3. AML/CFT Monitor

The AML/CFT Monitor is a monthly 16-page print publication. News highlights from the past week are provided in this free email update, but detailed analysis, background information and source documents are only available to subscribers. Purchase a subscription at our online store:
TAMNI Publications

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AML/CFT Incidents/Cases
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Australia's financial crime unit is investigating two citizens suspected of participating in a network that provided financial support to Hezbollah during the recent war between Israel and Lebanon.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=162867

Hong Kong police have arrested 68 individuals suspected of laundering money on behalf of a criminal syndicate using telephone deceptions.
http://www.news.gov.hk/en/category/lawandorder/061117/html/061117en08013.htm

Nigerian Plateau State Governor Joshua Dariye was impeached on Monday. This removed his immunity and he has now fled to avoid facing trial on various corruption charges. The London Metropolitan Police have identified 13 bank accounts held by Dariye in the UK, and provided evidence of money laundering through other foreign accounts.
http://www.efccnigeria.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1096

Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has denied any involvement in money laundering and said that all his assets were earned through legal means.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C11%5C12%5Cstory_12-11-2006_pg1_6

An arrest warrant has been issued against Pakistan People's Party leader Asif Ali Zardari for involvement in a money laundering case.
http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?159884

Philippines government investigators are verifying allegations that former senator Gregorio Honasan was supported by a woman involved in money laundering, in support of Honasan's efforts to launch a coup.
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/News200611180401.htm

Colombia's Cali cartel co-founders Gilberto and Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela were sentenced in US court to more than seven years in prison for money laundering, concurrent with their 30 year sentences for cocaine trafficking.
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/nation/16031066.htm

Former Republican fundraiser and coin dealer Tom Noe was convicted of money laundering, theft, forgery, and other charges in connection with rare coin investments.
http://freeinternetpress.com/story.php?sid=9255
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AML/CFT Legislation and Regulation
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China has issued regulations regarding customer identification and suspicious transaction reporting.
http://english.people.com.cn//200611/15/eng20061115_321558.html
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-11/16/content_734452.htm
http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2006/11/14/afx3171591.html

Dominican Republic's Technical Minister Temistocles Montas says that economic growth in the 1990s may have been partially buoyed by money laundering from drug traffickers.
http://www.dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=19725

Haiti's Financial Information Central Unit has implemented a new AML reporting system.
http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000042/004210.htm

India's finance ministry has called for special scrutiny of money laundering from tax havens.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/411618.cms

Indonesia has reported a 100 percent increase in reports of suspicious transactions, many concerning identity fraud, but few convictions.
http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=23259

Indonesia and Malaysia have been unable to get a response from Singapore regarding money laundering cooperation and related issues.
http://www.tempointeractive.com/hg/ekbis/2006/11/15/brk,20061115-87750,uk.html

Iran's Chartered Accountants Association High Council member Houshang Khostouei says that when the money laundering bill comes into force, underground economic activities can be brought under control, reducing financial frauds.
http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=47302&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs

Kuwait's Deputy Director General for Public Department of Customs Ameen Al-Mudaris described the role of AML/CFT in helping protect the national economy.
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/arabtimes/kuwait/Viewdet.asp?ID=9172&cat=a

Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh denied receiving a judicial request to rescind bank secrecy protection on accounts at Al-Madina Bank, which was closed in 2001 following the disclosure of money laundering and other fraudulent and corrupt activities.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=76961

Tanzanian legislators called for the government to step up action on AML/CFT and other transnational crimes. The Anti-Money Laundering Act 2006 will move to the National Assembly next week.
http://www.dailynews-tsn.com/page.php?id=4458

The EU has renewed an arms embargo and travel ban against Uzbekistan, but lifted a freeze on bilateral talks. The sanctions were imposed following the 2005 Andijan massacre.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6136138.stm

"Afghanistan Drug Control: Despite Improved Efforts, Deteriorating Security Threatens Success of US Goals" is a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). It finds that the prevalence of opium poppy cultivation and drug trafficking in Afghanistan imperils the stability of its government and threatens to turn the conflict-ridden nation once again into a safe haven for traffickers and terrorists. The report describes the US counter-narcotics strategy and evaluated uses of funding.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-78
http://www.pakistanlink.com/Headlines/Nov06/14/08.htm
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AML/CFT Modalities
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The US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations held a hearing on Failure to Identify Company Owners Impedes Law Enforcement. Testimony focused on the use of shell companies to launder money and evade taxes.
http://hsgac.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=406
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/15/business/NA_FIN_US_Shell_Companies.php
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-196T

4. Emerging Threat Monitor

For detailed analysis, background information and source documents consider subscribing. Subscriptions to Emerging Threat Monitor can be purchased at our online store:
TAMNI Publications

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ETM Corruption and Transnational Crime
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The World Health Organization and its international partners launched a new initiative to combat drug trafficking. The International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT) spans legislation, law enforcement, regulation, technology and communication to fight the counterfeit drugs, which in some parts of the world account for more than 30 per cent of the total medicine market.
http://www.who.int/medicines/services/counterfeit/faqs/count_q-a/en/index.html

German police raided 30 offices and homes, including the Munich headquarters, in connection with embezzlement and corruption allegations against engineering firm Siemens, following claims that bribery was involved in winning certain contracts. Five people have been arrested.
http://www.siemens.com/index.jsp?sdc_p=cz3s5uopn1031735fl1mi1031685&sdc_contentid=1418132
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/16/business/EU_FIN_COM_Germany_Siemens_Investigation.php

Nigerian Plateau State Governor Joshua Dariye was impeached on Monday. Last month, Ekiti state Governor Ayo Fayose was impeached. Impeachment removed their immunity from prosecution, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared both men wanted to face corruption charges. Both men have gone on the run.
http://www.efccnigeria.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1103

South African businessman Schabir Shaik was convicted of corruption and fraud, upheld on appeal, and has been jailed for 15 years. Deputy president Jacob Zuma has now been relieved of his duties, due to his close relationship with Shaik.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=289944
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6155158.stm

