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The Beat<\/b><\/p>\nThe Beat<\/b><\/p>\n
Are drug cartels moving to Australia?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Australia commands some of the<\/span> world\u2019s highest prices for drugs<\/span><\/a> so it should come as no surprise that Mexican drug cartels are looking to hone in on this lucrative market. An article in <\/span>The Age <\/span><\/i>this week looked at the push of<\/span> Mexican drug cartels into Australia<\/span><\/a>, and made some recommendations for Australian law enforcement agencies to better address this emerging threat. The article was based on a new report from the Strategic & Defence Studies Centre at the ANU on \u2018Mexican Drug Cartels and Dark-Networks: An Emerging Threat to Australia\u2019s National Security\u2019, which you can<\/span> download here<\/span><\/a> (PDF). And if you were wondering about the ethics of buying cocaine, <\/span>Vice <\/span><\/i>combed through the data to show<\/span> how the presence of cocaine cartels increases local murder rates<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Debating how to measure and handle corruption<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n The Beat<\/span><\/i>\u2019s focus on corruption continues this week. An article over at <\/span>The Conversation <\/span><\/i>examines<\/span> how corruption indexes are deceptive<\/span><\/a>\u2014based, as they are, on perceptions rather than hard data\u2014and looks at the links between the politics of corruption and the promotion of democracy around the world. In India, the world\u2019s largest democracy, a non-profit organisation called 5th Pillar is addressing the country\u2019s problem of corrupt officials by making bribes with<\/span> fake money<\/span><\/a>\u2014with their \u2018Zero Rupee\u2019 note designed to shame officials into changing their behaviour.<\/span><\/p>\n CT Scan<\/b><\/p>\n US airstrike kills Taliban leader Mullah Mansoor<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n In what President Obama has described as an<\/span> \u2018important milestone\u2019<\/span><\/a>, Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mansoor was killed in a US air strike on 24 May, one year after he was appointed leader of the group. US officials<\/span> announced<\/span><\/a> the strike took place via a drone attack in Pakistan\u2019s Baluchistan province as Mansoor was travelling back from Iran. Pakistan\u2019s Foreign Ministry has described the attack as \u2018a violation of Pakistan\u2019s sovereignty, \u2019 with<\/span> The New York Times<\/span><\/i><\/a> claiming that by using the US military\u2019s JSOC rather than CIA to complete the operation, the US denied Pakistan the ability to claim they had been consulted beforehand\u2014a courtesy it previously extended the nation. The event will pose new<\/span> challenges<\/span><\/a> for<\/span> recently appointed<\/span><\/a> replacement Maulavi Haibatullah Read more<\/span> here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Melbourne man \u2018not guilty\u2019 of terrorism offence<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Melbourne man Adnan Karabegovic was<\/span> acquitted<\/span><\/a> of terrorism charges on 23 May. Prosecutors<\/span> alleged<\/span><\/a> Karabegovic obtained a copy of al-Qaeda\u2019s magazine <\/span>Inspire<\/span><\/i> which instructed readers on bomb building techniques. The court heard that that he planned to use a home-made bomb to start a bushfire. Karabegovic had been under police surveillance for suspected terrorist activities<\/span> since<\/span><\/a> 2012. Read more on the case<\/span> here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Checkpoint<\/b><\/p>\n Another brick in the<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u2026<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2018Europe will soon have more physical barriers on its national borders than it did during the Cold War,\u2019<\/span> so said <\/span>The Economist<\/span><\/i> back in January<\/span><\/a>. Their claim is corroborated by<\/span> a study released in the middle of last year<\/span><\/a> that showed that since the conclusion of World War II approximately half of the 51 fortified boundaries constructed between countries were built between 2000 and 2014. But are walls and fences successful in achieving their aims? That\u2019s the<\/span> question now being asked in the US election campaign<\/span><\/a>, with US President Barack Obama<\/span> suggesting that they aren\u2019t effective in todays interconnected world<\/span><\/a>\u2014in sharp contrast with<\/span> Donald Trump\u2019s intention to build a wall at the US<\/span>\u2013<\/span>Mexican border<\/span><\/a>. (For the fiscally inclined, someone has put together<\/span> a list of stocks you should invest in if this wall ends up being built<\/span><\/a>\u2026). Walls may be<\/span> powerful political symbols<\/span><\/a> but their ability to fulfil their purpose is<\/span> contentious<\/span><\/a>, often having<\/span> inadvertent results<\/span><\/a>. Those structures are likely built by affluent countries to keep inhabitants of other nations out\u2014as is the case in Europe, which is<\/span> struggling with the influx of refugees and migrants<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n For those interested in the movement of those migrants, the<\/span> Pew Research Center<\/span><\/a> has recently produced<\/span> an interactive graphic<\/span><\/a> showing the total number of migrants living around the world as of 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n First Responder<\/b><\/p>\n New scheme for disaster readiness<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n A group of 20 at-risk countries will receive funding to better prepare for natural disasters, thanks to<\/span> a new scheme<\/span><\/a> launched by UN agencies and the World Bank on Tuesday. The Global Partnership for Preparedness<\/span>\u2014<\/span>introduced during this week\u2019s<\/span> World Humanitarian Summit<\/span><\/a> in Istanbul<\/span>\u2014<\/span>will seek funding of up to US$130 million to help countries attain a minimum level of readiness for future disaster risks by 2020. The participants will be selected from the 43 countries belonging to the<\/span> Climate Vulnerable Forum<\/span><\/a>, and backers are hopeful the program will be expanded to 50 countries within five years. The funding will allow access to risk analysis and early warning systems, contingency planning and develop the basic services and delivery systems required to respond to shocks.<\/span><\/p>\n Index for cities\u2019 resilience<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Cities will be better prepared for the shocks associated with climate change, terrorism and natural disasters, with The Rockefeller Foundation and Arup<\/span> announcing the creation<\/span><\/a> of a<\/span> City Resilience Index<\/span><\/a> last week. The index is designed as a self-assessment tool, allowing users to generate a resilience profile to reveal a city\u2019s specific strengths and weaknesses, create a baseline plan for action, and measure future progress. Cities are required to answer 156 questions as part of the online test, with a focus on four key areas: health and well-being, economy and society, infrastructure and environment, and leadership and strategy. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Beat Are drug cartels moving to Australia? Australia commands some of the world\u2019s highest prices for drugs so it should come as no surprise that Mexican drug cartels are looking to hone in on …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":469,"featured_media":26834,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1410,321,1018,316,546,1580,1088],"class_list":["post-26830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-border-security","tag-corruption","tag-disaster-resilience","tag-law-enforcement","tag-organised-crime","tag-resilience","tag-taliban"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n