June 9, 2008 by Tim McDowell.

Clashes occurred over the 7-8 June 2008 weekend between Egyptian security forces and residents of the Mediterranean fishing town of Burullus (also known as Burg al-Burullus). The violence began on 7 June, after thousands of people took to the streets to demonstrate against a government decision to end a subsidy on flour rations. Thousands of protesters blocked a main road leading to the town for several hours using burning tires and debris. Security forces were deployed to Burullus and attempted to disperse the demonstrators, who began throwing stones and other projectiles at them. Authorities responded with tear gas, and as many as 15 people were injured in the violence, which continued for a second consecutive day on 8 June. As many as 8,000 protesters continued to block roads using burning tires and clashed with security forces, who used tear gas, rubber bullets and batons to disperse the demonstrations. More than 30 people were arrested; no further violence has been reported in Burullus as of 9 June.

ASI Comment: The lifting of a government subsidy on flour is a relatively significant development in Egypt, where much of the population is impoverished and relies on government subsidies. However, this most recent flour subsidy cancellation is reportedly only effective for the Burullus area; authorities will reportedly halt the distribution of subsidized flour to residents and only deliver the rations to local bakeries.Burullus residents reportedly prefer to receive the subsidies directly and bake a specialized type of bread that is “suited to long fishing voyages” rather than buying “standard” bread from bakeries. Because this developing issue appears to be area-specific, widespread demonstrations and violence is not anticipated elsewhere in Egypt. Additional protests — likely sporadic in nature and not pre-announced — are possible in the Burullus area, and as evidenced in the recent protests, may result in ground transportation disruptions. However, it should be noted that Egypt — like many other countries — has experienced increases in the cost of living that salary increases have not been able to match, resulting in incidents of unrest and street demonstrations. Because these issues remain unresolved, the potential for incidents of unrest in various locations throughout the country remains.

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June 9, 2008 by Tim McDowell.

 Approximately 90,000 truck drivers affiliated with Spain’s second-largest truckers’ union launched an indefinite strike on 9 June 2008 to protest the rising price of fuel. The government has offered to support the transportation sector with flexible contracts and emergency loans, but drivers are demanding the implementation of a minimum haulage fee and discounted diesel prices. There are concerns over the potential of fuel and other shortages as a result of the strike, and long lines have been reported at gas stations and supermarkets. Striking drivers have attacked vehicles of goods that other drivers are attempting to drive across the French border into Spain despite the strike, and the incidents have caused traffic disruptions at the border crossing in Perthus and slowed traffic around Bordeaux. Slow driving truck convoys have also caused traffic disruptions along ring roads in Madrid and Barcelona. Traffic disruptions have also been reported in Valencia. Additional disruptions are expected in the coming days.

Meanwhile, in France, where trucker strikes are also taking place, significant traffic disruptions are occurring around Bordeaux, as approximately 200 trucks were set to gather for a protest on the four main roads leading into the city on 9 June.

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June 9, 2008 by Tim McDowell.

On 9 June 2008 the Indonesian government issued a decree severely limiting the activities of the Ahmadiyya sect. The decree prohibits the sect from preaching that Muhammad is not the final prophet. The government has been under pressure from two opposing sides on the Ahmadiyya issue. In the latest in a series of rallies, thousands of hard-line Muslims gathered on 9 June outside the presidential palace and the Jakarta police headquarters. The protest, led by the United Muslim’ Action to Disband Ahmadiyya, demanded that the government disband the sect. With the head Islamic authority — the Ulema Council — backing the hardline Muslims, violence against Ahmadiyya has increased. On the other hand, there are those within Indonesia who oppose any measures against the sect as a violation of religious freedom.

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June 6, 2008 by Tim McDowell.

On 5 June 2008 Zimbabwean authorities briefly detained a convoy carrying U.S. and British diplomatic personnel. The incident began after a contingent of diplomats from the U.S. and U.K. embassies in Harare paid visits to activists of the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) as well as several victims of political violence in a town north of the capital. Local police officers approached the diplomats and ordered them to a nearby police station. The situation escalated when the diplomats refused the order and departed in their three vehicles, which were then pursued by police officers. After splitting into different directions, one vehicle made it safely to the U.S. Embassy; Zimbabwean authorities pursued the other two for several miles and attempted to run them off the road. The vehicles eventually stopped in Bindura (located approximately 49 mi/80 km from Harare) at a police checkpoint, where their tires were slashed. The diplomats were detained for approximately five hours.

In a separate development on 5 June, the government announced the indefinite suspension of all field work by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and aid groups within the country. This development follows the recent suspension of CARE International’s operations in Zimbabwe after the government accused the organization of campaigning for the opposition. The government stated that several groups have “breached the terms and conditions of their registration,” although it did not give specific reasons for the suspension. This development will have adverse affects in Zimbabwe, as a large percentage of the population is dependent on aid groups and NGOs for food aid.

