Hazard and Event Risks:

• Last week, U.S. intelligence sources claim that for the first time China has installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems in outposts in the Spratly Islands, South China Sea (SCS) in the last 30 days.
• According to recent reports, the air quality in Melbourne continued to deteriorate as smoke and haze cover most of the city.
• According to information released by the World Health Organization (WHO), Venezuela has the largest increase in cases of malaria in the world: the number has increased tenfold since 2010.

TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION RISKS:

• Per reports, a new updated version of the GravityRAT malware evades detection by checking the current central processing unit (CPU) temperature.
• In recent days, cyber-attackers have tried to penetrate Mexicos electronic payment system. The situation has forced at least three banks to execute contingency plans after suffering several incidents.
• The Colombian National Police and the Center for Cyber Security have reported the propagation of malware through an allegedly official e-mail from the Department of Immigration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Operational and Physical Risks

• Per reports on May 2, several protesters gathered outside the United Nations (UN) regional headquarters in Bangkok against the Thai military government, demanding an end to the intimidation of community activists.
• Per media reports on April 30, 2018, the ongoing nationwide bus strike in South Africa entered its third week, affecting thousands of commuters.

Market and Economic Risks:

• India has rejected a request from the U.S. to reconsider its decision of price caps on medical devices. The U.S. had asked India to rethink its stance on price controls on heart stents and knee implants that had adversely affected the market for some U.S. firms.
• Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir announced last week the closure of 13 overseas diplomatic missions in light of the deepening economic crisis in the country; the staff at seven other diplomatic missions would be reduced to only the ambassador.
• In Venezuela, Meat merchants of Magdalena Department and from the city of Santa Marta, the department's capital, have reported severe economic losses due to the presence of counterfeited meat in the local market.

Highlights of this week's Pinkerton Insights Podcast:

- Per media reports on April 16, 2018, due to lack of funds in Tunisia the government has been criticized and blamed by the Tunisian General Labour Union (TGLU) for the deterioration of the economy.

- On April 18, Puerto Rico suffered a new massive power outage leaving the entire island without electricity.

Hazard and Event Risks:

- The Public Health Agency of Canada announced that a total of 126 cases of gastrointestinal illness from mid-March to early April 2018 associated with the consumption of raw oysters had been confirmed.

- According to information released by the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the vaccination campaign in Brazil against yellow fever is far below its targets, with more than 10 million people who had been considered for vaccination not yet vaccinated.

Market and Economic Risks:

- In South Africa the chief financial officer of state-owned ports and rail utility company, Transnet SOC Ltd., has resigned over graft allegations; Garry Pita was serving as the CFO of the firm since February 2016.

- Per media reports from Libya, president of the National Oil Corporation (NOC), Mustafa Sanalla, urged the EU to combat the problem of fuel smuggling and extend the mandate of the EU's naval mission in the Mediterranean.

- On April 10, a spokesperson from the government of El Salvador announced that they have formally resumed negotiations with Honduras and Guatemala to join the customs union agreement that began in June 2017.

- States across India are experiencing a severe shortage of cash with many ATMs putting up signboards of "no cash available" in several cities and towns.

Highlights from this week's Pinkerton Insights Podcast:

Technology and Information Risks:

-Per reports on April 11, 2018, a new malware, disguised as a browser update, is spreading through hacked websites. Pinkerton finds that the malware is likely to target businesses that visit websites that use the Squarespace, Joomla, and WordPress content management systems.

- Researchers have identified a new threat vector involving insecure radio frequency (RF) communication protocol controls of public emergency threat (siren) systems.

- On April 12, 2018, a security investigator of the CERT Coordination Center disclosed a vulnerability of Microsoft Outlook.

Operational and Physical Risks:

- A recent article posted in the Journal of Commerce (JOC) stated that the U.S. tariffs on imports from China would impact roughly 7% of the total U.S. container trade with China or a total of 2.5% of total U.S. container trade volume.

- Per reports on April 9, 2018, the shipping industry is likely to impose carbon emission curbs following reports alleging that international shipping contributes as much carbon dioxide to the environment each year as the whole of Germany.

- On April 10, 2018, two buildings collapsed in the Imbaba district of the Greater Cairo metropolitan area. Per initial reports, seven people were injured in the incident.

Market and Economic Risks

- On April 12, 2018, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the country is banning new permits for offshore oil and gas exploration to "protect future generations from climate change."