Spanish police continued an investigation into Marbella's corruption scandal with additional arrests, bringing the number of local politicians suspected to more than 30.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1950149,00.html

The US Senate has voted to leave the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction office open until ten months after 80 percent of reconstruction funds have been spent. A Republican amendment to a financing bill had inserted a provision to close the anti-fraud office by year-end. The Special Inspector has reported on extensive corruption in reconstruction efforts in Iraq.
http://www.sigir.mil/

In California, Los Angeles County prosecutors filed public corruption charges against Vernon Mayor Leonis Malburg, who has been in office more than 50 years. He and a former official are accused of fraud and using public funds for personal purposes.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-vernon16nov16,0,7195153.story

Former Enron chief accounting officer Richard Causey has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for making false statements about the company's finances, contributing to Enron's collapse.
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2006/November/06_crm_763.html
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ETM Economies and Financial Systems
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PricewaterhouseCoopers and the World Bank released "Paying Taxes: the Global Picture". The report says that complex tax systems cut tax revenues for government and make it very hard to assess the true tax burden on firms. The report presents quantitative indicators, identifies top reformers, and recommends best practices in regulatory reform.
http://www.doingbusiness.org/Taxes

The Reserve Bank of Australia warns that the national drought's impact on agriculture will slow economic growth from 1.9 percent to 1.15 percent. The record drought may cut farm output by 20 percent, and has other indirect effects on the economy.
http://www.rba.gov.au/PublicationsAndResearch/StatementsOnMonetaryPolicy/statement_on_monetary_1106.html

Aon Consulting reports that US pension plans have a more aggressive investment approach than those in the UK. 62 percent of pension plan assets for US Fortune 100 companies were invested in equities at the end of 2005, compared to 58 percent of the 200 largest pension plans in the UK, including those in the FTSE 100.
http://www.aon.com/about/news/press_release/pr_00697117_us_uk_pension_2006_rel.jsp
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ETM Environment and Climate Change
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The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change conference in Nairobi has made progress in developing responses to global warming, particularly to help developing countries where the threat to people is greatest. For these projects, an Adaptation Fund has been agreed, and another agreement will promote technology transfer to developing nations.
http://unfccc.int/2860.php

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan addressed the Climate Change conference. He said "The Nairobi conference must send a clear, credible signal that the world's political leaders take climate change seriously. The question is not whether climate change is happening, but whether, in the face of this emergency, we ourselves can change fast enough.... A few diehard skeptics continue trying to sow doubt. They should be seen for what they are: out of step, out of arguments and out of time. In fact, the scientific consensus is becoming not only more complete, but also more alarming. Many scientists long known for their caution are now saying that global warming trends are perilously close to a point of no return."
http://unfccc.int/files/press/news_room/press_releases_and_advisories/application/pdf/061115_cop12_pressrel_1.pdf
said. “”"target="_blank">http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sgsm10739.doc.htm">said. “”

The UN Development Program announced a new partnership to provide assistance to reduce the vulnerability of poor countries and communities in the face of climate change and to "climate proof" their economies.
http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/november-2006/africa-climate-20061115.en

For more coverage of the Climate Change conference see Recommended Reading, below.

Many developing countries lose 4 to 8 percent of GDP annually due to environmental degradation. The World Bank's annual "Environment Matters" report calls for strengthening the management of water, forests, fisheries, wildlife and other natural resources to protect these countries' overall wealth. Corrupt and illegal practices related to logging, fisheries and biodiversity amount to an estimated $30 billion in losses per year- roughly equal to total World Bank Group commitments last year. Natural resource degradation such as depleted soils, insufficient water, rapidly disappearing forests and collapsed fisheries threatens the health and livelihoods of millions of people.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21120787~pagePK:34370~piPK:34424~theSitePK:4607,00.html

The UN Environment Program's Convention on Migratory Species reports that climate change poses a dramatic threat to the world's migratory species, altering or reducing habitats and forcing some species to change or even abandon long-standing migration routes.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=485&ArticleID=5426&l=en

The University of Helsinki reports that an increasing number of countries and regions are transitioning from deforestation to afforestation, raising hopes for a global turning point.
http://www.helsinki.fi/news/archive/11-2006/14-09-45-34.html

France plans to introduce punitive taxes on imports from countries that refuse the join the Kyoto Protocol to curb greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.

Morocco and the US signed an Environmental Cooperation Plan of Action. Activities in progress or completed include sustainable tourism and training in the use of Environmental Impact Assessment and economic incentives. They are also working on water management issues, and are collaborating on olive oil factories waste and integrated coastal and watershed issues.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/75979.htm

The mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, plans to implement huge increases in the city's congestion charge for vehicles causing the most pollution.
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ETM Human Rights
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The US Supreme Court ruled that jurors who sentenced Fernando Belmontes to death for robbery and murder had weighed all the evidence, and that juror instruction was adequate. This overturned two appellate court rulings.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-scotus14nov14,0,5175455.story

China has acknowledged that most of the human organs used n transplants are from executed prisoners, and many of the recipients are foreign purchasers.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-organs18nov18,0,6220551.story

Protecting human rights in the fight against terrorism and related legal aspects were the focus of a three-day workshop in Liechtenstein.
http://www.osce.org/item/22125.html

South Africa has become the first African country to legalize same-sex weddings, after parliament passed the Civil Union bill by 230 votes to 41. The legislation followed a 2005 Constitutional Court ruling that existing laws were discriminatory.
http://www.pmg.org.za/bills/090613b26-06.pdf
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=289936

Thailand's Justice Department has launched an investigation into ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's anti-drug campaign in 2003-4, in which more than 2,500 people were killed. Independent observers and witnesses cite extrajudicial killings, while Thaksin's government said violence among drug gangs was responsible for the deaths.

