THREAT REPORTS
The jihadist insurgency in Mozambique
The insurgency begun in 2017 in the mostly Muslim northern Cabo Delgado province with unemployed and disgruntled youth joining or supporting the group known as Ansar al-Sunna (ASWJ). In 2019 the insurgents have pledged alliance to the Islamic State (IS) and declared itself as the Islamic State Central Africa Province (IS-CAP). The group’s attacks have resulted in over 3000 deaths and displacement of around 800,000 people and also effected the nation’s economy.
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Israel Judical Reform Crisis
Israel is currently experiencing severe political tensions, the worst since its independence, which has severely polarized the population and has the potential to boil over and turn violent. The tensions erupted after the newly appointed justice minister, Yariv Levin, a vocal critic of the Supreme Court, unveiled the newly created government “reform” of the judicial system. If passed, the plan will give the government-- the most ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox in the nation’s history--a total control over the appointment of judges, including Supreme Court justices, which will severely limit the Supreme Court ability to strike down self-determining legislation. The plan will also allow the 120-seat parliament (Knesset) to pass laws that the supreme court has annulled as unconstitutional by override the supreme court decisions with a simple majority of 61 votes.
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The skinny on virtual kidnappings
The growth of interconnectivity – especially low or no-cost communication around the world has led to many efficiencies. For example, individuals can work on projects with team members that spread all over the world and families with a loved one serving in military can video chat using a service such as Skype of Google Hangouts. The growth, however, is not all positive. As individuals found with e-mail as it matured, scammers and other criminal perpetrators take advantage of new technologies to expand their scope of operations and to seduce unwitting individuals into sending them money. A new dark trend, virtual kidnapping, has emerged and authorities are cautioning the public as it has already ensnared some who have been left poorer and emotional distraught at the experience.
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