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June 6, 2008 by Tim McDowell.

Critical Thinking Skills Workshop (June 17-19; Reston, VA) Students learn how to use critical thinking skills in their work by framing their line of argument, developing hypotheses, visualizing data, and writing their final product with clarity and persuasiveness. [View course website]

Hospital Security Preparedness Course (June 30–July 3; September 8-11; November 3-6; December 1-4; Washington, DC) The ER One Institute at Washington Hospital Center is holding a course for hospital protective services and law enforcement. The goal is to achieve competency in handling all hazards to hospital security, from routine situations to mass-casualty incidents and terrorist attacks against the facility. Students will experience comprehensive hands-on training, live drills, and classroom instruction from faculty with extensive security and counterterrorism experience. [View course website]

Strategic Counterterrorism Issues and Practices (July 8-10; Reston, VA) Students explore the current thinking on strategic counterterrorism issues and research and practice, applying analytical tools to topics such as radicalization. [View course website]

Basic Analytic Tools and Techniques Workshop (July 14-16; Reston, VA) This course explains what analysis is, why frameworks are important, and how to overcome mindsets and avoid surprise by using indicators, key assumptions checks, devil’s advocacy, and ACH. [View course website]

Advanced Briefing Workshop (July 22-25; Reston, VA) Students will review what makes for an effective presentation, prepare several briefings, practice delivering them, and review their presentations on videotape. [View course website]

National Transit Institute—Terrorist Activity Recognition and Reaction (July 25; Williamsburg, VA) This class for transit employees who have direct contact with the public teaches participants to identify and report suspected pre-attack terrorist activity; distinguish normal, suspicious, and dangerous activity; define roles in recognizing and reacting to suspicious activity; and describe immediate actions to take when confronted with dangerous activity. [View course website]

Combating Bioterrorism/Pandemics: Implementing Policies for Biosecurity (17.60s) (July 28-30; Cambridge, MA) Massachusetts Institute of Technology experts and affiliates will explore the obstacles to implementing policies and strategies to overcome the obstacles. [View course website]

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June 6, 2008 by Tim McDowell.

 (Miami Herald) “The Shining Path [Sendero Luminoso in Spanish] rebels who terrorized Peru decades ago are back … And unlike before, the rebels have almost unlimited financial support,” reports the Miami Herald. “Earning cash by protecting coca fields and cocaine-smuggling routes, they are able to buy powerful weapons and pay salaries to men and women who take up arms against the government” of “Peru, which saw nearly 70,000 people killed from 1980 to the mid-90’s in the Shining Path’s brutal effort to impose a Maoist communist regime.… The country has enjoyed more than a decade of political stability since the rebel threat was virtually eliminated by” Alberto Fujimori, Peruvian president from 1990 to 2000.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/552250.html

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June 6, 2008 by Tim McDowell.

(Washington Post) “A military jury” on Wednesday “acquitted a Marine intelligence officer”—First Lieutenant Andrew Grayson—“of charges that he tried to help cover up the killings of 24 Iraqis,” reports the Washington Post. Grayson “was the first of three Marines to be tried in the biggest U.S. criminal case involving Iraqi deaths linked to the war.” He “was not at the scene of the killings of men, women and children on Nov. 19, 2005, in Haditha. He was accused of telling a sergeant to delete photographs of the dead from a digital camera and laptop computer.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/04/AR2008060402359.html?hpid=moreheadlines

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June 6, 2008 by Tim McDowell.

 (Washington Post) “Less than a year after his agency warned of new threats from a resurgent al-Qaeda, CIA Director Michael V. Hayden now portrays the terrorist movement as essentially defeated in Iraq and Saudi Arabia and on the defensive throughout much of the rest of the world, including in its presumed haven along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border,” reports the Washington Post. But he cautioned “that al-Qaeda remains a serious threat.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/29/AR2008052904116.html?hpid=topnews

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June 6, 2008 by Tim McDowell.

 (Fox News) “Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff warned [on May 29 in Jerusalem] that the radical Islamic group Hezbollah ‘makes Al Qaeda look like a minor league team,’ and poses the greatest threat to national security.…” reports Fox News. “‘They have been more disciplined, and they’ve been in some senses more restrained in the kinds of attacks they carry out … in recent years, but that’s not something we can take for granted,’ he warned.”

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,359594,00.html

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June 5, 2008 by Tim McDowell.

A statement released on 5 June 2008 on an al-Qaeda run Web site claims responsibility for a recent car bomb attack on the Danish Embassy in Islamabad. The 2 June bombing left six people dead and 25 injured and also destroyed part of the embassy building. The Web site posting warned of further attacks and claimed that the bombing was in retaliation for Danish newspapers reprinting a controversial cartoon depicting an image of the Prophet Muhammad. Officials could not verify the authenticity of the Web site message and have not determined who carried out the bombing.

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