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USA
December 9, Arizona Republic – (Arizona) Arizona experiences worst outbreak of West Nile in U.S. A new report shows Arizona experienced the nation’s worst outbreak of West Nile virus during this year’s season, accounting for nearly one in five severe cases. A total of 159 confirmed cases were reported in Arizona through November 30, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta. At least a dozen Arizonans died. State officials updated the count December 2, reporting 163 cases. Arizona had nearly 20 percent of the nation’s neuroinvasive-disease cases. The disease attacks the nervous system and can lead to life-threatening West Nile encephalitis and West Nile meningitis. The spike in Arizona was so severe CDC officials visited in September to study the outbreak. It was mainly concentrated in Gilbert, Chandler, and Tempe, as well as in Pinal County. The CDC is still analyzing the data. Scientists were surprised to see Arizona’s urban desert region lead the nation in cases, considering West Nile was thought to be more prevalent in mosquito-rich environments, the manager for the Arizona Department of Health Services’ vector-borne disease program said. Source: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/12/09/20101209arizona-west-nile-virus-cases.html#ixzz17cKlSiW1
EUROPE
Dispatch: Presidential Elections in Belarus STRATFOR
ASIA
RUSSIA
Russian Authorities Prepare for Violence STRATFOR
Russia: Limited Control Of Radar Fields - Military Official December 14, 2010
Because of reductions in combat size and strength, the radiotechnical troops of the Russian air force can effectively control the radar fields only in critically important areas, division chief Maj. Gen. Viktor Gumennyy said Dec. 14, RIA Novosti reported. The goal of creating a continuous radar field over Russian territory in its entirety has proven impossible to achieve; however, control of existing radar fields are being improved, Gumennyy said. Radiotechnical troops are working to optimize control of the airspace in the northern part of the country, Gumennyy added.
Russia: Ethnic Violence Threatens State - Patriarch December 14, 2010
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill II on Dec. 14 called for an end to radicalism, saying interethnic conflicts threaten the integrity of the state, official Rossiya 1 reported. Kirill II called Dec. 11 unrest in Moscow hooliganism and said authority must be used if people ignore law and order. The patriarch also said the violence was “an act of political provocation”; he said that as 2012 elections near, destabilizing forces may increase as those who oppose Russia will attempt to exploit what they see as its Achilles’ heel — multiethnicity. Russia must not be allowed to revert to the chaos of the early 1990s, Kirill II said, adding that political stability is a condition for life to improve.
Russia:Eastern Forces On High Alert December 14, 2010
Russia’s eastern Vostok strategic command has placed its forces on high alert in response to the heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula, Russian General Staff chief Gen. Nikolai Makarov said, Interfax reported Dec. 14. Makarov said Russia has taken measures to raise the forces’ combat readiness.
Russia: More Than 700 Protesters Detained In Moscow December 15, 2010
Russian police have detained more than 700 protesters in Moscow, a spokesman for Russia’s main internal affairs directorate said Dec. 15, Interfax, Zvezda TV and Itar-Tass reported. In addition, 35 individuals have been detained near Sennaya square in St. Petersburg, the site of a proposed unauthorized rally. According to a report from Ekho Moskvy, more than 1,500 nationalists and football fans have gathered in the square outside Moscow’s Kiyevskiy railway station and are shouting Nazi slogans and making Nazi salutes. The spokesman said the situation is under control, adding that security personnel are ready to prevent any unlawful act or act of provocation.
IRAN
Iran Tries to Balance Domestic Politics and Foreign Policy STRATFOR
IRAQ
Iraq: Attack Plot On U.S., Europe Revealed December 15, 2010
Iraq obtained confessions from captured insurgents regarding an al Qaeda plot that included attacks in the United States and Europe during the Christmas season, according to senior Iraqi officials, AP reported Dec. 15. Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani said the failed attack in central Stockholm on Dec. 11 was part of the overall plot revealed by the insurgents.
Above the Tearline: Investigating an Iranian Murder Plot in the U.S. STRATFOR
Iraq: UNSC To End Saddam Hussein-era Sanctions December 14, 2010
The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) will rescind a number of Saddam Hussein-era sanctions against Iraq after all members of the council agreed that Iraqi sovereignty had to be re-established, unnamed diplomats said Dec. 14, AFP reported. The UNSC is expected to pass resolutions on Dec. 13 that will lift sanctions in place since 1991 prohibiting the construction of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons; end the oil-for-food program; and extend U.N. protection for six months for hundreds of millions of dollars in the Development Fund for Iraq. However, restrictions are still in place against some minor members of the Hussein regime who are still on the run, and Iraq is still required to pay 5 percent of its oil revenue to a U.N. fund for reparations for Kuwait.
Iraq: Defense Minister Approved To Hold Talks On Fighter Jets December 14, 2010
The Iraqi defense minister has been approved to hold talks with the United States about buying six F-16 combat jets, Aswat al-Iraq reported Dec. 14, citing the Iraqi government. The Iraqi Council of Ministers also authorized the Defense Ministry to continue talks with the French to buy 18 F-2000 Mirage jets in 2012.