The US Department of State has released the 2006 Designations of Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs) for Severe Violations of Religious Freedom. Uzbekistan was added to the list. Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Sudan were re-designated. Vietnam was removed from the list, citing significant improvements over the two years it was listed, and shortly before President Bush visits the country.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/75927.htm
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ETM Infectious Diseases
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Indonesia's Ministry of Health has confirmed two additional human H5N1 avian influenza infections. Of 74 confirmed cases in the country through 13 November, 56 have been fatal. Cumulative cases number 258, of which 153 have proven fatal.
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_11_13/en/index.html
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2006_11_13/en/index.html

Researchers report that two mutations in H5N1's viral hemagglutinin surface protein independently enables the virus to bind to human receptors. The sequence changes might serve as molecular markers to assess the pandemic potential of H5N1.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7117/abs/nature05264.html

Mexico and the US signed a cooperation agreement for pandemic preparedness along bordering states.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2006pres/20061114.html

Highly mobile populations are an important group associated with the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Horn of Africa. These groups consistently remain outside the reach of national efforts, and a regional approach is therefore imperative.
http://data.unaids.org/pub/PressStatement/2006/20061110_SouthAfrica.pdf

Israeli, Palestinian, and international health officials met to discuss cooperative treatment of infectious diseases across borders.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1162378397510&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

The American Association of Equine Practitioners released "Equine Infectious Disease Outbreak: AAEP Control Guidelines" for veterinarians who encounter contagious infectious disease in horses.
http://www.aaep.org/press_room.php?id=248

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration released new guidance for protecting employees against avian influenza.
http://www.osha.gov/dsg/guidance/avian-flu.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention joined the Carnival Liberty cruise in St. Maarten to investigate one of the largest gastrointestinal outbreaks in recent memory.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/16032622.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/outbreak/2006/nov13carnivalliberty.htm
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ETM Legal Systems
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A UK High Court judge has approved GBP 750,000 damages to compensate prisoners who were forced to go "cold turkey" in heroin withdrawal upon their arrest. The decision affects 197 prisoners. The case was determined "trespass" and clinical negligence, breaching Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights that bans torture and inhuman or degrading treatment; Article 8 that protects private life; and Article 14 against discrimination
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2006/11/14/udrugs114.xml

The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) has ordered an independent investigation into campus police using a Taser to subdue a student studying in the library.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-taser18nov18,0,4080498.story
http://www.terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2005/082805.html#FeatureArticle
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ETM Natural Resources
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Former Indonesian minister Harris addressed a convention in Sulawesi. He spoke of the desirability of developing countries taking advantage of natural resources and suggested adding value beyond rural production into finished products.
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=45531

United Arab Emirates developers and environmentalists met to discuss responsible building policies that treat natural resources responsibly.
http://www.tradearabia.com/tanews/newsdetails_snENV_article114669.html
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ETM Populations
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The Diabetes in Indigenous People Forum met 13-15 November in Australia. Researchers warn that without urgent action to tackle the sudden onset of obesity in indigenous populations around the world, many tribes face extinction. Diabetes was unknown in the Pacific before the second World War. Now, the island of Nauru, with a population of only 10,000, has half the population affected by Type 2 diabetes. In northern Australia, 30 percent of Torres Strait islanders are affected. In the US, 45 percent of Sioux and Pima Indians have the disease. The rapid transition in such a short time is tied to greater genetic risk, combined with the swift transition to the Western diet and sedentary lifestyle. In less than two generations, diabetes has replaced infectious disease as the greatest threat to indigenous people.
http://www.meetingsfirst.com.au/meetings/Diabetes%202006/Site/index.htm

BBC reporter Feargal Keane wrote this diary of a week with Kenya's nomadic Turkana people, threatened by severe poverty and relentless drought.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6158738.stm

This paper discusses the distinctiveness of African land rights:

Negotiating disputes over land rights in Ivory Coast provide an example of grass-roots conflict resolution.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=56351
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ETM Social Responsibility
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American Eagle, Gap, Jones Apparel, Liz Claiborne, Phillips-Van Heusen, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Wal-Mart, which all purchase apparel products from the Philippines, have joined chambers of commerce to express concern to Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo over as many as 765 political killings since 2001.
http://www.maquilasolidarity.org/alerts/Company%20joint%20letter.pdf
http://services.inq7.net/print/print.php?article_id=32376

The University of Nottingham's International Center for Corporate Social Responsibility released two recent research papers:
* Kenneth M Amaeshi, Bongo C Adi, Chris Ogbechie and Olufemi O Amao, "Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Nigeria : western mimicry or indigenous practices?"
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/business/ICCSR//pdf/ResearchPdfs/39-2006.pdf
* Krista Bondy, Dirk Matten and Jeremy Moon, "MNC Codes of Conduct: CSR or Corporate Governance?"
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/business/ICCSR//pdf/ResearchPdfs/40-2006.pdf

The British government launched the Social Enterprise Action Plan to use business acumen to solve social and environmental challenges, beginning with young people.
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/newsroom/news_releases/2006/061116_sechallenge.asp
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ETM Technology
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Leading international nanotechnology scientists set out five grand challenges for risk research to evaluate the safety of the technology:
* Develop instruments to assess exposure to engineered nanomaterials in air and water within next 3-10 years
* Create and test ways of evaluating the toxicity of nanomaterials in 5-15 years
* Generate models to predict their possible impact on the environment and human health over the next 10 years
* Develop ways to assess the health and environmental impact of nanomaterials over their entire lifetime, within the next five years
* Organize programs to enable risk-focused research into nanomaterials, within the next 12 months
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6153814.stm

Nature Chemical Biology's December 2006 issue includes Focus on Drug Discovery. It highlights new approaches to identifying and producing small-molecule drugs and reports on approaches for developing alternative therapeutic agents, demonstrating the importance of creative combinations of chemistry and biology in developing the next generation of drugs.
http://www.nature.com/nchembio/focus/drugdiscovery/index.html

Tulane University researchers have found that adult stem cells can increase insulin production in mice with Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes.
http://www2.tulane.edu/article_news_details.cfm?ArticleID=6928

