In the News

An Iranian Judiciary official said 14 January that “extensive investigations” into last week’s missile shoot-down of a Ukrainian jetliner has resulted in an undisclosed number of arrests. All 176 persons aboard the Boeing 737-800, including 57 Canadian citizens, died in the crash minutes after Flight PS752 had taken off from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport en route to Kiyv, Ukraine.

An emergency Ontario-wide alert that woke thousands to warnings of an unspecified “incident” at the Pickering nuclear station near Toronto 12 January was erroneously sent out during a training exercise. Solicitor General Sylvia Jones says there was no danger to the public or the environment.

Iranian state television has reported that its military "unintentionally" shot down the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 minutes after it took off from Tehran International Airport 07 January on a flight to Kyiv, Ukraine. All 176 persons aboard,  including 57 Canadian passengers, were killed. The report that "human error" resulted in a missile strike came at approximately 10 p.m. EST on 10 January -- early in the morning in Tehran.

Most information of late about U.S. cyber activities has come from unnamed, but likely authorized, government sources. These choreographed disclosures allow the administration to signal to adversaries that it views certain actions as infringing upon U.S. national interests while creating plausible deniability that keeps options open and limits domestic political risks.

Canada has received intelligence indicating an Iranian missile shot down the Ukraine International Airlines flight full of Canadians that crashed near Tehran

More than 30 persons died and hundreds have been injured in a stampede as Iranians flocked to the burial of Gen Qassem Soleimani, killed in Iraw by a U.S. drone strike along with several other senior officials. The interment in his hometown of Kerman was postponed.

The cost to the federal government of dealing with natural disasters would indicate that Canada continues to be seriously affected by climate change. Public Safety Canada says the amount was $309.5 million in the 2018-2019 fiscal year compared with $494.9 million a year earlier and $485.8 million in 2016-2017. The average in the five previous years was $360 million, which was triple the average in the five years before that.

U.S. manufacturers of machine learning and artificial intelligence software capable of analyzing satellite imagery face new restrictions under an interim final rule change published 06 January in the Federal Register. Such software is to be classified as a dual-use technology and subject to the same controls as arms exports. Taking effect in early March, the new rule (85 Fed. Reg. 9) applies to software which would “provide a graphical user interface that enables the user to identify objects (e.g., vehicles, houses, etc.) from within geospatial imagery.”

The Austrian foreign ministry has been targeted by a cyber-attack it suspects was launched by a “state actor” in another country. The ministry says the attack was recognized quickly and countermeasures were taken immediately.

The RCMP has confirmed that it uses information posted on social media to profile persons of potential interest. It is responding to concerns expressed by a Toronto woman who learned that she had been profiled after showing up at a leadership debate during the 2015 election campaign, but who was eventually found to be doing nothing illegal. The RCMP says it acknowledges the constitutional right to peaceful protest but says due diligence is required to ensure there is no public safety issue.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, indicted in November on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, said 01 January that he was asking Parliament to grant him immunity from prosecution. His announcement comes as the country faces its third general election in 12 months.

Africa's largest mobile operator, MTN, is reviewing allegations that it paid protection money to militant Islamist groups in Afghanistan. The allegations are part of a complaint, filed in a US federal court, that MTN had violated U.S. anti-terrorism laws. It says the company bribed Daesh and the Taliban to avoid having to invest in security for their transmission towers and that the funds underwrote a Taliban-led insurgency that led to the attacks in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2017.

Wyze, a Seattle-based producer of “smart” home video cameras, has reported a data breach affecting some 2.4 million of customers whose personal data was held on an unsecured server for several weeks this month.

U.S. military personnel are being cautioned against using widely-advertised consumer DNA kits due to concerns about security risks such as mass surveillance and potential tracking. Joseph Kernan, undersecretary of defense for intelligence, says in a memo that the test are largely unregulated and could expose personal and genetic information with unintended security consequences.

New data on a natural gas well blowout in Ohio in February 2018 indicate that its environmental impact was more significant that previously thought. It spewed an estimated 60 kilotons of methane in only 20 days, more than some European countries release in a year. Methane has a global warming potential 20 times that of carbon dioxide, albeit with a shorter atmospheric lifespan.

An artificial intelligence-controlled unmanned aerial system capable of identifying and tracking targets and maybe even supporting search and rescue missions is the goal of a new U.S. Defense Department program. The Joint Artificial Intelligence Center has issued a request for information to determine whether AI developers and drone swarm builders can collaborate on development.

