The Life News Australia. Dec 16, 2020

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Vol. 03 Issue 44 Dec. 16, 2020

Worldwide Coronavirus Cases Cross

72.27 Million, Death Toll at

1,628,337 First time in modern era in Paris, Fined for too many women in senior positions TL Bureau, Paris

The city of Paris was fined more than $100,000 Tuesday for naming such a large number of ladies to senior positions.Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on Tuesday tweeted that she and different ladies in the regional government would actually go to the Ministry of Public Service to convey the check. Under French law, every sex should represent at any rate 40% of government positions.

“So there will be huge numbers of us,” she said. The city delegated 11 ladies and five men as senior authorities in 2018, which means 69% of the positions are held by ladies. Hidalgo said the point of the arrangements was to “advance and one day accomplish equality” with men all through the public authority generally.

“In Paris, we are doing everything to make it a triumph and I am extremely, glad for a huge group of ladies and men who convey together this battle for uniformity,” she said. A law sanctioned in 2019 permits the fine to be deferred if the fresh recruits don’t prompt a general sexual orientation awkwardness in the public authority, which is valid for Paris as ladies actually make up 47% of senior chiefs.

Notwithstanding, the change came past the point where it is possible to keep the city from confronting a fine.

COVID-19 record highest in South Korea, faced hospital and bed shortage

TL Bureau, Seoul

South Korea saw its every day all out of COVID-19 cases hit a record high on Wednesday, as wellbeing authorities gauge raising removing measures and scramble to make sure about more emergency clinic beds in the midst of a flare-up that gives no indication of easing back down.

Wednesday saw 1,078 new contaminations, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency stated, beating the past high of 1,030 set on Sunday. The nation likewise revealed 12 fatalities, one day subsequent to arriving at a record 13 passings, while the quantity of truly sick patients bounced by 21 to 226 generally

Photo Courtesy: Yahoo speaking. Wellbeing authorities said Wednesday that they were unequivocally considering raising social separating rules from the current Level 2.5 in the Seoul

metropolitan zone to Level 3, the most noteworthy on its five-level framework.“Level 3 is the final retreat that we can take,” senior wellbeing service official Yoon Tae-

ho said at a press instructions, and encouraged residents to maintain the current guidelines with an end goal to slow the spread of the infection before new limitations are forced.Moving to the more serious Level 3 rules “will bring about extraordinary misfortunes for the independently employed just as entrepreneurs,” Yoon forewarned.

He added that South Korea has been attempting to make sure about an extra 10,000 clinic beds for patients in the Seoul metropolitan area, where most of cases have been situated, with 300 beds focused for the basically sick.

ICU beds are nearly gone in Seoul, acting Mayor Seo Jeong-hyup said on Wednesday, with 77 of the city’s 78 beds at present involved.

Iran’s probe of Ukrainian plane shootdown

TL Bureau, Ontario

Canada’s uncommon guide to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the shootdown of a Ukrainian aircraft in Iran early this year has raised worries over the Middle Eastern country’s examination concerning the debacle. In a report submitted to Trudeau on Tuesday, previous bureau serve Ralph Goodale said much is as yet unclear about the occurrence and Iran ought not be researching it.

Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 was shot somewhere near two surface-to-air rockets dispatched by the Iranian military minutes subsequent to taking off from Tehran on Jan. 8, murdering every one of the 176 individuals ready. Goodale said since Iran’s military and regular citizen specialists approved the plane for departure and it was its military that killed it, Tehran’s examination concerning the episode “raises clear worries about believability,

Courtesy: 112.International

irreconcilable situations and an absence of straightforwardness and responsibility.” “The gathering liable for the circumstance is examining itself, to a great extent stealthily. That doesn’t move certainty or trust,” Goodale said in the 74-page report.

Goodale, who was delegated to lead

the autonomous examination in March, said Canada has reliably required the total and trustworthy examination concerning both specialized security matters and criminal obligations into the catastrophe, yet the tests are undermined as Iran is driving the two examinations, as endorsed by

global guidelines and homegrown laws.Iran controls the accident site, the majority of the proof and witnesses, has the useful capacity to distinguish and talk with suspects and is in full control of any direct criminal examination, leaving a lot of left unanswered, he said.

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he COVID-19 immunization made by U.S. biotech firm Moderna is protected and successful enough for crisis use in the United States, researchers at the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. The specialists gave their assessment in a 54-page report in front of Thursday’s gathering of the office’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, a gathering of outside clinical specialists who will encourage FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn on whether to endorse crisis use approval for the immunization.

The panel and the FDA found a way to favor the immunization created by Pfizer and BioNTech last Friday and the principal inoculations were given to wellbeing laborers on Monday.

“FDA has confirmed that [Moderna] has given satisfactory data to guarantee the antibody’s quality and consistency for approval of the item under an EUA,” the researchers wrote in their appraisal of Moderna’s clinical preliminary information.

Moderna said a month ago its two-portion mRNA1273 immunization was over 94% powerful in forestalling COVID-19 among members in a 30,000-volunteer clinical preliminary. The FDA survey affirmed that finding and said the immunization is exceptionally defensive for grown-ups and forestalls serious instances of the Covid illness.

Like Pfizer’s, Moderna’s is another sort “courier RNA” antibody that utilizations strands of hereditary material from the Covid to enact the body’s resistant framework, as opposed to utilizing an entire, deactivated infection as customary immunizations do.

Tuesday’s FDA report went ahead the very day a

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on track for approval this week in United States

few states are intending to oversee their first portions of the Pfizer-BioNTech immunization. A huge number of extra dosages will start showing up at numerous U.S. emergency clinics.

In New York, Northwell Health, the state’s biggest medical care supplier, started inoculating clinic laborers on Monday remembering one of the principal portions for the United States, to basic consideration nurture Sandra Lindsay.

Just about 40 New York City emergency clinics will get their first shipments on Tuesday, city wellbeing chief Dr. Dave Chokshi told correspondents.

Altogether, the city hopes to get 465,000 immunization portions inside the following three weeks.

New York City has seen probably the most Covid cases in the United States since the beginning of the emergency and in excess of 35,000 passings.

In California, a trauma center medical attendant at a Los Angeles emergency clinic was among the first in the state to get the antibody Monday, with Gov. Gavin Newsom close by.

Wellbeing authorities state in excess of 80,000 dosages will show up at focuses in Los Angeles County this week.

Clinics in a few states will start directing portions of the antibody to wellbeing

laborers on Tuesday, including New Jersey, Utah, Alabama and Ohio.

A few more will start on Wednesday and Thursday.

In the interim, it shows up more Americans are currently ready to get a Covid immunization.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor led by the Kaiser Family Foundation, said Tuesday that 71% of respondents said they “certainly” or “most likely” would be immunized - an expansion from 63% in September.

The review found that 33% of respondents are energetic about accepting the antibody and another third are taking a “keep a watch out” approach. It found that 15% are against an antibody under any conditions and 9% said they might be vaccinated if it’s needed for work, school or different exercises.

editorial

The KFF tragic the enormous number of individuals in “keep a watch out” mode demonstrate that numerous Americans are worried about the immunization’s security, however will probably alter their perspectives whenever it’s demonstrated to be protected.

The overview finds that aversion stays solid among Republicans, individuals ages 3049, country inhabitants and Black grown-ups, a gathering that has been lopsidedly influenced by the pandemic.

42 percent of Republicans and 35% of Black grownups said they likely or unquestionably won’t take the immunization.

“Numerous Americans who are reluctant are basically holding judgment before they are prepared to get immunized,” KFF Executive Vice President Mollyann Brodie said.

