AUTHOR:
TerrorismCentral Editorial Staff

TITLE:
TerrorismCentral Newsletter - September 30, 2007

SOURCE:
TerrorismCentral, September 30, 2007

TEXT:

This week's Recommended Reading focuses on governance, with coverage of three reports hot off the press: Transparency International's 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index; the Ibrahim Index Of African Governance; and "Doing Business 2008", from the World Bank. There is also extensive coverage of climate change meetings, the ongoing crisis in Burma, stalled and successful elections, and a broad range of other key issues associated with your ability safely to conduct global business in a world without borders.

3. AML/CFT Monitor

Anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism is not simply an issue of compliance with local regulations. It is a global crime that can only be understood by crossing national or regional boundaries. Subscribers to the monthly AML/CFT Monitor receive information and analysis of worldwide incidents, trends, legal and regulatory issues, modalities, and related topics such as financial fraud and narcoterrorism.
http://secure.netsolhost.com/573566.585211/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TP
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AML/CFT Incidents/Cases
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Canada's inquiry into the 1985 Air India bombing turned towards terrorist financing on Thursday, the first time the matter had been discussed. Only a tiny portion of the tens of millions going to terrorists from Canada was frozen by government agencies. Officials were unable to cite any case in which FinTRAC intelligence was used in a terrorist financing prosecution.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=8ce36b61-998d-409d-bb41-a77d9ad664f0&k=78538
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=052e67ef-038b-408b-8047-c8d4cf8bef55&k=98943
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/09/27/air-india.html
http://www.majorcomm.ca/en/index.asp

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrested Nguyen Thi Dai Vo, Huyen Thi Mong Tran. Hongkhai Nguyen, Anh Quoc Tran, Thuy Tran Dan Pham, Cong Pham Trang, Thi Hoi Ngo, Dat Van Nguyen, Nikolin Gjoka, Truc Nguyen, and Diep Le, for conspiracy to launder proceeds of crime and conspiracy to traffic in marijuana.
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/on/press/2007/07-09-26_ipoc_otincan_e.htm

RCMP have also charged Boaz Manor and Michael Mendelson, co-founders of the Portus Group hedge fund, on 12 counts of fraud over $5,000, money laundering and possession of property obtained by crime.
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5h0jlwy8-_C4nNV4XK9RBCeH_lmPw

Georgian prosecutors have arrested Foreign Minister Irakli Okruashvili on suspicion of extortion, money laundering, misuse of power and negligence associated with three construction projects.
http://www.geotimes.ge/index.php?m=home&newsid=6981
http://www.messenger.com.ge/issues/1452_september_28_2007/n_1452_1.html
http://eng.primenewsonline.com/news/121/ARTICLE/15760/2007-09-27.html

Burhan Baraznjy has been sentenced in German court to two and a half years in prison. The Iraqi is accused of helping finance Ansar al-Islam activities in Iraq.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/26/asia/terror.php

Indian police have detained an Icelander on suspicion of laundering drug monies and other criminal activities in Estonia and Russia. He will probably be extradited to the US, where the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has sought his trial for manufacturing LSD.
http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16568&ew_0_a_id=290481

Indian income tax investigators have found evidence that a Nagpur cooperative bank has been involved in laundering funds for six years, using benami (beneficial owner) demand drafts in cash.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Nagpur/City_bank_in_money_laundering_racket/articleshow/2403196.cms

Malaysian police superintendent Azmi Osman has been charged with several counts of money laundering for accepting the proceeds of criminal activities.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/9/27/nation/19003591&sec=nation
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/National/20070926080836/Article/index_html
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/25/asia/AS-GEN-Malaysia-Corruption.php

The Philippines Anti-Money Laundering Council obtained a freeze order on bank accounts of the officers of Performance Investment Products Corp (PIPC) that are facing criminal complaints for syndicated estafa (fraud).
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view_article.php?article_id=90420
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business6_sept26_2007

Britain's envoy to Nigeria gave a N29 million check to the Solicitor-General. The money came from funds looted by former Plateau State governor Chief Joshua Dariye, who is still wanted in the UK on money laundering and corruption charges.
http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=90706

A Nigerian minister has frozen the National Youth Council's funds over money laundering allegations.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200709280397.htmls

Krikkiat Jalichandra was cleared of his fifth embezzlement case. The Thai court found that there was insufficient evidence to prove that the former president of the collapsed Bangkok Bank of Commerce intended fraud when using an electronic card to authorize large loans and transfers.
http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=31876

Keith Alfred Coulthard has admitted laundering GBP44,000 cash obtained from criminal activities. He will be sentenced in British court on 9 November.
http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=546332

Michael and Susan Crabtree of Arizona were indicted in California on charges of defrauding the US Department of Defense and Northrop Grumman. They are being sought under an arrest warrant to face charges of money laundering and wire fraud in connection with $2.6 million of materials never delivered.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/cac/news/pr2007/122.html

Bobbie G. Ward was sentenced in Tennessee court to serve 18 months in prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, and restitution of $413,011.59 to CNA Insurance Company in connection with money laundering and mail fraud associated with fraudulent purchase orders in which goods were resold on online auction sites.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/tnm/press_releases/2007/9_21_07a.html
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AML/CFT Legislation and Regulation
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Transparency International reports, "global financial centers play a pivotal role in allowing corrupt officials to move, hide and invest their illicitly gained wealth. Offshore financing, for example, played a crucial role in the looting of millions from developing countries such as Nigeria and the Philippines, facilitating the misdeeds of corrupt leaders and impoverishing those they governed... In many cases, asset tracing and recovery are hindered by the laundering of funds through offshore banks in jurisdictions where banking secrecy remains the norm. Through the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), priority should be given to improving international cooperation and mutual legal assistance, expediting action to recover assets, and developing legal and technical expertise in nations requesting the return of looted assets. For many countries, repatriation of funds will mean long and extensive litigation". They call for several actions:
* In addition to ensuring adequate legal funding, simplifying recovery procedures and provisions for third party institutions to act as escrows during litigation must be a high priority.
* Governments must introduce anti-money laundering measures to eradicate safe havens for stolen assets, as prescribed by the UNCAC. Leading banking centers should explore the development of uniform expedited procedures for the identification, freezing and repatriation of the proceeds of corruption. Clear escrow provisions for disputed funds are essential.
* Wealthy countries must regulate their financial centers more strictly. Focusing on the roles of trusts, demanding knowledge of beneficial ownership and strengthening anti-money laundering provisions are just a few of the ways that rich governments can tackle the facilitators of corruption.
* The world’s wealthiest governments must strictly enforce the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, which criminalizes the bribery of foreign public officials. Lack of compliance with the convention’s provisions continues to hinder corruption investigations and prosecutions.
http://www.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/2007/cpi2007

The UN Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee's Executive Directorate (CTEF) hosted a dozen West African countries to discuss counterterrorism efforts, including AML/CFT. Experts linked weak law enforcement; trafficking of drugs, weapons, and people; and other international criminal activities to terrorist financing. South American cartels are increasingly switching drug routes from Europe to Africa.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200709270192.html
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL26557766.html

Bangladesh Bank has asked all financial institutions to keep greater vigil over accounts of politically exposed persons.
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=5511

Oil in Belize has raised concerns over its potential for corruption and financing terrorism.
http://www.amandala.com.bz/index.php?id=6094

Canada's Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Center has revamped its website in accordance with Common Look and Feel Standards for the Internet (CLF 2.0) developed by the Treasury Board Secretariat, to improve the navigation and accessibility of the site.
http://www.fintrac-canafe.gc.ca

The European Court of Auditors reviewed the system of physical and substitution checks on export refund consignments and steps to address weaknesses the system, particularly related to false claims.
http://www.eca.europa.eu/audit_reports/special_reports/docs/2007/rs04_07en.pdf

German criminal police suspect the Zenit company, controlled by influential Czech arms dealer Richard Hava, of money laundering.
http://www.praguemonitor.com/en/179/czech_business/12685/

Haiti plans to take steps to retrieve millions in state funds allegedly stolen under the Jean-Claude Duvalier dictatorship.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-09-25-haiti-funds_N.htm

Iran's parliament labeled the US military and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) terrorist organizations. Iran says that any US effort to name Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization would be illegal.
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSDAH969244

Montenegro estimates that over EU4.5 million was laundered in the country last year. The Police Administration processed eight criminal cases against 73 persons for 37 criminal acts of money laundering, and more than a hundred other crimes.
http://www.birn.eu.com/en/104/15/4983/

Saudi Arabia has provided little recent information on its CFT activities.
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article3013006.ece

Turkey has signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with several countries to strengthen the international AML/CFT fight. With Iraq, Turkey has agreed to judge or extradite people financing terrorism. In particular, this targets the Kurdistan Workers' Party, a Kurdish independence group that launches attacks from northern Iraq into Turkey
http://www.thenewanatolian.com/tna-28886.html
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-09/29/content_6810169.htm

The US Treasury designated 14 Burmese government officials whose assets will be frozen for violence against its people.
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/hp578.htm

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) on Monday announced the adoption of final joint rules to implement the "broker" exceptions for banks under Section 3(a)(4) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2007/2007-198.htm
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AML/CFT Modalities
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Militants are exploiting weak law enforcement in West Africa to raise funds from rackets ranging from people smuggling to drug trafficking and even fake Viagra, experts said. In the past two years, South American cartels have switched their trafficking routes into Europe to funnel drugs via lawless swathes of war-scarred West Africa.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=320387

Bulgarian General Prosecutor, Boris Velcev told national radio that there are Bulgarians that get millions of euro out of money laundering in other countries via organized criminal networks.
http://english.hotnews.ro/Bulgarians-win-loads-of-cash-from-money-laundering-articol_45998.htm

Mexican prosecutors say the Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR) has a long history of financing its operations with kidnapping businessmen, with at least 88 kidnappings since 1999 raising millions in ransom.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/world/americas/26rebels.html

4. Emerging Threat Monitor

Climate change, pandemics, and global economic imbalances are just a few of the threats emerging in this 21st century. Subscribers to the Emerging Threat Monitor stay a step ahead with monthly analysis of trends and responses worldwide. It offers executives a heads-up of new risks, and details of the policies and best practices gleaned from every country around the globe.
http://secure.netsolhost.com/573566.585211/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TP
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ETM Corruption and Transnational Crime
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Go to Recommended Reading, below, for coverage of Transparency International's 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index; the Ibrahim Index Of African Governance; and "Doing Business 2008", from the World Bank.

