Tag: Response

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City of Victoria planning response for future heat events

City of Victoria planning response for future heat events

The 2021 heat dome that covered much of Western Canada resulted in hundreds of deaths in B.C., and City of Victoria staff have put together a plan for response for future heat events with the goal of preventing deaths.

Between Jun 18 and Aug 12, 2021, the B.C. Coroner reported 595 people died due to the heat dome in the province.

In Victoria, 18 people died between Jun 25 and Jul 1, 2021.

City staff worked with the parameters the provincial government set for how to determine if heat requires a response.

“It was devastating last summer across British Columbia to lose so many people to the heat,” Mayor Lisa Helps said in the Committee of the Whole meeting. “It’s really also great to see the provincial government stepping up with this pilot program so that we don’t have to essentially make decisions about what is a risk. That’s not our job, that’s the provinces job.”

Staff presented the committee of the whole a plan which follows the province’s two-tiered heat alerting system.

Under the system, a tier one response would be triggered if Environment and Climate Change Canada says daytime temperatures will reach 29°C orwarmer and nighttime minimum temperatures are expected to fall to 16°C or warmer. The second tier would be triggered if these temperatures are expected for three days in a row.

If either of these is triggered, the city’s plan is to roll out a communication program, and open cooling centres and misting stations.

The communication program would include messaging about where the cooling centres and misting stations are, information about water fountains around the region, and share Health Canada’s tips on how to stay safe in the heat.


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Will Superman And Lois Finally Acknowledge The Events Of Supergirl? The Showrunner Offered A Cryptic Response

Will Superman And Lois Finally Acknowledge The Events Of Supergirl? The Showrunner Offered A Cryptic Response

Superman & Lois Season 2 is rolling right along on The CW and, so far it’s proving to be another great season for the Arrowverse series. The Bizarro reveal was certainly a gamechanger and, now, it even seems that there are some new relationships forming. For all the things fans have learned, however, there’s still one lingering Arrowverse question in the form of Kara Danvers. When addressing whether the world of Supergirl will ever be addressed in its spinoff series, showrunner Todd Helbing offered a cryptic response. 

Todd Helbing appeared alongside other members of the cast at WonderCon 2022 (via Bleeding Cool), and fielded a question that touched on whether or not Supergirl and its characters will ever pop up on Superman & Lois. Helbing got real with fans and teased that while there haven’t been direct links at the moment, there will be, eventually:

I’ll just say that at the end of this season [Season 2], you’ll get the answer to the questions that you guys have.

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State cancels poultry events in response to fourth bird flu case

State cancels poultry events in response to fourth bird flu case

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture announced Saturday that all poultry events will be canceled statewide because of the bird flu.

The order, which comes after a fourth farm was reported infected with the virus, states that birds of any type are not permitted at events such as fairs, expositions and live bird auctions until at least May 1, when the order will be reevaluated. 

Bird flu had previously been found in several wild geese and a mixed backyard flock in Merrick County, but its discovery in commercial poultry operations has upped the stakes in Nebraska.

In the last week, the state Agriculture Department quarantined a farm in Butler County and all 570,000 birds were humanely destroyed. The disease was later found to have infected a flock of 400,000 broiler chickens within the quarantine area.

In the latest case reported, a small flock of mixed chickens and waterfowl was infected in Holt County.

The ag department encourages bird owners to prevent contact between their birds and wildlife and to report any signs of bird flu in their flocks. Symptoms include a decrease in water consumption, soft-shelled eggs, nasal discharge, and lack of energy and appetite. 

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Chicks, ducklings and goslings can still be sold at farm stores.


570,000 broiler chickens to be destroyed as bird flu hits Nebraska poultry farm

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NYDFS Issues Cybersecurity Guidance in Response to Events in Ukraine | JD Supra

NYDFS Issues Cybersecurity Guidance in Response to Events in Ukraine | JD Supra

In light of Russia’s recent military actions in Ukraine, the New York Department of Financial Services issued guidance on its cybersecurity and virtual currency regulations. The Department is specifically concerned about heightened risk for Russia’s cyberattacks against Ukraine, which could in turn lead to retaliatory attacks against U.S. critical infrastructure due to U.S. sanctions against Russia.

The Department clarified that regulated entities should comply with U.S. sanctions on Russia, but should take measures to mitigate potential security risks. The following includes some recommendations to mitigate increased cyber threats:

  • Review cybersecurity programs with a particular eye on security hygiene measures, such as multi-factor authentication;
  • Review, update and test incident response and business continuity planning;
  • Implement practices not already in place in the Department’s June 2021 Ransomware Guidance;
  • Conduct regular penetration testing to check ability to restore backups; and
  • Provide additional cybersecurity awareness trainings and reminders for employees within the organization.

Putting it into Practice: Current world events serve as a reminder for why it is important for organizations to prioritize their cybersecurity programs and ensure that they take mitigation efforts to prevent the devastating effects of cyber-attacks.