In "Space Acquisitions: DOD Needs to Take More Action to Address Unrealistic Initial Cost Estimates of Space Systems", the US Government Accountability Office explains that Defense Department space acquisition programs have increased by some $12.2 billion over initial estimates, indicating a need to take steps to increase the likelihood that independent and more realistic estimates will be developed and utilized.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-96
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ETM Weapons (WMD, Proliferation)
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The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) latest report cites progress in Iran's work at the Natanz enrichment facility, and says that Iran continues to refuse to resolve a number of outstanding questions, including the source of traces of plutonium and enriched uranium found at a nuclear waste site. Iran said it had previously explained the uranium traces.
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2006/iranreport_board.html
http://www.isis-online.org/publications/iran/continuedprogress.pdf

In "North Korea's Nuclear Test: The Fallout", the International Crisis Group explains:
"Following Pyongyang’s test of a nuclear device in October and the world’s strong condemnation as expressed in UN Security Council Resolution 1718, the resumption of six-party talks is an encouraging sign. But they will likely face the same pitfalls as earlier rounds unless the U.S. engages directly with North Korea and puts a serious negotiating package on the table. Pyongyang may not be willing to forego nuclear weapons regardless of outside incentives and disincentives, but no one will know for sure unless Washington sits down with the North to address the regime’s deep-seated security anxieties."
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=4502&l=1

South Korea says it agrees with the principles of the US Proliferation Security Initiative against WMD, but will not join it due to its relationship with North Korea, and the fear that an interception could trigger an armed clash.
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200611/kt2006111317305968040.htm
http://www.state.gov/t/np/c10390.htm

The US Senate overwhelmingly endorsed a plan under which it will provide civilian nuclear fuel and technology to India, although India has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/16/us.india.ap/index.html
http://www.armscontrol.org/events/20061114_India_Transcript.asp
http://www.armscontrol.org/projects/india/
http://www.fissilematerials.org/ipfm/site_down/ipfmresearchreport01.pdf

Saudi Arabia is experimenting with nuclear technology. They say the research is for energy and health purposes, and they are not interested in weapons.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=76920
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=76918

The Economic and Social Research Council's genomics policy and research forum participants warn that poor laboratory controls, poor international agreements, and ignorance among scientists of the risks pose increasing danger of terrorists developing biological weapons.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,1947100,00.html

Japan's trade ministry has barred the Meisho Yoko trading firm and its president from exporting goods for eight months following the finding that they company had illegally exporting to North Korea a device that could be used to produce biological weapons.
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=126&art_id=qw1163748603493B265

A UN report finds that Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Syria are arming Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), and Ethiopia, Uganda and Yemen are supplying Somalia's interim government in violation of a UN arms embargo.

The Geneva International Center for Humanitarian De-mining has released a study on Identifying Synergies between Mine Action and Small Arms and Light Weapons. They found few existing examples of synergies, but proposed several possibilities, including disposal, awareness, and education. They said that although different skills are required, there may be opportunities for efficiency improvements.
http://www.gichd.ch/fileadmin/pdf/publications/MA_and_SALW_Oct2006.pdf

The Portfolio of Mine Action Projects reports that 26 of 29 war-ravaged countries or territories are plagued with remnants of war, including cluster bombs and other explosives.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20601&Cr=mines&Cr1=

A feasibility study regarding mine clearance in the Falklands Islands will begin in December and be submitted to Argentina and the UK next February, ahead of the June commemorations of the 25th anniversary of the conflict.

"Sahed E" was arrested in Germany on suspicion of smuggling missile technology to Iran via a Swiss front company.
http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Man_arrested_in_Germany_for_helping_11112006.html

5. Critical Infrastructure Monitor

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

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CIM Agriculture and Food
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Researchers at the World Institute for Development Economics Research released "The Public Distribution Systems of Foodgrains and Implications for Food Security", comparing different paths to reform in food security.
http://www.wider.unu.edu/publications/rps/rps2006/rp2006-98.pdf

Mauritania has developed "Green Muscle", a fungus-based compound that could replace pesticides in the fight against locusts.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=56349

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched an inquiry into food fraud, ranging from fake organic labels to questionable imports.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2457303,00.html

FSA has found salmonella in eggs produced outside the UK in one of every 30 boxes.
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/pressreleases/2006/nov/surveyeggs

Unauthorized genetically modified material is being detected in long grain rice shipped to the UK.
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2006/nov/gmricesurvey

The US Department of Agriculture released the "Energy Estimator for Animal Housing" to evaluate energy use and costs associated with heating, lighting and ventilating poultry, swine and dairy housing.
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2006/11/0446.xml
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CIM Banking and Finance
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Reports from Europe suggest that disintegrating Euro notes may be caused by increased use of crystal methamphetamine.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2451668,00.html

The Bank of Canada has issued a C$5 note with upgraded security features.
http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/press/2006/pr06-17.html

UK Economic Secretary Ed Balls announced the formation of a new Payments Industry Association.
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsroom_and_speeches/press/2006/press_89_06.cfm

Financial Services Authority (FSA) Chief Executive John Tiner addressed the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) meeting on how a better multinational approach to auditing and accounting can improve market confidence.
http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Library/Communication/Speeches/2006/1117_jt.shtml

FSA also released the Oxera rep[ort: A framework for assessing the benefits of financial regulation.
http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/other/oxera_framework.pdf

The Bank of England Financial Stability Forum Deputy Governor for Financial Stability Sir John Gieve addressed the Financial Stability Forum. He said that the current period of relative calm and economic stability was an opportunity to discuss the challenge that globalization poses for handling and resolving financial crises.
http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/speeches/2006/speech290.pdf

The US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) issued updated Guidelines for an Environmental Risk Program to reflect changes to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) related to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA).
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06098.html

