The Life News Singapore. April 1, 2022

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Vol. 04 Issue 68 April. 01, 2022

South Korean defence planes collided with four dead TL Bureau, Seoul A couple of Air Force KT-1 mentor jets crashed in midair and crashed in southeastern South Korea Friday evening, killing four, authorities said.

The accident occurred around four miles from the air preparing base in the city of Sacheon, situated around 185 miles south of Seoul, the Air Force said in an explanation. The planes impacted only minutes in the wake of taking off.

Two understudy pilots and two flight instructors passed on in the accident, the Air Force said. There were no regular citizen losses, it added.

The Air Force is exploring the reason for the mishap and evaluating whether any property in the area was harmed.

The single-motor turboprop KT-1 essential coach is South Korea’s first airplane grew totally with local innovation. It was presented in 2000 by the private Korea Aerospace Industries and statesubsidiary Agency for Defense Development and has been traded to nations including Indonesia, Turkey, Peru and Senegal.

Friday’s episode follows the January crash of a F-5E contender fly into a mountain in Hwasong that left one Air Force pilot dead.

EU asked Chinese help to end war in Ukraine

TL Bureau, Brussels/Beijing

European Union authorities squeezed top Chinese pioneers to assist with finishing Russia’s conflict on Ukraine during a virtual highest point Friday with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping.

European Council President Charles Michel, talking with journalists in Brussels, said, “We approached China to end the conflict in Ukraine.

China can’t deliberately ignore Russia’s infringement of worldwide regulation.”

Worries about China’s arrangement with Russia have mounted since the attack of Ukraine started Feb. 24.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry explanation on Friday’s virtual gathering with the EU said that China “observes it profoundly lamentable that the circumstance in Ukraine has come to where it is today.”

“China’s situation on the Ukraine issue is steady and obvious. China generally remains in favor of harmony and reaches its determination

Courtesy: FT autonomously founded on the benefits of each matter,” the Chinese government articulation said.

“China calls for maintaining global regulation and all around perceived standards administering worldwide relations, acts as per the reasons and standards of the UN Charter, and promoters the vision of normal, exhaustive, agreeable and feasible security.”

China said it upholds EU endeavors toward a political settlement in Ukraine and experiences been empowering harmony talks.

China said it has sent supplies to European nations getting displaced people, giving different groups of crisis helpful help to Ukraine.

The Chinese government said the global local area ought to proceed with endeavors

to make ideal circumstances for harmony talks as opposed to “fan the fire and increase strains.” China put the Ukraine emergency on provincial security pressures in Europe that have developed throughout the long term.

“A basic arrangement is to oblige the genuine security worries of every single applicable party,” the Chinese government said.

emergency. 45 individuals were captured Friday morning. Sri Lankans are experiencing issues getting to essential supplies like food, gas to cook, meds and fuel.

Blackouts for up to 13 hours are occurring too.Sri Lanka has run out of unfamiliar money to pay for imported products. The Rajapaksa family controls Sri Lanka. The Finance Minister, Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister are the siblings of the president.

As per BBC News, the dissent at the president’s home started without viciousness. Police then utilized nerve gas and water cannons and started to beat individuals as per the dissidents. President Rajapaksa put the dissent on “outrageous components.” Political specialist and reporter Jayadeva Uyangoda let BBC News know that the monetary emergency is the finish of issues working for years and years.

Protest at Sri Lankan president’s home, Dozens injured

TL Bureau, Colombo

A dissent at the home of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa finished with wounds and captures as many individuals recited requests for him to leave in the midst of the nation’s demolishing monetary emergency. Almost 50 individuals were harmed as police utilized teargas and water gun against the horde of individuals fighting the public authority treatment of the

OCLC 1101190095

2 The guarantee of a helpful hall for regular people out of the conflict assaulted Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on Thursday hit a tangle when a caravan of transports made a beeline for the city was held up at different areas by the Russians.

Iryna Vereshchuk, Ukrainian priest of reintegration of briefly involved domains, said 45 transports shipped off get regular people were halted first in Vasylivka and afterward again outside of the town of Berdiansk. She said the deferral in moving the regular folks from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia put the settled upon departure into peril.

“Our errand is to open a philanthropic passage and assist individuals with making due, particularly regular citizens - - ladies, kids, the old,” Vereshchuk expressed, as indicated by CNN. “600 individuals emerged from [Berdiansk] to the transports and tomorrow first thing ought to leave for Zaporizhzhia. More than 30 transports are remaining at the entry to Berdiansk city [in advance of going on to] Mariupol and [then back to] Berdiansk [the at long last deliver] occupants to Zaporizhzhia.” restricted truce in Mariupol should give great many Ukrainians abandoned there an exit plan.

The Kremlin had consented to the truce to permit many transports to get the regular folks. A compassionate hallway permitting their departure was likewise important for the arrangement and was laid out from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia through Berdiansk.

Various past efforts to guarantee safe entry for Ukrainians have fizzled, which has made a few authorities in Kyiv suspicious of Moscow’s expectations. Vereshchuk likewise blamed the Russian powers for taking 12 transports brimming with compassionate guide, including food and medication, that was intended for regular folks in Melitopol.

“This is the cost for the concurred halls and for the

In Russia limited ceasefire but Ukrainian civilians still hostage

Red Cross’ ensures that the hallways will be given and working,” she said. “We are haggling for the transports to be returned and for the Melitopol occupants tomorrow to clear utilizing these transports.” She said 50 private vehicles and one transport loaded with kids left the town of Enerhodar on Thursday and showed up in Zaporizhzhia. Taking all things together, 1,458 individuals showed up in Zaporizhzhia in their own vehicles Thursday. Not long after the truce was to produce results Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky communicated his questions about Russia in a public location and said that Russian powers are really developing in eastern, dissenter locales of Ukraine, known as the Donbas. In a location to the Australian Parliament Thursday, Zelensky pursued for more guide as reinforced vehicles and corrective assents against Moscow-something that various countries have previously done. In the interim, Russian powers heightened the battling on Thursday on the edges of the capital Kyiv, driving some to conjecture that Russian President Vladimir Putin is utilizing the truce to permit his soldiers to refocus. Russian powers have been met with firm Ukrainian opposition since the attack started Feb. 24.

Dispossessed family members are seen Thursday during the

burial service of Ukrainian servicemen who kicked the bucket in the Russian conflict, in the west Ukrainian city of Lviv. Photograph by Mykola Tys/EPA-EFE Ukrainian authority David Arakhamia expressed moderators from the two nations are supposed to continue talks basically on Friday. The latest harmony talks, early this week, were held face to face in Turkey.

Those talks at first gave promising signs as Moscow promised to “decrease military movement” in specific pieces of Ukraine. In any case, Ukrainian authorities, including Zelensky, have since said that Moscow isn’t doing anything unique.

In a different location late on Wednesday, Zelensky said that overcoming Russia on the war zone - - not arranging a nonaggression treaty - - will

editorial

be the best way to end the conflict.

“We want harmony, however it will come just when we will have a solid situation on the war zone,” he expressed, as per the Kyiv Post. “Our soul is solid, we are adequately unequivocal, however we really want assistance now.”

On Thursday evening, a rocket strike harmed a social place in Ukraine that was being utilized as a tactical military quarters close to focal Kharkiv. The rocket obliterated left vehicles and close by structures.

The United Nations said recently that the quantity of Ukrainian displaced people escaping their country has outperformed 4 million.

“For this philanthropic activity to succeed, we propose to do it with the immediate investment of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross,” Russia’s safeguard service said Thursday, as per the Economic Times.In the interim, France and Germany have both dismissed an interest by Russia for purchasers to pay Russian rubles for Russiancreated gaseous petrol - - a strategy that would facilitate a portion of the approvals against Moscow and enhance the Russian money.

The European nations’ refusal sets up a monetary and energy deadlock, with Putin taking steps to end gas supplies in the event that they are not paid in the Russian money.

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world

Exercise Cold Response 22 Love me not: human traffickers earned tests NATO Allies and partners up to EUR 1 800 per day per victim

Suspects busted in Romania and the UK for human trafficking manipulated their victims with serious physical threats against them and their families back home

TL Bureau, Bucharest

TL Bureau, Oslo NATO Allies and partners are proving themselves against the extreme elements in the north of Norway during Exercise Cold Response 22.

During the long-planned exercise, troops are required to push through demanding terrain against anentrenched simulated opposing force, all while coping with cold,

wet and windy conditions. The exercise area stretches north from the coastal fjords near Narvik to Bardufoss, where NATO Allies frequently conduct cold-weather training.

More than 30,000 troops from 27 NATO Allies and partners have gathered in northern Norway for the drills, which started in early March and will continue until end March.

Annika Strandhäll launches SwedenUS Green Transition Initiative

TL Bureau, Washington D.C.

Cooperation between countries at the forefront of sustainability and green technology will be key to the green transition. In addition, cooperation in this area creates new jobs both in Sweden and abroad. The Sweden-US Green Transition Initiative (GTI) will bring together Swedish and US stakeholders, including in the energy sector.

“I’m sure this initiative will contribute to increased cooperation between our countries in a concrete way, and create new decent jobs that reduce climate emissions,” says Minister for Climate and the Environment Annika Strandhäll.

The joint initiative is being

launched by Business Swedish, the Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova and the Swedish Embassy in Washington, and will bring all their efforts together. The GTI will become a nodal point for Swedish and US companies, agencies, researchers and other partners, and create opportunities for Swedish companies to expand in the US market. It is hoped that the initiative will lead to further investments in Swedish smalland medium-sized enterprises, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and to Sweden leading the green transition.

The GTI will initially run for three years and have a staff of four. It will establish an office in Washington and a satellite office in Silicon Valley, California.

