MILNEWS.ca Highlights + #UKR + #PS752 – February 4, 2020

• #IRQ-Middle East/#OpIMPACT
• “Canadian special forces troops back on the job in Iraq, says commander”
• “Iraq’s Political Elite Identify Consensus Candidate for Prime Minister-Designee” (ISW Blog)
• “En Irak, les campements de manifestants divisés sur le Premier ministre désigné”
• “Top U.S. military official slips into Iraq for talks to salvage relations”
• “Plan to Move Patriot Battery to Iraq on Hold amid Baghdad Government Turmoil”
• “(IRQ) Kurdistan Region PM warns about ‘great possibility’ of ISIS return”
  

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• “DIA says ISIS took advantage of Turkish invasion of northern Syria, Baghdadi death did not degrade jihadi group”
• “Killing ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi hasn’t hurt the terror group’s operations, Pentagon warns”
• “Lead Inspector General for Operation Inherent Resolve I Quarterly Report to the United States Congress I October 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019” (DoD OIG Report)
  

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• “France Repatriates 17 Kids of ISIS Parents From Syria, Iraq”
• “4 Russian Special Forces Officers Killed in Syria – Reports”
• “Islamic State stepping up attacks in Syria and Iraq: UN”
• “Syrian Kurdish-led authorities say they won’t abolish conscription system”
  

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• #Coronavirus
• MILNEWS.ca Coronavirus News/Information page
  

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• “Sajjan says military ready to support Canadians evacuated from Wuhan” (Globe and Mail)
• “Ottawa was caught off guard by coronavirus. Here’s how it scrambled to get Canadians out of China” (Toronto Star)
  

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• “Le décompte avant le rapatriement des Canadiens à Wuhan a commencé” (Radio-Canada.ca)
• “Canadians prepare for evacuation from China amid coronavirus concerns: ‘It’ll be nice to go home’ ” (Globalnews.ca)
• “Plane bringing Canadians back from Wuhan will make Vancouver pit stop” (Haida Gwaii Observer)
• “Cdns returning from Wuhan to be quarantined at CFB Trenton” (The Canadian Press, via Canoe)
  

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• “New presumptive case of novel coronavirus in British Columbia: health officer” (The Canadian Press, via Burnaby Now)
• “Visitors from Wuhan ‘certain’ to have infected Vancouver woman with coronavirus, making her British Columbia’s second patient” (South China Morning Post)
• “B.C. confirms second case of novel coronavirus in resident with family visiting from Wuhan” (Globalnews.ca)
• “Nouveau cas présumé de coronavirus en Colombie-Britannique” (TVA Nouvelles)
• “La Québécoise au cœur de l’épidémie du Coronavirus mise en quarantaine” (TVA Nouvelles)
  

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• “What you need to know about the Quarantine Act” (Toronto Star)
  

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• “Man claiming to have coronavirus forces plane to return to Toronto — Ontario man arrested, charged with mischief over apparent hoax …” (CBC)
  

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• “La Chine félicite le Canada pour son calme face au coronavirus” (TVA Nouvelles)
• “Coronavirus: China thanks Japan for ‘heart-warming’ support after lashing out at US” (South China Morning Post)
• “China blasts US for no help in virus fight” (CHN Communist Party media)
  

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• “Europe could consider US-style coronavirus travel ban, say ministers” (South China Morning Post)
• “American, United suspending U.S. flights to and from Hong Kong through February 20” (Reuters, via The Telegram)
• “Another group of Americans evacuated from China amid coronavirus outbreak” (CBS News)
  

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• “China says 24,324 infected with coronavirus” (Hong Kong media)
• “Coronavirus Cases Top 20,000 as Epidemic Spreads to Other Cities” (USA govt funded media)
• “Coronavirus: China’s death toll jumps 65, another record, to 490” (South China Morning Post)
  