An executive order signed by President Donald Trump confirms that federal civilian employees will see an average 3.1 per cent pay increase in 2020. However, the package approved earlier by Congress also freezes salaries for the Vice President and a number of other senior members of the administration.

China, Japan and South Korea have agreed to promote dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea as political rhetoric between the two continues to frustrate efforts to wind down North Korea’s nuclear program. The announcement was made by South Korean President Moon Jae-in after a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Saudi Arabia has sentenced five persons to death and jailed three others in connection with the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year. Three more persons were found not guilty. The court also said the killing was not premeditated, contradicting the outcome of a UN-lead investigation.

More than 56,000 weapons were turned over to New Zealand authorities during a six-month amnesty that ended 20 December. The program, which bought weapons back at up to 85 per cent of the original purchase prices, was prompted by the killing of 51 persons at two mosques last March.

Manuel Marrero Cruz, formerly Cuba’s minister of tourism, the country’s economically-critical source of foreign revenue, has been confirmed as its first prime minister since 1976, when the position was scrapped by Fidel Castro. Marrero, whose appointment was ratified unanimously the National Assembly, will take on some of the responsibilities held by President Miguel Diaz-Canel.

After an abortive mission to the International Space Station, the CST-100 Starliner transport capsule designed by Boeing Defense, Space & Security has returned safety to earth, landing in New Mexico 22 December, two days after its Florida launch. Managers are reviewing data to determine whether another unmanned mission is needed before the capsule can be used to deliver crews to the ISS. The problem with the latest test was that the module’s intrernal clock did not synchronize with the Atlas V booster.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy wants a government-wide focus on cyberattack deterrence. It specifies what technological capabilities departments needs to reach specific cybersecurity levels and how to invest in research and development.

Russia’s and China’s use of their UN Security Council veto to block cross-border aid for Syrian refugees is being condemned by Canada and other countries. The veto came as Russian-backed Syrian forces have gained ground against the last opposition enclave in Syria's northwest and thousands of Syrian refugees fled into Turkey.

NATO’s operation of its new Alliance Ground Surveillance drone fleet in Europe’s regulated airspace will rely on Italian rules. The “military type” certification for the Northrop Grumman Global Hawks, five of which are to be based in Italy in 2020. evidently includes no information about certification for operation alongside civilian aircraft, or whether they are authorized to fly in Italian airspace at all.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's agenda for Britain to quit the European Union at the end of January moved closer to fruition 19 December with a 358-234 first-reading vote in the House of Commons of his EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill. It also would also ban an extension of the transition period, during which the UK adheres to many EU rules, beyond 2020. Parliamentary debate on the bill resumes 7 January.

Palestinians’ right to self-determination has received new backing from Canada in a UN General Assembly vote. The 17 December resolution was endorsed by 166 other countries while the United States, Israel and three other states voted against it. Canada’s support has been relatively consistent for more than a decade.

The U.S. Department of Defense is being advised by the Rand Corp. to adapt artificial governance structures which would permit a more coordinated scaling up of AI use. A new study of AI issues also prompted the respected think-tank to recommend, among other things, a five-year road map for the project and close working relationships with the corporate and academic sectors.

A new session of the British Parliament opened 17 December with a Speech from the Throne through which Queen Elizabeth, on behalf of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s majority government set out plans for quitting the European Union, among other things. Top priority is being given to a Withdrawal Agreement Bill which must be passed before 31 January if Johnson is to meet his declared timetable.

In a test of its controversial RuNet program, Russia plans to shut off much of its citizens’ access to the Internet 23 December. RuNet is designed to enhance state control of internal traffic, track and censor dissidents, and facilitate cyberattacks. Notice of the plan by the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media evidently was posted 5 December but only came to widespread attention this week.

Kate Purchase, executive director of communications and planning in the Prime Minister's Office, leaves this week after more than six years as a senior adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She is moving to a position with Microsoft.

Jerry DeMuro, chief executive officer of the U.S. subsidiary of Britain’s BAE Systems llc, will transfer control next year to chief operating officer Tom Arseneault. Taking on a newly-created role of executive vice-president of strategic initiatives, including evolving cybersecurity requirements, DeMuro will remain on the board of directors.

The advent of so-called “smart” televisions worries some law enforcement agencies because of how data about viewers’ usage and other information can be monetized by the manufacturers through advertising and direct-to-consumer sales of entertainment.

Facebook’s plan to provide end-to-end encryption on its messaging services, designed to improve privacy, is a concern for some governments which fear that it will become impossible to recover criminal conversations. Only users would have the ability to share messages) with law enforcement officials.