O19 - 07TH July 2021 - Wilson James

o19

      07TH July 2021

THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES
       07th July - Worldwide cases of COVID-19 are at 185,456,631 with deaths totalling 4,010,642 globally as
        of according to Worldometer. So far, 169,790,122 people have recovered from the virus.
       05th July – The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) in Egypt announced it had come to an agreement in regards
        to compensation for the costs incurred after the grounding of the container ship Ever Given in the Suez
        Canal in March this year. The details of the settlement have not been announced but are believed to
        include the cost of the tug boat for the canal capable of pulling 75tonne, the costs re the salvage
        operation, stalled canal traffic, and the lost transit fees.1.
       05th July - The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was passed in the House of Commons on
        Monday by 365 votes to 265. The proposed introduction of the Bill sparked protests across the country
        with the ‘Kill the Bill’ movement, joining forces with protestors from other activist groups such as Black
        Lives Matter (BLM) and anti-lockdown. Further demonstrations are planned, please monitor Advisory
        Services protest alerts for more information.2.
       06th July – A second man has been charged with common assault following an incident involving Chief
        Medical Officer Chris Whitty in St James’ Park on Sunday 04th July. Jonathan Chew (24 years-old) and
        Lewis Hughes (23 years-old) are both due to appear in court on 30th July. 3.
       7th July - England beat Denmark 2-1 at Wembley on Wednesday night sending them into their first major
        men’s final in 55 years. England are set to play Italy on Sunday at Wembley in front of a 75% capacity
        crowd of 60.000 spectators.4.
       In El Salvador, cryptocurrency market leader Bitcoin is due to be made legal tender allowing Salvadorans
        to pay for anything (where there is supporting tech) in USD or Bitcoin from September 2021. This move
        raises questions over the ability of banks to perform their due diligence in relation to money laundering
        and fraud and will increase their risk exposure.5.

    INDUSTRY NEWS
       03rd July – OIL AND GAS - Mexican oil giant PEMEX claimed a huge offshore fire close to one of their oil
        platforms in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday. It occurred as a result of a gas leak caused by an electrical
        storm. The environmental impact has yet to be determined and it is unclear what substance (likened to
        ‘molten lava’) was burning for five hours on the surface of the water as PEMEX claims the incident did
        not generate any spill. 6.

                                    (ca.movies.yahoo.com, 2021)

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WORLD NEWS/RAS/07th July 2021

   05th July – OIL AND GAS - One of the world’s largest chemical companies, INEOS has announced its
        backing of the first London-listed clean hydrogen investment fund with a £25 Million investment.
        HydrogenOne Capital Growth trust will be the first London investment trust dedicated to clean
        hydrogen which is manufactured by using “electricity from renewable power, or through carbon
        capture and storage of produced greenhouse gases. Brian Gilvary, Executive Chairman of INEOS
        Energy, said:
            "The INEOS investment in HydrogenOne will help to accelerate and diversify INEOS' existing clean
            hydrogen strategy."7.
       7th July – AVIATION - British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have launched a new pilot programme at
        Heathrow Airport which will trial fast track lanes for fully vaccinated arrivals at the airport. Heathrow’s
        Chief Executive, John Holland-Kaye, said:
          “This pilot will allow us to show that pre-departure and arrival checks of vaccination status can be
         carried out safely at check in, so that fully vaccinated passengers can avoid quarantine from 19 July.”
        The pilot trial is expected to start this week and passengers will be able to upload their vaccination
        certificate prior to boarding.8.

   COUNTER-TERRORISM
       The current threat level for the UK is ‘SUBSTANTIAL’, meaning a terror attack is ‘likely’. For further
        information please see this link.

       2nd July - The Home Office consultation period on the new Protect Duty ended last Friday after four
        months of discussions. The consultation was open to anyone with an interest in, or experience of any of
        the areas under discussion and was prompted by the terrorist events (and emergency responses) of
        2017.9.

       The current COVID-19 crisis has provided an opportunity for the exponential growth in the value of
        cryptocurrency due in part to an increase in its use by criminal gangs (particularly its use in ransomware
        attacks) says the G7 initiative, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). BK Singh, Retired Joint
        Commissioner Crime, Delhi Police agrees, Cryptocurrencies, he says

          “Typically are not regulated by governments and authorities are also being extensively used by the
                                                 non-state actors”

        (FATF) sources state:

           “The pandemic and its fallout on financial dealings have provided an opportunity to several terror
                  groups such as the Islamic State (IS) to re-organise and re-boot with a new hub”.10.

        As early as 2015, hacktivist groups were reporting the increasing use of cryptocurrency by terrorist
        groups.11.