“In any case, almost 1 of every 4 Republicans would prefer not to get immunized on the grounds that they don’t trust COVID represents a genuine danger.

“It will be a genuine test to fix COVID denialism among this cut of President Trump’s political base.”

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world

Digital Europe programme – informal 18 new professors agreement with European Parliament appointed at ETH Zurich and EPFL

TL Bureau, Brussels

The negotiators of the Council and of the European Parliament today struck a provisional deal on a new programme, Digital Europe, which will promote large-scale deployment of state-of-the art technology, such as artificial intelligence and the latest cybersecurity tools, to speed up the digital transformation of European societies and economies.

The programme will run for the duration of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021-2027, with a substantial overall budget of €7 588 million.

“Reinforced digital capacities will bring real added value for EU citizens, and this is even more true as the global pandemic continues to hold us in its grip. It is unclear when the COVID-19 experience will be over, but it is clear that digital services are becoming a key driver of our economic growth and that the role of digital technologies will grow even stronger. It is also evident that the digital sector will play a key role in the postCOVID-19 economic recovery, which makes the Digital Europe

programme a vital element of the recovery plan.”

Peter Altmaier, German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, President of the Council The Digital Europe programme will provide funding for projects in five crucial areas, each with their own indicative budget: • high performance computing: €2 226 914 000 • artificial intelligence: €2 061 956 000 • cybersecurity and trust: €1 649 566 000 • advanced digital skills: €577 347 000 • deployment, best use of digital capacities, and interoperability: €1 072 217 000 A network of European digital innovation hubs will provide access to technological expertise for businesses – in particular SMEs – and public administrations. These hubs will bring together industry, businesses and administrations in need of new technological solutions on the one hand, and companies that have market-ready solutions on the other. With a broad geographical

coverage across Europe, the hubs will play a central role in the implementation of the programme.

The programme will be put into practice through multiannual work programmes covering one or more of the five action areas.

It will involve co-financing from member states and, when needed, from the private sector. The cofinancing rate will be established in the work programmes. The work programmes will also set out the eligibility criteria for the actions under the Digital Europe programme. Grants under the programme may cover up to 100% of the eligible costs.

Digital Europe will be complementary to a number of other programmes supporting digital transition, such as Horizon Europe, which focuses on research and technological development, and the digital aspects of the Connecting Europe Facility.

The provisional agreement reached today is subject to approval by the Council. It will now be submitted to the Council’s Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) for endorsement.

TL Bureau, Berne/Zurich

Berne/Zurich, 11.12.2020 - At its meeting of 9/10 December 2020 and upon application of the President of ETH Zurich, Professor Joël Mesot, and the President of EPFL, Professor Martin Vetterli, the ETH Board appointed a total of 18 professors and awarded the title of professor to one individual. It also took note of the resignations of four professors and thanked them for their services.

Appointments at ETH Zurich Dr Pierrick Bousseau (*1992), currently CNRS Research Fellow at the University of Paris-Saclay, France, as Assistant Professor of Mathematical Physics in the Department of Mathematics. Pierrick Bousseau conducts research in an area where algebraic geometry intersects with mathematical physics and symplectic geometry. He has a particular interest in enumerative geometry, which is concerned with counting geometric objects with given characteristics. Pierrick Bousseau has

Zoohackathon 2020 Global Winner The United States Sanctions TL Bureau, Washington D.C.

The U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce this year’s Zoohackathon global winning solution is BioUp from Brazil. The second-place winning solution is ARTEMIS from the Philippines, while DangerZoone from Vietnam took third place. Zoohackathon is a global competition coordinated by the State Department’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs that unites university students, coders, wildlife experts, and members of the public, to create innovative technology solutions to combat wildlife trafficking challenges. This year’s fifth annual competition was all virtual, and one single country and four regional events took place around the world from November 6-8.

Nearly 700 participants from 53 countries competing as teams online generated more than 60 innovative technology solutions that can help bolster on-the-ground efforts to fight the scourge of wildlife trafficking.

Wildlife trafficking threatens national security, undermines the rule of law, robs communities of legitimate economic livelihoods, and pushes species to the brink of extinction. Technology and innovation are key to tackling this crime.

The BioUp app for enforcement officials uses blockchain technology to verify whether animals come from legal breeding sites based on a license or band number. ARTEMIS is an automated and real-time endangered species monitoring tool that collects data on illegal online wildlife trading from social media platforms. DangerZoone is a web app that accesses a digitized database of the wildlife and conservation laws in Vietnam to help enforcement officials assess penalties.

Thanks to the generous contributions of the Zoohackathon 2020 global partners — Microsoft’s AI for Earth Program , TechSoup , and Vulcan Inc. — 2020 winning teams will receive support to continue to develop their combating wildlife trafficking solutions.

Turkey Under CAATSA 231

TL Bureau, Ankara

Today, the United States is imposing sanctions on the Republic of Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) pursuant to Section 231 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for knowingly engaging in a significant transaction with Rosoboronexport, Russia’s main arms export entity, by procuring the S-400 surface-to-air missile system. The sanctions include a ban on all U.S. export licenses and authorizations to SSB and an asset freeze and visa restrictions on Dr. Ismail Demir, SSB’s president, and other SSB officers.

The United States made clear to Turkey at the highest levels and on numerous occasions that its purchase of the S-400 system would endanger the security of U.S. military technology and personnel and provide substantial funds to Russia’s defense sector, as well as Russian access to the Turkish

armed forces and defense industry.

Turkey nevertheless decided to move ahead with the procurement and testing of the S-400, despite the availability of alternative, NATO-interoperable systems to meet its defense requirements.

This decision resulted in Turkey’s suspension and pending removal from the global F-35 Joint Strike Fighter partnership.

Today’s action sends a clear signal that the United States will fully implement CAATSA Section 231 and will not tolerate significant transactions with Russia’s defense and intelligence sectors.

I also urge Turkey to resolve the S-400 problem immediately in coordination with the United States. Turkey is a valued Ally and an important regional security partner for the United States, and we seek to continue our decadeslong history of productive defensesector cooperation by removing the obstacle of Turkey’s S-400 possession as soon as possible.

won several awards for his research.

By appointing him, the Department of Mathematics is gaining a talented young mathematician with strong links to theoretical physics.

Professor Benjamin Dillenburger (*1977), currently Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich, as Associate Professor of Digital Building Technologies in the Department of Architecture.

Benjamin Dillenburger’s work bears witness to his profound technological understanding. He challenges traditional paradigms of architectural production in order to open up new and innovative fields in construction. 3D architectural printing is one of his key areas of research.

This innovative, award-winning researcher already makes a significant contribution to the interdepartmental research network which has been successfully established through the National Centre of Competence in Research - Digital Fabrication (NCCR DFab), and which is to be expanded and strengthened through the ETH+ initiative “Design++”.

Sudan’s State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Rescinded TL Bureau, Washington D.C.

Today, Sudan’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism is officially rescinded. This represents a fundamental change in our bilateral relationship toward greater collaboration and support for Sudan’s historic democratic transition. This achievement was made possible by the efforts of Sudan’s civilian-led transitional government to chart a bold new course away from the legacy of the Bashir regime and, in particular, to meet the statutory and policy criteria for rescission.

We commend the calls of the Sudanese people for freedom, peace, and justice, and we congratulate the members of the civilian-led transitional government for their courage in advancing the aspirations of the citizens they serve.