- Per reports, following the acquisition of Uber's operations in Vietnam by Grab, there are concerns that the latter has formed a monopoly in Vietnam.

- At the end of 2017, the Argentinian government introduced several important amendments to the tax system by reforming the law.

Hazard and Event Risks:

- During a joint press conference in which 43 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were represented, the leader of the Venezuelan Network of Positive People (RVG +), which is the largest NGO which helps HIV+ patients, announced that the shortage of antiretroviral drugs reached 100% nationwide.

Highlights from this week's Pinkerton Insights Podcast:

Hazard and Event Risks

- Last week, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the dissolution of parliament as of Saturday, two months before his five-year term ends.

- Authorities in Moscow have declared a "high alert" for residents in Volokolamsk following the release of toxic fumes from the Yadrovo landfill located approximately 120km (74.5mi) from Moscow.

- According to the Pan-American Health Organization, there have been 886 measles cases in Venezuela since June 2017. From those cases, 159 were registered in the first months of 2018.

Market and Economic Risks

- In Indonesia, the government has decided to postpone the new trade rules for coal and palm oil shipping until 2020.

- Per media reports last week, the fuel crisis in Sudan has affected the whole country, including the capital city Khartoum.

- In Ecaudor, Minister of Economy, Maria Elsa Viteri confirmed that due to the economic crisis facing the country, the authorities would increase import tariffs to at least 375 products.

Technology and Information Risks

- A newly discovered malware called  "HiddenMiner" can destroy Android devices, according to reports, and make it almost impossible to uninstall. The malware mines for Bitcoin alternative Monero by using Android devices.

- The European Commission (EC) is planning to issue a warning to social media companies regarding "online disinformation" or "fake news" by publishing its first policy on the issue later this month.

- The U.S. Department of State has issued a formal publication notice regarding plans to require almost all visa applicants to the U.S. to submit their social media history.

- According to a report published by Buzzfeed News, Grindr, the social network app aimed at gay, bisexual and transgender men, shared confidential information from its users with third parties without their knowledge.

Operational Physical Risks

- On April 3, 2018, French rail workers started a three months long campaign of strikes over President Macron's reforms. Until June 28, 2018, union workers plan walkouts and demonstrations.

 

Each week, we break down international news into our four quadrants of risk and present ways to mitigate those risks. Operational and pHysical Risks: - Last last week, the Zimbabwe Nurses Association has announced that nurses and support staff at public hospitals will join the ongoing doctors' strike. - Per reports this month from Malaysia, at least 2,000 Chinese shops and 400 Indian-Muslim and banana leaf restaurants shut down in 2017 due to a lack of workforce. - In Venezuela this month, residents of Barinas, Merida, Portuguesa, Tachira, Trujillo, and the Apoori have reported both power outages and water shortages. market and economic risks: - The European Commission is ready to present a three-pronged digital tax as early as this week. It aims to target revenues rather than profits and calls for countries to be strict with cases of tax avoidance by tech companies especially in France, Germany, and Great Britain. - Last week, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa opposed the signing of 27 contracts on renewable energy with the private company Eksom by obtaining a court interdict. - Per reports, a leaked United Nations draft report alleges that two Singapore-based companies have been violating UN sanctions by supplying luxury goods to North Korea. Sale of luxury goods to the North is banned by the UN and Singapore. - In Mexico, local media reported at least two outbreaks of H7N3 avian flu in Queretaro and Guanajuato. The incident leads to the culling of at least 1,387 poultries to avoid the contamination of further assets in the Mexican farms. technology and information risks: - A cyber-espionage group, who accessed sensitive data of UK government departments and military through a third-party contractor, has been able to make detection more difficult by utilizing legitimate apps together with new tools and old malware. - As reported on March 15, hackers are extensively using RottenSys malware and creating a massive botnet that has already affected almost 5 million Android devices. - Security firm CTS Labs claims they discovered 13 critical vulnerabilities in AMD Ryzen and EPYC processors in an announcement on March 13. hazard and event risks: - In Nepal on March 12, 2018, a US-Bangla Airlines plane crashed at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Of the 71 people on board the airplane that took off from Dhaka, Bangladesh, 49 died and 22 were injured. - In the US, a National Park Service Spokesman said that permit requests for the "March For Our Lives" demonstrations has been approved. Demonstrators applied to gather along Pennsylvania Avenue in the District of Columbia at noon on March 24. Nearly 500,000 people are expected to attend the march which was planned by the survivors of the shooting in Parkland, Florida to highlight gun violence issues.