The Romanian Police (Poliția Română) and the United Kingdom Intelligence Directorate, supported

by Europol and Eurojust, dismantled a criminal network involved in human trafficking for sexual exploitation and money laundering.

The suspects were also involved in other criminal activities including aggravated property crime and drug trafficking.

The action day on 29 March led to: 18 house searches (11 in Romania and 7 in the UK); 14 suspects (4 in Romania and 10 in the UK) were subject to judicial measures; Four victims, most of whom were Romanian nationals, identified in the UK; Seizures included several mobile phones, drugs, weapons, 48 bullets of different calibres, over EUR 60 000 in cash and 20 credit cards.

Criminals earned up to EUR 1 800 per victim per day Active since 2020, the criminal network lured vulnerable Romanian females into prostitution in the UK. The members of the network promised victims employment or relationships, and targeted individuals from poor backgrounds seeking a way to earn money to send back home to support their families. Young and impressionable, many of the victims met the Romanian males via social media platforms and believed they had a romantic relationship with them.

Once tricked, the female victims were forced into prostitution. The members of the criminal network controlled their behaviour by taking their documents and money and threatening to harm or kill their family members and children back

in Romania. It is believed that the criminal network was earning up to EUR 1 800 per day per victim. The large amount of criminal proceeds generated was transferred back to Romania via cash couriers. The investigation suggests that more than 100 females have become victims of the criminal network since 2020.

The lover boy trick The lover boy technique is widely used by criminals to recruit victims confronted with economic and social hardship. The suspects target their victims’ vulnerabilities and seduce them with expensive gifts and promises of a better life abroad.

This is the reason many women leave their families in search of

love and new opportunities in other countries. However, once they find themselves in their new home, they are forced into prostitution to earn money for their handler. The victims are lured with affection, violence and threats against them and their families back home.

Europol coordinated the operational activities, facilitated the exchange of information and provided analytical support. On the action day, Europol deployed an expert to Luton, United Kingdom to cross-check operational information in real time and support the investigators on the ground.

Eurojust set up a joint investigation team (JIT) between the United Kingdom and Romania in 2021 to coordinate the judicial cooperation.

The government will drop the mask obligation when the risk level for the spread of the coronavirus falls to the medium or yellow level TL Bureau, Stenbock House Today, the members of the government made a decision in principle to drop the obligation to wear a protective mask in Estonia when the risk level for the spread of the coronavirus has fallen from the current high level to the medium level. After that, the obligation to wear a mask will be replaced with a recommendation to wear a mask in crowded public indoor spaces, especially for people at risk. “We have seen many times how insidious and consistent this virus is. Therefore, we must be sure that the time is right

for any easing of COVID-19 restrictions,” said Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. “The scientific council recommended that the obligation to wear a mask could be dropped when the risk level for the spread of the coronavirus falls to the medium or yellow level. Today, we adopted this decision in principle with the government.

It is likely that the risk level will fall to the yellow level as early as next week. The recommendation to wear a mask in crowded indoor spaces and on public transport, especially for people at risk, will remain in force. In the meantime, I urge

everyone to be careful, wear a mask, and get vaccinated. The coronavirus has not disappeared and is still contagious.”

According to the Minister of Health and Labour Tanel Kiik, the downward trend of the virus continues, which allows to ease the restrictions. “The spread of the coronavirus and the burden on hospitals are on a clear downward trend. The easing of the restrictions in February and March has not led to an increase in the spread of the virus, so we can move on to the next steps. I think it is sensible to replace the requirement to wear a mask indoors with a

recommendation to do so.

People must still make sure that they are not infected and get vaccinated on time.

Disinfection requirements and dispersion rules will also be replaced with a recommendation when the risk level for the spread of the coronavirus has fallen to the medium level.

Today, the risk level for the spread of coronavirus in Estonia is high, which corresponds to the colour orange in the risk matrix. As at this morning, the average number of infections in the last seven days was 1,139.4 and the average number of new people in need of hospital

treatment for COVID-19 in the last seven days was 32.3. To reach the yellow risk level, the average number of infections must be less than 1,500 and the number of new people in need of hospital treatment must be less than 30.

As at the morning of 31 March, there are 306 patients infected with the coronavirus in hospitals, 145 of whom require hospital treatment for severe COVID-19. During the day, 37 new cases were opened in hospitals, of which 16 required hospitalisation for COVID-19.

Yesterday, eight people infected with the coronavirus died.

4

world

Russia blocks decision on the mandate extension of OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine: UK statement to the OSCE, 31 March 2022 UK Ambassador Neil Bush calls out Russia for blocking the decision to extend the mandate of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.

TL Bureau, London Thank you for your update on the situation around the extension of the mandate of the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.

We are grateful to you and to the Secretary General for the efforts that you have made to maintain the Mission. We are also grateful to the Chief Monitor and all members of the Mission for the dedication that they have shown over the last 8 years, this includes in the days and weeks since Russia’s premediated, unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine.

As we have said before, the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) is the eyes and ears of the international community in Ukraine. Our dedicated monitors

Mr Chair have been an embodiment of the vital role the OSCE can play in keeping us all secure and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude. We mourn the losses of Joseph Stone from 2017 and Maryna Fenina this year and offer our condolences to

their friends and families.

Sadly, we are not surprised at the approach taken by our Russian colleagues. Disappointed, but not surprised.

Russia’s campaign to undermine the role of the OSCE in Ukraine

has been long in the making and has grown in intensity. Over recent years, they have picked away at the ability of the Special Monitoring Mission to operate; critically undermining the Mission’s freedom of movement, levelling unjustified criticisms at the Mission and making demands of the Mission which were unfulfillable. Last year, Russia unilaterally closed the OSCE Border Observation Mission.

The Russian government clearly fears impartial, facts-based reporting.

We heard here today a poorly disguised attempt to shift the blame for the failure to extend the Mission’s mandate onto others.

Making untrue allegations of bias and referring to a change in the

security situation in Ukraine entirely of Russia’s making, does not absolve them of full responsibility for not extending the Mission’s mandate.

Mr Chair, we will continue to offer you our full support as we work to find a way forward that will ensure that the Mission is able to complete its work in an orderly manner.

I would like to recall the UK’s position, expressed many times in this room, that we condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s premeditated and unjustified invasion of Ukraine and offer our solidarity and support to the people and government of Ukraine.

I ask that this statement be attached to the journal of the day.

Council updates EU fishing Hong Kong’s Diminishing Freedoms rights for 2022 to reflect agreement with UK TL Bureau, Washington D.C.

TL Bureau, Brussels The Council has adopted a regulation updating the EU’s fishing rights for 2022 to incorporate the agreement reached with the UK in December 2021. The regulation sets out the final total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for member states in the Atlantic and North Sea, taking into account fish stocks subject to bilateral consultations. Changes to the previous year’s TACs were agreed with the UK in line with scientific advice, and include: a 53% decrease for Norway poutin the North Sea a 62% decrease for sprat in the English Channel from 1 January – 30 June a 70% increase for plaice in the waters around southern Ireland (divisions 7h, 7j and 7k) a 92% increase for whiting in the waters west of Scotland (division 6a) a 50% increase in the by-catch for northern prawn in the North Sea, to avoid a choke situation In addition, the regulation sets the fishing opportunities for anchovy in the Bay of Biscay. The final TAC of 33 000 tonnes is divided between Spain (29 700 tonnes) and France (3 300 tonnes). This update also includes the fishing opportunities for sandeel in the North Sea (divisions 2a, 3 and 4), which were established following consultations with the United Kingdom. Based on ICES advice, the quota allocated to the EU

for 2022 will be 86 303 tonnes.

Moreover, the temporary EU quota for codin Spitzbergen (Svalbard) of 4 500 tonnes has been extended until the end of April. This is to ensure that fishing of this stock can continue, pending a common understanding with Norway for the whole of 2022.

Finally, this amendment to the regulation on fishing opportunities takes account of the results of consultations that took place within certain Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs), such as the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC).

Establishing the final TACs and quotas for 2022 This regulation marks the final step in the annual process of setting fishing opportunities in EU and non-EU waters. It follows on from the political agreement on TACs and quotas reached at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 14 December 2021, which was implemented as Regulation (EU) 2022/109. As consultations with the UK were not concluded until 21 December, the initial agreement set out provisional TACs and quotas for relevant stocks under shared management.

The present regulation amends Regulation (EU) 2022/109 to take account of the agreement reached with the UK.

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State Over the past year, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has continued to dismantle Hong Kong’s democratic institutions, placed unprecedented pressure on the judiciary, and stifled academic, cultural, and press freedoms. As the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to Beijing approaches, Hong Kong’s freedoms are diminishing while the PRC tightens its rule.The differences between Hong Kong and cities in mainland China are shrinking due to ongoing

repression from the PRC. This year’s Hong Kong Policy Act Report document’s actions taken by leaders in Hong Kong and the PRC that have further eroded both democratic institutions and human rights, and profoundly impaired independent media operations and freedom of expression.

These policies have far-reaching implications for all aspects of life in the city, including for the international business and financial communities. Sweeping arrests of Hong Kong residents, as well as the forced closure of institutions including Apple Daily and the June 4 Museum, underscore the scope of these

deeply damaging changes. In response to heightened risk and uncertainty, some international firms in Hong Kong have relocated entirely, while others have shifted key staff or operations elsewhere.

Beijing will ultimately force many of the city’s best and brightest to flee, tarnishing Hong Kong’s reputation and weakening its competitiveness. Hong Kong’s position as a free, global financial center will continue to suffer as a result. A fully functioning civil society, rule of law, and individual liberties form the bedrock on which vibrant societies grow.

We stand with people in Hong Kong.

Government’s proposal on pay subsidy reform sent out for comments TL Bureau, Helsinki

The Government wants to simplify the rules on pay subsidy and thereby increase the use of pay subsidy, especially by companies.

