Biological Threats: Further Information

Newrisk Limited is available to advise organisations and governments on biological threats and Newrisk Limited and its principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, have previously provided media commentary, lectures, conferences and workshop exercises and written papers on this topic, examples of which are set out below. To return to the overview of Newrisk Limited's biological threat expertise, please click here.

To request Newrisk Limited's assistance in connection with biological threats, please contact Newrisk Limited directly.

Media Commentary

Newrisk Limited's principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, has provided media commentary on biological threats, including:

• Covid 19 Vaccination Research hacking UK, USA and Canada, for Morning Ireland, RTE Radio, Ireland, 17 July 2020;
  
• Covid 19, for Foreign Report Update, BBC World Service Radio, 9 March 2020;
  

• Covid-19: how, why and what next? Monocle Foreign Desk on 29 February 2020, Episode 321 https://monocle.com/radio/shows/the-foreign-desk/

  • Worldwide responses to Covid-19 have been robust: flight suspensions, travel restrictions and quarantines. There has already been a severe economic impact. The political impacts will take longer to become apparent. How are different governments responding? What have we learnt about what works and what doesn’t? How wary should we be of overreaction? Andrew Mueller is joined by Steve Tsang, Dr Chris Smith, Dr Sally Leivesley and Raffaello Pantucci

• Covid-19 Monocle 24 on 3 February 2020, The Globalist COVID-19 https://monocle.com/radio/shows/the-globalist/;

• Covid-19, Weekend programme, BBC World Service Radio, 23 February 2020 – News Review

• Covid 19, for Monocle, 14 February 2020;
  
  
• How should cities handle a crisis?appear for Monocle Radio The Urbanist on 30 January 2020,  Episode 433 Health emergency: the coronavirushttps://monocle.com/radio/shows/the-urbanist/433/
  • As the threat of the coronavirus spreads, we look at how our urban areas have coped when disaster has struck, be it terrorism, a health emergency, a natural disaster or a cyber attack, Security expert Dr Sally Leivesley on how urban areas are dealing with the coronavirus as more cases are confirmed outside mainland China.

• G8 Leader Options to Reduce World Terrorism, Conflict Resolution with Syria & Agreement not to pay Kidnap & Ransom Demands for BBC World NewsDay on 18 June 2013;
  
  
• Swine Flu and Business Risks for Sky News on 2 May 2009.

Lectures & Conference Papers

Newrisk Limited and its principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, have provided lectures & conferences on biological threats, including:

• 'Optimising Intelligent Systems for Competitive Advantage: Discussions on Singapore and an International Case Study of Systems Failures in Flight MH370'' - Key Note Lecture to the Chief Information Security Officers Conference in Singapore in November 2014;
  
  
• 'Strategic Threats in Cyber Space: Was MH370 the First Cyber Hijack?' - Key Note Lecture to the International Conference on Cloud Security and Management at the University of Reading (England) in October 2014;
  
  
• 'CBRNE/Cyber Terrorism: Technical briefing for ‘Exercise London' - Lecture for the Ministry of Defence, Terrorism Causes, Trends and Responses, Knowledge Transfer Programme at the University of Bradford, School of Social and International Studies in April 2013;
  
  
• 'Scientific Solutions for CBRNE Terrorism and Catastrophic Events with Reflections on Fukushima and Norway, Situational Awareness, Communications, Evacuation, Shelter, Risk' - Co-chair for the Permanent Monitoring Panel on Mitigation of Terrorist Acts at the 'Role of Science in the Third Millenium, International Seminar on Nuclear War and Planetary Emergencies', 45th Session in Erice (Italy) in August 2012.
  
  
• 'Permanent Monitoring Panel Report on Terrorist Acts' - Lecture to the 'Role of Science in the Third Millenium, International Seminar on Nuclear War and Planetary Emergencies', 45th Session in Erice (Italy) in August 2012.
  