Kroll, citing results of an Economist Intelligence Unit survey reports that four of five companies worldwide have suffered from fraud. They found:
* Theft of physical assets or stock, which was experienced by 34 percent of surveyed respondents, is particularly widespread. In addition, a fifth of companies suffered from information theft, self-dealing, financial mismanagement, internal financial fraud, procurement fraud, or corruption and bribery.
* The average cost due to fraud to large companies - with annual revenues of more than $5bn  - was more than $20m, with about 1 in 10 losing more than $100m. More than a fifth of all companies in some sectors had lost more than $1m – healthcare, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology; construction, engineering and infrastructure; and financial services.
* Theft, loss of or attack on information are the biggest concerns to companies when asked how they assess their future risk, with 20 percent of respondents describing themselves as highly vulnerable. More than 30 percent believe that IT complexity has increased their exposure to fraud.
* High staff turnover is the most frequent cause of increased exposure to fraud, which is cited by 32 percent of respondents. Close behind are complex IT arrangements (31 percent), entry into new markets (28%) and increased collaboration between unrelated companies (26 percent) - all of which are factors that are closely tied with modern business practice. Entry into new markets is of particular concern for larger organizations (38 percent).
* The extent of corruption and bribery varies widely from one region to another. The proportion of companies that has recently suffered from it in the Middle East and Africa (39 percent) is by some distance the highest. But more than twice as many Eastern European respondents (29 percent) have experienced the problem than those from Western Europe, (14 percent), and more than three times as many from Latin America (29 percent) as from North America (9%).
http://www.kroll.com/news/releases/index.aspx?id=18360

Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission filed charges against former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and her sons Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Koko. All three filed petitions challenging their detention. The Commission also released a new list of 80 high-profile suspects.
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=5753
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=5752

The Israeli Justice Ministry has ordered a criminal investigation into Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's purchase of a Jerusalem home. Additional investigations are expected.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1189411474658&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3452670,00.html

The US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform objected to the State Department's instruction that its officials cannot discuss Iraqi corruption unless the Committee treats ALL information as national security secrets. Subsequently, the State Department sent a letter to Blackwell, a security contractor under investigation, to provide documents to the committee.
http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1497
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2007/sep/92933.htm

The Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC) charged the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) with a multi-billion dollar securities fraud in connection with improper earnings management beginning as early as 1998 and lasting into 2002. To settle the SEC’s charges, Freddie Mac agreed to pay a $50 million penalty, which is expected to be distributed to injured investors through a Fair Fund.
http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2007/2007-205.htm
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ETM Economies and Financial Systems
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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released the October 2007 Global Financial Stability Report. It focuses on a protracted adjustment following the recent crisis:
"Credit and market risks have risen and markets have become more volatile. Markets are recognizing the extent to which credit discipline has deteriorated in recent years - most notably in the US nonprime mortgage and leveraged loan markets, but also in other related credit markets. This has prompted a retrenchment from some risky assets and de-leveraging, causing a widening of credit spreads in riskier asset classes and more volatile bond and equity markets. The absence of prices and secondary markets for some structured credit products, and concerns about the location and size of potential losses, has led to disruptions in some money markets and funding difficulties for a number of financial institutions, as some counterparties have been reluctant to extend credit to those thought to hold lower quality, illiquid assets. The resulting disruption has required extraordinary liquidity injections by a number of central banks to facilitate the orderly functioning of these markets".
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/gfsr/2007/02/index.htm
http://www.imf.org/external/np/tr/2007/tr070924.htm

In "Public Financial Institutions in Developed Countries - Organization and Oversight" Lev Ratno Ratnovski and Aditya Narain explain:
"While public financial institutions (such as public development banks) are commonly associated with developing countries, in fact they are prevalent in the developed world as well. We study a sample of public financial institutions in industrialized countries and identify dominant trends in their organization and oversight. While practices in developed countries may be a useful reference point, a more nuanced approach, accounting for the disparity of institutional environment, regulatory capacity, and government accountability and effectiveness, may be required in developing countries. Further investment in the accumulation of evidence and formulation of best practices in the organization and oversight of public financial institutions seems warranted and necessary."
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=21213.0

India's National Rural Employment Guarantee poverty reduction program had mixed results in its first year, but the government will extend the plan to cover the entire country two years ahead of schedule.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7005985.stm
http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2007/sep/21jobs.htm
http://uk.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUKDEL27109320070928
http://rural.nic.in

Israel's central bank has proposed using a state-owned institution to supply funds to Gaza banks after private lenders began severing ties to the Strip after Israel declared it "hostile territory.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/907626.html

In October 2000, the US Congress established the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission to assess the national security implications of the trade and economic relationship between the two countries. In "US-China Economic and Security Review Commission: Actions Needed to Improve Controls over Key Management Functions" the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommends that Congress consider aligning the commissioners' appointment dates with the annual report issuance date, and makes eight recommendations to improve organizational structure and management policies and procedures.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1128

The Texas Transportation Institute released its annual mobility report. It finds that traffic congestion continues to worsen in US cities of all sizes, draining $78 billion per year from the US economy from 4.2 billion lost hours and 2.9 billion gallons of wasted fuel.
http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/media_information/press_release.stm

Even Zimbabwe's black market faces shortages.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=320339
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ETM Environment and Climate Change
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The Montreal Protocol Meeting of the Parties concluded last week with an agreement to freeze production of hydrochlorflurocarbons (HCFCs) in 2013 and bring forward the final phase-out date of these chemicals by ten years.
http://www.ec.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&xml=AB3B558A-48EF-4E3B-83FA-BDAA2B7D76AF
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=517&ArticleID=5671&l=en

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon convened a high-level meeting to address the leadership challenge of climate change. It takes place on 24 September, the day before the UN General Assembly's annual General Debate takes place. General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim opened the meeting pointing to the incontrovertible scientific data, and adding that there is an ethical dimension to combating climate change. This is one of several meetings this year that will guide December negotiations. Kerim proposed creation of a comprehensive road map to lead the way for the UN and its member states in addressing climate change. Next year he will convene a General Assembly thematic debate to reach a global consensus on the matter. German Chancellor Merkel said that fighting climate change makes economic sense. Czech President Calav Klaus said that in an historical context the rise in temperatures is small and the impact on mankind negligible. Canadian Prime Minister Harper called for balance.
http://www.un.org/climatechange/2007highlevel/index.shtml
http://www.un.org/ga/president/62/
http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_13/items/4049.php
http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,507672,00.html
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/Theme1.doc.htm
http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=1827

On 26 September, representatives of China, the European Union, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, and South Africa participated in a forum on international climate action hosted by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
http://www.pewclimate.org/intlclimateactionforum

The European Investment Bank -European Commission joint risk Sharing Finance Facility (RSFF) initiative has identified seven research and innovation projects for support under this innovative financing solution, including several focused on renewable energy technologies:
* The Andasol Solar Thermal Power (Spain), which concerns two new concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) generation plants with a capacity of 50 MWe each, to be developed in a valley north of the Sierra Nevada
* The Solucar Solar Thermal Power (Spain), another project in the area of solar thermal power (CSP) generating plants, to be implemented west of Seville, but using a technology different to that of the Andasol project
* Renewables and Energy Technologies RDI (Spain) for the development of advanced technology in the field of renewable energy, in particular, the production and reforming of bio-ethanol
* Automotive Energy Efficiency, AVL (Austria), for the development of clean and efficient automotive powertrains, as well as for research on hydrogen fuel cell technology, nanocomposites and engine technologies to increase energy efficiency and to reduce the impact on climate change
* Automotive Exhaust and Heat System RDI, Eberspacher (Germany) to develop innovative exhaust technology and heating systems for cars and trucks, including research in thermo and flow-dynamics, exhaust gas treatment and noise reduction
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=BEI/07/95

The EU has reaffirmed a controversial plan to require airlines using European airspace to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1420

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has committed to aggressive action on aircraft emissions.
http://www.icao.int/icao/en/nr/2007/pio200710_e.pdf

China's State Council has approved in principle a five-year environmental protection plan that sets out guidelines, major tasks and measures for the government to tackle pollution.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-09/26/content_6797209.htm

Indonesia is attempting to raise more money from developed countries to reforest its lost tropical woodland.
http://www.tempointeraktif.com/hg/nasional/2007/09/21/brk,20070921-108132,uk.html
http://indonesia-oslo.no/Press-Release/Norway-To-Contribute-US-500-000-To-Indonesia-For-UNFCC-Prepatory-Meeting.html

Dutch bank Fortis has paid more than EU13 million in carbon credits in the first auction in a regulated exchange, the Brazilian Mercantile and Futures Exchange.
http://www.fortis.com/press/info/UK_CarbonTrading_27092007.pdf

Swiss Re launched its Climate Adaptation Development Program. It is designed to develop a financial risk transfer market for the effects of adverse weather in emerging countries. In a first phase, it will aim at providing financial protection against drought conditions for up to 400 000 people in Africa.
http://www.swissre.com/pws/media%20centre/news/news%20releases%202007/swiss%20re%20launches%20climate%20adaptation%20development%20programme%20providing%20financial%20protection%20against%20weather%20risks%20in%20emerging%20countries.html

UK Environment Secretary Hilary Benn announced a voluntary initiative under which retailers and energy suppliers will phase out inefficient light bulbs ahead of possible EU actions to ban such products. They expect to save up to five million tons of carbon dioxide by 2012.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2007/070927a.htm
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ETM Human Rights
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Despite almost total closure of internet and mobile communications, Burmese citizens are sending streams of photos, videos and blogs to break open state censorship and tell the world what is happening.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/27/wburma527.xml
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5haiEPz_zCBBwAVq4YKyYpTIYEU5gD8RUL94G3
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article3001622.ece
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2007/s2046634.htm

An Egyptian court on Monday jailed for two years Al-Wafd editor Anwar al-Hawari and journalists Mahmoud Ghallab and Amir Othman for "having published untrue information which damaged the reputation of the justice system and the Justice Ministry". http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Egypt/10155974.html

Iraqi President Ahmadinejad claimed that there are no gays in all the villages of Iran. The Guardian says this assertion is somewhat undermined by the fact that Iran carries out more gender-change operations than any other country in the world besides Thailand.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,2177277,00.html )

Alabama Governor Bob Riley issued a 45-day stay of execution for Thomas Arthur, pending development of a new lethal injection protocol.
http://www.governorpress.alabama.gov/pr/pr-2007-09-27-01-45daystayexecution.asp
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/28/us/28lethal.html

Polygamist Mormon sect leader Warren Jeffs has been convicted for his role in the forced marriage of a young girl to her older cousin and the consequences thereafter.
http://origin.sltrib.com/ci_6995147
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0928jeffs0928.html
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695213842,00.html
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ETM Infectious Diseases
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Marsh and the Albright Group warn that a catastrophic pandemic is overdue and would have grave consequences. They explain, "The scientific consensus is that an avian pandemic could sicken 20 percent of the world's population, result in absenteeism of 40 percent of the global workforce, and kill tens, if not hundreds, of millions of people. The report goes on to say that outbreaks will likely move along modern transportation and distribution chains, with transportation hubs being especially vulnerable. Disruption at these hubs will be significant and could have an irreversible impact on businesses.
http://global.marsh.com/news/press/092707.php

Chinese researchers report that the autopsy of a pregnant woman who died from H5N1 avian influenza showed the virus passed to the fetus.
http://in.reuters.com/article/health/idINN2742235620070927
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607615153/abstract
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607614901/fulltext

The US House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology, held a hearing on "Beyond the Checklist: Addressing Shortfalls in National Pandemic Influenza Preparedness", showing that much remains to be done.
http://homeland.house.gov/hearings/index.asp?ID=89