The increase in the use of pay subsidy aims to promote the employment of people in a vulnerable labour market position and to raise the employment rate.

The reform’s goal is to reduce the bureaucracy related to pay subsidies by simplifying the pay subsidy system. Making the system more predictable and speeding up the granting and payment process would encourage employers, especially companies, to hire more unemployed jobseekers with pay subsidy.

A new employment subsidy is proposed for people aged 55 or over.The long-term employment impact of the reform is estimated

at 500–1,000 people.

Restrictions proposed to those who can receive pay subsidy The system would be simplified by restricting the pay subsidy to promote the employment of those unemployed jobseekers who are disadvantaged or disabled workers referred to in the EU state aid rules (General Block Exemption Regulation).

In future, pay subsidy could be granted to the following groups to promote their employment: those aged 15 to 24 years those aged 50 years or over those with just a basic education immigrants, and those who have not been in paid employment for at least six months, as well as those with reduced capacity for work. Pay subsidy could also be granted for the payroll costs of unemployed jobseekers who are in apprenticeship training.

Changes proposed to conditions of pay subsidy As a rule, the granting of pay subsidies would be based on the lack of professional skills, as before. In order for a person who has been without work for less than a year to be employed with pay subsidy would still require that, based on an assessment, unemployment would be prolonged without pay subsidy.

With regard to a disability or illness, the subsidy would be granted for the first time on the grounds that a permanent disability or illness of the jobseeker makes it very difficult for them to access the open labour market. In contrast to the current practice, the assessment would not consider the nature of the work tasks. However, the continuation of the subsidy in the same employment relationship would be assessed on the basis of the work tasks, as now.

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Singapore

NEW BOARD CHAIRMAN APPOINTED TO THE GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY AGENCY TL Bureau, Singapore City The Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) announced today the appointment of Mr Leong Weng Keong Joseph as the chairman of Government Technology Agency’s (GovTech) Board. He takes over from Mr Ng Chee Khern, who has served as GovTech’s chairman since October 2016. Mr Leong is Permanent Secretary (Smart Nation and Digital Government Group) and holds two other appointments as Permanent Secretary (Communications and Information), and Permanent Secretary (Cybersecurity), Prime Minister’s Office. His concurrent appointments will bring greater synergies to the development of our Digital Government, Digital Economy, and Digital Society, and strengthen our digital infrastructures and cybersecurity regime as we chart the next course for Smart Nation. Mr Leong joined the Singapore Armed Forces in 1990 and served in the Republic of Singapore Navy for 24 years. He held various key appointments including Director of Military Intelligence and Chief of Command, Control,

Commander of the Royal Brunei Navy Makes Introductory Visit to Singapore TL Bureau, Singapore City

The Commander of the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) First Admiral (FADM) Dato Seri Pahlawan Spry bin Haji Serudi @ Haji Seruji called on Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) this afternoon. During their meeting, Dr Ng and FADM Dato Spry reaffirmed the close and long-standing bilateral defence relationship between Singapore and Brunei. FADM Dato Spry, who is in Singapore from 29 March to 1 April 2022 for his introductory visit, also called on Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Melvyn Ong and inspected the Guard of Honour at MINDEF earlier today. As part of his visit, FADM Dato Spry visited RSS Singapura - Changi Naval Base yesterday, where he called on Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Aaron Beng and was briefed on the conduct of operations and capabilities of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)’s Sentinel-class Maritime Security and Response Vessels (MSRV), on board the MSRV Bastion. FADM Dato Spry’s visit underscores the close and long-standing bilateral defence relations between Singapore and Brunei. The RSN and the RBN interact regularly through bilateral exercises and passage exercises such as Exercise Pelican, crossattendance of courses, professional exchanges and visits.

Communications, Computers and Intelligence. From 2014 to 2019, he was Director in the Security & Intelligence Division. Thereafter, Mr Leong was Permanent Secretary (Defence Development), MINDEF, and concurrently, Second Permanent Secretary, MCI. Mr Leong is also currently Chairman, Defence Science Organisation National Laboratories. His previous board appointments include Defence Science and Technology Agency, Singapore Technologies Engineering and the Housing & Development Board.

The management of SNDGG would like to extend its appreciation to Mr Ng Chee Khern for his invaluable contributions. As GovTech’s founding Chairman, Mr Ng was instrumental in setting up the necessary foundations and structures for GovTech to achieve its mission of “Engineering Digital Government, Making Lives Better”. He provided strong focus to GovTech in establishing clear frameworks and outcomes to enable the delivery of digital services to benefit citizens, businesses, agencies and public officers, and in transforming the organisation and workforce for sustainable growth.

POFMA Office issues warning to woman for COVID-19 falsehood

TL Bureau, Singapore City

The POFMA Office has issued a conditional warning to a 47-year-old Singaporean woman for making a statement knowing or having reason to believe that it is false and likely to harm the public interest.

On 14 August 2021, she made a false statement on Facebook that a three-yearold pre- schooler had passed away from COVID-19 at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), and that the death was deliberately not reported. The falsehood caused public alarm and ran counter to efforts to combat the COVID-19 virus. On 15 August 2021, a POFMA direction was issued to Facebook to carry a Correction Notice to all Facebook users in Singapore1 to inform them of the falsehood. For facts of the case, please refer to the Factually article “Corrections and Clarifications Regarding Falsehoods on alleged death

Extension of Measures to Enhance Singapore’s Energy Security and Resilience

TL Bureau, Singapore City

The Energy Market Authority (EMA) will be extending its measures to safeguard Singapore’s energy security and resilience until 30 June 2022 in view of the global energy crunch and the conflict in Ukraine.

EMA will monitor the situation and consider extending the measures further if necessary, depending on the global energy situation and its impact on Singapore. Developments in the Global and Domestic Energy Sector The world has been facing an energy crunch since September 2021. Global gas prices had increased significantly due to high demand and tight gas supply. The conflict in Ukraine has further exacerbated the risk of disruptions in gas and oil. Around 95% of Singapore’s electricity is generated from imported natural gas.

The surge in global energy prices will lead to substantially higher costs of electricity generation.

The impact is most immediate on the 1% of consumers who buy electricity directly from the Singapore Wholesale Electricity Market (SWEM). However, over time, most consumers will have to face higher electricity bills when they renew their electricity contracts, or in the case of regulated tariff consumers, during the quarterly tariff adjustments.

Extension of EMA’s Measures to Secure our Energy Supply and Stabilise Energy Market While we cannot shield consumers from higher electricity prices, it is vital that the global volatility does not disrupt our electricity supply and

impair the functioning of our energy market. Since October 2021, EMA has put in place a set of measures to secure Singapore’s energy supply, and ensure the orderly functioning of the wider energy sector: a. Established a Standby LNG facility (SLF), which generation companies (gencos) can draw from to generate electricity when their natural gas supplies are disrupted. b. Directed gencos to maintain sufficient fuel for power generation, based on their available generation capacity[1] for power generation.

This is in addition to the existing requirement of having fuel reserves that gencos are required to maintain under their licences. c. Modified Market Rules to enable EMA to direct gencos to generate electricity using the gas from the SLF pre-emptively, if there are potential shortages in energy supply in the SWEM, to maintain power system security and reliability.

These measures have helped to ensure sufficient fuel and electricity supply, and stabilised the Uniform Singapore Energy Price (USEP) to around the cost of electricity production – an average of $350/ MWh in 1Q2022, compared to an average of $460/MWh in 4Q2021. In the coming months, further increases in fuel prices may increase the cost of electricity production and thus, USEP. Since January 2022, EMA has also worked with electricity retailers and gencos to help large consumers[2]secure fixed price plans and retail contracts with significant fixed price component through the Temporary Electricity Contracting Support Scheme (TRECS).

of three-year-old girl from COVID-19” at https://www. gov.sg/article/factually150821.

Investigations revealed that she had concocted the falsehood based on hearsay from an acquaintance. She was aware that no such death of a preschooler had been reported and yet went ahead to post the falsehood. Investigations also revealed that she had taken steps to evade identification by using a social media account with a fictitious name to post the false statement, and further falsely represented that she “[had] permission from [the] girl’s mummy to post on FB”.

Online falsehoods that sow public confusion affects lives and harms society.

The Government takes a serious view of the deliberate communication of these false statements.

1 For facts of the case, please refer to the Factually article “Corrections and Clarifications Regarding Falsehoods on alleged death of three-year-

old girl from COVID-19 at https://www.gov.sg/article/ factually150821 After considering all aspects of the case, the POFMA Office issued a 24-month conditional warning to the woman. If she reoffends during this period, she can be prosecuted for the original crime. An offence under section 7 of the POFMA carries a fine of up to $50,000, an imprisonment term of up to 5 years, or both.

Correction directions are POFMA’s primary tools that require a notice next to the original post, with a link to Government’s clarifications.

The clarification sets out the facts without the original post being removed. Readers can therefore read both the original post and the facts.

Since POFMA took effect in Oct 2019, the majority of cases where POFMA has been invoked involve COVID-19 falsehoods. Statistics on POFMA cases are available on the Website.

CCCS AWARDS RESEARCH GRANT TO NUS TEAM FOR STUDY ON GREENWASHING IN ONLINE MARKETING TL Bureau, Singapore City The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (“CCCS”) has awarded a research grant1 to Prof. Lawrence Loh, Director, and Ms. Yvonne Yock, Research Associate, of the National University of Singapore (“NUS”) Business School, Centre for Governance and Sustainability for their research project titled “Promoting Best Practices in Online Marketing: An Examination of Greenwashing in Singapore”. 2. Greenwashing refers to misleading claims about the environmental benefits of products. This includes ambiguous claims of products being eco-friendly or sustainable in the absence of evidence, the display of ecolabels that are not affiliated with any accredited organisation and withholding negative environmental information about products to give the guise of environmental friendliness.