UAE Condemns Terrorist Attack NATO Secretary General visits the European Commission TL Bureau, Brussels on Oil Tanker in Jeddah

TL Bureau, Abu Dhabi

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has condemned the terrorist attack that targeted an oil tanker at Jeddah wharf using an explosive-laden boat, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation affirmed in a statement

that the UAE considers this act a new evidence of the terrorist groups’ attempts to undermine security and stability in the region.

The Ministry reiterated its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia regarding these terrorist attacks, and its firm standing with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any threat to its security and the security of global navigation and trade.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had discussions at the European Commission on Tuesday (15 December 2020) about how to further strengthen NATO’s cooperation with the European Union. While the Secretary General often meets with EU leaders and EU Commissioners, this is the first time that a NATO Secretary General attended a meeting of the College of Commissioners, a sign of the deepening partnership between NATO and the EU.

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world

UK provides COVID-19 humanitarian and remittance relief fund to Africa UK has provided vital support to almost 750, 000 people across eight Southern African countries impacted by COVID-19, including Madagascar.

TL Bureau, London On 1st December, the UK announced £7 million to provide much-needed essential services and food assistance to almost 750,000 people, including 14,000 households and nearly half a million migrants who have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic across Southern Africa.

The region has been hard-hit by a prolonged drought and the COVID-19 pandemic has further deepened the food insecurity situation – 18 million people across Southern Africa are at risk of hunger for the remainder of this year.

Communities in Lesotho, Eswatini, Madagascar, Namibia and South Africa affected by the pandemic will benefit from a £6.5 million emergency fund that – through

partners UNICEF, International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) – will provide: water, hygiene and sanitation services to 184,000 people food security assistance to almost 14,000 households and more than

North Atlantic Council Statement as the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Enters Into Force TL Bureau, Brussels We reaffirm our commitment to the preservation and strengthening of arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation. As the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, or ban treaty, nears entry into force, we collectively reiterate our opposition to this treaty, as it does not reflect the increasingly challenging international security environment and is at odds with the existing non-proliferation and disarmament architecture.

Arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation have made, and should continue to make, an essential contribution to achieving NATO’s security objectives.

NATO Allies, individually and collectively, have a long track record of doing their part, and continue to support a number of initiatives that offer real progress on nuclear disarmament with tangible, effective measures. We continue to support the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons, in full accordance with all provisions of the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), including Article VI, in an ever more effective and verifiable way that promotes international stability, and is based on the principle of undiminished security for all. The NPT remains the only credible path to nuclear disarmament. We

recognise commitments made under the NPT in the five decades since its entry into force, and we are resolved to contribute to the preservation, universalisation, and full implementation of the NPT. The upcoming NPT Review Conference presents a major opportunity for the international community to this end. On the other hand, the ban treaty lacks any rigorous or clear mechanisms for verification, and has not been signed by any state that possesses nuclear weapons, and thus will not result in the elimination of a single nuclear weapon. It risks undermining the global nonproliferation and disarmament architecture, with the NPT at its heart for more than 50 years, and the IAEA Safeguards regime that supports it.

NATO is a defensive Alliance.

The fundamental purpose of NATO’s nuclear capability is to preserve peace, prevent coercion, and deter aggression. A world where the states that challenge the international rules-based order have nuclear weapons, but NATO does not, is not a safer world. As long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance. Allies are determined to ensure that NATO’s nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure, and effective, and reject any attempt to delegitimise nuclear deterrence.

13,000 migrants gender-based violence protection measures, including mental health care, for 24,000 women and children, as well as support for almost half a million migrants In addition, a new fund set up by the FinMark Trust, will provide income relief to more

than 8,000 families in Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe most affected by a drop in remittances from South Africa due to the negative impacts of COVID-19.

Many low-income families in the Southern Africa region rely on remittances from family members based in South Africa.

Estimates indicate that there are up to 3.7 million migrants from Southern African countries living in South Africa, sending R21.9 billion (approximately £1 billion) annually to family members back home. An average of £15 per month will be provided to families affected by lost income from remittances, helping people meet immediate needs like food, rent and school fees. The UK is anchoring the fund with £500,000 in two tranches.

UK funding to provide emergency assistance to communities worst

affected by impact of drought and COVID-19 in Madagascar: water, hygiene and sanitation services including access to clean water for 2,000 people, sustainable water for 5,000 more, WASH kits for 15,000 households, and information on WASH services 75,000 parents will be trained to screen their children for acute malnutrition and refer them to the treatment sites over 8 districts, and in one specific district, 14 health centre staff and 74 community workers will be trained on mother and child feeding & hygiene practices to prevent acute malnutrition social protection for 2,500 households in the form of emergency cash assistance (drought resilience) GBV & VAC services for 3,250 women and children through behaviour change campaign and access to protection networks.

said Prime Minister Jüri Ratas.

‘This is why we must quickly and carefully make preparations in departments of administration and the healthcare system, to be ready for the supply of COVID-19 vaccines and to begin with vaccinations at the first available opportunity’. The Prime Minister emphasised that the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged both our people and our economy, and that successful vaccination is one of the prerequisites for overcoming

the crisis. ‘However, we must also remember that right now, infections are on the rise, and to successfully reach vaccination, we must follow all safety rules and make a common effort to restrict the spread of the virus’, Ratas added. Estonia’s aim is to achieve vaccination coverage that is as extensive as possible among risk groups, and to enable a free of charge vaccination against COVID-19 to all Estonians in 2021.

Government approved the COVID-19 vaccination plan

TL Bureau, Stenbock House

In today’s cabinet meeting, the Government approved the COVID-19 vaccination plan, prepared by the Ministry of Social Affairs, pursuant to which, vaccination is firstly enabled for people ensuring the continuity of healthcare and social welfare services, and other risk groups.

‘Like all countries in the world, we also want to be as prepared as possible for vaccination’,

Passing of Nigerian Ambassador to the United States

Report: Errors in procurement procedures have decreased

TL Bureau, Washington DC

Procedural errors in public procurement processes have decreased in light of the case-law, according to a report released by the Public Procurement Advisory Unit maintained by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities.

The purpose of the report was to gain information on those procedures of the procurement process which the Market Court has ruled to be in breach of the Act on Public Procurement and Concession Contracts.

We are saddened by the passing on December 10 of His Excellency Sylvanus Nsofor, Ambassador of Nigeria to the United States, and offer our sincere condolences to his family and all those who worked with him. Ambassador Nsofor was an important and influential member of the diplomatic community in Washington, D.C. and helped to strengthen our partnerships across the West Africa region.

Ambassador Nsofor’s long career in public service, which spanned both the law and diplomacy, was a

TL Bureau, Helsinki

testament to his dedication to the Nigerian people. In striving to find common ground between the United States and Nigeria, he supported mutually beneficial programs and initiatives across a wide range of sectors including educational exchange, rule of law, and business investment. He saw tremendous value in people-topeople connections and fostered a spirit of cooperation across the diplomatic corps.

The Department of State honors Ambassador Nsofor’s leadership in promoting diplomatic exchange and understanding during his tenure in the United States.

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australia

Energy and Emissions Reduction Deal With Tasmania

TL Bureau, Canberra

The Morrison and Gutwein governments have signed a State Energy and Emissions Reduction Deal that will create thousands of jobs and deliver secure, reliable and affordable power to the state and the broader National Electricity Market (NEM). Under the agreement, the governments will work closely to deliver Battery of the Nation and Marinus Link projects to better connect Tasmania with mainland Australia and the NEM, while improving energy security, keeping prices low and reducing emissions.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said delivering the Marinus Link and Battery of the Nation projects are a key part of the Federal Government’s JobMaker Plan to ensure affordable and reliable energy in the east coast energy grid. “These two projects will maintain downward pressure on electricity prices, so households can keep more of what they earn,” Prime Minister Morrison said.

