CANADA INTEL WARNS OF COVID VACCINE DATA THEFT

Canadian intelligence agencies have warned about cyber-espionage efforts by statesponsored actors to obtain data and research related to the effort to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, including vaccine development. The warning does not name any country, but came after US agencies recently named China.

A joint statement by Canada’s Communications Security Establishment (CSE) and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) warned of “an increased risk of foreign interference and espionage.”

CSIS is working with potentially vulnerable organisations to ensure their work and proprietary information remains safely in their control. “Its focus is on protecting Canadian intellectual property from these threats.” CSE said it was “near certain that state-sponsored actors have shifted their focus” during the pandemic and that Canadian intellectual property represents a valuable target.

It also underscored coordination with the US in the effort to safeguard intellectual property related to research and development activity, as the statement said, “We share information with our partners, including the US, which has a significant impact on protecting our respective countries’ safety and security.” Canada has reported 78,072 cases with 5,842 deaths.

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin returned to his duties on Tuesday after recovering from the coronavirus, as total infections approached 300,000 and officials said new cases were dropping off. President Vladimir Putin signed a decree reinstating Mishustin as the head of government, nearly three weeks after the prime minister announced on television he had tested positive for coronavirus.

Mishustin checked himself into hospital and his deputy was named interim prime minister, but he continued to participate in meetings via video-link wearing a suit and tie. The 54-year-old former tax chief was appointed PM in a surprise government shake-up earlier this year but had little time to make an impact before the pandemic hit.

His reinstatement came after health officials reported 9,263 new infections in Russia over the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 299,941, the second-highest in the world after the US.

The prime minister said on Monday that Russia had stopped the growth of new infections, but cautioned that the situation remained “difficult”.

He credited a nationwide lockdown and “systematic work” over the past two months for slowing the rate of new infections.

Tuesday’s tally saw new cases fall below 10,000 for the fourth day in a row, after Monday’s count saw new infections under 9,000 for the first time since the beginning of May.