FDIC's Inspector General released an audit report on Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection's Supervisory Actions Taken for Compliance Violations. Key findings include:
" * of the 51 reports of examination (ROE) we reviewed for 14 sampled institutions, DSC had cited 431 significant violations related to 8 consumer protection laws and regulations;
* 47 of the 51 ROEs reviewed identified significant compliance violations;
* 5 of the 47 ROEs resulted in informal supervisory actions and prompted follow-up activities, and 1 visitation for a new FDIC-supervised institution also prompted follow-up activities, but DSC did not follow up on the remaining 41 ROEs until the next examination;
* 11 of the 14 sampled institutions had repeat, significant violations; and
* all 14 sampled institutions had deficiencies and weaknesses noted in their compliance management system (CMS) in at least 1 ROE. Also, DSC had identified serious deficiencies and weaknesses in some of the institutions’ CMSs that remained uncorrected for extended periods."
http://www.fdicig.gov/reports06%5C06-024-508.shtml

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) released a new report on "Reaching Minority Markets: Community Bank Strategies", to address the growing minority population without bank accounts.
http://www.occ.gov/cdd/ReachingMinorityMarkets.pdf
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CIM Chemical
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Occidental Chemical Corporation (OxyChem), The Dow Chemical Company, US Magnesium LLC and Bayer MaterialScience announced plans to replace their entire Canadian and US chlorine tank car fleets by the end of 2017 with new rail tank cars that will feature significantly enhanced safety and security attributes.
http://sev.prnewswire.com/chemical/20061115/CGW03915112006-1.html

Serbian President Boris Tadic has called for an elderly petrochemical plant near Belgrade to be closed after high levels of dangerous chemicals were detected in the air.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/15/europe/EU_GEN_Serbia_Pollution.php
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CIM Cybersecurity
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SANS released its 2006 annual update of the top 20 internet security attack targets, including advice on human error and employee spear-phishing.
http://www.sans.org/top20/

Microsoft's monthly security update includes patches for seven critical flaws.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms06-070.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS06-071.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms06-067.mspx

A critical flaw in a Workstation Service function patched in this update is already subject to release of detailed exploit code online.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9005163&source=NLT_AM&nlid=1

China's sole electronic payment network China Unionpay was attacked with Backdoor.BlackHole.2005.a virus that potentially compromises customer information.
http://english.people.com.cn//200611/18/eng20061118_322836.html

Nationwide building society reports the theft of an employee laptop potentially compromising 11 million banking customers.
http://www.nationwide.co.uk/security/news_and_alerts/

Another article in the New York Times series on Stolen Lives points out that family, friends, and neighbors are often the source of identity theft.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/13/us/13identity.html

Harris Interactive released a poll finding that an estimated 49 million US adults were told their personal information had been lost, stolen, or improperly disclosed over the past three years. The survey found:
* 22 percent of US adults claim that in the past three years a business, government agency or other organization notified them that the organization had lost, had stolen or otherwise improperly disclosed their personal information. This translates into approximately 49 million adults.
* Among those adults who say that they have been notified, most indicate that the notification was made by a government agency (48 percent), a financial company (29 percent) or a commercial company (12 percent). Other organizations that have made notifications include educational institutions (6 percent) and health care facilities (5 percent).
* Eight in 10 (81 percent) adults who have been notified about lost or stolen personal information perceive that nothing harmful happened to them as a result. However, a significant 19 percent (about 9.3 million persons) experienced merchandise charged in their name (43 percent); some kind of fraud that cost them some money (35 percent); money was taken from their bank account (18 percent); a credit card was taken out in their name (11 percent); or someone posed to get government benefit or service (8 percent).
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=708

Fraud possibly related to a security breach at a Michigan gas station chain has forced several banks and credit unions to recall potentially thousands of credit and debit cards.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9005110
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9005159&source=NLT_PM&nlid=8

Ohio University has upheld the dismissal of two IT workers whose inadequate performance was deemed responsible for security breaches that revealed personal data.
http://www.ohio.edu/outlook/06-07/November/177n-067.cfm

The Future of Identity in the Information Society (FIDIS) warns that the current generation of biometric travel identification cards will dramatically decrease security and privacy. They point to remove readability, inadequate access control, poor authentication, lack of biometric revocation, cryptographic weaknesses, cloning, and other serious vulnerabilities. The cards are being rolled out, and FIDIS calls for immediate damage control measures, followed by complete re-evaluation and, if they are deemed actually necessary, a new design.
http://www.fidis.net/press-events/press-releases/budapest-declaration/

Ontrack Data Recovery lists the top ten data disasters of 2006, ranging from dropping a laptop from a helicopter to wrapping a drive in a dirty sock. Data was recovered in each instance.
http://www.ontrack.com/special/data-disasters-2006.aspx?hp=Top10_2006

Bouchaib Silm, a researcher with the terrorism department at Singapore's Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, told the Digital Terrorism Conference in Singapore that websites are becoming more modern in design, incorporating content designed to hook a younger generation of sympathizers and potential recruits, adding comedy, top ten lists, and other features.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/laughter-used-to-recruit-terrorists/2006/11/16/1163266696652.html
http://www.ntu.edu.sg/rsis/default.asp
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CIM Defense Industrial Base
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The US House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Management, Integration, and Oversight held a hearing on the Secure Border Initiative. Specifically, they examined specific technologies, and the goals and objectives, and how objectives will be achieved of the new multi-billion, multi-year SBInet contract recently awarded to Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.
http://homeland.house.gov/hearings/109_061115_SecureBorder/details.aspx
http://www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/testimony/OIGtm_RLS_111506.pdf

The US Department of Homeland Security's Auditor General released "Federal Protective Service Needs To Improve its Oversight of the Contract Guard Program". The audit reviewed the use of contract guards at federal buildings, and found inconsistent deployment of qualified and certified individuals, lack of supervision, and other concerns.
http://www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/mgmtrpts/OIG_07-05_Oct06.pdf