“They will also develop the backbone of a reliable, lower emissions National Electricity

Market for the next decade and beyond.

“These projects will create 2,800 jobs which will be crucial as Tasmania continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said this deal with Tasmania demonstrates the Morrison Government’s commitment to ensuring households and businesses in every corner of the country can access affordable and reliable power. “Projects like Marinus Link and Battery of the Nation can help deliver a more reliable energy system, reducing the risk of blackouts and electricity price volatility. “Marinus Link will provide the additional interconnection needed to export the electricity generated by the Battery of the Nation projects to the mainland. In doing so, it will unlock a pipeline of new renewable energy investment, including pumped hydro energy storage. “Energy projects like this also represent a massive economic opportunity for Australia as we recover from the COVID-19 recession.” Premier Peter Gutwein

said the MOU between the State and Federal Governments will underpin our plans to rebuild a stronger Tasmania.

“The MOU will help to further unlock Tasmania’s renewable energy potential, with thousands of jobs and over $7 billion in economic activity set to flow as a result,” the Premier said.

“Having already achieved 100 per cent self-sufficiency in renewables, Tasmania is already punching above its weight in generating low cost, reliable, clean energy for the nation, and this will help us achieve our target to double our renewable generation to 200 per cent of our current needs by 2040.” Tasmanian Minister for Energy Guy Barnett said it confirms Tasmania’s reputation as a global leader in renewable energy. “The anticipated increased energy interconnection between mainland Australia and Tasmania will also improve energy security and help put downward pressure on power prices, while enhancing our growing reputation for renewable energy production.”

The Commonwealth and

Tasmanian governments have previously provided a combined $95 million to advance these projects. Key components of the Tasmanian State Energy and Emissions Reduction Deal include: The Morrison Government will contribute a further $93.9 million as part of the agreement for the Marinus link project; The creation of a joint special purpose corporate vehicle (62.5 per cent shares to Commonwealth & 37.5 per cent shares to Tasmania) that will progress the Marinus Link transmission through to a Final Investment Decision; and The agreement as part of the Morrison Government’s Underwriting New Generation Investments (UNGI) program to a scoping and development process for underwriting the first Battery of the Nation project site at Tarraleah that will provide additional dispatchable electricity and energy storage to the mainland. Battery of the Nation and Marinus Link go hand in hand. Marinus Link will enable the export of an additional 1,500 megawatts of capacity to

the mainland.

The Tarraleah redevelopment is a $650 million project that could see early works commence in 2021 and is expected to create 100 new ongoing jobs and 250 jobs during peak construction.

The governments expect to announce more emissions reduction projects as part of the deal in 2021.The economic benefits of Marinus Link for Tasmania and Victoria are estimated at $2.9 billion. The Government is working with state and territory governments to establish agreements that accelerate cooperation on energy and emissions reduction projects.

These agreements will help deliver affordable and reliable energy to consumers, while reducing emissions and creating jobs.In addition to Marinus Link, the Morrison Government is progressing Project EnergyConnect, VNI West, HumeLink and the QNI Interconnector upgrade. This means we are accelerating all major priority transmission projects, creating thousands of new jobs, putting downward pressure on prices and shoring up the future of the grid.

Seven men charged by NSW JCTT over Record investment alleged roles in firearm and drug supply in home care

TL Bureau, Sydney

The NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) has charged seven men after seizing eight firearms, more than 11kg of cocaine and $2 million cash as part of an investigation into the supply of firearms and cocaine across Sydney.

In mid-2019, the NSW JCTT – comprising the Australian Federal Police (AFP), NSW Police Force (NSWPF), the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, and the NSW Crime Commission – commenced an investigation under Operation Veerle after receiving information relating to unlawful access to firearms.

As part of inquiries, the NSW JCTT uncovered an alleged criminal network involved in the illicit supply of cocaine and firearms.

Since May 2020, NSW JCTT investigators have seized six firearms, including a shortened Norinco SKS, a Chinesemanufactured SKS, a .45 calibre Norinco 1911, a shortened Mini-14, a shortened 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, and a COLT 1908 selfloading pistol; various calibres of ammunition, a military-grade

smoke grenade, and about 1kg of cocaine.

Following extensive investigations, Operation Veerle investigators, with the assistance of the Tactical Operations Unit, arrested two men at Bass Hill about 11.30am yesterday (Tuesday 15 December 2020). During a search of the men and their vehicles, investigators seized 200g of cocaine, $24,400 cash and mobile phones. Both men – aged 30 and 36 – were taken to Bankstown Police Station.

The 36-year-old Bexley man was charged with unlawfully sell firearms three times or more within 12 months, large commercial drug supply, and supply prohibited weapon. The 30-year-old Bass Hill man was charged with supply prohibited drugs on an ongoing basis, five counts of supply prohibited drug, three counts of knowingly deal with proceeds of crime, possess/ attempt to possess prescribed restricted substance, owner/ occupier knowingly allow use as drug premises, and participate criminal group contribute criminal activity. Both men were refused bail to appear at Bankstown Local Court today (Wednesday

16 December 2020).

Shortly after the arrests, NSW JCTT investigators executed 10 search warrants at homes across Sydney and a further search warrant at a rural property in the Southern Tablelands.

The operation was also assisted by the State Crime Command’s Criminal Groups Squad, the Public Order and Riot Squad, South West Metropolitan Operations Support Group, the Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit, and officers from various Police Area Commands and Police Districts.

During the searches, police seized about $2 million cash, more than 10kg of cocaine, a Winchester lever-action rifle, a Franchi Spas 12-gauge shotgun, ammunition, a number of vehicles, jet skis, cannabis, mobile phones, and electronic devices. A further five men – aged 31, 35, 36, 39 and 46 – were arrested during the operation and taken to local police stations.

The 36-year-old Yagoona man was charged with two counts of supply unregistered firearm-prohibited firearm, possess unauthorised prohibited firearm, and possess unregistered firearm-prohibited firearm.

packages continues

TL Bureau, Canberra

The Morrison Government will invest an additional $1 billion in funding to help older Australians live at home for longer.

Another 10,000 home care packages - at a cost of more than $850 million - will be released as the Government continues to prioritise the needs of older and vulnerable Australians.

It adds to the Morrison Government’s record investment in aged care, from $13.3 billion in 2012-13 to $21.3 billion in 2019-20.

While the population of those aged 70 and over has jumped by 28 per cent since 2012, home care packages have increased by over 200 per cent with funding tripling - or more than 10 times the growth in population of older Australians.

Estimated funding for aged care will grow to more than $27 billion in 202324 – or an average $1.1 billion of extra support for senior Australians each year over the forward estimates.

The latest additional investment means almost 50,000 packages, at a cost of $3.3 billion, have been funded since the

Royal Commission’s Interim Report.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it was important older Australians received the care they needed.

“The health and wellbeing of older Australians is an absolute priority,” the Prime Minister said.

“By providing more support to people at home, we are ensuring that Australians, as they age, have greater choices and their families have greater choices. “Our Government has continued to increase funding in aged care every year by more than $1 billion, adding thousands of extra home care packages at every opportunity.

“We will continue to address the many challenges there are in aged care, not only by boosting funding but also providing better access to health services to improve physical and mental wellbeing for older Australians.

“At every opportunity for the last three years, the Government has tripled the number of home care packages and in addition to Budget announcements, we have provided 10,000 additional home care packages at MYEFO every year for the past three years. This commitment continues.”