The research project will identify the prevalence and types of greenwashing in Singapore, focusing on ecommerce websites that are widely visited by Singapore residents. The research aims to inform policies regarding advertisement and consumer protection so that companies can avoid greenwashing and consumers will less likely fall

prey to greenwashing. Prof.

Loh said, “As Singapore and the world advance in the pursuit of sustainability, it is critical for business entities to furnish accurate disclosures for the stakeholders. This is particularly pertinent for consumers who often do not have resources to verify the information. Our funded project on greenwashing and corporate marketing will set the baselines which may guide good business actions, consumer choices and policy formation.”

3. The CCCS research grant, worth a total of S$50,000, attracted a total of 3 proposals.

The proposals were evaluated by an academic evaluation panel comprising: Ms. Sia Aik Kor (Chief Executive, CCCS), Prof. Julian Wright (Lim Chong Yah Professor, Department of Economics, NUS), Prof. Klaus Wertenbroch (Novartis Chaired Professor of Management and the Environment, INSEAD), A/Prof. Burton Ong (Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, NUS) and A/Prof. Chang Young Ho (Head, Business and Management Minors, School of Business, Singapore University of Social Sciences).

1 CCCS invited researchers to submit proposals on the topic of “Sustainability, Competition and Consumer Protection in Singapore” in its research grant call on 17 September 2021.

6

MALAYSIA & NEARBY

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CONTINUATION OF INTERMITTENT LANE CLOSURES ALONG JALAN IPOH (KUALA LUMPUR BOUND AND KEPONG-BOUND) NEAR KOMPLEKS MUTIARA, Date: 01 April 2022 – 30 April 2022 Time: 10:00pm – 6:00am Date: 01 April 2022 - 30 April 2022 Time: 10:00pm – 6:00am; 10:00pm – 10:00am

CONTINUATION OF INTERMITTENT LANE CLOSURES ALONG JALAN IPOH (KUALA LUMPUR BOUND AND KEPONG-BOUND) NEAR KOMPLEKS MUTIARA Date: 01 April 2022 - 30 April 2022, Time: 10:00pm – 6:00am; 10:00pm – 10:00am

7

BUSINESS

Jairo González speaks at “Dominicana Getting back to business: Commonwealth Bank Inteligente: Tech Talk Event 2022” on advances in Blockchain and FinTech technologies presents SmallBiz-Week The CEO of the Harvest Trading Cap business group will New industry data shows small businesses have sights set on growth this year.

TL Bureau, Parramatta

Commonwealth Bank is pleased to partner with the Australian Business Forum (ABF) to present the inaugural SmallBiz-Week – a major business event which will bring together thousands of business owners, government agencies and industry leaders in Melbourne from 17-19 May 2022.

As face-to-face networking returns, new industry data* shows small business owners are planning ahead, with 40 per cent concentrating on growth over the next twelve months.

Those industries most focused on growth are Retail (52 per cent), Manufacturing and Agriculture (50 per cent), Transport, Wholesale and Utilities (46 per cent) and Professional Services (40 per cent).

There is renewed optimism in the sector with more than a third of SMEs (35 per cent) believing economic conditions will continue

to improve. Over the next three months, nearly half of all SMEs (47 per cent) plan to purchase new office equipment and invest in their businesses more broadly, spending on number of staff employed (24 per cent), capital investment (22 per cent) and marketing (22 per cent).

CBA Group Executive, Business Banking, Mike Vacy-Lyle said it’s pleasing to see renewed confidence in the sector, as small businesses play an important role in the ongoing strength of their local communities and the broader Australian economy.

“CBA is excited to be the Naming Sponsor of this year’s SmallBizWeek, which will be a significant and meaningful event on the small business calendar. We are looking forward to the energy that comes from having thousands of business owners come together to connect, engage and learn face-to-face.”

FSO - Sharp 13.3% rise in Swiss retail trade turnover in February 2022 – also due to low pandemic-related figure of the previous year

TL Bureau, Neuchâtel

Turnover adjusted for sales days and holidays rose in the retail sector by 13.3% in nominal terms in February 2022 compared with the previous year. This sharp increase can partly be explained by the low

figure for February 2021, when COVID-19 protective measures were reintroduced. Seasonally adjusted, nominal turnover rose by 0.4% compared with the previous month. These are provisional findings from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

FSO - Consumer prices increased by 0.6% in March 2022

TL Bureau, Neuchâtel The consumer price index (CPI) increased by 0.6% in March 2022 compared with the previous month, reaching

103.0 points (December 2020 = 100). Inflation was +2.4% compared with the same month of the previous year. These are the results of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

launch its own Fintech and Blockchain ecosystem

TL Bureau, Miami As part of the celebration of Dominicana Inteligente: Tech Talk Event 2022 organized every year by the prestigious Mercado Magazine, the CEO of the Dominican firm Harvest Trading Cap, Jairo Gonzalez MA, spoke about the imminent adaptation of traditional markets to an investment model through new Blockchain and FinTech technologies.

International financial markets expert Jairo Gonzalezhighlighted the advances in financial investment that the world has experienced.

“It is very important to know that FinTechs provide a world of investment, without the need to own a traditional company,” Gonzalez explained.

During his presentation titled “Generating resources through new Blockchain and FinTech technologies” he reviewed the evolution that financial assets

have had, from the origin of money to new digital assets, such as cryptocurrencies and NFTs. “Money has had a steady evolution over time. People have moved away from cash and now we are entering Blockchain and FinTech technology. That gives us a new way to generate resources,” said Jairo Gonzalez during his participation.

On the other hand, Jairo Gonzalez revealed that it will launch its own Fintech and Blockchain ecosystem, where all the necessary technological platforms converge so that users in the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean, Central America and the rest of the world can invest, manage and monetize their investments.

The central idea of Harvest Trading Cap is to create its own Fintech and Blockchain ecosystem that will allow Dominicans to grow and develop. These platforms will be interconnected with each other and investors will be able

to securely monetize the profits acquired. Recently Harvest Trading Cap also created the first Dominican music studio with NFT technology, which will become a music player that will compete with the most popular music streaming platforms.

The event, which seeks to promote knowledge and the impact of technologies on society worldwide, was attended by leading experts on new technologies, cybersecurity, business, artificial intelligence, FinTech, among other interesting topics.

The activity served to analyze the current Dominican financial landscape and its contrast with the economies of the region, seeking viable improvements in line with global financial trends, with a view to creating business opportunities specialized in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence in business, financial technologies (FINTECH), smart cities and other business areas.

GCP Announces Asia Pacific Price Increase on all construction products

TL Bureau, Singapore City

GCP Applied Technologies Inc. (NYSE: GCP) (GCP or the Company), a leading global provider of construction products, today announced it is implementing price increases for Concrete Admixtures, Cement Additives and Specialty Building Materials in Asia Pacific. To continue providing the exceptional solutions GCP’s customers rely on, at the levels of service they require, it is necessary to increase prices for all construction products effective April 1, 2022.

“The global supply chain impacts

on raw material and freight costs have been unprecedented over the past nine months and costs are not expected to subside in the near future. We have continued to increase our inventory levels to service our customers’ needs, and added freight capacity to ensure timely delivery. We are committed to provide customers with the highest-performing products and industry-leading technical service.

GCP’s regional sales team will contact our customers individually to discuss the details of the price increase,” commented Jimmy Ho, GCP’s President of Asia Pacific Region.

About GCP Applied Technologies GCP Applied Technologies (NYSE: GCP) is a leading global provider of construction products that include high-performance specialty construction chemicals and building materials. GCP partners with producers, contractors, designers and engineers to achieve performance and sustainability goals. The company has a legacy of first to market and award-winning solutions that have been used to build some of the world’s most renowned structures. GCP is focused on continuous improvement for its customers, end-users and the environment.

FXCM February Single Share & Stock Baskets Report TL Bureau, Sydney FXCM Group, LLC (“FXCM Group’ or ‘FXCM’), the leading international provider of online foreign exchange trading, CFD trading, cryptocurrencies and related services, is today releasing its data of most popular instruments for the month of February in its Single Share CFD and proprietary Stock Basket product lines.

FXCM offers fractional single share trading with no commission fees* on leading companies from the US, UK, France, Germany, Hong Kong and Australia.

FXCM’s stock basket products combine the shares of multiple companies from one sector into a single tradeable instrument.

The company currently boasts a portfolio of 16 stock baskets. The list of companies and weightings is available on FXCM’s stock basket website (https://www.fxcm. com/au/stock-baskets/).

The top of the most traded stocks in February saw little change, but the bottom part of the list contains some bolters. EV company Rivian’s continual steep decline caught the attention of FXCM traders as they try to catch some

of the action of a company that only a few months ago was trading above $170 but has declined over $100 since December. Last month also saw the return of Google and Pfizer to the top ten.

On the stock basket side, Crypto Stocks continues its steady rise up the ranks since its recent product launch, largely at the expense of the Chinese-focused baskets, which have declined to their lowest positions since inception. But it was the drastic rise of pandemic impacted baskets WFH and Travel that catches the eye, as the global restriction from

the Omicron variant diminishes and traders try to ride the wave of the potential impact on the respective baskets.

Past Performance and popularity is not an indicator of future results.

Rank is derived from FXCM Client Volume *FXCM can be compensated in several ways, which includes but are not limited to adding a mark-up to the spreads it receives from its liquidity providers, adding a mark-up to rollover, etc. Commission-based pricing is applicable to Active Trader account types.

8

FEATURE

Egypt and Nigeria medicines regulators achieve high maturity level in WHO classification and WHO launches list of regulatory authorities that meet international standards TL Bureau, Geneva Today, WHO announced that Egypt’s and Nigeria’s medical products regulatory agencies had reached maturity level 3. This means that these national bodies have been found to function well and that they could be eligible for inclusion into the transitional WHO Listed Authorities, a list that will comprise the world’s regulators of reference – that is, regulatory authorities that should be globally recognized as meeting WHO and other international standards.

