Two items lead today.
Mali. The Foreign Office continues to advise against all travel to Mali, where JNIM has blockaded key routes across southern and western Mali, including Bamako, targeting fuel trucks and running checkpoints. The FCDO reports a national fuel shortage and a very high threat of kidnapping by al-Qaeda and Islamic State-aligned groups. For any presence in-country, plan around fuel security, minimal and unpredictable overland movement, and a low profile, and treat the kidnap threat as a leading planning factor.
Security industry. The SIA has opened a consultation, running to 23 October, on a wide overhaul of licence-linked qualifications, including new training content, a security-specific first aid qualification, an added English-language test, and a proposed post-licence standard in advanced physical intervention. It affects a workforce of over 450,000 licence-holders, so training providers and anyone due a renewal should track it now.
Both stories are covered in full in today's edition.
