Daily Intelligence Briefing Wednesday, June 12 2013 ARGENTINA (Security threat level - 2 Low) HEAVY FOG AFFECTS BUENOS AIRES TRANSIT Heavy fog blanketed the Buenos Aires metropolitan area on the morning of 11 June 2013, causing disruptions on local highways and airports. All flights were delayed at Jorge Newbery Airfield (SABE/AEP), located along the Atlantic Ocean coast, while some flights at Ezeiza International Airport (SAEZ/EZE) were rerouted to other facilities. Meanwhile, police officers were dispatched to guide traffic along several city routes and highways, with the heaviest delays reported on the Buenos Aires – Canuelas Highway. (11 Jun 2013) BANGLADESH (Security threat level - 4 High) OPPOSITION PARTY CALLS FOR RALLY On 12 June 2013 the opposition Bangladesh National Party (BNP) plans to hold a rally near its headquarters in the Naya Paltan section of Dhaka, the capital. The BNP is demanding that the government release all activists in custody and drop any charges against them, retract an arrest warrant for a senior BNP official, arrest corrupt government officials and resign. Authorities had previously called a one-month moratorium on protests that was due to expire on 19 June; however, protest organizers claim that the Dhaka Metropolitan Police force has sanctioned the planned action. (11 Jun 2013) BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (Security threat level - 3 Medium) PROTESTS CONTINUE IN THE CAPITAL Anti-government rallies, which began on 5 June 2013, have continued in Sarajevo. Protesters are demanding that the government end a legislative stalemate that has prevented the passage of a new law on national identification numbers. The number of protesters has risen to 10,000 and includes ethnic Croats, Serbs and Bosniaks, who are considered ethnic rivals, yet have joined together in the demonstrations against their government. (10 Jun 2013) BRAZIL (Security threat level - 3 Medium) THOUSANDS CONTINUE TO PROTEST AGAINST BUS FARES IN SAO PAULO Thousands of protesters gathered again in Sao Paulo on 11 June 2013 to demonstrate against recent increases in bus fares in the city. Violence increased compared to the previous two days of protests over the same issue. Participants threw Molotov cocktails and damaged property. Police officers responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. and arrested 20 people. Traffic was disrupted on central Paulista Avenue. A march is schedule to occur on 13 June, and protests are expected to continue. (11 Jun 2013) NEW SIGNAGE PLACED OUTSIDE VILA DO JOAO FAVELA On 11 June 2013 Rio de Janeiro city authorities placed a sign at the entrance to the Vila do Joao favela in the North Zone after a man was shot on 8 June after having entered the area by mistake. A similar sign had been removed earlier in the month because it was in poor condition. Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes stated that signage around “risky areas” will be enhanced in the aftermath of the incident. (11 Jun 2013) REPORT CITES PETTY CRIME, TRAFFIC AS PRIMARY THREATS IN FORTALEZA On 11 June 2013 the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (ABIN) released a report indicating that petty crime and traffic issues pose the most likely threats for travelers to Confederations Cup matches in Fortaleza. The report, which remains mostly classified, was delivered to city authorities in April 2013; in response, approximately 2,200 additional police officers were deployed to Confederations Cup sites and other locations frequented by tourists. Terrorism was deemed a very low threat in Fortaleza, although the Arena Castelao and team training facilities at the Arena Presidente Vargas and University of Fortaleza were identified as possible targets. (11 Jun 2013) SALVADOR BUS DRIVERS CALL STRIKE On 11 June 2013 the Bahia bus drivers’ union called for a strike beginning on 18 June, likely affecting bus service in Salvador during the Confederations Cup. The union called the strike after failing to reach an agreement on salary increases with the state Ministry of Labor. However, the two sides agreed to resume talks on 17 June in an attempt to avert the strike. (11 Jun 2013) SALVADOR SCHOOLTEACHERS CALL STRIKE Municipal schoolteachers in Salvador called for a 48-hour strike on 11 June 2013 to demand an increase in salary. The education workers’ union called the strike after the municipality offered a salary increase of 7.97 percent; the union reportedly demanded a 10 percent increase. No demonstrations have been organized related to the strike. (11 Jun 2013) UNIVERSITY STUDENTS PROTEST IN RIO DE JANEIRO Students at the Gafree and Guinle University Hospital in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro held a march on 11 June 2013 to protest a reduction in research funding. The students marched along Rua Mariz e Barros in the Tijuca area, closing a portion of the road. No violent incidents were reported during the protest. (11 Jun 2013) RECIFE SUBWAY WORKERS CALL STRIKE The Pernambuco Subway Workers Union (Sindimetro) called for an indefinite strike on the evening of 10 June 2013 to demand salary increases and improvements in benefits. The city’s subway will continue operating uninterrupted until 13 June, when the workers will hold another meeting to debate extending the strike. Sindimetro representatives have begun negotiations with the Ministry of Planning to prevent a shutdown; currently, it is unclear if the strike will extend through the Confederations Cup. (10 Jun 2013) CANADA (Security threat level - 2 Low) MAJOR DRUG BUST CONDUCTED IN MONTREAL, THE NORTH SHORE AND THE LAURENTIANS On 11 June 2013 approximately 400 police officers from Montreal and at least 10 other police departments from Quebec raided 36 locations around Montreal, the North Shore and the Laurentians starting at 0500 local time. The raid led to the seizure of 120,000 designer drug pills and at least 35 arrests. There have been no reports of any injuries. (11 Jun 2013) CHINA (Security threat level - 2 Low) BUILDING COLLAPSES IN EAST CHINA On 11 June 2013 at 0700 local time (2300 UTC on 10 June) an explosion