Qld Major Party Leaders Set for Final Election Debate

US Hospitals Targeted in Wave of ‘Coordinated’ Ransomware Attacks

Hospitals and health-care providers across the United States have been hit this week by a coordinated attack from a ransomware gang that operates from Eastern Europe. Beginning Monday, six hospitals including facilities in Oregon, California, and New York were targeted in the space of 24 hours by hackers, with some using a type of ransomware known as “Ryuk” that locks up a victim’s computer until a payment is received. Analysts have said the group likely to be behind the attacks is known as Wizard Spider or UNC 1878. They warn that such attacks can disrupt hospital operations and potentially lead to loss of life. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a warning advisory (pdf) regarding the targeted attacks on Wednesday night, saying on Twitter that “there is an imminent…

Queensland’s major parties’ leaders will face off for the final time during the election campaign at the second leaders’ debate on Oct 30.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will again take on Liberal National Party leader Deb Frecklington, this time at the Queensland Media Club.

Unlike the Sky News/Courier-Mail debate earlier in the week, the leaders are expected to field tougher questions.

Palaszczuk was backed by 53 percent of the audience compared to 30 percent for Frecklington and 17 percent remaining undecided.

The premier’s strategy then was to attack the opposition leader over costings and she’s likely to continue that line of offence on Friday.

The LNP released their election costings on Thursday, revealing they would reallocate $3.1 billion from the public service to fund their election promises.

They would also dip into $4 billion in borrowings already made by Labor.

Opposition Treasury spokesman Tim Mander said his party’s election promises will only cost $5.05 billion over the next four years.

“We have plans that will immediately stimulate the economy and provide employment … but we also have long-term plans as well,” he said.

Palaszczuk is likely to continue her attacks on the LNP costings at the debate.

However, it may not even matter with many voters having already cast their ballots.

The Electoral Commission of Queensland said 440,000 postal votes had been returned and 950,000 had cast their ballots at pre-poll centres by Thursday afternoon.

That means at least 1.39 million or 44 percent of Queensland’s 3.3 million voters have already made their decision.

Both leaders are expected to go on a campaigning blitz over the final 48 hours before polls close.

Premier Palaszczuk is again heading to the regions on Friday afternoon.

Queensland polling day is on Saturday.

Marty Silk in Brisbane

 

Focus News: Qld Major Party Leaders Set for Final Election Debate

US Backs South Korean Candidate Throwing Spanner in WTO Leadership Race

Just six days before the U.S. election in which trade is a hot topic, Washington struck another blow at the WTO, which U.S. President Donald Trump has described as “broken” and biased towards China. The Trump administration has already paralyzed the WTO’s role as global arbiter on trade by blocking appointments to its appeals panel. Now it threatens to render it leaderless for weeks or months to come. The WTO itself has called a meeting for Nov. 9, less than a week after the election, by which time its General Council Chair hopes to have secured full backing for Okonjo-Iweala, a 66-year-old former finance minister and World Bank managing director. She is also a dual U.S.-Nigerian citizen. The decision needs to be approved by consensus, however, meaning any of the 164…