Egypt has reached maturity level 3 for vaccines regulation (locally produced and imported) and Nigeria for medicines and imported vaccines. The two countries join Ghana and Tanzania as effective regulatory systems on the African continent. Several other African regulators are currently under assessment.

WHO’s assessment of regulatory authorities is based

on the ‘Global Benchmarking Tool’ – an evaluation tool that checks regulatory functions against a set of more than 260 indicators – covering core regulatory functions such as product authorization, testing of products, market surveillance and the ability to detect adverse events – to establish their level of maturity and functionality.

Regulatory authorities that reach maturity levels 3 and 4 will be eligible for inclusion among WHO-listed authorities, after additional evaluation of their performance. The benchmarking of Egypt and Nigeria’s regulators was carried out by a WHO-led team of international experts.

In February and March 2022, WHO conducted a formal evaluation of the authorities and found them to perform well against most of the indicators in the Global Benchmarking Tool.

The importance of regulatory oversight for local manufacturing Egypt and Nigeria were also chosen in February

2022 as recipients of mRNA technology from the WHO mRNA Technology Transfer Hub. Effective and efficient regulatory oversight is critical to efforts to boost manufacturing capacity as they ensure that medical products entering the market are safe, effective and produced according to international quality standards.

“Egypt and Nigeria have come a long way to improve their regulatory work and performance,” said Mariangela Simao, WHO Assistant Director General for Access to Health Products. “Given that medical products regulatory oversight and manufacturing must work in tandem, this is very good news for access to quality health products on the African continent.”

Regulation of medical products is extremely important for all health systems and for access to quality vaccines, medicines and other health products.

Apart from ensuring the

quality, safety and efficacy of medical products, regulatory authorities that function well also perform critical functions such as faster authorization of products and safety monitoring after authorization.

Fewer than 30% of the world’s regulatory authorities are considered fully functioning and operational. For that reason, WHO has intensified efforts to bolster the capacity to regulate medical products in all regions.

WHO listed authorities WHO today also announced a transitional WHO-Listed Authorities (WLAs) list. The introduction of a framework for designating and publicly listing a regulatory authority as a WLA aims to provide a transparent and evidence-based pathway for regulatory authorities to be globally recognized as meeting and applying WHO and other internationally recognized standards and guidelines, as well as good regulatory practices.

The designation of a regulatory

authority as a WLA is intended to promote access and the supply of safe, effective and quality medical products. It also encourages the optimal use of limited resources by facilitating reliance on the work and decisions of mature and advanced agencies in the decision-making of other regulatory authorities, the WHO Prequalification Programme, and procurement bodies.

The transitional WLA combines pre-existing lists of Stringent Regulatory Authorities for medicines, highly performing regulatory authorities for vaccines, Regional Reference Authorities for medicines and vaccines in the Americas (AMRO/PAHO), national regulatory authorities operating at maturity levels 3 and 4, and vaccine producing countries with functional regulatory authorities. The WHO Listed Authorities framework will come into full effect pending successful pilots later this year.

Appeal for USD 128 Million to Support Rohingya Refugees and Local Communities in Cox’s Bazar IOM continues the infrastructural work to improve sites, in addition to stabilizing slopes. IOM/Abdullah Al Mashrif

TL Bureau, Cox’s Bazar

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is appealing for USD 128 million in support of 1.4 million refugees and host community members in need at Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar District.

Since the influx in 2017, over 900,000 Rohingya have sought temporary refuge in Bangladesh, where the protracted crisis is now entering its fifth year.

While the Government of Bangladesh and the local and international community have been providing immediate humanitarian assistance from the onset, the needs are immense and meeting them is dependent on continued support until the Rohingya are able to voluntarily return to Myanmar in a safe, dignified and manner.

IOM continues to provide basic daily requirements to the refugees in a highly complex operation, thus it is imperative for life-saving assistance to continue.

“Even as we face other pressing humanitarian crises elsewhere in the world and continue to grapple with the pandemic, the world must not forget the Rohingya refugees,” said IOM Director General, António Vitorino. “We

must continue to advocate for sustainable solutions in Myanmar that would eventually facilitate their voluntary and dignified return home. In the meantime, we continue to work together to ensure that they are safe and are able to live in dignity.”

IOM’s appeal is part of the Joint Response Plan (JRP) for Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis , encompassing 136 UN agencies and NGOs, 74 of which are Bangladeshi organizations. The humanitarian actors are collectively seeking to raise more than USD 881 million through the JRP, launched on Tuesday with the Government of Bangladesh.

The humanitarian community

reiterated the need for continued support and financial assistance for the refugees in Bangladesh to ensure that they are not forgotten, amid emerging crises around the world. For IOM, healthcare is a major area of focus. Additional funding will enable IOM to maintain its network of community health workers, along with the 49 primary and secondary healthcare centers that it runs or supports.

Together these centers provide over 100,000 consultations per month with some operating as COVID-19 vaccination sites, supporting the Government of Bangladesh’s rollout of vaccines for refugees over the age of 18. Basic health is also dependent on access to clean water

and sanitation. IOM is providing access to latrines and clean water, reaching almost 300,000 people on a daily basis. This includes running the largest solar-powered water treatment and distribution facilities in a humanitarian setting, together with wastewater treatment and solid waste management.

The need for new and better-quality shelters remains high. Support is needed to continue infrastructural work to improve sites, in addition to stabilizing slopes and continuously improving living conditions.

This work also entails providing accessways, drains and lighting in public spaces.

To protect the most vulnerable – especially women and children who account for over 75 percent of the population – IOM works at both the individual and community level to mitigate the risks of gender-based violence, abuse, child neglect and human trafficking. More funding is needed for Child Friendly Corners that offer children a place to interact in safety, and Women and Girls Safe Spaces designed to improve women’s access, and participation.

Every month IOM supports in delivering alternative sources of fuel to more than 96,000 households for cooking, contributing to food

security while also reducing the environmental impact. Bamboo is the most widely used material in the camps, and over 700,000 bamboo poles have been processed through the IOM-run Bamboo Treatment Facility - the largest of its kind.

Treating bamboo poles reduces pest damage and lengthens the bamboo’s lifespan, while also minimizing pressure on forests and ensuring cost efficiency.

“Along with the Government of Bangladesh and our partners, IOM will continue to support the Rohingya until they can safely return to Myanmar, said Fathima Nusrath Ghazzali, Officer in Charge at IOM Bangladesh.

“This appeal is a critical element of the humanitarian community’s ongoing response, and the organization is grateful to its donors for their continued support and engagement.”

IOM’s Global Crisis Response Platform provides an overview of IOM’s plans and funding requirements to respond to the evolving needs and aspirations of those impacted by, or at risk of, crisis and displacement in 2022 and beyond. The Platform is regularly updated as crises evolve, and new situations emerge.

9

life and real estate

New AI-Driven Algorithm Can Detect Autism in Brain “Fingerprints” Early, definitive detection of autism in patients could lead to timelier interventions and better outcomes.

By Adam Hadhazy, California

Six year old boy works with a doctor during a session Stanford scholars have created an algorithm that uses functional magnetic resonance imaging scans to find patterns of neural activity in the brain that indicate autism. iStock/mmpile Stanford researchers have developed an algorithm that may help discern if someone has autism by looking at brain scans. The novel algorithm, driven by recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), also successfully predicts the severity of autism symptoms in individual patients. With further honing, the algorithm could lead to earlier diagnoses, more targeted therapies, and broadened understanding of autism’s origins in the brain.

The algorithm pores over data gathered through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans. These scans capture patterns of neural activity throughout the brain.

By mapping this activity over time in the brain’s many regions, the algorithm generates neural activity “fingerprints.” Although unique for each individual just like real fingerprints, the brain fingerprints nevertheless share similar features, allowing them to be sorted and classified.

As described in a new study published in Biological Psychiatry, the algorithm assessed brain scans from a sample of approximately 1,100 patients. With 82% accuracy, the algorithm selected out a group of patients whom human clinicians had diagnosed with autism.

Read “Robust, Generalizable, and Interpretable AI-derived Brain Fingerprints of Autism and Social-communication

Symptom Severity” “Although autism is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders, there is so much about it that we still don’t understand,” says lead author Kaustubh Supekar, a Stanford clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and Stanford HAIaffiliate faculty. “In this study, we’ve shown that our AI-driven brain ‘fingerprinting’ model could potentially be a powerful new tool in advancing diagnosis and treatment.”

Unlike many other diseases, autism lacks objective biomarkers—telltale measurements that reveal a medical condition’s presence and sometimes severity— meaning there is no simple test for the disorder. Instead, diagnosis is based on observing patients’ behaviors, which are naturally highly variable and thus make diagnosis a challenge.

(Common signs of autism include difficulty navigating everyday social interaction, deficits in communicating and learning, and repetitive speech and motions.)

“We need to create objective

biomarkers for autism,” says Supekar, “and brain fingerprints get us one step closer.” Combining Big Data and XAI Scientists have long searched for biomarkers via fMRI scans. Yet studies to date with small populations have reported conflicting results, stemming from natural variability in patients’ brains and confounded further by differences in fMRI machines and testing methods. Like many scientific fields, autism research has embraced the big data approach, Supekar says, where previously unobtainable insights emerge from analyzing large, statistically powerful samples.

Supekar’s new study is a case in point, pooling brain scans from medical centers worldwide into a mammoth, demographically and geographically diverse dataset.

The next step was to effectively parse and deal with the data complexity and variability.

Supekar and colleagues thought a good place to start would be image recognition algorithms, developed by technology companies. These algorithms have grown increasingly

sophisticated at handling significant degrees of variability in the images they assess.

