has agreed to pre-position about 22,000 metric tons of wheat in 18 vulnerable provinces before winter.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=75703

Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed asked international donors to pump in an estimated $1 billion to assist in a massive long-term plan to protect the coastal areas from recurring natural disasters and climate changes, or risk undermining development.
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=14120

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) released "Summer Floods 2007: Learning the Lessons". They called on the Government to develop a 25-year strategy to manage Britain’s growing flood risk, based on:
* An investment program that reflects climate change and the real flood risks from rivers, coasts and drainage.
*  Improved national leadership and coordination with national targets for reducing flood risk. A single national body should be responsible for flood management strategy to replace the current piecemeal approach.
* Stronger planning controls to ensure that new developments are not built in high flood-risk areas wherever possible.
http://www.abi.org.uk/Newsreleases/viewNewsRelease.asp?nrid=15477

The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released an updated electronic edition of "Mandatory Purchase of Flood Insurance Guidelines".
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2007/fil07106.html

7. Recommended Reading

The release this week from the US Director of National Intelligence of a new National Intelligence Estimate regarding "Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities" signals an end, for the moment, of the threat of war.  The declassified key judgments from this report are provided herewith, as well as the key differences between this and the May 2005 Assessment, followed by links to additional analysis and commentary.

IRAN: NUCLEAR INTENTIONS AND CAPABILITIES

November 2007

Key Judgments

A. We judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program [For the purposes of this Estimate, by "nuclear weapons program" we mean Iran’s nuclear weapon design and weaponization work and covert uranium conversion-related and uranium enrichment-related work; we do not mean Iran’s declared civil work related to uranium conversion and enrichment.]; we also assess with moderate-to-high confidence that Tehran at a minimum is keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons. We judge with high confidence that the halt, and Tehran’s announcement of its decision to suspend its declared uranium enrichment program and sign an Additional Protocol to its Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Safeguards Agreement, was directed primarily in response to increasing international scrutiny and pressure resulting from exposure of Iran’s previously undeclared nuclear work.

* We assess with high confidence that until fall 2003, Iranian military entities were working under government direction to develop nuclear weapons.

* We judge with high confidence that the halt lasted at least several years. (Because of intelligence gaps discussed elsewhere in this Estimate, however, DOE and the NIC assess with only moderate confidence that the halt to those activities represents a halt to Iran's entire nuclear weapons program.)

* We assess with moderate confidence Tehran had not restarted its nuclear weapons program as of mid-2007, but we do not know whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons.

* We continue to assess with moderate-to-high confidence that Iran does not currently have a nuclear weapon.

* Tehran’s decision to halt its nuclear weapons program suggests it is less determined to develop nuclear weapons than we have been judging since 2005. Our assessment that the program probably was halted primarily in response to international pressure suggests Iran may be more vulnerable to influence on the issue than we judged previously.

B. We continue to assess with low confidence that Iran probably has imported at least some weapons-usable fissile material, but still judge with moderate-to-high confidence it has not obtained enough for a nuclear weapon. We cannot rule out that Iran has acquired from abroad—or will acquire in the future—a nuclear weapon or enough fissile material for a weapon. Barring such acquisitions, if Iran wants to have nuclear weapons it would need to produce sufficient amounts of fissile material indigenously—which we judge with high confidence it has not yet done.

C. We assess centrifuge enrichment is how Iran probably could first produce enough fissile material for a weapon, if it decides to do so. Iran resumed its declared centrifuge enrichment activities in January 2006, despite the continued halt in the nuclear weapons program. Iran made significant progress in 2007 installing centrifuges at Natanz, but we judge with moderate confidence it still faces significant technical problems operating them.

* We judge with moderate confidence that the earliest possible date Iran would be technically capable of producing enough HEU for a weapon is late 2009, but that this is very unlikely.

* We judge with moderate confidence Iran probably would be technically capable of producing enough HEU for a weapon sometime during the 2010-2015 time frame. (INR judges Iran is unlikely to achieve this capability before 2013 because of foreseeable technical and programmatic problems.) All agencies recognize the possibility that this capability may not be attained until after 2015.

D. Iranian entities are continuing to develop a range of technical capabilities that could be applied to producing nuclear weapons, if a decision is made to do so. For example, Iran’s civilian uranium enrichment program is continuing. We also assess with high confidence that since fall 2003, Iran has been conducting research and development projects with commercial and conventional military applications—some of which would also be of limited use for nuclear weapons.

E. We do not have sufficient intelligence to judge confidently whether Tehran is willing to maintain the halt of its nuclear weapons program indefinitely while it weighs its options, or whether it will or already has set specific deadlines or criteria that will prompt it to restart the program.