Each week, we break down international news into our four quadrants of risk and present ways to mitigate those risks. Market and Economic Risks: - Per reports, the Indonesian government has announced that it will implement a new set of rules to battle money laundering and terrorism financing. - During the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Convention (PDAC) that took place on March 4-7, 2017, the Argentinian Mining Minister stated that the Federal Government is working with local governments to lift the prohibition of open pit mining before the end of the year. - Per reports, German metalworkers' union IG Metall has struck a deal with the car manufacturer Mercedes Benz, which will allow employees associated with the union to have 28-hour work weeks for a two-year period. - On March 1, 2018, the Canadian government announced that they would be ending their contract with International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) for their broken payroll system, Phoenix. hazard and event risks: - Per reports on March 5, 2018, civil society groups will be staging protests on March 24 in Bangkok against the Thai government's decision to delay elections to the next year. - According to Brazil's Ministry of Health, the number of confirmed yellow fever cases continue to grow. technology and information risks: - Per reports on March 7, 2018, a researcher at the cyber-security firm Exabeam found that users generate personal data on browsers, being dubbed as the user's "web dossier," which can be misused for targeted attacks. - Israeli hackers discovered that Windows AI, Cortana, could be deceived to browse insecure web pages and download malware to a device running Windows 10 system while it is still locked. - On March 6, 2018, the Attorney General's Office announced that more than 900,000 users of the ride-sharing service Uber in Mexico users might be affected by the massive data breach experienced in 2016. - Per reports on March 7, 2018, a critical vulnerability has been detected in all versions of Exim, a free software used as a mail transfer agent. operational and physical risks: - The Sri Lankan President has declared a state of emergency for seven days to "redress the unsatisfactory security situation prevailing in certain parts" of Sri Lanka. - The Canadian Government has issued a new travel advisory encouraging tourists not to board ferries operating in Playa del Carmen and to be aware of Mexican authorities' instructions. - Four countries in southern Africa: Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Botswana, suspended imports of meat products and started recalling items from South Africa, where a factory responsible for the recent listeria outbreak has been identified. ======    

Each week, we break down international news into our four quadrants of risk and present ways to mitigate those risks. Operational and Physical Risks: - Per reports from New Zealand, workers of the Lyttelton Port of Christchurch (LPC) are likely to stage a six-day strike from March 8. The strike will be the largest industrial action in South Island in recent years. - Peru's Public Health System National Syndicate has an undefined strike beginning on April 12, 2018, if their requirements are not met. - In the United States, health officials in Coloardo's Weld County have reported 21 confirmed Salmonella cases from five different counties. The counties are Adams, Boulder, Larimer, Morgan, and Weld. - In POLAND, the governor of the North West Region has extended a curfew restricting movement of persons and property from 8pm to 6am local time. The decision applies to both the Anglophone Northwest and Southwest regions. hazard and event risks: - Per media sources last last week in Australia, a third casualty has been reported following a listeria outbreak caused by contaminated rockmelons in several areas. Per sources, there is a rising number of reported cases, of which 15 have been confirmed this year. - At the end of February, Peru's Health Ministry announced a sanitary emergency in the northern part of the country to avoid the propagation of illnesses spread by the Aedes Aegypti-mosquito. - Workers from several sectors in Portugal have planned massive protests this month. Nurses have announced a two-day nationwide strike on March 22nd and 23rd. Teachers are planning protests over the next month, though no dates have been specified. Doctors are likely to protest in April. technology and information risks: - A new malware, RedDrop, affecting Android devices has been discovered. The malware reportedly secretly steals sensitive data from infected devices. The stolen data includes full recordings of phone calls that are stored in cloud storage accounts. - In recent days, human and digital activists in Mexico have reported to the media that the investigations regarding smartphones infected with spying software had not been properly addressed by the Mexican Government. market and economic risks: - The China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) has overhauled rules to make it easier for foreign banks to invest in the country. According to the new regulations, the approval procedures have been scrapped in four areas that include portfolio investment funds and overseas wealth management products. - The European Union's Single Resolution Board (SRB) and the European Central Bank (ECB) announced that the Latvian bank ABLV would not be bailed out, and therefore be allowed to go bankrupt. ===