ISRAEL
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan: Officials To Accompany U.S. Troops On Raids December 14, 2010
Afghan prosecutors and Justice Ministry officials will begin to accompany U.S. troops during operations after a verbal agreement made between the ministry and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Pajhwok Afghan News reported Dec. 14, citing a statement by the Afghan Justice Ministry. The statement said that the agreement calls for U.S. forces to coordinate with their Afghan counterparts before conducting an operation.
Afghanistan: Taliban Deputy Resigns December 14, 2010
According to an unnamed source, senior Taliban official Abdul Rauf Khadim has resigned his position as the first deputy chief of the Islamic Emirate (as the Taliban movement calls itself), citing ill health and inability to take on heavy responsibilities, Afghan Islamic Press Agency reported Dec. 14. The source said Khadem first wanted to join the ordinary Taliban fighters in the resistance against foreign forces but Taliban commander Mullah Mohammad Omar appointed him as the Taliban designate-governor to the southern Urozgan province, Afghanistan.
Afghanistan: First Oil Contract Awarded December 14, 2010
An Afghan company won the first private oil contract from the Afghan government with a six-month agreement to buy crude oil for $80 a barrel from the Angot field in Sar-e-Pul province, AP reported Dec. 14, citing Afghan mining ministry official Jalil Jumriany. According to Jumriany, output from the Angot field is expected to reach 800 barrels a day with revenue of $1 million a month. He added the field will open to new bidders for a larger oil operation following this six month contract.
A Week in the War: Afghanistan, Dec. 8-14, 2010 STRATFOR
MIDDLE EAST
North Korea: At Least One Nuclear Site Not Disclosed - U.S. Official December 14, 2010
North Korea has at least one uranium enrichment site it did not disclose to U.S. experts in November, AFP reported Dec. 14, citing a statement from State Department spokesman Philip Crowley. Speaking to reporters, Crowley said the United States is aware that recent revelations to U.S. delegations indicate that work is being done at at least one other site, and that the issue remains “a significant area of concern.”
SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Venezuela: Proposed Enabling Law Sent To Parliament December 14, 2010
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sent a proposed Enabling Law to the National Assembly requesting decree powers for 12 months, Venezuelan Vice President Elias Jaua said, Globovision reported Dec. 14. Parliament is expected to consider the measure this week so that the government can begin law decrees within 15 days.
Mexico: LFM Confirms El Mas Loco Death December 15, 2010
Mexico’s La Familia drug cartel confirmed the death of its leader Nazario Moreno aka El Chayo, El Mas Loco, and asked gunmen to continue fighting federal police, The Washington Post reported Dec. 15. The Televisa network broadcast a recorded message by La Familia’s alleged operational leader Servando Gomez. The message was delivered anonymously to Televisa.
MISC
December 9, Arizona Republic – (Arizona) Arizona experiences worst outbreak of West Nile in U.S. A new report shows Arizona experienced the nation’s worst outbreak of West Nile virus during this year’s season, accounting for nearly one in five severe cases. A total of 159 confirmed cases were reported in Arizona through November 30, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta. At least a dozen Arizonans died. State officials updated the count December 2, reporting 163 cases. Arizona had nearly 20 percent of the nation’s neuroinvasive-disease cases. The disease attacks the nervous system and can lead to life-threatening West Nile encephalitis and West Nile meningitis. The spike in Arizona was so severe CDC officials visited in September to study the outbreak. It was mainly concentrated in Gilbert, Chandler, and Tempe, as well as in Pinal County. The CDC is still analyzing the data. Scientists were surprised to see Arizona’s urban desert region lead the nation in cases, considering West Nile was thought to be more prevalent in mosquito-rich environments, the manager for the Arizona Department of Health Services’ vector-borne disease program said. Source: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/12/09/20101209arizona-west-nile-virus-cases.html#ixzz17cKlSiW1
December 7, Cypress Times – (National) German man arrested on federal charges for smuggling tarantulas into the U.S. A German national targeted in a multi-agency investigation known as “Operation Spiderman” has been arrested on federal smuggling charges after he allegedly used the U.S. mail to illegally import hundreds of tarantulas, some of which are protected under international law. The suspect was arrested without incident December 9 by special agents with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Postal Inspectors. He was taken into custody soon after arriving in Los Angeles to meet with an associate. The man is charged in a criminal complaint with one count of illegally importing wildlife into the United States, an offense that carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. The investigation began in March, when a routine search of an international package revealed about 300 live tarantulas that were being shipped to Los Angeles. As part of the investigation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents obtained information about an additional shipment of live tarantulas from Germany via the United States Postal Service. Agents intercepted a second package that contained nearly 250 live tarantulas wrapped in colored plastic straws. The second package contained 22 Mexican red-kneed (Brachypelma smithi) tarantulas, a species that is protected under an international treaty. Source: http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/News/National_News/GERMAN_MAN_ARRESTED_ON_FEDERAL_CHARGES_FOR_SMUGGLING_TARANTULAS_INTO_THE_US/37157
Except where noted courtesy www.stratfor.com
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