  
• 'Water and CBRNE/Cyber Terrorism: Waterborne threats and sustainability of cities including unusual secondary and tertiary water contamination lessons from Fukushima' - Presentation to the 'Role of Science in the Third Millenium, International Seminar on Nuclear War and Planetary Emergencies', 45th Session in Erice (Italy) in August 2012.
  
  
• 'Taking Risk to the Next Level: An Inside Guide to Global Risks to 2012' - Keynote paper to the 8th ASIS International European Security Conference in Montreux (Switzerland) in April 2009: "This presentation discussed global recession, flu pandemic, global terrorism, energy availability and public confidence as the top five global risks, before specifically detailing the risks associated with the then current situation on flu pandemic."
  
  
• 'Avian Flu and Human Pandemic: Key Actions for Farms, Towns and Cities: A Discussion of Priorities for Rural Communities' - Paper to the Liberal Democrat Forum Conference (Fringe) in Brighton (England) in September 2006.
  
  
• 'Maximising Pandemic Survival in the Community: Social Networks, Media and Public Policy' - Paper prepared for the Permanent Monitoring Panel for the Mitigation of Terrorist Acts, World Federation of Scientists, at the 35th Session on Cultural Planetary Emergencies for the ERICE International Seminars on Planetary Emergencies in Erice (Sicily) in May 2006.

Workshop Exercises

Newrisk Limited and its principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, have provided lectures & conferences on biological threats, including:

• 'Exercise Pandemic' - Workshop exercise for the Corporate Executive Programme at the Global Risk Summit in Gleneagles (Scotland) in May 2006: in this workshop exercise, Newrisk Limited address the special characteristics of avian flu, provided a global risk assessment, identified the risks associated with travel and workplace interactions, highlighted the market risks, global economic impacts and political issues resulting from a pandemic and discussed partnerships for solutions to these impacts.

Publications

Newrisk Limited's principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, has written publications on biological threats, including:

• 'The Impact on the Business Community: Building Resilience against Chemical, Biological, Nuclear, Radiological, Explosives and Electronic Attacks' - by Dr Sally Leivesley in The Unlikely Terrorists by Rachel Briggs (Editor), November 2002, pp.31-42.

Newrisk Limited's principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, has written unpublished papers on biological threats, including:

• 'Britain and US Fear Syrian Chemical Weapons Could Fall into Hands of Extreme Islamist Groups' - by Kim Sengupta, Independent Online (8 January 2013): "The problems with biological agents, Dr Leivesley held, may start by accident rather than the design of either the regime or rebels. “Pathogens such as anthrax, plague, tularemia, botulinium, smallpox, aflotoxin, cholera, and ricin can become exposed by people stumbling across them in insecure bases. If this happens we have the real possibilities of pandemics which will be very difficult to control” she said. “Of course one must guard against being alarmist, but what is necessary is to get as much information as possible so that we can at least know what we are facing."
  
  
• 'Outstanding Questions on Pandemic Migration: A USA Case Example' (January 2007): This paper discusses time criticality of 5-10 days, being the crucial time periods for social distancing measures before flashover transmission removes options for government intervention or for public self-protection. Two studies based on different methodologies are discussed, which give information on the criticality of time for the RO rates (cross infectivity levels) and the criticality of population density (proxmity of people to each other).
  
  
• 'G8: A Global Economic Strategy for Avian Pandemic' (May 2006): This paper, written as part of the Corporate Executive Programme at the Global Risk Summit at Gleneagles, proposed that a Pandemic Standing Committee be formed as an economic initiative to support the survival of populations from avian pandemic.
  
  
• 'Solving the Pandemic Problem' - Paper submitted to the World Federation of Scientists, Permanent Monitoring Panel on Terrorism (May 2006).

Newrisk Limited is able to provide a variety of services to organisations and governments in connection with biological threats. To request one of these service, please contact Newrisk Limited directly.