6

New Zealand’s planning to manage COVID-19 over summer

TL Bureau, Wellington

COVID-19 response Minister Chris Hipkins has outlined extensive All of Government planning in the event of a community case of COVID-19 during the holiday period.

“Since March, New Zealand has strengthened and evolved its ability to respond to COVID-19,” Chris Hipkins said.

“Improved testing and contact tracing capacity mean that since the Auckland August cluster,we’ve had four outbreaks which we have successfully managed without having to change alert levels.

“At the same time, we know the virus is continuing to rage offshore and despite our best efforts, there’s always the possibility of further community cases here.

“The summer holiday period poses some unique challenges in responding to an outbreak. Large numbers of us will be travelling for holidays or seasonal work, there are more social gatherings and large events such as festivals – and, like other Kiwis, there will be health system workers taking well-deserved leave.

“Our summer planning approach to manage any community cases over the holidays supports New Zealand’s

elimination strategy for COVID-19.

“If we find it, we’ll stamp it out, and we’ve made sure the Government’s COVID-19 team, and the national support network, are ready.

“Although we can’t predict exactly where or how a community case might emerge, New Zealanders can be reassured planning has been extensive, and has included scenario testing and understanding actions that might be needed, including, as a last resort, Alert Level changes.

“We’ll continue to respond swiftly and openly during the holiday period.

If a positive case was found in the community, we’d use the usual approach to communicating with the public – updates and advice would first be provided by me and/or the Director-General of Health or his delegate. “Further Government planning has revolved around three broad scenarios and people can find out more about this work at covid19.govt.nz “For each of the scenarios, extensive contingency plans are in place.

We’ve learnt from previous cases and regional lockdowns and used that knowledge to refine our plans and preparations. We know what to do and the health system is standing ready. People and resources are on call. Our supply chains are stocked.

District Court Judges appointed to ease post lockdown caseload

TL Bureau, Wellington

Five additional District Court Judges have been appointed to help deal with the impact of the COVID 19 lock down period on the Court system. The District Court is under significant caseload pressure and these additional appointments will increase capacity in the key locations of Auckland, Manukau, Whangarei and Christchurch.

The appointments, announced by Attorney-General David Parker today, are the first of a number of new District Court Judge appointments.

A further 10 will begin work early in the New Year replacing Judges who have reached retirement age.

In total 15 new Judges will take up appointment between February

and April 2021. Those taking up appointment in February are: Joanne Hambleton, barrister of Dunedin, has been appointed as a District Court Judge with Family Court Jurisdiction to be based in Christchurch. Ms Hambleton’s first role was as a Solicitor and Associate Solicitor with Preston Russell in Invercargill from 1999 to 2004 before a short period of time as an Associate Solicitor at Macalisters, Invercargill. Between 2005 and 2006 she worked briefly as an Associate Solicitor at Wilkinson Rogers and from 2006 to 2015 at Galloway Cook Allan in Dunedin.

In 2016 she became an Associate at O’Neill Deveraux, Dunedin before commencing practice as a barrister in early 2020.

Reappointment of Chief of Defence Force and Chiefs of Service

TL Bureau, Wellington

Minister of Defence Hon Peeni Henare has today announced the reappointment of the Chief of Defence Force and the three Chiefs of Service.

“The reappointment of the Chief of Defence Force and the Chiefs of Service provides continuity and stability of leadership to the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and its work programme,” Peeni

Henare said.

Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Kevin Short has been appointed for a further term of two years and ten months to April 2024.

Chief of Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Andrew Clark has been appointed for a further term of two years and nine months to June 2024.

Chief of Army Major General John Boswell DSD has been appointed for a further term of two years and nine months to June 2024.

“Government agencies are tightly connected and have worked closely with local Government, iwi and community leaders, Civil Defence and Emergency Management and the private sector to ensure a fully coordinated response.

“People in remote locations where there is limited cell phone coverage would very likely be safe from exposure to COVID-19, but would need to follow public health advice upon return from those locations – this is a personal responsibility.

“In a worst-case scenario, if it became clear there was a high risk of widespread transmission, you’d need to stay where you are and in your bubble until you get official advice.

We don’t want people rushing home and possibly taking the virus with them. “It’s important to remember that this is a worst-case scenario.

After a long, hard year, we all deserve to enjoy our summer – including those who are working hard through the holidays to keep us safe. Let’s thank them by each and every one of us doing our bit to stop the spread of COVID-19. “We’re also asking all New Zealanders to focus even more on those basic actions that’ll protect themselves and others, in line with the new campaign, ‘Make Summer Unstoppable’.

NZ AND OTHER OCEANIA

Govt ready to back business if there’s a COVID resurgence TL Bureau, Wellington The Government is putting in place support for affected businesses in case there is a resurgence of COVID-19.

“We want to provide certainty to businesses and workers about what support will be available in the event of a resurgence of COVID-19,” Grant Robertson said.

“This includes a new Resurgence Support Payment is being introduced to help businesses directly affected when there’s a move to Alert Level 2 or above for a week or more. This will particularly help sectors like hospitality and events, who face particular disruptions as Alert Levels change.

“This recognises that some businesses face one-off costs or impacts to cashflow when we step up an Alert Level to follow public health advice. The payment is structured to provide most support to smaller firms who are most likely to face cashflow issues but will be available to all businesses and sole traders.”

The payment would include a core per business rate of $1500 plus $400 per employee up to a total of 50 FTEs ($21,500). Firms that experience a 30% drop in revenue over a 14-

day period will be eligible. “We’ve also committed to the Wage Subsidy Scheme whether there’s a regional or national move to Alert Levels three and four. The Wage Subsidy Scheme has been very effective in keeping people in work so far with more than $14 billion paid out to protect 1.8 million jobs.

“Cabinet has also asked the Minister of Justice to revisit options on future commercial tenancy negotiation support - this will be discussed by Cabinet early next year. “We’re also keeping the Leave Support Scheme and adding to it by introducing a new Short-term Absence Payment to also cover eligible workers needing to stay at home while awaiting a COVID-19 test result. This will be a one-off payment of $350 to employers to pay workers who need to stay home while awaiting a test or while someone who is their dependent is doing so, in accordance with public health advice,” Grant Robertson said. Other supports retained include the loan products Business Finance Guarantee Scheme, which is being extended to June 2021 with additional availability and flexibility, and Small Business Cashflow Scheme, which has also recently been extended.

New Ambassador for Disarmament announced

TL Bureau, Wellington

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon Nanaia Mahuta, and Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control, Hon Phil Twyford, today announced the appointment of Lucy Duncan to a key New Zealand disarmament position.

Ms Duncan was announced as New Zealand’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva earlier this year. From 1 February 2021 she will in addition take up the role

of Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament and New Zealand Ambassador for Disarmament.

“New Zealand attaches great priority to achieving progress on disarmament, and to making multilateral institutions such as the Conference on Disarmament more effective,” Nanaia Mahuta said.

“We have long played an active role in major international disarmament processes, reflecting the interest of the

New Zealand people,” Phil Twyford said. “Continuing to have an Ambassador for Disarmament confirms our ongoing commitment.”

Ms Duncan is a career diplomat, having served previously as New Zealand’s Ambassador to Colombia and to Argentina, with postings also in Singapore, Vienna and Geneva. She has also served as a Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, leading the Multilateral and Legal Group.

keep staff and communities safe from COVID, and provide the food and fibre products needed at home and abroad. Our primary sector can be proud of the way it has responded as part of our broader community.