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released two related reports:
"Defense Acquisitions: Tailored Approach Needed to Improve Service Acquisition Outcomes"
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-20
"Improper Payments: Agencies' Fiscal Year 2005 Reporting under the Improper Payments Information Act Remains Incomplete"
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-92
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CIM Emergency Services
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Ambulances have been unable to evacuate those wounded or killed in interethnic violence in Chad because gunmen lie in wait to attack them.
http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/45599aa92.html

Data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) indicates that crowding in hospital emergency departments have reached nearly epidemic proportions, with nearly half of all US hospitals, and nearly two thirds of metropolitan emergency rooms experiencing crowding, and about a third have had to divert an ambulance to an alternative facility.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/ahcd/ercharts.htm

The American Heart Association held its scientific sessions last week. Several presentations addressed emergency room situations.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3043458
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3011764

"Murder or Mercy? Hurricane Katrina and the Need for Disaster Training" is the topic addressed by Tyler Curiel in the New England Journal of Medicine.
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/extract/355/20/2067
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CIM Energy
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Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates have all announced programs to build civilian nuclear energy stations.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2436948,00.html

EU energy ministers have agreed on concrete measures for development of the energy market.
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/1580&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

Peruvian President Alan Garcia is considering capturing water cascading from the Andes mountains toward the Amazon to produce electricity for Brazil, replacing natural gas. The proposal is controversial due to the potential environmental effects.
http://www.mercopress.com/Detalle.asp?NUM=9206
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CIM Information Technology
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The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that electronic waste is growing three times faster than regular waste as Australians upgrade their computers and other electronic products.
http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mediareleasesbyCatalogue/FB2F33C170E4987DCA2572210077D0FA?OpenDocument

British Computer Society President Nigel Shadbolt warns that the IT industry faces a skills crisis, in which the decreasing supply of qualified graduates is not keeping up with demand.
http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.8484

The National Audit Office released a Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General recommending ways to avoid recent unsuccessful government IT projects. They identified three core principles for successful projects:
* Ensuring senior level engagement: clear and engaged board leadership, keeping senior decision makers informed of progress and risks and, for example, not creating undue pressure by making premature and unrealistic announcements about delivery dates
* Acting as an “intelligent client”: understanding the business process the department is aiming to change, having the right program management skills, training the staff and creating effective and equal relationships with suppliers
* Realizing the benefits: selling the benefits to users, winning wider support for the change, and assessing whether the program or project has achieved what it set out to do
http://www.nao.org.uk/pn/06-07/060733.htm

The US Federal Trade Commission has settled a complaint with Guidance Software, a computer forensics company, for lax security, including an unpatched SQL flaw that made it possible for hackers to break into the database and steal some 3,800 credit card numbers.
http://www.encase.com/downloads/Guidance_Software_FTC_Consent_Decree_Statement.pdf

Sun Microsystems is offering Java under an open software license.
http://blogs.sun.com/jonathan/date/20061113

Storage priorities among Fortune 1000 firms are discussed in this article:
http://www.infostor.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ARTCL&ARTICLE_ID=258593&VERSION_NUM=2&p=23
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CIM Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste
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The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced that radiation detection equipment to screen for nuclear and radiological material at the Port of Koper in Slovenia is fully operational.
http://www.nnsa.doe.gov/docs/newsreleases/2006/PR_2006-11-13_NA-06-43.htm

Sweden's largest nuclear power plant has been shutdown following a fire.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=a6g.FfKNGV1Y
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,448364,00.html

Exelon Corp closed its Dresden 2 reactor in Illinois for repairs.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-061117exelon-story,0,6066183.story?coll=chi-business-hed

New York's Indian Point 2 reactor was automatically shutdown following an electrical fault, and was brought back up the next day.
http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061117/NEWS02/611170355/1025/NEWS09
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CIM Public Health and Healthcare
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World Diabetes Day was marked on the 14th. More than 200 million people around the world have this illness, but many communities, especially in the developing world, have difficulty obtaining optimal care.
http://www.worlddiabetesday.org/go/WDD2006

The International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT) has been launched to tackle the multi-billion dollar market for counterfeit medicines. Led by the World Health Organization and its international partners, the initiative warns against medicines from rogue web sites, where 50 per cent of drugs may be counterfeit, and cautioned governments that existing laws against medical counterfeiters are inadequate and do not act as deterrents. Among its initiatives, IMPACT will present guidelines for model legislation to expand laws beyond intellectual property protection to address counterfeiting.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2006/pr69/en/index.html

Reform of Mexico's health system is discussed in this article, which addresses the need for financial protection to address health catastrophe spending.
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673606695652/abstract

Panama's President Martin Torrijos is setting up a national authority to ensure drug safety. This measure follows more than 40 deaths this year from medicine contaminated with diethylene glycol, which is commonly used in brake fluid.
http://www.presidencia.gob.pa/noticia.php?cod=8838 (in Spanish)

The Nuffield Council n Bioethics issued a report on ethical issues regarding critical care decisions in fetal and neonatal medicine. They recommend that babies born at or before 22 weeks should not be resuscitated or given intensive care. After 23 weeks, doctors should review the situation with parents, and take their wishes into account. From 24-25 weeks, give intensive care unless there is no hope of survival of excessive suffering. Above 25 weeks intensive care is standard.
http://www.nuffieldbioethics.org/go/print/ourwork/prolonginglife/publication_406.html

The US Food and Drug Administration has ended a 14 year ban on cosmetic use of silicone gel filled breast implants, with some caveats.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01512.html

The American Heart Association held its scientific sessions last week. Presentations addressed issues ranging from flu vaccine to reduce heart attack risk to the potential of stem cells for heart repair. Note related publications in the New England Journal of Medicine.
http://scientificsessions.americanheart.org/portal/scientificsessions/ss/
http://content.nejm.org/content/vol355/issue20/index.shtml

The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council reported that over 19,000 patients were infected during hospital stays, increasing cost of care by a billion dollars.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/16013830.htm
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CIM Telecommunications
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Telecommunications Industry Association President Matthew Flanigan delivered a keynote address to the International Wire and Cable Symposium in which he discussed Transformation of the Traditional Telephone Company.
http://www.tiaonline.org/business/media/press_releases/2006/PR06-120.cfm