A large poultry farm in Saskatchewan, Canada, has been quarantined after an outbreak of H7N3 avian influenza, which is deadly to birds but not humans. Japan has banned poultry imports from Canada.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=45d9220a-9657-4de8-adf1-447dd237027d&k=20676
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/International__Business/Japan_bans_chicken_imports_from_Canada_following_bird_flu_outbreak_/articleshow/2412692.cms

As cooler weather approaches, Thailand has issued a warning that H5N1 could re-emerge. Already an H5N1 outbreak has been detected.
http://nationmultimedia.com/2007/09/29/national/national_30050694.php

There is not enough evidence to support flu vaccination for the elderly.
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473309907702360/abstract

The World Health Organization is coordinating the international response to a serious outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2007_09_27/en/index.html
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/83bb82ce0a30cbfb7734f22fb6e1c758.htm
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2192457,00.html
http://www.msf.org/msfinternational/invoke.cfm?objectid=088398A7-15C5-F00A-2585ED5CBCEFFDB9&component=toolkit.article&method=full_html

The cholera outbreak in northern Iraq has spread south to the capital Baghdad, which has confirmed its first cholera death. More than 1,500 cases have now been confirmed across the country, and at least 12 have died. Iraqi health officials had warned in recent days that the continuous movement of people and cargo, bad sanitary conditions and high temperatures increased the possibility that the disease would spread rapidly to other areas such as Baghdad and the central provinces.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7008660830
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jjHpWFOGpxyYIuv4kwzIGJWnKIpg
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2007_09_25/en/index.html

Because of the civil wars that have ravaged the Republic of Congo over the past few years, monitoring of trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, was considered a low priority. However, prevalence rates have resurged, affecting five of the country's 11 districts.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74501

At least 60 people have been affected by an outbreak of Monkeypox in the northern department of Likouala in the Republic of Congo.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74469
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ETM Legal Systems
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According to Afghanistan's criminal code, children who stay with an imprisoned guardian must have access to education. In practice, however, the country cannot implement this legal provision due to the shortage of resources, officials acknowledge. Over 60 children are currently living with female prisoners in Pul-e Charkhi prison,.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74491

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) hopes a new biometric identity card (ID) scheme backed by the EU can help overhaul its notorious and undisciplined armed forces, among Africa's worst human rights abusers.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=320435

Hundreds of Iraqi police recruits, some of them coaxed back from the anti-US insurgency are being trained and put in position to help stabilize the volatile Abu Ghraib region just west of Baghdad.
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Gulf%2C+Middle+East+%26+Africa&month=September2007&file=World_News2007092634228.xml

Ending impunity in Nepal will require further strengthening of the legal framework.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74457

Somalia's Supreme Court Chief Justice Yusuf Ali Harun was arrested last week, sparking protests over jurisdiction and immunity.
http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Lawyers_for_Somalia_s_beleaguered_chief_justice_speak.shtml

South Africa's cabinet met to review President Mbeki's suspension of Chief Prosecutor Vusi Pikoli over friction with the justice minister over the prosecution of former vice president Jacob Zuma. The week of intrigue was capped with a report that an arrest warrant had been issued for the national police commissioner, Jackie Selebi. Law enforcement turf wars have become part of the succession battle for presidency of the ruling African National Congress (ANC). An independent inquiry is likely, and would include review of structural issues previously highlighted by the Khampepe Commission.
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20070928031659422C976071
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL2710531.html
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=6&art_id=vn20070927132952241C311386
http://allafrica.com/stories/200709260384.html
http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/2006/06062915451001.htm
http://www.iss.co.za/index.php?link_id=28&slink_id=3747&link_type=12&slink_type=12&tmpl_id=3
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ETM Natural Resources
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Inuits are the latest people to stake a claim to the Arctic.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0925/p04s01-woeu.html

IAF Securities told Reuters that urbanization would increase demand for natural resources.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/fundsNews/idUKNOA53392720070925

Ecuador has begun negotiating with oil companies to bring out oil beneath the Yasuni National Pak, one of the world's greatest regions of biodiversity, and home to at least two indigenous tribes.
http://www.amazonwatch.org/view_news.php?id=1461
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7000345.stm

The US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing on Hard-Rock Mining on Federal lands. Testimony covered a range of issues from environmental issues to patents, but much of the discussion focused on royalty payments. Senators seemed amenable to the idea of beginning to charge royalties, and use the income to protect public lands.
http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=1654

The Interior Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued an Investigative Report on the Lack of Price Thresholds in Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Leases. They cite mismanagement, ethical lapses, fear or retaliation and other issues responsible for significant underpayments.
http://www.doioig.gov/upload/MMS%20ROI%20REDACTED.txt

The office also released a redacted "Minerals Management Service:  False Claims Allegations", which chronicles a series of events that led to the filing of multiple false claims lawsuits by employees and former employees of the Minerals Management Service (MMS).  It also reports on numerous incidents of alleged retaliation against these employees and former employees.  
http://www.doioig.gov/upload/Qui%20tam.txt
http://www.mms.gov/SettingtheRecordStraight/Straight-AuditReport-web.htm

Five indigenous tribes in the US state of Michigan have reached an agreement with the US on tribal inland hunting, fishing and gathering rights in the 1836 Treaty area of the state.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hjXnOrOsTfQlQVBEalDASYI4k5_A
http://www.grandhaventribune.com/paid/88436404946076.bsp
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ETM Populations
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According to the UN High Commission for Refugees, there are over 150 Iraqi refugees in Pakistan today most of whom arrived after the 1991 Gulf war. Scattered in urban areas throughout Pakistan, their plight is now largely ignored in favor of the over two million Iraqi refugees in Syria, Jordan and elsewhere in the Middle East.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74448

The US Treasury is launching a series of issue briefs on social security reform, explaining the magnitude of the financial challenge and the need to act sooner rather than later.
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/reports/post.pdf
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ETM Social Responsibility
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Asia's largest forum on corporate social responsibility took place in Vietnam this week, as Vietnam joined the UN Global Compact.
http://www.nhandan.com.vn/english/business/280907/business_la.htm
http://www.nhandan.com.vn/english/business/270907/business_vnf.htm

Produce Marketing Association (PMA) research indicates consumers consider the social responsibility of companies that grow and sell produce a highly important factor in their purchase decisions, while location, price and quality drive their choice of supermarkets.
http://www.pma.com/pr/view_pr_spec.cfm?id=403
http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=8413

The UNI-Europa Finance Conference was held in Brussels, focusing on The Social Dimension and the Financial Crisis. Their study on multinational companies' commitment to the UN Global Compact is now available. The general trends from this survey included:
* The labor dimension of CSR is neglected compared to issues such as the environment and broader human rights.
* Implementation of policies and codes of conduct beyond companies’ home countries is limited.
* There seems to be no comprehensive overview by group management of what is happening in other countries in terms of industrial relations.
* Companies’ behavior and practice hardly go beyond national legal requirements.
* Companies have not yet developed tools to truly implement policies and monitor them across countries of operation.
http://www.uniglobalunion.org/unifinance.nsf/$webDocuments/FC672DD7850F9C6EC125736200459463?OpenDocument
http://www.uniglobalunion.org/unifinance.nsf/$webDocuments/CBD596FF0AF8359DC1257355004AA88B?Opendocument
http://www.uniglobalunion.org/unifinance.nsf/$webDocuments/C986B85A132B20FEC12573620028C450?OpenDocument
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ETM Technology
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Microbes in space become more virulent.
http://www.biodesign.asu.edu/news/space-flight-shown-to-alter-ability-of-bacteria-to-cause-disease

At the European Investment Bank’s annual Forum "Investing in Energy, Mastering Climate Change" in Ljubljana (Slovenia), the European Commission and European Investment Bank announced the successful introduction of the Risk Sharing Finance Facility (RSFF) - the latest in a series of joint EIB-European Commission initiatives. This innovative financing solution aims at providing strong additional support to research, development and innovation projects in Europe. The first RSFF financing operations focus on renewable energy technologies, a priority lending objective for the Bank in 2007.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=BEI/07/95
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ETM Weapons (WMD, Proliferation)
--------------------------------------------------
Top negotiators to the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a new round of discussions beginning on Thursday. North Korea has agreed to some steps but there is no final agreement on denuclearization.
http://www.chinaview.cn/dprk6/index.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/28/AR2007092800226.html
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=azGLinCi4CEo

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed Tuesday not to give in to pressure by "arrogant powers" trying to force him to abandon his nation's uranium-enrichment program and unilaterally declared that as far as he is concerned, "the nuclear issue of Iran is now closed." Although Iran has allowed agency inspectors to examine the country’s known nuclear sites, IAEA officials are now prevented from conducting short-notice inspections anywhere in the country as they had once been allowed to do. The US is pursuing new sanctions, but Russia wants to give IAEA more time.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/25/AR2007092500194.html
http://www.abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=3662073
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6948736,00.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/28/AR2007092800031.html

The National Defense University reports that global cooperation between law enforcement agencies and a coordinated nuclear detection network is needed if the world hopes to prevent terrorists from acquiring material for weapons of mass destruction.
http://www.ndu.edu/ctnsp/Def_Tech/DTP%2041%20NuclearDetectionStrategy.pdf

"Securing the Bomb 2007" describes the continuing threat of nuclear terrorism. It says that Pakistan and Russia are the most vulnerable to nuclear theft.
http://www.nti.org/e_research/securingthebomb07.pdf
http://www.dawn.com/2007/09/28/top11.htm

Israel is lobbying for an exemption to non-proliferation rules, looking at a US-India cooperation agreement as a model to import its own atomic material.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j_4W7czAS_qwahtut4_GkhQ3iuCQ

Pakistan rejected a proposal to let IAEA question AQ Khan, who designed Pakistan's first atomic bomb and subsequently opened a global nuclear supermarket. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been heavily criticized for saying that if she returned to office she would permit the questioning.
http://thepakistaninewspaper.com/news_detail.php?id=9864
http://www.dawn.com/2007/09/27/top6.htm

Cangene Corporation has completed delivery of the initial order for botulinum toxin immune globulin (heptavalent botulism antitoxin; "BAT") and the drug has been formally received into the US Strategic National Stockpile ("SNS").
http://micro.newswire.ca/release.cgi?rkey=1509276071&view=6128-0&Start=0

Vice Admiral Robert Murrett, director of the US National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, cites tracking movements of biological weapons scientists from country to country as a major challenge.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-bioweapons,1,7782112.story

The Burma Campaign has warned some 150 companies trading with Burma that their business dealings have paid for the bullets the military junta is now using against monks and civilians.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2998904.ece
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/crackdown.php

5. Critical Infrastructure Monitor

The 21st century is the interdependent century. Understanding the implicit and explicit networks on which we rely, and the interdependencies among the sectors of the critical infrastructure is essential for business continuity, economic success, and our very survival. The Critical Infrastructure Monitor, published monthly, analyzes these sectors, regulatory frameworks, and issues of enterprise risk management in global supply chains.
http://secure.netsolhost.com/573566.585211/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TP
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CIM Agriculture and Food
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Rising prices and surging demand for the crops that supply half of the world's calories are producing the biggest changes in global food markets in 30 years, altering the economic landscape for everyone from consumers and farmers to corporate giants and the world's poor.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119093856250042023.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Food security in Africa is likely to be "severely compromised" by climate change, with production expected to halve by 2020.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74481