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• “China Opens New Hospital as Death Toll From Coronavirus Rises” (USA govt funded media)
• “Wuhan builds 3 temporary hospitals for mild nCoV cases” (CHN Communist Party media)
• “China is using big data to track people with coronavirus” (Boing Boing)
  

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• “Huoshenshan Hospital starts operation” (CHN military media)
  

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• “Why Isn’t the Coronavirus Outbreak a Pandemic Yet?” (USA govt funded media)
  

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• “How the new coronavirus will finally get a proper name” (BBC News)
  

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• “No, Chinese authorities have not recorded 300,000 novel coronavirus cases (as of February 3, 2020)” (AFP Fact Check)
  

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• #CHN/Pacific Rim
• “US freedom of navigation patrols in South China Sea hit record high in 2019”
• “Japan Intercepts Chinese Military Aircraft 523 Times in 9 Months”
• “Competition in the South China Sea: Who will become the global hegemon?”
• “Russia Struggles With the Chinese Challenge”
• “Huawei and ZTE bans: Chinese tech giants urge US not to finalise national security risk labels”
• “Raytheon engineer arrested for taking US missile defense secrets to China”
• “American universities are a soft target for China’s spies, say U.S. intelligence officials”
  

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• The Koreas/#OpNEON
• “Diplomacy with North Korea: A Status Report” (USA Congressional Research Service report IF11415)
  

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• Russia-Baltics-Cold War 2.0/#OpREASSURANCE
• “Russia to react to US-NATO exercise Defender 2020 in Europe — Lavrov”
• “US Adds ‘Low Yield’ Nuclear Weapon to Its Submarine Arsenal”
• “National Threat Assessment presented” (LTU MoD)
• “Hacking leads to fake story claiming US soldier in Lithuania has coronavirus”
• “Russia Eyes Early Delivery of Advanced S-500 Air Defense System”
• “Russia Losing Information War to the West, Moscow Experts Say”
• “Forget About the F-35: Could Turkey Quit NATO?”
• “Russian Priests Should Stop Blessing Nukes, Church Proposal Says”
• “Russian Church mulls stop to practice of blessing nukes”
• “Draft document “On the blessing of Orthodox Christians for the performance of military duty” (Russian Orthodox Church, in Russian)
  

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• #UKR/#OpUNIFIER
• “OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) Daily Report 28/2020 issued on 4 February 2020”
• “JFO News. Security situation UPD for 7 AM (4 Feb 2020) (UKR MoD)
• JFO: МAP – 04.02.2020 (UKR NSDC)
• “Ukraine: Weekly Update from the OSCE Observer Mission at Russian Checkpoints Gukovo and Donetsk based on information as of 4 February 2020”
• “Weekly update of the situation in the operation area of the Joint Forces from 27 January to 02 February 2020” (UKR MoD)
  

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• “Kiev forces violate ceasefire once over 24 hours” (pro-RUS rebel info-machine)
• “Two Ukrainian soldiers wounded amid 12 enemy attacks on Feb 3” (UKR media)
• “Five houses damaged as Ukrainian forces shell Donetsk – JCCC” (pro-RUS rebel info-machine)
• “Two Ukrainian servicemen wounded amid 12 enemy attacks in Donbas in past 24 hours – JFO HQ” (UKR media)
• “Kiev army shells DPR seven times on Donetsk, Gorlovka axes over 24 hours, damage recorded” (pro-RUS rebel info-machine)
• “Russia-occupation forces attack Ukrainian positions near Maryinka, Krasnohorivka, Travneve, Novotoshkivske” (UKR media)
  

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• “Russia-controlled Luhansk militants seize mother of eight and force out “confession” ” (Human Rights in Ukraine, NGO)
  

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• “North Atlantic Council meets with Ukraine Defense Reform Advisory Board” (UKR media)
  

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• “All for all prisoner swap with Russia may take place, – Ukraine’s Foreign Minister” (UKR media)
• “Kiev hides detention of 149 persons in connection with Donbass conflict – Morozova” (pro-RUS rebel info-machine)
  