Obstacles to China's broadband revolution are discussed in this article:
http://www.telecoms-mag.com/International/article.asp?HH_ID=AR_2533

South African mobile phone company Vodacom has been granted permission to expand across Africa, except in Egypt and Kenya. It previously was limited to only five countries.
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CIM Transportation
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Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation's (APEC) Counter-Terrorism Task Force (CTTF) will focus work on aviation security next year to minimize terrorism risks.
http://english.people.com.cn/200611/16/eng20061116_322226.html

Weeks before Canada's Passenger Protect no-fly list is due to begin, questions are being raised regarding the efficacy of the measure, and its impact on civil liberties.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1163803814054

The US Transportation Security Administration calls the no fly list an essential element of aviation security.
http://www.tsa.gov/approach/secure_flight.shtm

The UN Review of Maritime Transport reports that the global sea trade total for 2005 was 7.11 billion tons. The expansion was about one-fifth lower than the 4.1 per cent increase of 2004, but there was a significant rise among developing countries, which experienced a growth rate of 6.2 per cent. Developed nations saw a growth of 2.7 per cent. Maritime activity, as measured in ton-miles, increased in 2005 to 29,045 billion ton-miles, up from 27,635 billion ton-miles in 2004.
http://www.unctad.org/Templates/WebFlyer.asp?intItemID=3969&lang=1

The US is supporting an effort by eleven Gulf of Guinea countries to fight terrorism in the region.
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=40587
http://www.afrol.com/articles/22691

Malaysian pirate catcher Noel Choong is featured in this article:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pirates13nov13,0,260241.story

In Canada, the city of Toronto is considering automating subway trains in place of drivers. Security investments are also on the table.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1163717412417
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1163458214414

Baltimore, Maryland has increased security for the state-run light rail system, including an electronic perimeter and surveillance systems.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-rail1115,0,4097479.story
http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2006/10/30/daily26.html
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CIM Water
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A pilot project in Kenya suggests that rainwater harvesting could be a cheap and easy solution to solving much of Africa's water shortage.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LSGZ-6VHKED?OpenDocument&rc=1&emid=ACOS-635NZE

Australia's drought is generating many proposals for water management:
Rainwater tank subsidies
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/affordable-water-tanks-to-be-on-tap/2006/11/13/1163266484002.html
Desalinization backup plants
http://www.smh.com.au/news/scorchedearth/saltwater-plant-gets-approval-just-in-case/2006/11/16/1163266711162.html
National parks for grazing
http://www.smh.com.au/news/scorchedearth/call-for-livestock-grazing-in-parks/2006/11/16/1163266711177.html

China has released a new regulation on water pricing. It calls for the price to be based on the cost of supply, from source through provisioning, and sets limits on overhead.
http://english.people.com.cn//200611/18/eng20061118_322876.html (part 1)
http://english.people.com.cn//200611/18/eng20061118_322877.html (part 2)

The US state of Missouri's Department of Natural Resources has issued a public comment on implementing an antidegradation water quality standard.
http://www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel/nr06_515.htm
http://www.digitalburg.com/artman/publish/article_3137.shtml

6. Disaster Reduction Monitor

News highlights from the past week are provided in this free email update, but detailed analysis, background information and source documents are only available to subscribers. Disaster Reduction Monitor subscriptions and other titles can be purchased here:
TAMNI Publications

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DRM Incidents
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Flash floods in western Afghanistan have killed at least 56 people. Dozens more are missing, and several villages have been washed away.

A South African train outside Cape Town collided with a truck carrying farmworkers, killing at least 27, and injuring six, three critically. The accident occurred at a level crossing with no barriers.

Severe flooding in eastern Kenya killed at least 21 people and left 60,000 homeless. The waters have cut off Somali refugee camps, where at least a pregnant woman and child were killed. Thousands of temporary shelters have been destroyed, and aid organizations have been unable to reach the area. Heavy rains and flash floods will continue for some time, and warnings have been issued for water-borne disease outbreaks.

In the northern Indian state of Himachai Pradesh, a bus plunged into a gorge, killing 13 and injuring 41, including many children.

A tornado in the US state of North Carolina has left eight dead, dozens of homes destroyed, and thousands left without power. There were severe storms in several southern states, with one person dead in Louisiana, and two in North Carolina.
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DRM Response and Recovery
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Survivors of the 2004 tsunami in India's Andaman and Nicobar islands have rioted to protest the location and quality of new houses built by the government from prefabricated structures designed for shared occupancy. Following several strikes, the protests became violent when they set fire to official vehicles. Twelve people were injured.

Pilastro Zdravko has reached a plea bargain in Israeli court under which he acknowledged causing death by negligence and is sentenced to six months community service. Zdravko, from Montenegro, was in charge of the Zim Asia, an Israeli-owned container ship, which hit a Japanese fishing boat in September 2005, killing seven fishermen.

Pakistan-administered Kashmir marked the anniversary of last year's earthquake disaster.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6084350.stm
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DRM Risks
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Abnormally heavy rains in southern Somalia are expected to continue into next year. The Shabelle River hit a 50-year flood level last weekend, and contingency planning is underway for the worst-case scenario of concurrent flooding and conflict, which could affect up to a million people.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KKEE-6VJS8C?OpenDocument&rc=1&emid=FL-2006-000161-SOM
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DRM Mitigation
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"Adaptation and Vulnerability to Climate Change: The Role of the Finance Sector" is a new report from the UN Environment Program. It explains that widespread insurance cover has been generally confined to developed countries where consumers, businesses and industry have in the past been able to pay for premiums. Now, it is time to forge public-private partnerships to bring new kinds of creative financial instruments to developing countries where the impacts of climate change are likely to hit hardest. An example of such an initiative is one by the UN World Food Program (WFP) that covered Ethiopian farmers during the March to October season and was designed to pay out if rainfall fell below a key threshold via a finance instrument known as a "weather derivative".
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=485&ArticleID=5422&l=en
http://www.unepfi.org/fileadmin/documents/CEO_briefing_adaptation_vulnerability_2006.pdf

Standard and Poor's released "Global Reinsurers Reassess Catastrophe Exposure, Experience, and Expectations". The article describes the effect of operational and underwriting steps to improve financial stability and mitigate future catastrophe losses, as experienced in 2005.
http://www.standardandpoors.com

7. Recommended Reading

The UN Climate Change Conference met in Nairobi 6-17 November 2006. Six thousand participants from 180 countries attended, including UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan. Kenya's President Mwai Kibak, and Swiss President Moritz Leuenberger.