The vast majority of Australian farmers are optimistic about their long-term future, do not want to walk off their land and do not in any case qualify for the Federal Government's exit grants.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/few-farmers-will-take-cash-to-quit/2007/09/26/1190486395879.html
http://www.anz.com/aus/corporate/EcoComm/AustResearch.asp

Violent protests against the cost of bread have prompted the Moroccan government to annul a 30 percent price hike linked to soaring global grain costs.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=320209

Authorities in Somalia's self-declared autonomous region of Puntland in the northeast have appealed for international aid following the loss of thousands of hectares of pasture and farmland to a locust infestation.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74474

In the face of record grain shortages and rising prices, the EU has approved measures to increase production of wheat and other grains.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1402
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1403

European Union agriculture ministers approved a package of measures to improve the management of the dairy sector, including a major improvement in the school milk scheme. This will set a single aid rate for all categories of milk distributed in schools. The previous scheme gave a higher rate of aid for milk with a higher fat content. This is no longer appropriate in an age when obesity is becoming a major public health problem, with the need to reduce the consumption of fat in dairy products, not least among schoolchildren. With the standard rate independent of the fat content, the EU will de facto in the future promote the consumption of low fat dairy products among schoolchildren. Other changes adopted today will go a long way towards simplifying the Common Market Organisation for milk and dairy products. They include a liberalization of the drinking milk market to allow the retail sale of milk with different fat contents. The existing categories (whole fat, semi-skimmed and skimmed milk) will continue to exist. But it will be possible in future to market milk with other fat contents as long as the fat content is clearly marked on the packaging. Other modifications foreseen concern private storage, butter intervention, import licenses, and the standardization of the rate of proteins in preserved milk.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1404

The midge-borne bluetongue virus presents the latest threat to Britain's dairy industry.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/footandmouth/story/0,,2175479,00.html )
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/24/nvirus124.xml
http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/latest/2007/animal-0925.htm

Federal law enforcement and agricultural groups gathered at a dairy farm for the FBI's first-ever training to prepare for an agricultural terrorism attack. T
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=webfbi27m&date=20070927&query=agricultural+terrorism
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=fbi28m&date=20070928&query=agricultural+terrorism
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CIM Banking and Finance
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European Commissioner for Internal Market Charlie McCreevy addressed "Current Issues in the EU Banking Sector", including lessons from the sub-prime crisis, financial stability arrangements, the Lamfalussy process review currently underway, and retail financial services
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/07/573

The European Commission has adopted the final report of the competition inquiry on the business insurance sector. Building on the interim report of January 2007, a wide public consultation and extensive further fact-finding, the final report raises concerns about the operation of two areas of business insurance. First, long-standing and widespread industry practices in the reinsurance and coinsurance markets involving the alignment of premiums, which may lead to higher prices for large risk commercial insurance. The report leaves open the question of whether these constitute infringements of the prohibition on restrictive business practices (Article 81), but invites the industry either to justify the business practices concerned under the competition rules, or to reform them. Second, the Commission also confirms its concerns as to transparency of remuneration and conflicts of interest in insurance brokerage which may inflate prices and reduce choice, in particular for SMEs. The Commission will further explore this issue during the review of the Insurance Mediation Directive (2002/92/EC).
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1390
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/382

Confederation of British Industry (CBI) director general Richard Lambert said that the UK's tripartite banking system failed its first big test for underwriting financial stability, particularly given the strong underlying economy, and compared it to what would be expected in a "banana republic".
http://www.cbi.org.uk/ndbs/press.nsf/0363c1f07c6ca12a8025671c00381cc7/01c825de9e0e781c8025736200454396?OpenDocument

The UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) released "Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) selling standards, finding that many firms still fail to treat their customers fairly.
http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Library/Communication/PR/2007/102.shtml

The Electronic Payments Association NACHA announced the formation of a "green coalition" comprised of leaders in the financial and consumer billing industries, including Bank of America, CheckFree, Citi, Citizens Bank, EPN, the Federal Reserve Banks, Fiserv, JPMorgan Chase, Wachovia, Wells Fargo, and US Bank. The coalition will educate consumers about the positive environmental impacts of choosing electronic bills, statements, and payments over paper. They cite a recent survey that revealed that if all US households received and paid their bills electronically, the country would:
* Save 16.5 million trees each year, or the amount of lumber needed for 216,054 typical single-family homes;
* Reduce toxic air pollutants by 3.9 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, akin to taking 355,015 cars off the road;
* Reduce by 1.6 billion pounds the solid waste generated in a year, equal to 56,000 fully loaded garbage trucks.
http://www.nacha.org/News/news/pressreleases/2007/Pr091807/Pr091807.htm

Under the Credit Rating Agency Reform Act of 2006, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has granted registrations of credit rating agencies A.M. Best, DBRS, Fitch,  Japan Credit Rating Agency, Moody’s Investors Service, Rating and Investment Information, and Standard and Poor’s Ratings Services. This measure is intended to promote transparency. Meanwhile, SEC told the Senate Banking Committee that it is investigating whether credit-rating firms followed their procedures to manage conflicts and remain impartial when rating mortgage-backed securities, following the collapse of subprime credit markets.
http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2007/2007-199.htm
http://banking.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=279

Adjusting civil tax penalties for inflation on a regular basis to maintain their real values over time may increase IRS collections by tens of millions of dollars per year. Further, the decline in real value of the fixed dollar amounts of civil tax penalties may weaken the deterrent effect of these penalties and may result in the inconsistent treatment of taxpayers over time. If civil tax penalty fixed dollar amounts were adjusted for inflation, the estimated increase in IRS collections would have ranged from $38 million to $61 million per year from 2000 to 2005. Almost all of the estimated increase in collections was generated by four penalties. These increases result because some of the penalties were set decades ago and have decreased significantly in real value—by over one-half for some penalties. In "Tax Compliance: Inflation Has Significantly Decreased the Real Value of Some Penalties" the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommends that Congress should consider requiring IRS to periodically adjust for inflation, and round appropriately, the fixed dollar amounts of civil tax penalties to account for the decrease in real value over time and so that penalties for the same infraction are consistent over time.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1062
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CIM Chemical
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Gambia's National Environment Agency Executive Director Momodou Sarr is concerned over the large-scale importation and donation of chemicals to the country, which has no indigenous chemical industry and, also lacks a legal and institutional framework within which to manage hazardous chemicals and pesticides. This poses a threat to human health and the environment that could best be dealt with under a harmonized global framework.
http://www.thepoint.gm/headlines2351.htm

In the Indian state of Kerala the city of Kochi has 21 industrial installations dealing with hazardous chemicals in the Ernakulam district alone. For the first time, a chemical response center is being established.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/25/stories/2007092550900200.htm

Like the US, the EU has laws governing the production and use of chemicals. The EU has recently revised its chemical control policy through legislation known as Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) in order to better identify and mitigate risks from chemicals. "Chemical Regulation: Comparison of US and Recently Enacted European Union Approaches to Protect against the Risks of Toxic Chemicals" is the Government Accountability Office's explanation of the difference between REACH and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-825

The US Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on "Border Insecurity, Take Three: Open and Unmonitored". The Government Accountability Office (GAO) presented its latest findings of serious vulnerabilities that could allow weapons of mass destruction, and their components, to travel across the borders. Border Patrol Deputy Chief Ronald Colburn described the long-term strategy to secure the border, and cited progress in controls:
"There were nearly a million people that weren't successful in crossing both borders this year. And speaking of weapons of mass effect, two million pounds of marijuana is a weapon of mass effect that we prevented from happening this year along the border". The Department of Homeland Security defines a weapon of mass effect as an industrial gas that can be used as a weapon without reacting with other chemicals to create a third material.
http://www.senate.gov/~finance/sitepages/hearing092707.htm
http://www.senate.gov/~finance/sitepages/hearings/other/hearing092707.ram (video)
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-884T
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/chemsec_csattopscreenusersmanual.pdf

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick released "The Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Homeland Security Strategy". One of the main objectives is to enhance chemical facility safety. The report explains, "There are literally thousands of chemical facilities in the state. With little federal regulation governing their safety and security, the Commonwealth must now commit itself to providing a statewide, coordinated approach to the identification, prioritization, and protection of these key resources. The explosion in Danvers in November 2006 highlighted the need to take a comprehensive approach to chemical site safety and security in order to prevent similar incidents. The Commonwealth has adopted a multi-disciplinary approach that leverages local and state assets, as well as identifies and applies federal funding and resources". This will be implemented by identifying and inspecting smaller chemical facilities, and reviewing and approving emergency response plans.
http://www.mass.gov/Eeops/docs/helpus_helpyou/state_homeland_security_strategy_092307.pdf

An application of chloropicrin to an onion field sickened 130 farm workers. The agricultural chemical, used for chemical warfare in the first World War, normally dissipates, but a weather inversion kept the fumes near the ground. State officials are investigating the incident.
http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20070927&Category=NEWS07&ArtNo=709270347&Ref=AR
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CIM Commercial Facilities
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China is implementing tight security to the Tibetan side of Mount Everest ahead of the Olympic torch relay.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i3HDBc42hNXeIbjlb-_3VZV2-mnQ

The European Commission has adopted a green paper, "Towards a new culture for urban mobility". It presents a set of policy issues for urban mobility and includes 25 open questions addressing these options, ranging from how the quality of collective transport can be improved to how walking and cycling can be promoted.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/379
http://ec.europa.eu/transport/clean/green_paper_urban_transport/index_en.htm

Fallout shelters are back in vogue.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jtBuR84p6FU4UpQRIk9iZfnn5HEQ

Fueled by campus shootings, colleges are stepping up talks with vendors that provide technology that can warn people instantly of danger.
http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stories/story/250446.html
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CIM Cybersecurity
--------------------------------------------------
The Business Roundtable released "Growing Business Dependence on the Internet: New Risks Require CEO Action". The report finds that a major internet disruption would harm businesses, public institutions and citizens. It would also cost the global economy some $250 billion. Key findings include:
* Business leaders are not sufficiently aware of their Internet dependencies and the impact of these dependencies on their ability to conduct the “business of the business” - vital business functions central to operations.
* Business continuity plans often do not address the comprehensive risk of a significant Internet disruption to their companies or their supply chains.
* An Internet disruption will affect nearly every US company directly or indirectly, and the efforts to respond will create stress points that will hinder recovery.
* Contrary to the belief of many businesses, government does not have the primary role in restoring business operations following a major internet disruption.
* Business needs reliable information about significant credible threats delivered as quickly as possible, as well as in-depth analysis of a threat or pattern that could grow into a bigger threat.
http://www.businessroundtable.org/pdf/Security/BR_Internet_Business_Dependence_Report_09252007.pdf