caused a three story building to collapse in Suzhou in Jiangsu province. Early investigations indicate a gas leak caused the explosion. As of 1700 local time (0900 UTC) reports state that six people were killed and nine others suffered injuries; however, first responders were still in the process of rescuing buried people. (11 Jun 2013) DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (Security threat level - 5 Very High) MOTORCYCLE TAXI DRIVERS STRIKE IN MBUJI-MAYI On 10 June 2013 motorcycle taxi drivers in Mbuji-Mayi, Kasai-Oriental province, staged a strike to protest alleged police harassment. As the motorcycle taxi is the principal form of transportation in Mbuji-Mayi, the strike paralyzed activity in the city and forced commuters to walk to work. The strike was particularly disruptive in the Simis and Bakuadianga neighborhoods in the northeast. Drivers who did not participate in the labor action were harassed by strikers, but there were no reports of violence. (11 Jun 2013) EGYPT (Security threat level - 4 High) UPDATE: EGYPT-ETHIOPIA ROW OVER NILE DAM PROJECT ONGOING A diplomatic row between Egypt and Ethiopia over the latter’s diverting of water from the Blue Nile for the construction of a major dam project in that country is ongoing as of 10 June 2013. Egypt has expressed concern over the project, which entails diverting water flow in the Blue Nile -- one of the two major tributaries of the Nile River, which is Egypt’s primary water source -- to build the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam to provide hydroelectric power to Ethiopia. Although Ethiopia claims that it will not reduce the water level of the Nile River for Egypt, the project has caused a serious political problem for the two countries, particularly as Egypt has previously enjoyed majority water rights of the Nile. In recent developments Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi stated that the government is considering all options to deal with the issue, which has raised speculation regarding potential military options; however, at this time no such development is likely or expected. The row will, however, likely continue with further rhetoric in the near-term. (10 Jun 2013) EUROPE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS MAY STRIKE IN MORE EUROPEAN NATIONS Air traffic controllers in possibly as many as 11 additional European nations are set to strike on 12 June 2013; French air traffic controllers are currently on strike until 13 June. Countries in which air traffic controllers might strike include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Slovakia and the United Kingdom. It is not known what tactics participants in the 12 June action will adopt. Travelers with flight reservations that include either travel through European airspace or airports should contact their airline for information regarding potential disruptions to flight schedules. (12 Jun 2013) FRANCE (Security threat level - 2 Low) FRENCH RAILWAY WORKERS TO STRIKE ON 13 JUNE, SERVICES CANCELED Employees of French railway company SCNF announced a strike from 2000 local time (1800 UTC) on 12 June until 0800 (0600 UTC) on 14 June 2013. Travelers with train reservations on any of these days should immediately contact their travel provider for details. At least the following services will reportedly be canceled due to the strike: AutoTrain 12 June 2013: Train 24511 Paris Bercy - Avignon Train 24521 Paris Bercy - Marseille Train 24515 Paris Bercy - Toulon - Frejus - Nice Train 24595 Paris Bercy - Brive - Toulouse - Narbonne Train 24596 Paris Bercy - Bordeaux - Biarritz Train 24401 Paris Bercy - Briancon 13 June 2013: Train 24512 Avignon - Paris Bercy Train 24522 Marseille - Paris Bercy Train 24594 Narbonne - Toulouse - Brive - Paris Bercy Train 24598 Biarritz - Bordeaux - Paris Bercy Train 24400 Briancon - Paris Bercy TGV France-Italy France to Italy: TGV 9241 Paris 07:49 to Milan 14:51: CANCELED TGV 9245 Paris 10:41 to Milan 17:51: CANCELED TGV 9249 Paris 14:41 to Milan 21:45: Service operating as normal Italy to France: TGV 9240 Milan 06:00 to Paris 13:23: CANCELED TGV 9244 Milan 08:50 to Paris 16:11: Running but will not call at Bourg en Bresse or Aix les Bains. TGV 9248 Milan 16:10 to Paris 23:19: CANCELED (12 Jun 2013) GABON (Security threat level - 3 Medium) MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT RELEASES ROAD ACCIDENT STATISTICS On 10 June 2013 the minister of transport reported road accident statistics at the launch of the 9th annual road safety awareness campaign in Libreville. According to the statistics, 23,000 accidents took place in the past five years, claiming 500 lives and injuring 11,000 others. The primary cause of road accidents was driving while intoxicated. (10 Jun 2013) GREECE (Security threat level - 2 Low) GREEK LABOR UNIONS CALL 24-HOUR STRIKE ON 13 JUNE Greek labor unions called a 24-hour strike starting on 13 June 2013 to protest the closure of state-run media, including state run television and radio. The government announced sudden plans to shut down state-run media which would leave several thousand Greeks without jobs. The unemployment rate in the country is currently at 25 percent. (13 Jun 2013) HAITI (Security threat level - 4 High) 67 PERCENT OF THE HAITIAN POPULATION DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT As of 10 June 2013, according to surveys conducted by the Haitian government’s National Coordination of Food Security, an estimated 67 percent of the Haitian population does not have enough food and as many as 1.5 million people face malnutrition and other hunger-related problems. The current hunger crisis is largely thought to be caused by the drought and tropical storm/hurricane-triggered floods, which destroyed an estimated 40 percent of Haiti’s essential crops in 2012. At least 44 areas in Haiti have been identified as being “food insecure,” with the hardest hit areas being the more isolated or inaccessible areas of the country. (10 Jun 2013)
Posted on: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:20:03 +0000
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