Global Scans · Unknown unknowns · Weekly Summary

• A big wild card is the threat of President Donald Trump's tariffs, which could throw Canada into recession if imposed and force the Bank of Canada to cut rates further. financialpost
• While homeland missile defences in the past were limited-focusing on rudimentary ballistic missile threats posed by rogue states such as North Korea and Iran - the time has come to focus on limiting the missile threats to the U.S homeland from all actors. The Heritage Foundation
• If licensing only operates in some areas of England, rogue providers could simply move their business to unregulated areas and continue to take advantage of residents. GOV.UK
• Artificial intelligence could be used by rogue states such as North Korea, Iran and Russia to harm innocent people. The Guardian
• Rogue landlords in England will face restrictions on the amount of housing benefit they can receive if their properties fail to meet acceptable standards. The Guardian
• The incoming Trump Administration and geopolitics with the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war are the biggest wild cards for the world and economies in 2025. oilprice.com
• Canada will need a mix of safe bets and wild cards to play its hand right. The Hub
• A newly emerging variant called XEC is a member of the Omicron family but is a little bit more of a wild card with its rapid emergence on the COVID scene, going from 5% of total U.S. cases at the end of September to 17% one month later. Northeastern Global News
• Russia has now brought in troops from North Korea, a rogue state with nuclear ambitions, and has changed its 'nuclear doctrine' - the rules that govern when a nuclear strike is allowed. Daily Mail
• Pyongyang is the ultimate wild card: a nuclear power with a history of volatility and an ambition to unify the Korean Peninsula under its rule. Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative A
• German chancellor Olaf Scholz's Ukraine strategy has kissed goodbye to decades of Western nuclear deterrence and exposed Germany to blackmail from rogue states like Iran, a senior opposition figure has warned. The Telegraph
• Escalating tensions in the Middle East pose a serious threat to global oil supply, a wildcard that could influence not only the Loonie but also global inflation, monetary policy, and financial markets in the near term. Action Forex
• Pyongyang is seeking technology that could advance its satellite and nuclear-powered submarine capabilities, which could significantly advance North Korea's capabilities in areas the rogue regime has not fully developed. CNN
• Rogue nation threat actors pose a significant risk to the integrity of U.S. elections through cyber attacks aimed at undermining democratic processes. The Official Cybersecurity Summit
• The diffusion of AI technologies to non-state actors, rogue states, and cybercriminals poses grave risks to global security, potentially triggering unpredictable and uncontrollable chain reactions. Mad Scientist Laboratory
• The Wild Card membership is still the most affordable way to explore national parks and reserves in South Africa and Swaziland. News24
• The deployment of AI predictive tools, for example, would enable manufacturers' production departments and retailers to become proactive to changes in the global environment and to manage black swan events proactively, such as pandemics and geopolitical tensions that could disrupt supply chains. SpringerLink
• Researchers have speculated that additional distant worlds captured from interstellar space by the sun's gravitational pull, known as rogue planets, could also have moons. Live Science
• Iran has been labelled as a rogue and irresponsible state by the West, posing a serious threat to world peace. Eurasia Review

Last updated: 17 March 2025