The US Idaho National Laboratory has studied risks to control systems for power, water and chemical plants. This week AP obtained a confidential video that shows the destruction that could ensue should a hacker take control over a part of the electrical grid.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1666011,00.html

Several Google vulnerabilities surfaced this week, threatening privacy and security of Gmail users' data, emails, and photos. Cross-scripting errors have been addressed, and engineers are working on other fixes.
http://xs-sniper.com/sniperscope/Google-Cross-Domain-Hole/
http://www.gnucitizen.org/blog/google-gmail-e-mail-hijack-technique/
http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=539
http://blog.beford.org/?p=3
http://websecurity.com.ua/1368

TJX Companies has reached a tentative settlement to end lawsuits related to their massive data breach. This agreement is for consumer claims and does not resolve claims from banks.
http://www.tjx.com/tjx_message.html
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2007/09/22/tjx_offers_deal_to_end_data_breach_suit/

Canada's privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart released results of an investigation into the TJX breach. The report finds that TJX was collecting too much data and retaining it for too long. It concludes that TJX did not have reasonable security arrangements in place at the time of the breach, and the few safeguards in place had inherent weaknesses.
http://www.privcom.gc.ca/cf-dc/2007/TJX_rep_070925_e.asp

Hackers brazenly posted sensitive information including home addresses and phone numbers for 1,200 eBay users to an official online forum dedicated to fraud prevention on the auction site.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/25/ebay_account_details_published/

Li Jun has been sentenced to four years in prison for inventing and selling the Panda/Fujacks worm, which became the most destructive malicious software in China. About ten companies, including one he infected, have offered him a high-paying job. Three of his accomplices were jailed for lesser terms.
http://english.zjol.com.cn/05english/system/2007/09/26/008832227.shtml
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2007/200709/20070926/article_332569.htm
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/w32fujacksi.html

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating Unisys for failing to detect data breaches linked to a Chinese website. The House Committee on Homeland Security has called for the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General to initiate an independent investigation.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/23/AR2007092301471.html
http://homeland.house.gov/press/index.asp?ID=268&SubSection=1&Issue=0&DocumentType=0&PublishDate=0

Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner announced plans to test electronic voting systems before the presidential primary in March.
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/News/Read.aspx?ID=221
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CIM Dams and Bridges
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A two-year bridge-building project in Angola has reopened a vital road to a large area of the country's isolated eastern Moxico province, destroyed during a 27-year civil war,
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=320319

In Bangladesh, devastating floods washed away or badly damaged ten embankment protection dams (spars) of the Teesta River, making them extremely vulnerable.
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=5454
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20030215&filename=Misc&sec_id=18&sid=24

Chinese officials and experts have admitted the Three Gorges Dam project has caused an array of ecological ills, including more frequent landslides and pollution, and if preventive measures are not taken, there could be an environmental catastrophe.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-09/26/content_6796234.htm
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/27/asia/dam.php
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22485869-12335,00.html

India's Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) is accused of being responsible for the Panniyar disaster when a dam pipe broke, killing eight people. KSEB failed to introduce safety measures as stipulated by the Dam Safety Organization. The safety of many other dams in the state is also in danger.
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEO20070922021521&Page=O&Headline=%91KSEB+responsible+for+Panniyar+tragedy%92&Title=Thiruvananthapuram&Topic=0
http://www.newkerala.com/oct.php?action=fullnews&id=5297

In the US state of New Hampshire, engineers say that a 40-year-old construction flaw is responsible for a leak in the Pillsbury Lake Dam.
http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070929/FRONTPAGE/709290354
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CIM Defense Industrial Base
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The European Defense Agency (EDA) agreed a series of specific steps and timetables for implementing a strategy to strengthen the Defense Technological and Industrial Base (DTIB) by strengthening competition and cooperation in Europe and focusing more deliberately on the needs of the future. The Steering Board also approved a Code of Conduct for coordinating investment in the Defense Test and Evaluation Base (DTEB), designed to avoid duplication and encourage the sharing of these expensive facilities.
http://www.eda.europa.eu/newsitem.aspx?id=254

The controversy over the Blackwater security company's operations in Iraq continues, and at least five investigations are under way.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hH1o_b7peZgeLXfIo-AF2je4r6lA
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/29/washington/29blackwater.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article2544598.ece
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h6pO0aYIb45Hz2UOP6SsrWtlOn_wD8RUKQ800
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2007/sep/92933.htm
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2007/sep/92916.htm
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/88030.pdf
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/28/world/middleeast/28blackwater.html
http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2007/09/5618_blackwaters_tro.html
http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.1724225.0.0.php

The US Navy is investing more than $3 billion to develop technologies for a new type of aircraft carrier, and $11 billion to design and construct the lead ship of the new Ford class. In "Defense Acquisitions: Navy Faces Challenges Constructing the Aircraft Carrier Gerald R. Ford within Budget", the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommends that the Defense Department take actions to improve the realism of budget estimates, improve cost surveillance capability, and schedule specific tests of key technologies.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-866
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CIM Emergency Services
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The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the US Fire Administration (USFA) released a report on the effects of sleep deprivation on emergency responders. "The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Fire Fighters and EMS Responders" presents background information on normal sleep physiology and the health and performance effects of sleep deprivation. Countermeasures for sleep deprivation are reviewed, which relate to identifying those particularly susceptible to risks of sleep deprivation, individual mitigating strategies and work-related issues. There is also a computer-based educational program.
http://www.iafc.org/sleep
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/research/safety/sleep_deprivation.shtm

Canada's Marine Atlantic ferry Leif Ericson, HMCS Moncton, the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Sir Wilfred Grenfell, other coast guard ships and DND and coast guard helicopters were engaged in an emergency exercise off the Newfoundland coast on Thursday, when a fiberglass lifeboat overheated and 21 people were overcome by smoke, requiring two victims to be airlifted and 14 hospitalized, turning the exercise into a real rescue operation.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=08750937-ddc7-4a97-82c7-f01bfaceb3b6&k=76810

During an influenza pandemic, healthcare workers will be on the front lines delivering care to patients and preventing further spread of the disease. Protecting the more than 13 million healthcare workers in the United States from illness or from infecting their families or the patients in their care is critical to limiting morbidity and mortality and preventing progression of a pandemic. As the nation prepares for pandemic influenza, multiple avenues for protecting the health of the public are being carefully considered, ranging from rapid development of appropriate vaccines to quarantine plans should the need arise for their implementation. One vital aspect of pandemic influenza planning is the use of personal protective equipment (PPE)—the respirators, gowns, gloves, face shields, eye protection, and other equipment that will be used by healthcare workers and others in their day-to-day patient care responsibilities. In 2006, the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to conduct a study on the personal protective equipment needed by healthcare workers in the event of an influenza pandemic. The IOM committee determined that there is an urgent need to address the lack of preparedness regarding effective PPE for use in an influenza pandemic. Three critical areas were identified that require expeditious research and policy action: Understand influenza transmission; Commit to worker safety and appropriate use of PPE; Innovate and strengthen PPE design, testing, and certification.
http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11980
http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3740/29908/46095.aspx

Swiss firefighters became stars on YouTube after releasing a rap video to promote their emergency phone line.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7010749.stm

One of the UK's first terrorism survival courses has been launched in Glasgow.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7019937.stm
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CIM Energy
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The International Energy Agency (IEA) says there is a strong likelihood that short and medium term oil prices would remain high.
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=5320
http://omrpublic.iea.org/

While Burma's military junta cracks down on pro-democracy protests, oil companies are busy jostling for access to the country's largely untapped natural gas reserves. Total of France says pulling out of its natural gas project in Burma would lead to even greater hardship in the country.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/28/business/AS-FIN-Myanmar-Fueling-the-Junta.php
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/27/news/total.php
http://washingtontimes.com/article/20070929/BUSINESS/109290031/1006

Total has also defended its operations in Iran.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKL2788457120070927

The European Commission held a high level conference to encourage investments in the Energy community. Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs opened the conference referring to the Energy Community Treaty that entered into force last year. He quoted from the preamble that the vision of all its signatories is "to create a stable regulatory and market framework capable of attracting investment in gas networks, power generation and transmission networks, so that all Parties have access to the stable and continuous gas and electricity supply that is essential for economic development and social stability", and that this expressed the goal of the conference. One of the key aspects to EU energy policy is effective unbundling, a topic addressed by European Commissioner for Competition Policy Neelie Kroes.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1416
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/07/575
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/07/574

AP obtained a confidential Department of Homeland Security video that showed the destructive potential of hackers taking control of a part of the US electrical grid.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1666011,00.html
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jqb09di8rLIZGdutxhTCk2A6uang
http://www.inl.gov/nationalsecurity/

AgResource reports that for the first time in five years, the US ethanol industry is losing money, when capital costs are included.
http://www.agresource.com/

US President Bush participated in the major economies meeting on energy security and climate change.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/09/20070928-2.html
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/climate-meeting-defers-action/2007/09/29/1190486614177.html
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CIM Government Facilities
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The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released "Smithsonian Institution: Funding Challenges Affect Facilities' Conditions and Security, Endangering Collections", faulting upkeep and security.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1127

The Plum island research facility is also vulnerable.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/suffolk/ny-liplum295395219sep29,0,4561209.story
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CIM Information Technology
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One Laptop Per Child will expand to the public in a "give one, get one" scheme to increase volumes to a level that will support developing countries.
http://www.xogiving.org/
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2007/09/24/building_a_critical_mass/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6994957.stm

The Globalization Institute has prepared a policy briefing for the European Commission that calls for computers throughout the EU to be sold without a bundled operating system. In particular, it says that bundling Microsoft Windows with computers is not in the public interest and prevents meaningful competition in the operating system market. It explains, "Operating systems are not a natural monopoly, requiring just one supplier. Instead, in a competitive market, vendors would want their products to interact with other vendors' products.
http://www.globalisation.eu/publications/unbundlingmicrosoftwindows.pdf

In an effort to continue control over information, particularly to the internal population, the Burmese (Myanmar) military junta has blocked internet access and cut off phones. This follows widespread use of information and communication technology to reveal details of the peaceful protest and their violent dissolution. Protesters have had some success in bypassing these government efforts, and limited communications have continued.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article3001622.ece
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j33IUp1jV2EuLDQXIOEBq_67rvlAD8RUIQ5O0
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CIM National Monuments and Icons
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Many climate scientists believe that ultimately, rising seas will likely swamp the first American settlement in Jamestown, Virginia., as well as the Florida launch pad that sent the first American into orbit.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g8DNoBXyskx2ghNKJqYuTkyD7SPA
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CIM Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste
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Across Asia, people are beginning to ask how, if Japan cannot guarantee safety of their nuclear plants, what are the chances for accident-prone Southeast Asia?
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/214018.asp
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22497253-29277,00.html

European Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs addressed the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform in Brussels, where he discussed the intrinsic challenges of nuclear energy, and the EU's approach to using it. He summarized as follows:
* The Commission, fully supported by the highest political level in Member States, is launching several initiatives and actions at various levels in nuclear energy to make the latter both more efficient and more acceptable.
* The Commission hopes that the High Level Group on Nuclear Safety and Radioactive Waste Management, the Nuclear Energy Forum and the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform, will mutually re-enforce each other and will fully stimulate the necessary research to address the issues of nuclear safety and radioactive waste management, amongst others.
* This three-pronged approach will go far in tackling the challenges of competitiveness, sustainability and security of supply which the EU currently faces.
* I emphasize once more; we have many challenges ahead. We must combine ambition with safety considerations. I believe we will now have a sounder framework and thereby an excellent opportunity to move ahead with address nuclear issues in the broadest sense. Nuclear energy is part of the EU energy mix, and will need investments. Our three Directorates General – JRC, RTD and TREN – are keen to jointly assist you. I am convinced that for those who seize this opportunity, the rewards will be great.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/07/564s

Nearly three decades after the last order for a new nuclear power reactor in the US, electric power companies plan to submit 20 applications in the next 18 months to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for licenses to build and operate new reactors. Since 1989 NRC has developed a new license review process that allows a power company to obtain a construction permit and an operating license though a single combined license based on one of a umber of standard reactor designs. NRC expects its new process to enhance the efficiency and predictability of its reviews. In "Nuclear Energy: NRC's Workforce and Processes for New Reactor Licensing Are Generally in Place, but Uncertainties Remain as Industry Begins to Submit Applications" the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) made recommendations to better ensure that NRC's workforce and review processes efficiently and effectively facilitate the review of these applications.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1129
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6994957.stm

In "Nuclear Security: DOE and NRC Have Different Security Requirements for Protecting Weapons-Grade Material from Terrorist Attacks" the Government Accountability Office (GAO) criticizes the discrepancies in security facility requirements, but neither agency agreed with the recommendation for a common threat assessment and other items.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1197R
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CIM Public Health and Healthcare
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A global coalition of governments and organizations has launched a major drive to cut maternal and child deaths.
http://www.who.int/pmnch/activities/delivernow/en/index.html

The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners called for increased research to improve patient safety. WHO estimates that tens of millions of patients worldwide endure disabling injuries or death each year, directly attributed to unsafe medical practices and care. In Europe alone, an average of one in every 10 patients admitted to hospital suffers some form of preventable harm. But more research is needed to better understand the full impact of poor patient safety.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2007/pr52/en/index.html

In "From Symptom to System" Andrew Jack describes how, as the developing world receives increased donor funding to combat specific diseases, these targeted programs could undermine other public health services.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/67c56088-6d26-11dc-ab19-0000779fd2ac,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F67c56088-6d26-11dc-ab19-0000779fd2ac.html&_i_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dfrom+symptom+to+system

Rising hospital crimes in Bangladesh prompted Gopal Sengupta to suggest relevant security measures in his article, Hospital Security.
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=5428

At a conference on Health and Migration, European Commissioner for Health Markos Kyprianou discussed Improving the Health of Migrants in Europe.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/07/569

The UK Healthcare Commission released a national report on dignity in care for older people in hospital, finding that there is none. Inspectors will begin spot checks to ensure that older people are treated with dignity and are given adequate privacy.
http://www.healthcarecommission.org.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases.cfm/cit_id/5815/FAArea1/customWidgets.content_view_1

An investigation has been launched at Leeds' famous St James' hospital after a server room disastrously overheated, permanently frying a new computer system for storing patient x-rays.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/27/leeds_server_overheat/

The variety of technologies and procedures that comprise nuclear medicine are now a routine and vital part of diagnosing cancers, cardiovascular disease, and certain neurological disorders, as well as treating some cancers. At the request of the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health, the National Research Council assembled a committee to review the current state of the science in nuclear medicine, identify future opportunities in nuclear medicine research, and recommend ways to reduce impediments to advancing the field. "Advancing Nuclear Medicine Through Innovation" identifies a number of exciting emerging opportunities in nuclear medicine, including the ability to understand addictions and depression, to better assess the effectiveness of drugs, and to individualize cancer therapies. However, to realize these promises, federal support is needed to overcome such issues as the shortage of clinical and research personnel, an inadequate supply of radionuclides for research, and cumbersome regulatory requirements.
http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11985
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CIM Telecommunications
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Stressing the growing role of information and communication technology (ICT) in the quest for development, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that as information flows seamlessly around the planet, young people can more effectively act as catalysts for change locally and globally, and can come up with innovative ideas to help confront today's global challenges, particularly as the world presses ahead to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
http://www.un-gaid.org/en/gfyouth

Apple warns that iPhone hacks could irreparably damage the phones, and that modified phones would be permanently inoperable once updates are installed.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1157298&tstart=0
http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2007/09/28/apples-warning-genuine-unlocked-iphones-disabled-with-update

Mobile and internet communications have become the star of Burma's uprising. That's why the military junta cut them off.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/28/the_skinny/main3307063.shtml
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2007/s2046634.htm

Satellite images are also revealing events in Burma (Myanmar)
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1666734,00.html

New Zealand has ordered the country's dominant phone company Telecom to split into three units to help level the playing field in the telecommunications industry.
http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=30768
http://www.telecom-media.co.nz/releases_detail.asp?id=3493&page=index

British telecom regulator Ofcom has called on the industry to spend billions on next generation networks to keep pace with other developed competitors.
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2007/09/nr_20070926

Computeractive magazine has found that broadband speeds in the UK are routinely less than half the top speed advertised by their service providers. Ofcom is investigating the issue, and members of parliament are calling for providers to give clearer advice and information.
http://www.computeractive.co.uk/computeractive/news/2199664/support-computeractive-crystal
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CIM Transportation
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Australia's Brisbane Airport has employed casual staff without federal police security clearances, which are required of other staff, thereby presenting a risk of infiltration.
http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,23483,22506862-27977,00.html

Meanwhile, there are concerns over meeting a federal government deadline for regional airports to install new security measures by 1 December, lest flights be canceled. The government is funding only the equipment - about a third of the cost to regional governments.
http://www.wabusinessnews.com.au/en-story/1/57141/Regional-airport-security-guidelines-concern-MacTiernan-
http://www.dotars.gov.au/transport/security/aviation/regional/index.aspx

Fiji police are increasing security at the Nadi and Nausori airports, particularly to stop drug traffickers.
http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=71427

The Philippines new aviation security chief Police Inspector Gazba Guzman has promised to ensure strict security at Dumaquete airport, amid continuing security threats.
http://news.balita.ph/html/article.php/20070921152956340

BAA, the owner of Britain's largest airport Heathrow, is overhauling its security regime with hi-tech equipment which can detect explosives and liquids, potentially making it possible to raise the limit on hand luggage from one to two items.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/airlines/story/0,,2177831,00.html

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has trained nearly 2,000 employees in behavior detection.
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2007-09-25-behavior-detection_N.htm

Los Angeles International Airport is using randomization software.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21035785/site/newsweek/
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/29/america/NA-GEN-US-Los-Angeles-Airport-Random-Security.php

Other efforts are underway in the US to bolster defenses while speeding up airport security.
http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN2131723820070924

On World Maritime Day this week the International Maritime Organization (IMO) focused on environmental challenges.
http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=1472&doc_id=8519
http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=1472&doc_id=8476

Lloyd's Market Association (LMA) technical executive Neil Roberts suggests that the total of attacks mentioned by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) may merely be the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Between 50 percent and 80 percent of incidents are simply never reported, because for many ship captains, it is uneconomical to stop in port for a long enough time to make a formal complaint.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1Y1-110441953.html
http://www.icc-ccs.org/imb/overview.php

British Defense Adviser for the Caribbean region, Captain Peter Morgan, cites drug and human trafficking, and movement of weapons, are some of the area's biggest maritime security threats.
http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/NewViewNewsleft.cfm?Record=33081

The US Coast Guard formed a new command of maritime first responders. The Deployable Operations Group (DOG) will counter terrorism and respond to natural disasters worldwide.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-27-coastguard_N.htm

The US Federal Bureau of investigation (FBI) is investigating missing commuter rail spikes in Chicago. With 140,000 miles of track in the US, and millions of riders each day, this and similar cases demonstrate how easy it would be to cause a disaster.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jGAZf215tprubcPWK-HzG68NS2rA
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/578843,CST-NWS-metra28.article
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/southsouthwest/chi-metra_27sep27,0,2688508.story?coll=chi-shopleftrail-nav

A light rail project under construction in Norfolk, Virginia, is close to a college campus, and has led to concerns over controlling access and other security measures, particularly since Norfolk state University is a small campus with a small security budget. A fence and a security gate have been offered.
http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=133542&ran=171237

International air passengers arriving in the US are inspected to ensure they have legal entry and immigration documents and do not bring in contraband. In 2--3 customs, immigration and agriculture inspections were integrated into a single program led by Customs and Border Protection. The three fees linked to these inspections remain statutorily distinct and are co-administered among the legacy agencies. In "Federal User Fees: Key Aspects of International Air Passenger Inspection Fees Should Be Addressed Regardless of Whether Fees Are Consolidated" the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) makes ten recommendations to improve cost estimates, collection, distribution, remittance and compliance of the user fee, and suggests that Congress consider eliminating key differences among the user fees.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1131

The Senate Committee on Finance hearing on "Border Insecurity, Take Three: Open and Unmonitored" featured an update from GAO investigators who found various security vulnerabilities along the US borders that terrorists could exploit to bring an unconventional weapon into this country. GAO assistant director for forensic audits and special investigations John Cooney said that security on the border has not really increased too much since the French and Indian War.
http://www.senate.gov/~finance/sitepages/hearing092707.htm
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-8847
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=08523d75-fac2-4aba-8442-3e590f1c8755
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CIM Water
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Australia's Labor opposition is broadening water security plans from infrastructure to investment. There are concerns over desalination plants.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22476977-30417,00.html
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/government-avoids-risk-of-embarrassment/2007/09/29/1190486635521.html

China's economic growth is threatened by a crisis in water supplies.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/28/world/asia/28water.html

Faced with unsafe water and poor sanitation systems, aid groups in Liberia are encouraging people to wash their hands, put bleach in drinking water and find safe ways of disposing of human waste.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74485

Nigeria is committed to providing safe and potable water by 2015, in lime with the Millennium Development Goals.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200709260374.html

In the Philippines, the city and province of Iloilo is completing a water security plan.
http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&fi=p070924.htm&no=03

In central Turkey dwindling farm water is threatening environmental catastrophe, as the hottest summer in decades has greatly depleted the water table.
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2993309.ece

In the US state of Maine, the northern town of Calais is building a Customs House to ease congestion at the Canadian border crossing, but it may cut the city from access to its water supply.
http://www.bangornews.com/news/t/downeast.aspx?articleid=154810&zoneid=177

6. Disaster Reduction Monitor

Natural and manmade events are inevitable, but they need not become disasters. Subscribers to the monthly Disaster Reduction Monitor learn from past incidents to prevent future disasters. It includes analysis of historical events, emerging risks and risk mitigation, and features new techniques to address disaster reduction, ranging from technical advances to regulatory best practices and micro-finance.
http://secure.netsolhost.com/573566.585211/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TP
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DRM Incidents
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Flood victims in Sudan now exceed half a million, with most of new damage in the south. Water-borne diseases are taking a severe toll, with 68 deaths from acute water diarrhea and more than 1,300 infections.

