Chief Officers News

The Risk Professional: US Treasury Statement re Iran banking sanctions

6 February 2011. Statement by the US Treasury on Implementation of National Defense Authorization Act Sanctions on Iran

Automotive: Clint Eastwood's misty eyes playing for Detroit

Clint Eastwood has thrown his hat into the ring with a SuperBowl half-time advert on behalf of, nominally, Chrysler but widely seen as pro-Detroit in general. Actually, it's much more than that.

Aviation: Kingfisher's finances cause concern

India's Kingfisher Airlines is continuing to show that it's financials aren't flying.

Aviation: Malev ceases operations

Hungary's national carrier, Malev, has ceased operations without warning, leaving more than 7,000 passengers stranded and thousands of ticket holders unable to travel.

Aviation: EU Airline tax starts international incident

China has told the EU: if you want our business, scrap this tax. And in the meantime, we're not paying it.

Internet: Has Google opened a hole in your company's IT security policy?

Several weeks ago, M logged into his company's AdSense account at Google.com to monitor the advertising revenue generated from advertisements Google.Com places on their websites. Later the same day, he visited YouTube - and noticed that, although he had never set up a YouTube account, and did not want one, he was marked as signed in. Now Google has started writing to all of its users explaining a new policy which it says it is going to put into force. Is your company at risk?

IP: is MegaUpload the most important case you've never heard of?

It's perhaps the biggest intellectual property rights enforcement case in the history of such cases. And yet, unless you are young and tech savvy, the chances are that you've never heard of it. But if you are an internet user, the action against file-sharing site MegaUpload is going to rock your world. You just don't know it yet.

Infotech: when wow turns to WTF: do you care about Blackberry 10?

Were / are you an early adopter? Did/do you surf the wave of new products just because they were cool - or whatever the word was during the decades that "cool" was an uncool word? Did/do you queue outside a shop to get a new product on its first day? And did/does your heart beat a little (or even a lot faster) when rumours - or better still leaked photos or details - of a new product floated around? Are you excited by today's "leaked details" of the Blackberry 10?

Or are you bored by the whole thing and realising you're being manipulated?

Internet: Google makes pro-restrictions point, emasculates Wikipedia protest

It was the big splash story two days ago. Wikipedia, which is website on which contributors post their opinions and views with limited editorial supervision, is against the imposition of a level of responsibility similar to that applied to newspaper publishers. Google agrees. But there is a behind the scenes issue relating to the control of intellectual property. At the heart of that argument, although rarely expressed, is the issue over who has control over the information and its dissemination. That's where Wikipedia's entire protest fell apart.

F1: Williams signs Senna, says "goodbye" to Barichello

Rubens Barichello has lost his seat at Williams F1 to Bruno Senna.

IT Security: Zappos.Com admits huge security breach.

Non-US visitors to Zappos.com get the following message: "We are so sorry � we are currently not accepting international traffic." Well, someone has got in.

Internet: I never thought I'd agree with Murdoch but...

I am shaking my head in disbelief. I actually agree with Rupert Murdoch on something. US internet companies do as they please and then argue that they are so big that what they are doing is right, even if it's wrong by any legal and moral standards.

Aviation: EU travel bargains before prices rise

As the post-Christmas period sets in passenger numbers between the EU and many other destinations are dropping and so are prices. But the pending imposition of EU taxes and the increase of UK tax will make travel significantly more expensive in just a few weeks' time. Will airlines jack up prices under cover of tax hikes?

Aviation: AirAsiaX to "suspend" London, Paris, Delhi and Mumbai flights

Within days of being granted permission to fly KUL - SYD, AirAsiaX has announced that its long-haul programme is dead, or at least comatose, due to rising fuel prices, "weakening demand" and "exorbitant government taxes."

Public Health: USA - Unauthorised fungicide found in orange juice

What happens when what is permitted in the country of production is not permitted in the country of consumption? That's what the USA's FDA says has happened and it is investigating. But it raises a deeper question: what is a matter of public safety and what is a matter of trade barriers?

Aviation: A bid for American Airlines?

US media is carrying rumours of a bid being made for the parent of US Airlines.

Aviation: AirAsia X gets KL - Sydney permission

It's been a long-time coming with constant obstruction from many quarters but now AirAsia X is celebrating: it's got permission to operate the Kuala Lumpur to Sydney route, one which is highly lucrative for existing carriers.

Taxation: UK offers amnesty to tax fraudsters - kind of

The UK's HM Revenue and Customs is to begin a new approach to the recovery of tax evasion which it has begun to call tax fraud.

The Risk Professional: "Clean Sheet" draft money laundering law proposed

In 2011, Compliance Complete published a series of articles titled "What's Wrong with Counter-Money Laundering Laws?".

The articles promised that the author, Nigel Morris-Cotterill, Head, The Anti Money Laundering Network, would subsequently supply a draft law designed to improve on existing legislation.

InfoTech: SD Association adds WiFi spec to data cards

The SD Association has announced "standardised wireless communication" is to be added to itsSD Memory Card Standards. It combines the convenience of Bluetooth with the expanded capability of WiFi network access.