“The star performers this year include the horticulture sector. Its export revenue is forecast to hit nearly $7.1 billion, an increase of 8.9 percent from the previous year. It’s driven by successful harvests in early 2020 and continued strong demand for our fresh fruit and wine.

“Further increases in export revenue of 5.3 percent are expected for the arable sector for the year ending June 2021, on the back of a bumper 23

percent increase the previous year.”

Forestry Minister Stuart Nash says forestry exports are showing good signs of recovery. “Strong demand for logs from China and for sawn timber from the United States is driving recovery in our forestry exports,” Mr Nash said. “Exports are expected to increase by eight percent to almost $6 billion for the year ending June 2021. This reflects the resilience and hard work of our forestry sector, which should be commended.” Mr O’Connor says export revenue for some sectors are forecast to drop for the year to June 2021 but expected to bounce back even stronger the following year.

Primary prospects bright after tough year TL Bureau, Wellington Economic prospects for the primary sector are bright despite the significant challenges from COVID-19, says Agriculture, Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor. “The latest Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries (SOPI) report forecasts food and fibre export revenue of more than $47.5 billion for the year ending June 2021, and a record $49.2 billion the following year,” says Mr O’Connor.

“This strong performance is testament to the sector’s ability to adapt to keep businesses operating and workers in jobs. Producers are working to

7

BUSINESS

IFC and LOGOS Partner to Develop Green Logistics Hub, Drive Economic Activity in Indonesia

TL Bureau, Singapore

Indonesia will benefit from a major green investment in the logistics sector that’s set to address a critical infrastructure gap, at the same time creating jobs and supporting a recovery in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy amid the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under an agreement announced today, IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, will provide LOGOS, a leading logistics property group in the Asia Pacific region, with up to US$120 million in debt financing for the development of two logistics estates in the greater Jakarta area. This significant investment will deliver modern and high-quality logistics infrastructure in Indonesia’s rapidly growing e-commerce market while supporting business expansion and promoting competitiveness in the country’s warehousing sector.

The development of these sites is expected to generate 1,000 jobs during the construction phase along with hundreds of indirect jobs created by potential tenants, including global third-party logistic firms and large e-commerce groups.

Both estates—LOGOS Cikarang Logistics Park and LOGOS KLOG Cibitung Logistics Hub—are targeting a Green Mark award certification and are designed to comply with IFC’s green-building standards. This will include a wide range of sustainability initiatives to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions during construction and operation.

“We are very pleased to have established our first green loan with IFC and look forward to leveraging their extensive knowledge on Indonesia and green building certifications through this new partnership,” said LOGOS Managing Director Stephen Hawkins. “Sustainability is a key driver of our business

Report: COVID-19 has transformed business support policy objectives

TL Bureau, Helsinki

The amount of business support has multiplied during the COVID-19 pandemic and, at the same time, the policy objectives for business support have completely changed from those applicable in normal times. At the beginning of the crisis, the main aim was to help companies with liquidity problems avoid bankruptcy. In the longer term, financial business support should be directed to the development of business activities.

This is the conclusion of the report drawn up by the Research Division on Business Subsidies focusing on the COVID-19 financial support for businesses. The report does not include a detailed assessment of the COVID-19 support, but provides guiding principles for future evaluation by the Research Division. A broader assessment of the support for business development is to be published in spring 2021 as part of the annual report. Support must develop business activities in the long term In the report, the COVID-19 pandemic is divided into three stages and the focus is on the impact on the economy and businesses. These stages are the partial closure of the

economy, the recovery phase and the return to normal conditions.

In the early phase of the COVID-19 crisis, the economy partially closed down. Strict restrictive measures quickly weakened companies’ liquidity, but uncertainties about the depth and duration of the crisis restricted companies’ willingness and possibilities for borrowing. This also reduced the effectiveness of guarantees and loans as forms of business support. This speaks in favour of using direct financial support for businesses.

In the recovery phase, the role of business support will decrease as the economy returns towards normal conditions. Once companies and their financiers are able to anticipate the future and business risks again, the importance of guarantees and loans as forms of support will increase substantially and the importance of direct support diminish.

In the long term, the aim is to reintroduce business support measures that help develop companies and their production rather than maintain the existing business structures and level of employment. Prolonged support periods can maintain business and industry structures that no longer meet demand after the crisis.

and we are actively incorporating sustainable initiatives across all our projects and operations regionally.

IFC’s green loan is an important part of this commitment and will support us in delivering these two modern, high-quality and sustainable logistics estates for the Indonesian market.”

Indonesia is home to an expanding middle class and rapid urbanization, both factors that are contributing to a boom in e-commerce that has the sector on track to be worth US$124 billion by 2025. Retailers and e-commerce players are, however, faced with challenges due to Indonesia’s archipelagic geography and the fragmented and nascent logistics sector. As

a business enabling infrastructure, warehouses play a key role in attracting foreign direct investment from multinational companies.

“IFC’s green investment, in sync with the government’s sustainability agenda, will help address a significant lack of adequate warehousing space in Indonesia, which is critical in the wake of an e-commerce boom amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Alfonso Garcia Mora, IFC Vice President for Asia and Pacific.

“Moreover, this project will help create thousands of jobs, supporting the development of a strong logistics sector and contributing to Indonesia’s recovery efforts, thereby promoting greater market resilience.” With the support of local partners, IFC has been turning new construction projects (16 million square meters of floor space and over 107,000 homes) into green buildings in various cities since 2016. This has helped cut 270,000 metric tons of greenhouse-gas emissions per year, has avoided 500,000 megawatthours of energy use and saved almost US$80 million per year on utility bills.

Producer and Import Price Index fell by 0.1% in November 2020 TL Bureau, Neuchâtel

The Producer and Import Price Index fell by 0.1% in November 2020 compared with the previous month. The index stood at 97.9 points (December 2015 = 100).

This decline was due in particular to lower prices for petroleum products and pharmaceutical preparations. Compared with November 2019, the price level of the whole range of domestic and imported products fell by 2.7%. These are the results from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

Forecast: second coronavirus wave interrupts economic recovery TL Bureau, Bern

Economic forecast by the Federal Government’s Expert Group – December 2020 - In the winter half-year of 2020/2021, the second wave of the coronavirus will have an adverse effect on the Swiss economy. The Expert Group is therefore revising its GDP forecast for the coming year downwards. If the health situation eases, growth is likely to increase significantly as time goes on, although uncertainty remains extremely high.

Home Buying and Retail spending intentions strengthen in November

TL Bureau, Parramatta

The latest data from the Commonwealth Bank Household Spending Intentions (HSI) series has revealed improvements across a number of key spending sectors in November, as Australia continues its economic recovery.

CBA Chief Economist Stephen Halmarick said home buying and retail spending intentions strengthened considerably as RBA monetary policy eased in November and large parts of the

Spending intentions grew in a number of key categories last month, according to combined CBA and Google data.

economy reopened following an easing of restrictions. “Home buying spending intentions jumped higher last month, which was consistent with our expectations that the improvement in the Australian economy and the further interest

rate cuts associated would see a restrengthening of the home buying market,” he said.

“Retail spending intentions also rose in November, with the reopening of the Victorian economy helping drive ongoing recovery in consumer spending.”

heading towards a trade deal that will satisfy Brexit supporters. A sharp rise in the sterling helped the blue-chip FTSE 100 index pare its losses to about 0.3% with consumer staples weighing the most.

The FTSE 100 has lost 13.6% in value so far this year, which is shaping up to be its worst since the global financial crisis in 2008-09, as pandemic-driven lockdowns battered the economy and led to mass layoffs. The UK’s economy is most likely to regain its pre-pandemic high ground only in 2022, Carrier added.