In Nigeria floods claimed 64 lives and 33 died in Burkina Faso.

In southern Vietnam a section of a bridge under construction collapsed on Wednesday. 52 workers were killed and nearly 100 were  injured.
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DRM Response and Recovery
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Some three million primary and secondary school students in West Africa will begin school several weeks late this year, while others hold their first days of classes in warehouses, because of unprecedented flooding in the region. Meanwhile, the widespread flooding is testing both governments and the aid community.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74456
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74461

East Java residents affected by the unending toxic mudflow have filed a judicial review with the Supreme Court against the 2007 presidential decree that established the Sidoardjo Mudflow Mitigation Agency, particularly the article related to land and property procurement, which they believe violates the 1960 Agrarian law. They claim that the decree also contravenes human rights laws.
http://www.ylbhi.or.id/index.php?cx=7&cy=4&op=27

Ugandan flood victims are taking their lives into their hands to reach safety.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7014227.stm
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DRM Risks
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Marsh and the Albright Group warn that a catastrophic pandemic is overdue and would have grave consequences. They lay out ten best practices that leaders can use to improve preparedness, including:
* Treating a pandemic as a truly catastrophic event versus a "manageable disruption"
* Establishing pandemic planning committees, supported by an actual budget
* Identifying and pre-qualifying alternate sourcing capacity
* Incorporating their entire global supply chain—including critical suppliers, customers, and other key stakeholders—into the organization’s threat and vulnerability profile
* Prioritizing critical products and services and preparing to protect those, even at the expense of other important elements of a business model
* Developing a plan that considers the spectrum of response, recovery, restoration, and resumption activities
* Identifying critical pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions and procuring them now
* Focusing deeply on Human Resources issues, reviewing existing policies and procedures and, in most cases, updating them in an attempt to provide reasonable accommodations for this special circumstance
* Including a communications strategy as a critical element in the pandemic preparedness plan
* Estimating and planning for post-pandemic changes, including shifts in demand patterns, in the availability and morale of staff, and in infrastructure, both locally and to vendors
http://global.marsh.com/news/press/092707.php

The Business Roundtable released "Growing Business Dependence on the Internet: New Risks Require CEO Action". The report finds that a major internet disruption would harm businesses, public institutions and citizens. It would also cost the global economy some $250 billion. The report calls for leadership, and recommends:
* Companies should assess the Internet dependencies of their business operations.
* Businesses should proactively address Internet dependence and interdependence risks in corporate continuity and recovery plans.
* Because of the far-reaching effects of Internet interdependencies on response and recovery, companies should engage with industry partners, government contacts and other senior decision-makers to strengthen organizational response capacity.
* Companies will need to engage with existing industry-operated information-sharing and analysis centers to share information on Internet threats, vulnerabilities and disruptions.
* Corporate executives should ensure executive-level engagement with government to set and communicate expectations about early warning and threat notifications for business.
http://www.businessroundtable.org/pdf/Security/BR_Internet_Business_Dependence_Report_09252007.pdf

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization (CSIRO) say that bushfires that burn so hot they cannot be controlled are likely to occur much more frequently in Sydney in the years to come, razing bushland, leaving property more susceptible to flooding and threatening water supplies.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/new-species-of-fire-monster-heading-our-way/2007/09/26/1190486395882.html

Starting with the most recent natural disaster while over 100 fishing trawlers with some 1200 fishermen aboard went missing in the Bay of Bengal due to high waves triggered by a sudden storm on Thursday, September 20, 2007, Bangladesh frequently faces crucial natural behavior not only for its geographical position but also for the rapid changing of world climate which is largely caused by human activity.
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=5676
--------------------------------------------------
DRM Mitigation
--------------------------------------------------
Measures are being taken in Kazakhstan to ward off a flood threat to villages from a lake on the border with China. Strong winds at Lake Alakol cause waves to pound its shores and erode the banks, experts say, bringing the waters closer to inhabited areas.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74471

Nearly three months after devastating floods hit southern Pakistan over 250,000 people are still living in makeshift shelters or camps. While the physical setting of southern Singh province limits flood control, the World Bank has stressed the need for effective flood warning, preparedness and response.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74494

In "Natural Hazard Mitigation: Various Mitigation Efforts Exist, but Federal Efforts Do Not Provide a Comprehensive Strategic Framework" the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) describes the natural hazards throughout the US that present risks to life and property. Population growth in hazard-prone areas, especially coastal areas, is increasing the nation’s vulnerability to losses because more people and property are at risk. Climate change may also impact the frequency and severity of future natural hazard events. A variety of natural hazard mitigation activities exist, which are primarily implemented at the state and local level, and include hazard mitigation planning; strong building codes and design standards; and hazard control structures (e.g., levees). For example, strong building codes and design standards can make structures better able to withstand a hazard event  and hazard control structures help protect existing at-risk areas. FEMA, other federal agencies, and nonfederal stakeholders have collaborated on natural hazard mitigation, but the current approach is fragmented and does not provide a comprehensive national strategic framework for mitigation. Collaboration typically occurs on a hazard-specific basis, after a disaster, or through informal methods. A comprehensive framework would help define common national goals, establish joint strategies, leverage resources, and assign responsibilities among stakeholders.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-403

The US mining sector has the highest fatality rate of any industry in the country. Fortunately, advances made over the past three decades in mining technology, equipment, processes, procedures, and workforce education and training have significantly improved safety and health. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Mining Safety and Health Research Program (Mining Program) has played a large role in these improvements. An assessment of the relevance and impact of NIOSH Mining Program research by a National Research Council committee reveals that the program makes essential contributions to the enhancement of health and safety in the mining industry. To further increase its effectiveness, the Mining Program should proactively identify workplace hazards and establish more challenging and innovative goals toward hazard reduction. The ability of the program to successfully expand its activities, however, depends on available funding.
http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11850

7. Recommended Reading

Three reports this week address issues related to good governance: Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index; the Ibrahim Index of African Governance; and the World Bank's "Doing Business 2008". Each of these is summarized below, with links to related press coverage.


TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL: 2007 CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX (CPI)

The 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index is a composite index that draws on 14 expert opinion surveys covering 180 countries and territories. It scores countries on a scale from zero to ten, with zero indicating high levels of perceived corruption and ten indicating low levels of perceived corruption. The report finds that the divide in perceived levels of corruption in rich and poor countries remains as sharp as ever, and stresses the need for developed and developing countries to share responsibility for reducing corruption, in tackling both the supply and demand sides. Key findings include:
* There continues to be a strong correlation between corruption and poverty
* 40 percent of those scoring below three are classified as low-income countries
* Somalia and Myanmar share the lowest score of 1.4
* Denmark has edged up to share the top score of 9.4 with perennial high-flyers Finland and New Zealand.
* Scores are significantly higher in several African countries. Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa and Swaziland made significant gains. Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominica, Italy, FYR Macedonia, Romania and Suriname also improved.
* Countries with a significant worsening in perceived levels of corruption in 2007 include Austria, Bahrain, Belize, Bhutan, Jordan, Laos, Macao, Malta, Mauritius, Oman, Papua New Guinea and Thailand.
* Deeply troubled states such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia, and Sudan remain at the very bottom of the index

To reduce corruption Transparency International points to the global roots of the problem, and the need to address it locally:
* Low scores in the CPI indicate that public institutions are heavily compromised. The first order of business is to improve transparency in financial management, from revenue collection to expenditure, as well as strengthening oversight and putting an end to the impunity of corrupt officials.
* An independent and professional judicial system is critical to ending impunity and enforcing the impartial rule of law, to promoting public, donor and investor confidence. If courts cannot be relied upon to pursue corrupt officials or to assist in tracing and returning illicit wealth, progress against corruption is unlikely.
* In countries where public sector institutions were historically based on patronage and nepotism rather than merit, reform takes time and can require a substantial investment of resources, as well as technical assistance. As significant development assistance donors, top scoring countries play a special role in supporting greater accountability and institutional integrity in countries plagued by the highest levels of public sector corruption. Technical assistance is a key requirement of the landmark United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
* Corruption by high-level public officials in poor countries has an international dimension that implicates the CPI’s top scorers. Bribe money often stems from multinationals based in the world’s richest countries. It can no longer be acceptable for these companies to regard bribery in export markets as a legitimate business strategy.
* Global financial centers play a pivotal role in allowing corrupt officials to move, hide and invest their illicitly gained wealth. Offshore financing, for example, played a crucial role in the looting of millions from developing countries such as Nigeria and the Philippines, facilitating the misdeeds of corrupt leaders and impoverishing those they governed.

Finally, the report calls for these urgent actions to be undertaken worldwide:
* Developing countries should use aid money to strengthen their governance institutions, guided by national assessments and development strategies, and to incorporate strengthened integrity and corruption prevention as an integral part of poverty reduction programs.
* Judicial independence, integrity and accountability must be enhanced to improve the credibility of justice systems in poorer countries. Not only must judicial proceedings be freed of political influence, judges themselves must be subject to disciplinary rules, limited immunity and a code of judicial conduct to help ensure that justice is served. A clean and capable judiciary is essential if developing countries are to manage requests for assistance in the recovery of stolen assets from abroad.
* Governments must introduce anti-money laundering measures to eradicate safe havens for stolen assets, as prescribed by the UNCAC. Leading banking centers should explore the development of uniform expedited procedures for the identification, freezing and repatriation of the proceeds of corruption. Clear escrow provisions for disputed funds are essential.
* Wealthy countries must regulate their financial centers more strictly. Focusing on the roles of trusts, demanding knowledge of beneficial ownership and strengthening anti-money laundering provisions are just a few of the ways that rich governments can tackle the facilitators of corruption.
* The world’s wealthiest governments must strictly enforce the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, which criminalizes the bribery of foreign public officials. Lack of compliance with the convention’s provisions continues to hinder corruption investigations and prosecutions.
* The boards of multinational companies must not only introduce but implement effective anti-bribery codes, and ensure that they are adhered to by subsidiaries and foreign offices.

The top ten least corrupt from the top down are Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, Iceland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, and Norway.

The ten most corrupt, from the bottom up, are Somalia, Burma (Myanmar), Iraq, Haiti, Uzbekistan, Tonga, Sudan, Chad, Afghanistan, and Laos.