For example, Supekar says, imagine an algorithm designed to identify cats and dogs in online images. That algorithm must contend with the animals being photographed from different angles and distances, as well as nimbly account for the ranges of colors and features among breeds. “For image recognition AI to be successful, it doesn’t matter if my 5-year-old took the picture or someone with an award in photography—the algorithm has to work in both cases,” says Supekar. “The same kind of heterogeneity you get in pictures of cats and dogs, you get in brain scans, too.”

In deriving their imagerecognition algorithms, Supekar and colleagues sought to make the artificial intelligence explainable, or understandable to human researchers. Researchers in recent years have focused on crafting explainable AI, or XAI, in contrast to conventional AI systems that might produce quality results but not in readily apparent ways.

“A challenge has been that AI algorithms can be a ‘black box,’ where we can’t explain where the accuracy of the algorithm comes from,” says Supekar. Taking the cat-versus-dog example model again, researchers would want to know if the algorithm is picking over the animals’ facial features or neck sizes, say. For the brain fingerprinting algorithm, Supekar and colleagues fashioned a simple mathematical model that assesses brain regional interactions and interconnectivity. In this manner, the XAI algorithm alit upon three brain regions exhibiting significant differences in interconnectivity in a groupable

portion of the dataset.

Lending credibility to the XAI algorithm’s findings, those three brain regions have been previously implicated in autism pathology. The regions are the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus, which form part of the default mode network (DMN), notably active during periods of wakeful rest; the dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, involved in cognitive control; and the superior temporal sulcus, involved in processing the sounds of human voices. In particular, disruptions to the DMN served as strong predictors of autism symptom severity in the studied population.

Earlier the Better While the XAI algorithm performed admirably at this early stage of development, Supekar and colleagues will need to improve its accuracy further still to raise brain fingerprinting to the level of a definitive biomarker.

The researchers intend to explore the algorithm’s efficacy in sibling studies, where one sibling has autism and the other does not, to hone the ability to detect finetuned, yet critical differences between potentially very similar brains. Supekar envisions brain fingerprinting being used to assess the brains of very young children, perhaps as early as 6 months or a year old, who are at high risk of developing autism.

Earlier diagnosis is critical in achieving better outcomes, with therapies proving more effective when introduced while patients are still toddler-aged versus later in childhood “We hope that the approach demonstrated in our study could diagnose autism during the window of opportunity when interventions are maximally most effective,” says Supekar.

TOURISM ENJOYS STRONG START TO 2022 WHILE FACING NEW UNCERTAINTIES

TL Bureau, Madrid

International tourism continued its recovery in January 2022, with a much better performance compared to the weak start to 2021. However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine adds pressure to existing economic uncertainties, coupled with many Covidrelated travel restrictions still in place.

Overall confidence could be affected and hamper the recovery of tourism.

Based on the latest available data, global international tourist arrivals more than doubled (+130%) in January 2022 compared to 2021 - the 18 million more visitors recorded worldwide in the first month of this year equals the total increase for the whole of 2021.

While these figures confirm the positive trend already underway last year, the pace of recovery in January was impacted by the emergences of the Omicron variant and

the re-introduction of travel restrictions in several destinations. Following the 71% decline of 2021, international arrivals in January 2022 remained 67% below prepandemic levels.

Europe and Americas perform strongest All regions enjoyed a significant rebound in January 2022, though from low levels recorded at the start of 2021. Europe (+199%) and the Americas (+97%) continued to post the strongest results, with international

arrivals still around half pre-pandemic levels (-53% and -52%, respectively).

The Middle East (+89%) and Africa (+51%) also saw growth in January 2022 over 2021, but these regions saw a drop of 63% and 69% respectively compared to 2019. While Asia and the Pacific recorded a 44% year-onyear increase, several destinations remained closed to non-essential travel resulting in the largest decrease in international arrivals over 2019 (-93%).

10

SPORTS

NFL-USO TOUR TO TAKE PLACE IN ALASKA

BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team enters final phase of preparations for 2022 season of Andrew Beck, Demetric Felton Jr., and Kenny Moore II visit the FIM EWC with tests at Le Mans.

U.S. Troops and Families as Part of NFL’s Salute to Service

TL Bureau, New York Denver Broncos fullback/tight end ANDREW BECK, Cleveland Browns running back DEMETRIC FELTON JR., and Indianapolis Colts cornerback KENNY MOORE II, will embark on a weeklong, National Football League (NFL) – United Service Organizations (USO) tour to Alaska to visit U.S. troops and their families at military bases, the NFL announced today.

This USO tour resumes the annual trips after the COVID-19 pandemic had paused them for two years.

An extension of the NFL’s Salute to Service, this year’s NFL-USO tour will visit an Army base, Air Force base, and Space Force station, with a focus on seeing an array of base activities, including unit visits, one-on-one meetings for mission briefings, and visits with the Security Forces K-9 Unit.

Additionally, each of the players will have the opportunity to spend time with service members and their families, having the unique experience to see a day in the life of our Nation’s heroes.

“We are proud to partake in another tour with the USO and NFL players, especially after the pandemic had halted our ability to do so the past two years,” said NFL Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility Anna Isaacson. “The NFL has made a longstanding commitment to supporting the military and we are grateful to be able to give back to those who sacrifice so much for our freedom.”

For over 50 years, the NFL and USO have worked together to support the military by connecting them to family, home and country

throughout their service to the nation. In 1966, the NFL teamed with the USO and became the first sports organization to send players on a tour to Vietnam and other parts of the Far East. Participation has spanned across generations—more than 250 NFL players, coaches and executives, including TERRY BRADSHAW, DREW BREES, BILL COWHER, LARRY FITZGERALD, CAMERON JORDAN, VON MILLER and JASON WITTEN, have traveled on USO tours to 27 countries to thank more than 100,000 service members.

“Whether we are teaming up with the NFL to assemble USO Care Packages, opening or renovating centers around the world, or participating in a USO tour to boost the morale of the military community, for more than 50 years, the NFL has partnered with the USO as a Force Behind the Forces,” said USO CEO and President, J.D. Crouch II. “The USO is grateful for the NFL’s continued support and dedication to keeping our Armed Forces connected to family, home and country.”

In addition to tours both overseas and domestically, the NFL, through its Salute to Service initiative, has partnered with the USO to express gratitude to the Armed Forces and to bring communities of fans and supporters together to give more than thanks to the military.

Leveraging American football as the cornerstone of the partnership, the USO and NFL honor, empower and connect service members and military families. Through support of USO center expansions, most recently USO Lakenheath this past

November, holiday programming and a variety of other events and activations, the NFL helps to deliver sports, entertainment and gaming to troops called to serve missions around the world.

For more information on the USO, please visit uso.org.

About Salute to Service: Salute to Service is the NFL’s year-long initiative to honor, empower and connect our nation’s service members, veterans and their families. Since 2011, this effort has raised more than $51 million for military and veteran support organizations, such as the Bob Woodruff­ Foundation (BWF), Pat Tillman Foundations (PTF), Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), United Service Organizations (USO) and Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP). For more information on Salute to Service, visit www.nfl.com/causes/salute About the USO: The USO strengthens America’s military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation. At hundreds of locations worldwide, we are united in our commitment to connect our service members and their families through countless acts of caring, comfort and support. The USO is a private nonprofit organization, not a government agency. Our programs, services and entertainment tours are made possible by the American people, the support of our corporate partners, and the dedication of our volunteers and staff. To join us in this important mission and learn more about the USO, please visit USO.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

New ASOIF paper highlights IF role and the importance of the solidarity model of organised sport

TL Bureau, Lausanne

The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) today released a position paper titled “The solidarity model of organised sport in Europe and beyond - A stable platform for collaboration”, aimed at contributing to a better understanding of the role International Federations (IFs) play in the global organisation of sport, and to a more informed debate on its future. Primarily addressed to public authorities in Europe and beyond, sport organisations and the business sector, this paper was developed against the backdrop of ongoing discussions at European level on how to best safeguard values-based sport while IFs regularly face challenges to their operations, including proceedings and lawsuits in various territories.

In particular it aims to provide a proactive and constructive response to the Resolution on the key features of a European

Sport Model recently adopted by the European Union’s Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council.

The Resolution asks the sport movement to support the key features of a European Sport Model which reflects the worldwide solidarity model of organised sport.

It also calls upon the sport world to further explore and continue ongoing discussions with all stakeholders and acknowledge the diversity of approaches and new developments across different types of sport, in line with valuesbased organised sport. ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said about the new position paper: “In our ever-changing world, the relevance of sport keeps growing.

Every day, new stakeholders become involved in the sport sector. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it renders the role and activities of IFs, and the Olympic Movement at large, more complex.

This situation also makes it more urgent to safeguard the values of the solidarity model of organised

sport while still embracing progress and new ideas. I am convinced that the two can go hand-in-hand.”

He emphasised: “However, public authorities, sport organisations and the world of business must all work together if we want to tap the full potential of sport. Our paper aims to go beyond declarations, setting out solutions that we believe are fast, solid and sustainable.”

The document explains the role and diversity of IFs as worldwide governing bodies of their respective sports; it outlines the solidarity model of organised sport and details its key features; and it looks at other models of sport organisation, recent trends and developments which keep transforming the world of sport, providing both opportunities and challenges. The proposed framework at the end of the paper contains clear commitments on how IFs, public authorities and commercial entities can work together efficiently, expanding on the recent reflections of the European institutions and beyond.

TL Bureau , Le Mans.