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• “Zelensky charges Security Service to deal with Gülen’s followers in Ukraine” (UKR media)
• “Ukraine to look into Gülen’s organization cells in its territory, Erdogan says” (UKR media)
  

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• “Text of Minsk agreements requires clarification – French envoy” (UKR Media)
• “Including Crimea issue in Normandy format may drag “negotiating ship” to bottom – French envoy” (UKR media)
• “Minsk agreement contains provisions requiring clarification – French ambassador” (UKR media)
• “Ukrain (sic.) down Minsk process, pursues own interests – German politician” (pro-RUS rebel info-machine)
• “French envoy’s calls for Minsk Agreements revision to complicate peace process – Nikonorova” (pro-RUS rebel info-machine)
• “There is no and should be no law on local elections in Donbas, – Parliament Speaker — Previously, President Zelensky claimed that the voting in Donbas would take place in autumn …” (UKR media)
• “Prystaiko not ruling out Normandy Four summit in mid-Feb” (UKR media)
  

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• “Terrorist leader Girkin says not to testify in MH17 trial” (UKR media)
• “Netherlands prosecutors indict four defendants in MH17” (RUS state media, in Russian)
• “Dutch prosecution serves charges on four MH17 defendants – media” (UKR media)
  

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• “German right-wing populists from AfD visit Russia-occupied Luhansk” (UKR media)
• “German far right come to ” LPR ” in Lugansk” (eurointegration.com.ua, pro-UKR media)
  

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• “Russia’s Unilateral Black Sea Aggression Elicits Protests From Ukraine, Georgia” (Jamestown Foundation)
  

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• #PS752
• “Intl response group for PS752 victims demands black boxes from Iran” (UKR media)
• “Readout: Call of International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of PS752” (Global Affairs Canada info-machine)
• “France ready to assist Ukraine with deciphering Boeing 737 black boxes, – French Ambassador” (UKR Media)
• “France ready to explore ‘black boxes’ of UIA if Ukraine asks for it – French ambassador” (UKR media)
• “Winging It: How A Lack Of Clear Rules Contributed To The PS752 Tragedy” (USA govt funded media)
  

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• Way Up North
• “Members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), the United States Department of Defense, and other partners met at 5 Wing Goose Bay from Jan. 20-22, 2020, to discuss the challenges of operating in extreme cold weather conditions …” (NORAD info-machine, via skiesmag.com)
• “Russia Accuses Norway of Restricting Its Activities on Arctic Islands”
• “Russia Wants Talks On Norway’s ‘Restrictions’ To Its Activities On Arctic Islands”
• “Russian Warships to Hold Missile Drills Near Norway’s Gas Pipeline to Europe”
• “We Are Not Looking to Bring Security Policy Issues Into the Arctic Council, Says US Official”
  

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• Internal Security
• “Federal IT systems at risk of ‘critical failure,’ Trudeau warned in memo”
• “Federal agencies mishandled sensitive documents more than 5,000 times last year”
  

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• What’s Canada Buying?
• “Saudi Arabia makes $665M payment on Canadian LAV contract”
• “On target: New Colt weapons set new standards for accuracy and reliability” (Canadian Army Today)
• “Canada Boosts Marine Surveillance”
• “CC-295 FWSAR Maintenance Trainer Arrives in Canada”
  

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• Veterans & Helping Veterans (or Not?)
• “Psychiatrist questioned about ‘red flags’ before Lionel Desmond’s release from hospital, inquiry hears”
• ” ‘A roof over my head:’ Tiny homes provide hope for homeless military veterans”
  

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• Other Military News
• “Media are invited to an event at Ottawa City Hall (tomorrow), where the 32 serving members and veterans of the Candian Armed Forces officially selected as Team Canada for the Invictus Games The Hague 2020 will be announced …” (DND info-machine)
• “Canadian soldier serving in a Tier 1 SOF unit kicked out of the military for theft” (SOFREP)

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