SOURCE:
http://www.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/2007/cpi2007

PRESS COVERAGE:
"Arab states named as more corrupt"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7014797.stm
"AWB scandal hurts ratings"
http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/awb-scandal-hurts-ratings/2007/09/27/1190486483338.html
"Bad marks for TandT"
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_business?id=161208488
"Botswana, South Africa rated least corrupt African nations"
http://www.afriquenligne.fr/news/daily-news/botswana,-south-africa-rated-least-corrupt-african-nations-200709279479/
"Burma hits new low in corruption"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7012367.stm
"Finland again among least corrupt countries - in Russia corruption runs rampant"
http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Finland+again+among+least+corrupt+countries+-+in+Russia+corruption+runs+rampant/1135230612184
"Graft: India scores 3.5 out of 10"
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Sep272007/scroll2007092727585.asp?section=frontpagenews
"Group calls on multinationals to fight the bribery that fuels corruption"
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/26/business/corrupt.php
"How to Spot a Corrupt Nation"
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/how-to-spot-a-corrupt-nation/
"Iraq Is No. 3 in Corruption"
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/news-desk/2007/9/26/report-iraq-is-no-3-in-corruption.html
"Jamaica more corrupt"
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070927/lead/lead1.html
"Malaysia rises a rank in Corruption Perception Index"
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/9/26/nation/20070926191634&sec=nation
"Nigeria: Country Ranks 148 On Corruption Perception Index"
http://allafrica.com/stories/200709261109.html
"Singapore ranked among least corrupted"
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/302430/1/.html
"Slight fall in perceived corruption in Ireland"
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0926/corruption.html
"SA second least corrupt in Africa"
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=84&art_id=vn20070927071549711C655089
"Sri Lanka slides in Transparency International corruption"
http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?newsID=778049549&no_view=1&SEARCH_TERM=11
"Uganda: 'Corruption Increases'"
http://allafrica.com/stories/200709261134.html


IBRAHIM INDEX OF AFRICAN GOVERNANCE

The Ibrahim Index of African Governance has been created in recognition of the need for a more objective and quantifiable method of measuring governance in all 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa. It provides a new definition of governance and a comprehensive set of governance measure, examining geography, quality ranking, and progressiveness. Each country is assessed against 58 individual measures, capturing clear, objective outcomes based on five categories of essential political goods:
* Safety and Security
* Rule of Law, Transparency and Corruption
* Participation and Human Rights
* Sustainable Economic Development
* Human Development

The index rankings, from best to worst are:
Mauritius
Seychelles
Botswana
Cape Verde
South Africa
Gabon
Namibia
Ghana
Senegal
Sao Tome and Principe
Lesotho
Malawi
Benin
Tanzania
Kenya
Mauritania
Madagascar
Rwanda
Zambia
Mali
Burkina Faso
Gambia
Mozambique
Cameroon
Uganda
Comoros
Ethiopia
Niger
Djibouti
Congo
Zimbabwe
Equatorial Guinea
Guinea
Swaziland
Togo
Côte d’Ivoire
Nigeria
Eritrea
Sierra Leone
Burundi
Central African Republic
Angola
Liberia
Guinea-Bissau
Sudan
Chad
Democratic Republic of Congo
Somalia

As Mo Ibrahim explains, "We are shining a light on governance in Africa, and in so doing we are making a unique contribution to improving the quality of governance. The Ibrahim Index is a tool to hold governments to account and frame the debate about how we are governed. Africans are setting benchmarks not only for their own continent, but for the world".

SOURCE:
http://www.moibrahimfoundation.org/index/index.asp

PRESS COVERAGE:
"African governance It's better to be out to sea"
http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9868062
"African governance prize launched"
http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=572477
"African views on good governance"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7011671.stm
"Crime pushes SA down in Africa survey"
http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/topstories.aspx?ID=BD4A572331
"Ethiopia and Eritrea in Bottom Half Governance Rankings"
http://jimmatimes.com/article.cfm?articleID=17121
"Image of Mauritius as holiday paradise found to be true reflection of Africa's 'best-governed country'"
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article2998940.ece
"Mauritius Highest, Somalia Lowest on Africa Governance Index"
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-09-25-voa25.cfm
"New Governance Index Is 'An African Effort' for Development"
http://allafrica.com/stories/200709250401.html
"Rwanda 'most improved' in Africa"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7010846.stm
"Somalia shamed in African governance index"
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jTfDDaxlAgvgDv4hCZmP36WXh7ug
"Uganda trails EA in governance rankings"
http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/news09269.php


WORLD BANK: DOING BUSINESS 2008

Doing Business 2008 rankings are based on 10 indicators of business regulation that track the time and cost to meet government requirements in business start-up, operation, trade, taxation, and closure. They do not reflect such areas as macroeconomic policy, quality of infrastructure, currency volatility, investor perceptions, or crime rates. Higher rankings on the ease of doing business are associated with higher percentages of women among entrepreneurs and employees.

This year Egypt tops the list of reformers that are making it easier to do business, with reforms in five of the 10 areas studied by the report. And for the second year running, Singapore tops the aggregate rankings on the ease of doing business. The other top 10 reformers are, in order, Croatia, Ghana, FYR Macedonia, Georgia, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, China, and Bulgaria. Another 11 countries (Armenia, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, the Czech Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Mauritius, Mozambique, Portugal, Tunisia, and Uzbekistan) had three or more reforms. Reformers made it simpler to start a business, strengthened property rights, enhanced investor protections, increased access to credit, eased tax burdens, and expedited trade while reducing costs. In all, 200 reforms in 98 economies were introduced between April 2006 and June 2007.

Eastern Europe and Central Asia, as a region, surpassed East Asia this year in the ease of doing business. Several of the region's countries have even passed many economies of Western Europe on this score. Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Georgia, Bulgaria, and Hungary are among the region's top reformers. Estonia, the most business-friendly country of the former socialist bloc, ranks 17th on the ease of doing business. Georgia and Latvia are also in the top 25.

In Africa, the pacesetters are Ghana and Kenya. Reform elsewhere in the region was uneven, with nearly half the countries not reforming at all. With a global ranking of 27th, Mauritius tops the rankings in Africa on the ease of doing business—and also had the most reforms in the region, with improvements in six of the 10 areas studied by Doing Business. Also leading reform in southern Africa were Madagascar and Mozambique. In West Africa, little reform took place other than in Ghana and Burkina Faso.

Reform in the Middle East and North Africa is picking up speed, led by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. Latin America and East Asia are at the bottom of the list of reformers. China was the standout in East Asia, implementing far-reaching new private property rights and a new bankruptcy law.

Doing Business 2008 ranks 178 economies on the ease of doing business. The top 25, in order, are Singapore, New Zealand, the United States, Hong Kong (China), Denmark, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Australia, Iceland, Norway, Japan, Finland, Sweden, Thailand, Switzerland, Estonia, Georgia, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Latvia, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Austria.

The bottom 25, starting at the bottom, are Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Congo, Burundi, Chad, Venezuela, Eritrea, Liberia, Niger, East Timor, Angola, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Lao PDR, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Mali, Mauritania, Togo, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon.

SOURCE:
http://www.doingbusiness.org/

PRESS COVERAGE:
"11 steps to starting a business in UAE"
http://www.gulfnews.com/business/General/10156228.html
"Big emerging countries are making it easier to do business"
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/big-emerging-markets-making-easier/story.aspx?guid=%7B4DBF8AA7-1091-4FDE-A849-5908D128ECC0%7D
"Doing Business 2008: Egypt Is World's Top Reformer of Regulation"
http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Egypt/217263
"Doing business gets tougher in Bangladesh"
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200709270921.htm
"Eastern Europe overtakes East Asia for ease of doing business"
http://euobserver.com/9/24851
"Easy to launch, but not so easy to do business in Canada"
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/tradingdesk/story.html?id=c9d6321b-8870-4294-9793-6a9aca9d421d&k=23104
"Ghana In World’s Top 10"
http://www.modernghana.com/GhanaHome/NewsArchive/news_details.asp?menu_id=1&id=VFZSUmVrOVVhekE9
"India ranks 120th in World Bank 'Doing Business' report"
http://www.newkerala.com/oct.php?action=fullnews&id=5742
"Level the playing field" (China)
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2007-09/27/content_6138198.htm
"Mauritius tops Africa best business rankings"
http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN657813.html
"NZ keeps 2nd best business ranking"
http://www.nbr.co.nz/home/column_article.asp?id=19117
"Pakistan, second best to do business in South Asia"
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C09%5C27%5Cstory_27-9-2007_pg5_1
"Ranking rises for ease of doing business" (Thailand)
http://nationmultimedia.com/2007/09/27/business/business_30050379.php
"Russia drops out of business top 100"
http://www.russiatoday.ru/business/news/14761
"Russia Ranks with Ethiopia in Biz Rating"
http://www.kommersant.com/p808355/business_climate/
"Singapore top paradise for business"
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iRrag43pCwZZQ61XiZblO6X_UF0g
"Web of Red Tape Harms Country's Image" (South Africa)
http://allafrica.com/stories/200709270334.html
"World Bank Rates Nigeria Low On Business"
http://allafrica.com/stories/200709270433.html

8. Asset Management Network News

For those of you in or around Boston on 1 November, we are sponsoring a unique program that may be of interest to you. Here are the details:

Anything, Anytime, Anywhere: 21st Century Interactions
1 November 2007
7:30 am registration; 8 am-12 am Keynote Speech and Panel Discussion; 12am-1 pm networking lunch buffet
Location: British Consulate, 1 Memorial Drive, 15th floor, Cambridge MA (Photo ID required)

The future is here in a world of video, voice, data, and services delivered in any format and on any device you designate, anywhere in the world. Over the course of the past year, this new reality has been addressed across MTLC clusters. Technology companies offering SOA and SAAS demonstrated how these highly distributed applications offer the foundation for delivering services. CSID/RFID looked at remote sensors and their application for identifying the counterfeit drugs that so concern Life Sciences. Financial Services held a series of meetings in which managing a highly regulated investment portfolio via mobile phone was at one end, and providing peer-to-peer payments in social networking environments at the other. Robots in the battlefield met telemedicine to solve some of the most serious healthcare problems in their most challenging environments.

This session brings all of these experiences and best practices together with a combination of peer-to-peer discussion and interactive demonstrations. It features a Keynote Address by Sharon Gillett, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable, and will look to the future of global communications and services in a world without boundaries or borders.

We will then return to the here and now with a panel discussion among industry and technology experts responsible for implementing current and future Anytime Anywhere solutions:
Moderator:
* Mike Barrett, Managing Partner, Critical Mass
Panelists:
* Joe Barboza, CEO, Cyphermint
* David Kopans, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Fat Spaniel
* Walter Kuketz, CTO, Collaborative Consulting
* Doug McClure, Corporate Manager for Technology Services, Partners Telemedicine
* Carol Rose, Executive Director, ACLU-Mass
* Others to be confirmed

The panel will address such questions as:
* Thinking both globally and locally, where does your industry and your company fall in the anything, anytime, anywhere space?
* Is anytime anywhere an operational necessity or a strategic advantage?
* What approaches are you taking to address regulatory, privacy, and security issues?
* Are there established or emerging best practices in business or technology?
* How do you define and meet customer and employee expectations, a generation at a time?
* Where are the opportunities for Massachusetts in the global market?
* What is your favorite wireless toy? What do you think will be your future favorite?

Register online at
http://www.masstlc.org
Cost: Members and TAMNI subscribers $50.00; Non-members $100.00

If you have any questions, send along an email, and it will be forwarded to the appropriate party.

And, if you can't join us on the day, don't despair! The event will be available via podcast.

HOW TO CONTACT US:

Please contact us with your questions or comments by sending email to editor@terrorismcentral.com.

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

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