The countdown is on to the start of the 2022 season of the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC). BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team has started the final phase of preparations with two days of testing at Le Mans (FRA). The team and its four riders Markus Reiterberger (GER), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR), Jérémy Guarnoni (FRA) and Kenny Foray (FRA) worked their way through an intensive testing programme with the #37 BMW M 1000 RR. Over the winter break, BMW Motorrad Motorsport and BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team made further optimisations to the #37 BMW M 1000 RR in many areas. This improved the performance of the engine and optimised fuel consumption, which is key in endurance racing. There have also been innovations in terms of suspension, brakes and cooling.

These various areas were evaluated in-depth during testing at Le Mans.

The 2022 season of the FIM EWC gets underway with the renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA) over the Easter weekend (16th/17th April). The 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) is scheduled for 4th/5th June, and the 8 Hours of Suzuka (JPN) returns to the FIM EWC calendar on 7th August. The Bol d’Or at Le Castellet (FRA) will be held on 17th/18th September. A fifth race event is being planned.

Quotes after the Le Mans test.

Werner Daemen, Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “It was a really good test.

We almost went through our full test programme. We did one very fast lap time but as always we mainly focused on long distance tests and we found everything we were looking for. We just had some minor technical issues that we could solve for the race weekend. We still have some small things to do in the free practice just before the race but in general I am happy with everything, including our new rider and new team members. The bikes were really well prepared by the technical crew – better than ever! Together with our tyre partner Dunlop and BMW power we are very happy and I think we are very well prepared for the race.”

Jérémy Guarnoni: “It has been really two good days of testing because we got some dry action

but also rode in the wet. So we could try the bike in absolutely all conditions and that is really important in view of a 24-hour race. The bike was good in the wet and we have a great pace also in the dry. We still have some work to do, especially to prepare for the fast lap time in qualifying where we still have a lot of potential.

Overall, I am happy with this test and I think the package riders, team and motorcycle can fight for the win. We just need to work a little bit more during race week and try to do our best.”

Markus Reiterberger: “It was great to be back at the race track with the entire team after the winter. It also was nice to ride the bike with what I think is the most stunning design we have ever had. Is has been two productive days. As expected, the weather was changeable but we were able to ride more in the dry than we thought. We started our test program yesterday in the dry, tested many parts and got mileage on them. We did a lot of set-up work overnight and were able to confirm that with a good feeling this morning in mixed conditions.

We were always at the front on rain tyres, intermediates and slicks. But we didn’t go chasing times and then it started raining hard at the end. But we were at the forefront there, too. We have great pace and a good base to fight for victory here at Le Mans. We only have a few small things to work on, but we’ll use the time until the race. We definitely have a lot of potential and I’m looking forward to a great time in a few weeks.”

Ilya Mikhalchik: “It was a good test. Regarding the weather, we had all conditions, with wet, intermediate and dry so we could test things under all conditions.

I felt quite good on the bike and we also made some steps from last year, especially in race trim so we are well prepared. Maybe we were not the fastest at this test but this is not the main thing at the moment. Now I am looking forward to return to Le Mans for the race weekend in a few weeks. We keep working and try to do our best.”

Kenny Foray: “The test was a good preparation for the 24-hour race and the season. There have been many further developments on the bike and it was good that we were able to try them in all conditions.

It has been busy two days and we learnt and confirmed a lot.

11

tech/auto

Bugatti Rimac to Open New Berlin Design and Engineering Hub

TL Bureau, Molsheim

A new engineering and design center in Berlin will be a focal point of the future of Bugatti Rimac. Achim Anscheidt, recently appointed Design Director at Bugatti Rimac, will work hand-in-hand with CTO Emilio Scervo between Berlin and Zagreb to develop the next generation of Bugatti and Rimac hypercars.

Newsroom Achim Anscheidt, recently appointed Design Director at Bugatti Rimac, will work hand-in-hand with CTO Emilio Scervo to develop the next generation of Bugatti and Rimac hyper sports cars.

As two of the world’s most renowned hypercar manufacturers embark on an all-new era under the Bugatti Rimac joint company, a new innovation hub in Berlin expands its European footprint. Focused on the design and engineering of future Bugatti Rimac technologies and products, the Berlinbased team will work hand-in-hand with colleagues at the Bugatti Rimac HQ in Zagreb, overseen by newlyannounced Bugatti Rimac Design Director, Achim Anscheidt, and Bugatti Rimac CTO, Emilio Scervo.

While the Headquarters of Bugatti Rimac remain in Zagreb with the majority of employees and future expansion building-up in Croatia, this new Berlin hub operates under a new German subsidiary company, Bugatti Rimac GmbH. It houses not only design and engineering teams, but also other Bugatti Rimac functions, including Procurement, Finance, Program Management,

IT, Legal and Marketing that work hand-in-hand with their colleagues in Croatia and in Molsheim. It is very deliberately chosen as one of the most vibrant, creative and innovative areas of Germany.

For decades, Berlin has thrived as a city that nurtures start-ups and rewards outlandish ideas. To this day, it remains an epicenter for artists and designers, as well as technology start-up businesses and incubators.

It is the ideal platform from which to nurture the new engineering and visual identity of future Bugatti and Rimac vehicles under Bugatti Rimac.

The Group’s global headquarters is located near Zagreb, Croatia, and will transition to the brand-new, €200M, 100,000m2 Rimac Campus. Bugatti will maintain its production facilities in Molsheim, France, where it will continue to manufacture its cuttingedge hypercars. To forge the next chapter of automotive history as a multinational company, Bugatti Rimac combines Rimac’s unique agility, in-house technical expertise and innovative drive with Bugatti’s

expansive heritage, engineering excellence and unique design will create the next generation of sector-defining hypercars. Together, Achim Anscheidt, Chief Designer and Emilio Scervo, CTO of Bugatti Rimac, will assemble the kind of forward-thinking minds necessary to develop the future of the world’s leading hypercar business. Positions are already available for Concept Chief Engineer, Head of High-Voltage Systems and Components, Head of Fine Mechanics, as well as design roles with specific focus on interior, exterior and VR. Adriano Mudri, previously Director of Design of Rimac Automobili, is becoming the Director of Design of a future mobility-focused sister company to Rimac, developing next-generation vehicles that will be revealed at a later point. Mate Rimac, CEO at Bugatti Rimac, said: “Bugatti Rimac GmbH is an exciting new expansion of the business. This new subsidiary will be deeply involved in many exciting hypercar projects that we are very much looking forward to sharing with

the world. Our team is expanding day by day, and Bugatti Rimac GmbH represents an opportunity for the very best in the industry to join us, demonstrate their skills, and be part of a company that’s re-defining the hypercar.”

Achim Anscheidt Achim Anscheidt, Director of Design Bugatti Rimac Achim Anscheidt, Design Director at Bugatti Rimac, said: “From the inception of the Veyron to the end of the Chiron era, this legacy will mark one chapter of the Bugatti story but now we are preparing for an all-new era with Bugatti Rimac.

With the opening of our new Berlin office, we’re preparing to evolve this story towards new innovative horizons, with a fresh design direction that reflects the cuttingedge electrification technology pioneered by Rimac Group. It is of utmost importance for us to preserve the stylistic DNA of a Bugatti, however our characterizing design identity continues to be authenticated by the means of form following performance. With new electrified technologies, our design focus will change by necessity, ushering in a proportion perfectly honed to both the excitement of the combustion engine and the instantaneous power of the electric drivetrain. I am also very excited to help evolve the Rimac brand and design DNA, which, in a relatively short time, has already received global recognition.”

Emilio Servo Emilio Scervo, CTO Bugatti Rimac

Emilio Scervo, CTO at Bugatti Rimac, said: “The Veyron and Chiron were of the same family but now we have the opportunity to establish a new lineage as part of the Bugatti Rimac era.

With the world-leading performance electrification expertise, pioneered in the Rimac Nevera, and the unrivaled combustion engine innovation of the Chiron, the possibilities for unleashing new levels of ability and performance are almost endless. Working hand in hand with Achim will enable us to deliver engineering works of art; a modern synthesis of beauty and performance, emotional engagement and engineering prowess. “Our aim is to pursue the best materials and the latest technologies, but also the finest and boldest minds, and with our new facility in Berlin we believe we have the infrastructure in place to deliver on this fascinating challenge.”

About Rimac Group The Rimac Group, led by CEO Mate Rimac, is majority shareholder of Bugatti Rimac and the sole stakeholder of Rimac Technology.

The Group brings together the most advanced hypercars in the world with a globally renowned team developing high performance electrification, autonomous and software solutions for the world’s largest OEMs. Rimac is based on the outskirts of Zagreb, Croatia, with locations around Europe, and currently employs more than 1,300 people. From 2023, the Rimac Group will be headquartered at a new state-of-the-art 200,000 m2 Rimac Campus, large enough to accommodate over 2,500 people.

STEM students share ‘2022 Forbes Idea Incubator Challenge’ experience TL Bureau, New York

Every March, we come together to celebrate Women’s History Month – a time for each of us to recognize the impact of women’s cultural, political and social achievements around the world, while also acknowledging the continuing challenges and roadblocks that hinder gender equity and justice.

On February 26, Audi of America and Forbes came together to host the fifth Forbes Idea Incubator, a one-day event that challenges female students from NYU Tandon School of Engineering to work together to think critically and help develop potential solutions to pressing problems. This year’s challenge asked participants to develop a tool, application, product or technology that can address the bias female consumers often experience in their car buying journey. In honor of Women’s History Month and the Idea Incubator, we connected with this year’s participants to hear more about what the event means to them, experiences that helped them throughout the challenge, and more.

Audi Soul: How would you describe your experience with the Forbes/

NYU Idea Incubator? Any key impressions?

Kaitlin Cohen, Forbes Idea Incubator 2022 first place winner: The Idea Incubator was the perfect level of competition to foster innovative ideas to help combat the challenge at hand.

As an aspiring future entrepreneur, it was a great opportunity to practice the ideation phase of a future business endeavor. Having just met my team on the day of the event, it was gratifying to see a group of talented women come together to produce a presentation, catered toward helping other women. My team and I weren’t anticipating the victory, so my favorite memory has to be when the judges announced us as winners, and we all turned on our zoom screens in complete shock.