Here is a summary of the meeting, from the UN press office:

The United Nations Climate Change Conference concluded this evening with the adoption of a wide range of decisions designed to mitigate climate change and help countries adapt to the effects of global warming.

Around six thousand participants, among them more than 100 ministers, attended the conference the Secretary-General of the United Nations and two heads of state.

“The conference has delivered on its promise to support the needs of developing countries,” said Conference President, Kenyan Minister for Natural Resources and the Environment Kivutha Kibwana. “The positive spirit of the conference has prevailed.”
At the meeting, activities for the next few years under the “Nairobi Work program on Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation” were agreed. These activities will help enhance decision-making on adaptation action and improved assessment of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change.

Another important outcome is the agreement on the management of the Adaptation Fund under the Kyoto Protocol. The Adaptation Fund draws on proceeds generated by the clean development mechanism (CDM) and is designed to support concrete adaptation activities in developing countries.

The CDM permits industrialized countries, which have emission targets under the Kyoto Protocol, to invest in sustainable development projects in developing countries that reduce greenhouse gas emission, and thereby generate tradable emission credits.

The Conference recognized the barriers that stand in the way of increased penetration of CDM projects in many countries, in particular in Africa.

Parties welcomed the “Nairobi Framework” announced by the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which will provide additional support to developing countries to successfully develop projects for the CDM.

Rules were finalized for the Special Climate Change Fund. The fund is designed to finance projects in developing countries relating to adaptation, technology transfer, climate change mitigation and economic diversification for countries highly dependent on income from fossil fuels.

At Nairobi, Parties also adopted rules of procedure for the Kyoto Protocol’s Compliance Committee, making it fully operational.

The Compliance Committee, with its enforcement and facilitative branches, ensures that the Parties to the Protocol have a clear accountability regime in meeting their emission reductions targets.

Talks on commitments of industrialized countries for post-2012 under the Kyoto Protocol advanced well, with Parties reaching agreement on a detailed work plan spelling out the steps needed to reach agreement on a set of new commitments.

“The 166 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol heard in Nairobi that global emissions of greenhouse gases have to be reduced to very low levels, well below half of levels in 2000, in order to avoid dangerous climate change,” said Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

“The fact that Parties now have a concrete workplan means that they can move ahead with addressing issues fundamental for agreement on future commitments, such as the level of emission reductions that is required and the ways in which they can be achieved,” he added

Parties also held a second round of the Dialogue on long-term cooperative action to enhance implementation of the Convention, open to all 189 Parties to the UNFCCC. Landmark presentations on the latest findings on economic challenges posed by global warming were made, along with economic solutions.

“We are seeing a revolutionary shift in the debate on climate change, from looking at climate change policies as a cost factor for development, countries are starting to see them as opportunities to enhance economic growth in a sustainable way,” said Yvo de Boer.

“The further development of carbon markets can help mobilize the necessary financial resources needed for a global response to climate change and give us a future agreement that is focused on incentives to act,” he added.

Brazil put forward a concrete proposal for an arrangement to provide positive incentives to reduce deforestation emissions in developing countries. This proposal will be discussed at a meeting in March next year.

“The spirit of Nairobi has been truly remarkable,” Conference President Kibwana said. “Let us now use the momentum of this conference to carry this spirit forward and jointly undertake the kind of concerted action we need for humankind to have a future on this planet.”

The next round of negotiations under the Kyoto Protocol and talks under the United Nations Climate Change Convention will be held in Bonn, Germany in May 2007.

This link goes to a list of decisions adopted by the Parties to Kyoto Protocol (COP/MOP 2) and twelfth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 12):
http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_12/items/3754.php

Here is press coverage of the meeting:

"Africa: Climate Talks Adrift"
http://allafrica.com/stories/200611170902.html
"Analysis: US Nearing Emissions Control"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/18/AR2006111800513.html
"Big Conference on Warming Ends, Achieving Modest Results"
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/17/science/17cnd-warming.html
"Climate change role 'a tragedy'"
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20780539-1702,00.html
"Climate science, economics, politics push U.S., others towards emissions controls"
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/18/africa/AF_GEN_Kenya_Climate_Change.php
"European Union Wants Second Review of Kyoto Protocol in 2008"
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aCHSz3rDcOzc
"Nairobi climate talks end in deal"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6158022.stm
"New Climate Change Measures Agreed At UN Conference In Nairobi"
http://www.europaworld.org/week286/newclimate171106.html
"UN climate pact unlikely until after Bush - experts"
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L18340592.htm
"UN climate talks struggle to agree tiny steps"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/17/AR2006111700225.html
"UN climate talks gridlocked on Kyoto, Russia"
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-11-17T140259Z_01_L1343825_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENVIRONMENT-CLIMATE.xml

Finally, this radio program provides excellent coverage:
http://www.loe.org/shows/shows.htm?programID=06-P13-00046

8. Asset Management Network News

In addition to these free news updates, we offer premium analytical services to our subscribers. People who purchase subscriptions to AML/CFT Monitor, Critical Infrastructure Monitor, Disaster Reduction Monitor, Emerging Threat Monitor, Global Terrorism Monitor, or Political Risk Monitor receive monthly publications and are entitled to get our Special Reports at no additional cost. Visit out online store for more information and to subscribe.
http://secure.netsolhost.com/573566.585211/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TP

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