An official report on Tuesday showed Britain’s jobless rate rose again in the three months to October and redundancies reached a record high.

The job market outlook darkened further as tougher curbs were imposed in London due to increased infection rates that may be partly linked to a new variant of the coronavirus.

Among individual moves, Chemring jumped to an eight-year high after the defence contractor said its 2020 results were ahead of its expectations.

FTSE 100 down 0.3%, FTSE 250 up 0.5%

TL Bureau, London

British mid-cap stocks gained ground on Tuesday in the final hour of trading as renewed hopes of a Brexit trade agreement overshadowed concerns over a weak labor market report and concerns over new restrictions in London, Reuters reported.

The domestically focused FTSE 250 index recouped early losses to end about 0.5% higher as a BBC journalist tweeted Britain and the European Union are

8

FEATURE

Q&A with Stanford political scientist Jonathan Rodden about the Georgia runoff elections

TL Bureau, California

It’s been a long election season, and it’s still not over. Jonathan Rodden Two pivotal runoffs on Jan. 5 in Georgia will determine which party will control the U.S. Senate, as well as the fate of President-elect Joe Biden’s political agenda.

Jonathan Rodden, a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), says the Democrats face an “uphill turnout battle” in their challenge against two Republican incumbents in the Georgia runoffs.

Democrats would need to win both seats to swing the Senate makeup in their favor.

Biden narrowly won in Georgia – the first Democratic presidential nominee to do so since Bill Clinton defeated George W. Bush in 1992 – amid a stream of election aftershocks that included lawsuits and a handrecount of ballots. Now, with so much at stake with the Senate runoffs, campaign ads and political activists are going full throttle.

Rodden, whose research focuses on political geography, comparative politics, polarization and economic uncertainty, is not surprised about the suspense surrounding Georgia. Rodden is a professor of political science at the School of Humanities and Sciences and also the founder and director of the Spatial Social Science Lab at Stanford and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. He is also author of the book, Why Cities Lose: The Deep Roots of the Urban-Rural Political Divide (Basic Books, 2019).

Here, he discusses Georgia and how its electoral dynamics reflect trends in America’s political landscape.

Georgia has historically been a Republican stronghold, but now with Biden’s slim margin of victory, and the need for runoffs for two Senate seats, is that changing? Is this a Trumprelated blip or a real shift

in voting dynamics?

The Democratic presidential vote share in Georgia bottomed out in 2004, but it has been steadily increasing since then. Most of the Democrats’ gains have been among suburban voters – primarily those in the vast metro Atlanta area – but also in suburban areas around Augusta, Savannah and Columbus.

It is likely that Georgia’s statewide elections will continue to be very close in the years ahead. Georgia is not yet a “blue” state. Note that Trump underperformed vis-à-vis Republican candidates in the other statewide races on the ballot in 2020 – including high-profile races for U.S. Senate and low-profile elections for public service commissioners. This was also true of U.S. House races and state legislative races, and it was true in counties all around the state, including urban, suburban and rural places. In other words, if Trump had merely been as popular as the other Republicans on the ballot, he would have won Georgia’s electoral votes.

You’ve studied and recently wrote a book on the urbanrural political divide and the rise of suburban influence in America. How did those aspects come into play with this election, and in Georgia specifically?

In my book, I show that the correlation between population density and Democratic voting has been growing for decades around the country. In recent years, this has been especially true in the Southern states that are gaining population, like Georgia, Texas and the Carolinas. In 2020, in Georgia, the Democratic vote share did not increase much in the densest urban neighborhoods or in the most rural areas, but it increased significantly in the suburban areas where population density is growing most rapidly. The same thing happened across the United States. Domestic migration is an important part of the

(credit: L.A. Cicero) story in places like Georgia.

Voting behavior is changing rapidly in suburban places that are experiencing a migrational influx of young, college-educated voters.

And it is clear that the most rapidly growing counties are also those that are moving most quickly toward the Democrats.

Other states around the country tell some version of the same story.

Suburban counties that gained population over the last decade became more Democratic. In the central-city neighborhoods of big cities that are losing population, Trump’s alreadylow vote share didn’t change much, or even increase slightly. In rural areas that are losing population, his vote share increased and turnout was high.

What electoral dynamics will influence who wins or loses in the Georgia runoffs?

The Democrats will need to win an uphill turnout battle in order to be successful in the runoffs. Turnout was extremely high in November, and it is typically much lower in Georgia’s runoff elections, especially for urban voters.

An asymmetric dip in turnout in runoffs often favors Republican candidates.

Both parties will focus on mobilizing their supporters

to show up for yet another election. Some of Trump’s strongest supporters might be less inclined to turn out without him on the ballot, but then again, the same might be true of some of his most passionate detractors.

And just to keep things interesting, some conspiracy theorists are now calling for boycotts. It’s difficult to predict how this will all add up. Democratic Senate candidates already received fewer votes than their Republican opponents in the first round in November. The most important thing that has changedsince November is that we now know who will be the president in January.

My Stanford colleague Morris Fiorina argues that some voters appear to prefer divided government, and knowing that the Democrats will control the presidency, it is not difficult to imagine that some reluctant Biden voters will aim to provide a check on the president by keeping the Senate in Republican hands.

With another presidential election behind us, talk of the need for electoral reforms are again top of mind. Does this illustrate what you’ve been saying – that the left has a geography problem?

Georgia turns out to be a very good example of

the difficulty faced by the Democrats when trying to turn statewide votes into legislative seats. They won just over half of the votes for president, and around 49 percent of the votes in U.S. House races. And even though they did pick up a new suburban Atlanta seat, they were still only able to win 43 percent of the seats in the Georgia U.S. House delegation. Likewise, they won 43 percent of the seats in the Georgia State House, and only 39 percent of the seats in the Georgia Senate.

Something similar happened in each of the hotly contested Midwestern states where Joe Biden won a statewide majority. The Democrats were unable to win a majority of the U.S. House seats in a single Midwestern swing state, including Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. In Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the Democrats lost both chambers of the state legislature. In Wisconsin, in spite of statewide victory, the Democrats won only around 38 percent of the Congressional delegation, and a similar seat share in both chambers of the state legislature. In Minnesota, in spite of comfortable statewide wins, the Democrats lost the State Senate.

What’s the takeaway from all of this?

The problem for Democrats is not only gerrymandering, but the fact that their supporters are still highly concentrated in a small number of urban legislative districts. Due to a combination of these factors, Democrats have little chance of winning many state legislatures, even in states where they routinely elect governors, U.S. senators and state Supreme Court justices. The inability to win state legislatures is quite consequential, and will become even more so if the Supreme Court continues to develop its new doctrine asserting primacy of state legislatures over governors and state courts in matters of election law.

9

life and real estate

UNWTO AND CNN PARTNER FOR GLOBAL #RESTARTTOURISM CAMPAIGN

The restart of tourism brings new hope and new opportunity for millions around the world. We are proud to be working again with CNN to send such a positive and inspiring message

TL Bureau, Madrid

After partnering back in May for a campaign asking the world to be patient, responsible and “travel tomorrow”, the World Tourism Organization and CNN International Commercial (CNNIC) have teamed up again to celebrate the transformative power being unleased as the restart of tourism gets underway. Centred around a 45-second film launched today and broadcast exclusively on CNN International until January 2021, this message will reach millions of households. The campaign affirms UNWTO as the unifying voice behind the global restart of tourism while harnessing the influence and prestige of the CNN brand to reach global audiences at scale.