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WORLD NEWS/RAS/07th July 2021

CYBER-SECURITY
       02nd July – Russian linked ransomware hacker group REvil claimed responsibility for the reported ‘largest
        ransomware attack on record’,12. Victims in over 17 countries and 1,000 businesses are said to be
        affected. The hackers reported demanded ransom is over USD70million in cryptocurrency. The attack
        coincided with the US’ 4th of July holiday weekend and affected companies including Coop, Sweden who
        were forced to close all 800 of its stores due to the attack affecting their payment system.13.

                                    (Computer, 2021)

    ACTIVISM
       3rd July - Animal Rebellion and Extinction Rebellion activists staged a sit-in at a McDonald’s restaurant
        in Weymouth. This comes after Animal Rebellion activists blocked access to a number of McDonald’s
        distribution centres across the country in May 14. and protested inside a restaurant in Falmouth over the
        G7 Summit weekend.15. On this occasion, protestors occupied the fast-food outlet for 2 hours
        demanding McDonald’s convert to a fully plant-based menu stating:
         “We will keep putting pressure on McDonald’s until they talk to us and agree to address the damage
                                they cause by transitioning to a plant-based menu.”16.

                                               (Animal Rebellion, 2021)

    UPCOMING PROTESTS
       Friday 9th July – Protest outside your MP’s home.
             Location: Outside Secretary of State for Health Sajid Javid MP, consitiuency office,
               Bromsgrove, Worcestershire
             Cause: Activists against the vaccine and lockdown restrictions.
             This is a regular Friday event.
             t.me/astandatyourmp

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WORLD NEWS/RAS/07th July 2021

    Saturday 10th July – Brighton Rally for Freedom
            Location: Hove Lawns @13:00
            @SaveOurRightsUKOfficial
            t.me/joinchat/AAAAAE-fwsYE9blM7D7LgQ

       Saturday 10th July – Save Our Children
            Location: St John’s Garden, Liverpool @1pm
            Cause: Protesting against child abuse.
            Nationwide, protests take place regularly https://t.me/SAVEOURCHILDREN2021

       Sunday 11th July – People Vs Liars
            Location: Wimbledon Common @11:30am
            Cause: Freedom March
              https://t.me/LondonRallies

       Sunday 11th July – People Vs VIPs
            Location: Wembley @17:00
            Cause: Freedom March
              https://t.me/LondonRallies

       Monday 12th July – Save Free Speech
           Location: Cirencester @13:00
           Cause: In support of Debbie Hicks
           https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/defend-the-right-to-free-speech/
           https://t.me/Ukn8ght

   COVID – 19
       06th July - The total confirmed K COVID-19 cases as of Monday is 4,958,868 with 128,268 deaths according
        to GOV.UK.
       06th July - 45,428,681 people have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccination in the UK and
        33,874,176 have received their second.
       05th July – The Queen has awarded the National Health Services of the United Kingdom the George’s
        Cross on their 73rd anniversary. The honour is awarded for "acts of the greatest heroism or of the most
        courage in circumstances of extreme danger". In a handwritten letter the Queen wrote:
               "It is with great pleasure, on behalf of a grateful nation, that I award the George Cross to the
                                    National Health Services of the United Kingdom.”17.

       05th July - Bars and clubs across Europe have re-opened to patrons who can prove they have been
        vaccinated, have had a recent, negative COVID-19 test, or have recovered from the disease recently, as
        the continent attempts to get back to a pre-pandemic normal. Countries such as France, Austria and
        Spain have eased restrictions despite spikes in cases of the new Delta variant. Director General of The
        World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has stressed the need not to get
        complacent stating:
             "The Delta variant is dangerous and is continuing to evolve and mutate, which requires constant
                           evaluation and careful adjustment of the public health response."18.

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WORLD NEWS/RAS/07th July 2021

   05th July - UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will confirm on 12th July the lifting of most lockdown
        restrictions expected on 19th July. Subject to confirming data from tests due on the 12th of this month,
        Mr Johnson has suggested the wearing of masks and social distancing should no longer be mandatory.
        The news comes as the Northern Ireland Executive meets on Thursday 8th July to discuss their freedom
        day and the Welsh Government will discuss their on 15th July followed later by Scotland on 9th August.19.

       06th July –London Mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed from Wednesday 7th July one ticket for the Euro
        2020 final at Wembley and 50 tickets for the England fan zone in Trafalgar Square will be available to
        win by Londoners who go for their first COVID-19 vaccination. People are eligible if they can show proof
        of at least one vaccination from a drop-in centre and those who post on social media about receiving
        their vaccine will be entered into the draw twice.20.

                    Useful Information Sources
                             UK wide – Public Health England
                             Scotland – Scottish Government
                             Northern Ireland – NISRA
                             COVID-19 deaths in England & Wales – ONS
                             COVID-19 Statistics – Worldometer – Johns Hopkins University

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WORLD NEWS/RAS/07th July 2021

COVID19@wilsonjames.co.uk / riskadvisory@wilsonjames.co.uk

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