Shrudhii Kundu, Forbes Idea Incubator 2022participant: I absolutely love taking part in the Idea Incubator! I really like how we are given real-world problems to help solve that can affect us directly. I also love getting input from all the mentors because they are very knowledgeable and always give insightful advice. One thing I’ve taken away from doing this is that the sky is the limit and there

is nothing I can’t do.

Audi Soul: What does this event mean to you as a woman in STEM? Kayla Krieger, Forbes Idea Incubator 2022participant: It’s a great experience to be able to hear female leaders from various industries and work with fellow women students in STEM to propose solutions addressing real and complex challenges faced by women today. It’s definitely valuable to have an event that embraces and encourages the female perspective, experience, and ideas on major issues.Dorothy Akpovwa, Forbes Idea Incubator 2022participant: I think it’s important to have conversations about sexism and gender bias. This event meant a lot to me as a woman in STEM because it feels like I’m making a change in my community. I’m so glad we are having conversations about these things. Audi Soul: Did any of your personal experiences effect how you approached the challenge prompt? Cree Manning, Forbes Idea Incubator 2022participant: This year’s challenge was to address pain points women experience while car shopping. I was able to contribute my personal experience while shopping for my first car last year. As I solely

shopped in dealerships for cars, I have also unfortunately experienced gender bias that many other women face today in their car buying journey.

With my firsthand experience, I was able to contribute ideas for a solution that could potentially conquer the gender bias women face in dealerships. I, along with the rest of my team, suggested that the car buying process could be smoother if there were a way women could shop for a vehicle anonymously, hence our solution inCARnito! Audi Soul: Why is it important to you to have more women represented in STEM fields? Kayla Krieger, Forbes Idea Incubator 2022participant: STEM is about understanding the world and working to help solving its problems. The only way we can enhance our collective understanding of the world and its problems is to make sure that we have enough women at the forefront of teams solving these issues, contributing their unique experiences and ideas.

STEM fields have historically been male-dominated, but events like the Forbes Idea Incubator Challenge prove that women are more than capable of solving pressing issues.

Kaitlin Cohen, Forbes Idea Incubator 2022 first place winner: Whether it’s

in our DNA or naturally acquired through years of overcoming unconscious gender bias, women have a unique approach to problemsolving that industries in STEM fields have neglected to use to their advantage. As women, we instinctively take time to think about solutions in the long term and consider all the stakeholders influenced by our actions. For challenges like sustainability, where solutions are obscure and require long-term problem solvers, women need to be in leadership positions to initiate action.Audi Soul: Who is the most influential woman in your life and how has she inspired you?

Shrudhii Kundu, Forbes Idea Incubator 2022participant: I have grown up seeing women, both in and outside of STEM fields, who have worked relentlessly and pushed through obstacles. One of the most influential women in my life is my mom. She has always taught me to fight through problems and be resilient. I, myself, have seen her deal with challenges so gracefully and that is what inspires me the most.

On top of that, she has taught me to never stop believing in myself and reminds me regularly that I can do anything I put my mind to.

12

world

War in Ukraine: Europol European Commissioner Stella Kyriakides deploys operational teams to visits Finland to discuss assistance to Ukraine and Ukrainian people, among others all frontline partner countries

TL Bureau, Helsinki

On 1 April, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides, who is currently visiting Finland, will meet with Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Aki Lindén. During the day, they will pay a visit to the Helsinki Reception Centre in Punavuori and the Comprehensive Cancer Centre of the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa.

Commissioner Kyriakides and Minister Lindén will discuss, among other things, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, particularly from the health perspective, and the provision of assistance to Ukrainian refugees.

“The unity of our response to Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, and our support for Ukrainian refugees, brings out the very best of our values. Member States, partner organisations and citizens are welcoming Ukrainian refugees with compassion and generosity.

I would like to thank Finland and the Finnish people for welcoming Ukrainian people with open arms,” says Commissioner Kyriakides

during her visit to Helsinki.

“Helping Ukrainians is important and calls for EU-level cooperation.

Finland has delivered, for example, medical supplies and ambulances to Ukraine through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. We are also prepared to provide material assistance in the future to help Ukrainian patients and refugees in Ukraine and its neighbouring countries,” says Minister Lindén.

International cooperation is an important part of the management of the COVID-19 pandemic and other health policies The Commissioner and the Minister will also discuss the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, cancer treatment, the EU4Health Programme, the EU’s recovery and digitalisation policy.

“International cooperation, particularly between the European Union and its Member States, has been an essential part of managing the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic remains serious, and because of this, it is still necessary to emphasise that getting vaccinated is important to prevent serious cases of COVID-19,”

Minister Lindén says.

“Vaccinations and boosters remain our best defence against the virus.

I want to thank Minister Lindén for our excellent collaboration in ensuring a coordinated European approach to our response to the pandemic. The spirit of solidarity remains crucial to address the challenges we face,” Commissioner Kyriakides says.

“No country can cope with health policy challenges on its own. It is therefore excellent that the EU has also identified cancer treatment as one of its key areas for development. Finland is actively involved in that. Finland leads the way in cancer treatment outcomes, but we still have much to do,” says Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Lindén.

Commissioner Kyriakides and Minister Lindén will hold a press conference on Friday 1 April at 10–10.20. A live webcast of the press conference will be available on the Government’s YouTube channel. After the press conferences, the recording will be available on Youtube and at vn.fi/live.

TL Bureau, The Hague

TL Bureau, Stockholm

Today, Minister for Finance Mikael Damberg presents the Ministry of Finance’s latest economic forecast. The Swedish economy is expected to grow by 3.1 per cent this year, a downward revision of 0.3 percentage points compared with the previous forecast. This is because Russia’s invasion of Ukraine impacts economic growth.

In view of protecting the European Union and Ukrainian refugees from criminal threats, Europol has deployed operational teams to the frontline European countries neighbouring Ukraine within the framework of the Agency’s response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Coming at the request of these countries, Europol now has operational teams in Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Moldova, with an upcoming deployment planned to Hungary.

These teams, comprised of Europol specialists and guest officers, support the national authorities with secondary security checks and investigations at the European external borders to identify criminals and terrorists trying to enter the EU in the refugee flow and exploit the situation.

These operational teams are

also gathering information in the field, which is used to develop criminal threat assessments at the European level.

These secondary security checks are an important tool to manage the large incoming influx of refugees fleeing Ukraine. Europol has already carried out such a service at the request of EU Member States in the migration hotspots in the Mediterranean as of 2016.

This complements Europol’s active engagement with Ukrainian law enforcement through the Ukrainian liaison officer present at Europol’s headquarters in the Netherlands.

All this intelligence gathering activity is allowing Europol to anticipate developments and coordinate operational activities with EU Member States to respond to the activities of criminal groups seeking to take advantage the war in Ukraine.

NextGenerationEU - Law The Swedish economy is resilient Enforcement Forum but uncertainty remains high

TL Bureau, The Hague Yesterday, Europol’s Executive Director, Catherine De Bolle, and Vittorio Rizzi, Deputy Director-General of Public Security in Italy, co-chaired the second NextGenerationEU - Law Enforcement Forum at Europol’s headquarters in The Hague.

The forum targets organised crime threats against the NextGenerationEU recovery fund. Representatives from EU Member States, the European Commission, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), Eurojust, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL), and the Recovery and Resilience Task Force attended the forum.

The forum had an operational approach, focusing on

prevention and enforcement while maintaining and stepping up cooperation among the EU Member States and relevant EU bodies and agencies. Special attention was paid to the ‘green transition’ and the ‘digital transformation’ elements of the recovery plan, given the scope of NextGenerationEU funds distributed in these two key areas. Europol also presented its operational work that has taken place since September 2021 under Operation Sentinel.

NextGenerationEU NextGenerationEU is the European Union’s EUR 806.9 billion temporary recovery instrument to help repair the immediate economic and social damage brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, the NextGenerationEU funds are progressively allocated to the European Union Member States.

The Swedish economy has made a strong recovery in the wake of the pandemic and the growth outlook for this year is fundamentally stable.

Nevertheless, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is expected to impact economic growth both in Sweden and in the rest of the world. Growth is expected to be lower than would otherwise have been the case, while inflation is expected to be higher.

However, the Swedish economy is resilient thanks to strong public finances, and the labour market situation has improved in the early part of this year.

“We are constantly evaluating the impact on the Swedish economy.

Russia’s unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine affects Sweden by pushing up prices, especially for energy and food. Low-income households are hit particularly hard by rising prices. No politician can promise to compensate for everything, but we have shown that we won’t leave ordinary people in the lurch,” says Minister for Finance Mikael Damberg.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine impacts the Swedish economy and the global economy, including through rising energy and food prices, reduced trade and increased uncertainty in financial markets. This leads to a fall in exports, consumption and investments. The effects are

partly counteracted by increased government consumption.

“There is significant economic uncertainty, but the Government is closely monitoring developments and considering several different scenarios. With strong public finances, we stand ready to strengthen Sweden,” says Minister for Finance Mikael Damberg.

Inflation, which rose markedly last year, is set to rise further, driven mainly by continuing high energy and food prices. However, it is uncertain how long high inflation will last.In Sweden, labour market developments have clearly improved,

and the employment rate is now higher than before the pandemic broke out. Employment is expected to continue growing at a rapid rate this year and unemployment to fall slightly faster this year than expected in the previous forecast.

General government net lending is expected to be in surplus in 2023 and to strengthen further in subsequent years. At that time, the public finance surplus will contribute to reduced public sector debt. Sweden’s gross debt as a percentage of GDP is among the lowest of the EU Member States, which means that the Swedish economy is resilient.