* Our assessment that Iran halted the program in 2003 primarily in response to international pressure indicates Tehran’s decisions are guided by a cost-benefit approach rather than a rush to a weapon irrespective of the political, economic, and military costs. This, in turn, suggests that some combination of threats of intensified international scrutiny and pressures, along with opportunities for Iran to achieve its security, prestige, and goals for regional influence in other ways, might -- if perceived by Iran’s leaders as credible—prompt Tehran to extend the current halt to its nuclear weapons program. It is difficult to specify what such a combination might be.

• We assess with moderate confidence that convincing the Iranian leadership to forgo the eventual development of nuclear weapons will be difficult given the linkage many within the leadership probably see between nuclear weapons development and Iran's key national security and foreign policy objectives, and given Iran’s considerable effort from at least the late 1980s to 2003 to develop such weapons. In our judgment, only an Iranian political decision to abandon a nuclear weapons objective would plausibly keep Iran from eventually producing nuclear weapons—and such a decision is inherently reversible.

F. We assess with moderate confidence that Iran probably would use covert facilities -- rather than its declared nuclear sites -- for the production of highly enriched uranium for a weapon. A growing amount of intelligence indicates Iran was engaged in covert uranium conversion and uranium enrichment activity, but we judge that these efforts probably were halted in response to the fall 2003 halt, and that these efforts probably had not been restarted through at least mid-2007.

G. We judge with high confidence that Iran will not be technically capable of producing and reprocessing enough plutonium for a weapon before about 2015.

H. We assess with high confidence that Iran has the scientific, technical and industrial capacity eventually to produce nuclear weapons if it decides to do so.

Key Differences Between the Key Judgments of This Estimate on Iran’s Nuclear Program and the May 2005 Assessment

2005 IC Estimate:
Assess with high confidence that Iran currently is determined to develop nuclear weapons despite its international obligations and international pressure, but we do not assess that Iran is immovable.
2007 National Intelligence Estimate:
Judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program. Judge with high confidence that the halt lasted at least several years. (DOE and the NIC have moderate confidence that the halt to those activities represents a halt to Iran's entire nuclear weapons program.) Assess with moderate confidence Tehran had not restarted its nuclear weapons program as of mid-2007, but we do not know whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons. Judge with high confidence that the halt was directed primarily in response to increasing international scrutiny and pressure resulting from exposure of Iran’s previously undeclared nuclear work. Assess with moderate-to-high confidence that Tehran at a minimum is keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons.

2005 IC Estimate:
We have moderate confidence in projecting when Iran is likely to make a nuclear weapon; we assess that it is unlikely before early-to-mid next decade.
2007 National Intelligence Estimate:
We judge with moderate confidence that the earliest possible date Iran would be technically capable of producing enough highly enriched uranium (HEU) for a weapon is late 2009, but that this is very unlikely. We judge with moderate confidence Iran probably would be technically capable of producing enough HEU for a weapon sometime during the 2010-2015 time frame. (INR judges that Iran is unlikely to achieve this capability before 2013 because of foreseeable technical and programmatic problems.)

2005 IC Estimate:
Iran could produce enough fissile material for a weapon by the end of this decade if it were to make more rapid and successful progress than we have seen to date.
2007 National Intelligence Estimate:
We judge with moderate confidence that the earliest possible date Iran would be technically capable of producing enough highly enriched uranium (HEU) for a weapon is late 2009, but that this is very unlikely.


SOURCE:
http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/20071203_release.pdf
http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/20071203_statement.pdf


ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY:
"A Blow to Bush's Tehran Policy"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/03/AR2007120302210.html
"A boring role model for the world"
http://www.thestar.com/article/283100
"A Miracle: Honest Intel on Iran Nukes"
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=23370
"Alone in the battlefield"
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3478953,00.html
"An Assessment Jars a Foreign Policy Debate About Iran"
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/washington/04assess.html
"Biden Issues Statement on National Intelligence Estimate"
http://biden.senate.gov/newsroom/details.cfm?id=288146&&
"Bush: No change in Iran policy"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2221663,00.html
"Bush told in Aug Iran may have halted nuclear program"
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=ed4b869a-b93f-4d03-b79b-e60fdb42a8ea&k=23377
"Chairman Rockefeller Statement on Iran NIE Key Judgments"
http://intelligence.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=288484
"Chasm opens over US about-face on Iran's nuclear work"
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=87292
"Daily Press Briefing, Tom Casey, Deputy Spokesman, December 4, 2007"
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2007/dec/96213.htm
"EU to Keep up Pressure on Iran after US Report"
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,2985079,00.html
"European Press Review: Iran Report Could Impact Elections"
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,2988734,00.html
"Gates: Intelligence Estimate Shows Need to Keep Up Pressure on Iran"
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=48318
"Intelligence expert who rewrote book on Iran"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2224182,00.html
"Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, US agencies say"
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2995111.ece
"Iran nuclear report divides reporters"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7130553.stm
"Iran still a danger to world peace, says Bush"
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article3223691.ece
"Iranian Nuclear Program Remains Major Threat Despite Partial Freeze of Weapons-Relevant Activities Described in New U.S. National Intelligence Estimate"
http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/week/071206.htm
"Iranian president calls U.S. nuclear report a 'victory'"
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/12/05/iran.nuclear/index.html
"Israel insists that Iran still seeks a bomb"
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/05/africa/05israel.phps
"Jerusalem says Iranian nuclear push continuing"
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/931223.html
"Lantos Says Latest News on Iran Underscores Importance of Diplomacy"
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/press_display.asp?id=455
"Lessons from past shift debate on Iran"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22118109/
" Media mixed on Iran nuclear report"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7128822.stm
"Monitoring agency praises US report, but keeps wary eye on Iran"
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/05/africa/05iran.php
"New data, new methods, new conclusion"
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/05/africa/nukes.php
"New intelligence points to Iranian defector"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2221823,00.html
"No military strike? Then start talking"
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/931222.html
"Nuclear fallout"
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A1546F8B-682D-4138-A257-6741343DBCFF.htm
"Olmert: Nuke report on Iran shows need for tighter Iran sanctions"
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/930826.html
"Press Conference by the President"
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/12/20071204-4.html
"Press Gaggle by Tony Fratto"
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/12/20071205-1.html
"Reyes comments on National Intelligence Estimate on Iran"
http://intelligence.house.gov/Media/PDFS/ReyesRelease120307b.pdf
"Statement by IAEA Director General on New US Intelligence Estimate on Iran"
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/PressReleases/2007/prn200722.html
"Tehran feels vindicated in light of report"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2221853,00.html
"US Finds Iran Halted Its Nuclear Arms Effort in 2003"
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/world/middleeast/04intel.html
"US Finds That Iran Halted Nuclear Arms Bid in 2003"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/03/AR2007120300846.html
"US report should not deter world"
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1195546799748&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
"US Showed the World Exhibit A, Iran as Nuclear Threat; Now Exhibit B Upends It"
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/washington/04policy.html
"Why we must not take the pressure off Iran"
http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029391629&a=KArticle&aid=1196169063113
"World reaction to Iran nuclear report"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2221754,00.html

8. Asset Management Network News

Popular demand and practicality have led us to the decision to provide a smaller, more digestible Newsletter. Beginning in January, we will provide six separate Newsletters: AML/CFT e-Newsletter; Emerging Threat e-Newsletter, Critical Infrastructure e-Newsletter, Disaster Reduction e-Newsletter, Global Terrorism e-Newsletter, and Political Risk e-Newsletter. Subscribers to each Monitor publication will continue to receive a Newsletter that provides weekly updates. However, we will no longer provide free weekly updates to non-subscribers. You will, however, have the option to separately purchase the e-Newsletter alone.

You can purchase any of the Monitors, e-Newsletters, and other publications at our online store:
http://secure.netsolhost.com/573566.585211/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TP

You can also take advantage of this special offer. The Asset Management Network has gone red again this year. From 1 December (World AIDS Day) through 31 January 2007, if you purchase one of our premium subscription services, ten percent of the purchase price will be donated to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Subscriptions to AML/CFT Monitor, Critical Infrastructure Monitor, Disaster Reduction Monitor, Emerging Threat Monitor, Global Terrorism Monitor, and Political Risk Monitor or the e-Newsletters can be purchased from our online store.
http://secure.netsolhost.com/573566.585211/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TP

HOW TO CONTACT US:

Please contact us with your questions or comments by sending email to .

If you want to be removed from this list, please reply to the message with REMOVE in the subject line.
Editorial Team
TerrorismCentral

All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2007 by The Asset Management Network Inc.

DISCLAIMER: This publication is made available with the understanding that it does not provide legal or other professional services. Although we have used sources we believe to be reliable and every effort has been taken to ensure accuracy of information, we cannot guarantee its accuracy, completeness, or usefulness. The opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of The Asset Management Network Inc. The Asset Management Network Inc. is not responsible for the content of external websites. Mention of such websites does not imply endorsement. The Asset Management Network Inc. specifically disclaims any liability or loss which is incurred as a consequence, direct or indirect, of the use or application of this publication.

This Newsletter, "Global Terrorism Monitor", "Political Risk Monitor", "AML/CFT Monitor", "Emerging Threat Monitor", "Critical Infrastructure Monitor", and associated databases are published by The Asset Management Network, Inc., P.O. Box 380313, Cambridge MA 02238-0313. Tel + 1 , Fax + 1 . Email