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Initial Global Sanctions on Russia in Response to Events in Eastern Ukraine | JD Supra

Initial Global Sanctions on Russia in Response to Events in Eastern Ukraine | JD Supra

Initial Global Sanctions on Russia in Response to Events in Eastern Ukraine

In response to President Putin’s televised recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (“DNR” and “LNR”) of Ukraine as “independent” nations, and reports of Russian troops being ordered into Ukrainian territory, the United States has imposed Crimea-style comprehensive sanctions on the DNR and LNR prohibiting new U.S. investment as well as imports and exports to and from the regions. The EU and the UK have sanctioned banks and oligarchs, and Germany has suspended certifications on the NordStream2 pipeline project.

Background

The Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine has been divided since 2014 into separate territories, respectively controlled by the Ukrainian government and Russian-backed separatists. According to the Ukrainian government, armed conflict in the region has claimed over 14,000 lives and displaced more than 1.5 million people. The Minsk Agreements, negotiated by France and Germany in 2015 and signed by Russia and Ukraine, implemented a ceasefire but failed to entirely control the violence.  As of February 2022, there have been increasing tensions on the Ukraine-Russia border and the movement of Russian military troops into the region.

U.S. Executive Order

On February 21, 2022, President Biden issued an “Executive Order on Blocking Property of Certain Persons and Prohibiting Certain Transactions With Respect to Continued Russian Efforts to Undermine the Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of Ukraine”  Specifically, the EO imposes broad sanctions on the DNR and LNR similar to sanctions for the Crimea territory.  It prohibits the following:

  • New investment in the so-called DNR or LNR regions of Ukraine by a United States person, wherever located;
  • The importation into the United States, directly or indirectly, of any goods, services, or technology from the so-called DNR or LNR regions of Ukraine;
  • The exportation, reexportation, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States, or by a United States person, wherever located, of any goods, services, or technology to the so-called DNR or LNR regions of Ukraine;
  • And any approval, financing, facilitation, or guarantee by a United States person, wherever located, of a transaction by a foreign person where the transaction by that foreign person would be covered by these prohibitions if performed by a United States person or within the United States.

The EO also provides authority to impose sanctions on persons determined:

  • To operate or have operated since the date of the order in the so-called DNR or LNR regions of Ukraine;
  • To be or have been since the date of the order a leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors of an entity operating in the so-called DNR or LNR regions of Ukraine;
  • To be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order;
  • Or to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order.

The Department of Treasury also has issued six General Licenses, including authorization for a “wind down” until March 23, 2022 of operations, contracts and other agreements in effect prior to February 21, 2022.  General licenses also provide for certain (a) exports to the regions of food, medicine and medical devices, (b) telecommunications and internet services to remain operational, and mail services to continue, (c) exports of services and software incident to personal communication over the internet, (d) aid activities by international organizations, and (d) foreign remittances.

A Coordinated Response with Europe

The U.S. Government has been coordinating pressure on the Russian regime with its international partners, including the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada.

On February 22, 2022 the UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (“OFSI”) issued a Financial Sanctions Notice and updated the OFSI consolidated list, designating eight new persons as subject to Russia Sanctions made under the UK Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018. Those designated include five Russian banks and three prominent oligarchs, namely:

  • Gennadiy Nikolayevich Timchenko;
  • Boris Romanovich Rotenberg;
  • Igor Arkadyevich Rotenberg;
  • Bank Rossiya;
  • Black Sea Bank for Development And Reconstruction;
  • Joint Stock Company Genbank;
  • IS Bank; and
  • Public Joint Stock Company Promsvyazbank.

With the exception of the Public Joint Stock Company Promsvyazbank, the above individuals and entities above already were blocked under U.S. law, and are now subject to an asset freeze (and the individuals subject to a travel ban in the UK).

On February 21, 2022, the European Council imposed restrictive measures on an additional 5 individuals for actively supporting actions and implementing policies that undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.  Those designated include members of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, who were elected to represent the illegally-annexed Crimean peninsula and the City of Sevastopol on September 19, 2021, as well as the head and deputy head of the Sevastopol electoral commission, namely: Aleksei Yurievich Cherniak, Leonid Ivanovic Babashov, Tatiana Georgievna Lobach, Nina Sergeevna Faustova and Aleksandr Evgenevich Chmyhalov. It is reported that the EU is “close to agreeing” on further sanctions targeting Russian banks and individuals.

Germany also has announced that it will halt certifications for the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline project, designed to double the flow of Russian gas direct to Germany.

The conflict on the Ukrainian border is rapidly evolving, and it is possible that further sanctions will be issued in the coming days. Per White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, the February 21, 2022 Executive Order is “separate from and … in addition to the swift and severe economic measures we have been preparing in coordination with Allies and partners should Russia further invade Ukraine.” This is echoed by comments from the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has referred to the above UK sanctions as the “first tranche, the first barrage of what we are prepared to do, and we hold further sanctions at readiness to be deployed alongside the US and EU if the situation escalates still further.”

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