The #RestartTourism video highlights tourism’s unique ability to adapt and innovate and generate opportunities for sustainable development. CNNlC has long committed to these same values and the partnership between UNWTO and CNN is further strengthened through this broadcast.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “The restart

LoveHolidays to refund over £18 million for cancelled holidays TL Bureau, London

CNN to send such a positive and inspiring message Rani Raad, President, CNN Worldwide Commercial, said: “As part of our long-standing partnership with the UNWTO, CNN is proud to beam this message of travelling again and restarting tourism into over 300 million households around the world. Whilst Travel & Tourism has suffered an enormous impact in 2020, we are standing with our partners, providing counsel and supporting their efforts as they now plan ahead to welcoming

travellers back in 2021 with a sense of hope, growth and reconstruction for the sector.” Launched today, #RestartTourism will be aired regularly until 10 January 2021, bringing this message to more than 310 million households across CNN’s feeds to Asia, South Asia and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa). It will also be amplified by UNWTO’s own media channels, as well as those of its Members in every global region, reinforcing a message of positivity at the end of a challenging year.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been investigating LoveHolidays after receiving hundreds of complaints that people were still awaiting refunds. When customers contacted LoveHolidays to request a refund for a cancelled holiday, they were told they would only receive money back for their flights once the firm had received refunds from the respective airlines. Under the Package Travel Regulations, online travel agents are legally bound to refund customers for package holidays cancelled due to coronavirus, regardless of whether or not the agent has received money back from suppliers, for example airlines. Following CMA intervention, LoveHolidays has now signed formal commitments – known as undertakings – that ensure these customers receive all their money back. In total, over £18 million will be refunded to 44,000 LoveHolidays customers. Of this, so far £7m has been refunded to 20,000 customers. Having carefully reviewed LoveHolidays’ financial information, and how quickly it can realistically repay customers, the CMA has accepted LoveHolidays’ commitment to repay these customers in full by March 2021 at the latest.

Funding for community programmes, engaging youth in solutions to address COVID-19, and convening Global Youth Summit are key features of this new mobilization

physical and mental health, and trauma from domestic violence.

For example, mental anxiety brought on by COVID-19 has been identified in nearly 90 per cent of young people; more than 1 billion students in almost every country have been impacted by school closures; and 1 in 6 young people worldwide have lost their jobs during the pandemic.

At the same time, young people are also driving change and implementing solutions in response to COVID-19 by taking action through community-based interventions and voluntary service, such as acting as first responders and delivering food and supplies to those in need. The Global Youth Mobilization will draw attention to the urgent need for solutions to support young people, and to highlight the critical leadership role young people are playing in their communities to counter the effects of the pandemic.“We are proud to team up with the WHO to provide opportunities and funding to help millions of young people across the globe to respond to local challenges related to COVID-19 in their communities,” said the leadership of the Big 6 in a joint statement. “The mobilization

will provide direct financial and programmatic support to youth organizations at the national and international level. We believe that young people have the solutions to solve their own problems, and by providing a global youth platform, combined with national activation for youth projects, we can unleash the skills, enthusiasm and desire for young people to be a force for good in their communities.”

Supported by the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO and powered by the United Nations Foundation, the Global Youth Mobilization features a strategic partnership with the WHO and its newly launched Youth Council. It will involve other United Nations agencies, as well as a number of high-profile global partners, brands, and advocates, from FIFA to YOUNGA by BridgingTheGap Ventures, and the creation of a youth council of social media influencers, including the Influential platform.

The initiative, developed in consultation with young people from across the globe, will be youth-led, community-driven, evidence-based, and inclusive of diverse communities rooted in meaningful youth participation and engagement.

of tourism brings new hope and new opportunity for millions around the world. We are proud to be working again with CNN to send such a positive and inspiring message. Tourism has the power to bring us back together, giving us unforgettable experiences while also supporting jobs, helping businesses and protecting culture and our natural heritage.”

The restart of tourism brings new hope and new opportunity for millions around the world. We are proud to be working again with

World’s largest youth organizations, representing 250 million members, and WHO launch global mobilization to respond to disruptive impacts of COVID-19 on young people

TL Bureau, Geneva

Geneva A new ground-breaking global youth mobilization was launched today to invest in and scale up youth-led solutions and engagements in response to COVID-19. The initiative was launched by an alliance of the world’s largest youth movements and organizations, together with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Foundation.

The “Global Youth Mobilization for Generation Disrupted” is being led by the Big 6 Youth Organizations (Young Men’s Christian Association, YMCA; World Young Women’s Christian Association, YWCA; World Organization of the Scout Movement; World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts; International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, IFRC; and The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award), which together actively involve more than 250 million young people, and aims to support young people to engage in and design efforts to turn around the impact of the pandemic.

The Global Youth Mobilization will feature the convening of a

Global Youth Summit in April 2021, and a fund of US $5 million to support local and national youth organizations, including grants for youth-led solutions and an accelerator programme to scale up existing response efforts.

The leadership of the WHO, Big 6 and youth organizations around the world are calling on governments, businesses and policy makers to back the Global Youth Mobilization effort and commit to investing in the future of young people. These measures will directly support young people engaged at the grassroots level to tackle some of the most pressing health and societal challenges resulting from the pandemic.

“WHO is honoured to join this truly exciting and powerful global movement to mobilize

and empower youth worldwide to be the driving force of the recovery to COVID-19,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Joining forces with the Big 6 and the United Nations Foundation provides WHO and the world a unique opportunity to learn from hundreds of millions of young people and be guided by their sustainable solutions to help communities build back better from the pandemic.”

While the direct health impacts of the pandemic on young people have been generally less severe, they are disproportionately affected by the long-lasting consequences of the pandemic.

Such effects include disruptions to education, economic uncertainty, loss or lack of employment opportunities, impacts on

10

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (4-9) AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (7-6)​

TL Bureau, New York

Week 15 of the 2020 NFL season gets underway on Thursday, December 17 (8:20 PM ET, FOX/ NFL Network/Amazon), as the Los Angeles Chargers make their first visit to Allegiant Stadium to face the Las Vegas Raiders in a late-season AFC West matchup.

This will mark the 122nd regularseason meeting in the rivalry, with the Raiders holding a 6554-2 advantage and winning the past three meetings. In Week 9 of this season, Las Vegas erased a halftime deficit to defeat the Chargers, 31-26. The Raiders combined for 160 rushing yards and quarterback DEREK CARR passed for two touchdowns with zero interceptions in the victory.

Carr enters Week 15 having recorded at least 315 passing yards, two touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown in each of his past two games. He aims for his fifth-consecutive game against the Chargers without an interception. In his past three starts on Thursday Night Football, Carr has four touchdown passes with zero interceptions for a 100.1 rating. Last week, running back JOSH JACOBS recorded 74 scrimmage yards (49 rushing, 25 receiving). In Week 9, Jacobs rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers. He aims for his third

SPORTS

BMW International Open 2021 to take place from 23rd to 27th June.

TL Bureau, Munich

The 2021 dates for Germany’s most prestigious professional golf tournament have been announced. The BMW International Open will take place at Golfclub München Eichenried from 23rd to 27th June. Whether spectators will be permitted, and if so how many, will be decided at a later date in close consultation up for grabs. The unique match between the best golfers from the USA and Europe will take place at the spectacular Whistling Straits links course in Kohler (US state of Wisconsin) from 21st to 26th September and sees BMW in the role of Worldwide Partner of the Ryder Cup for the first time.

2021 BMW Golfsport calendar.

BMW International Open: Golfclub München Eichenried (GER), 23rd – 27th June.

BMW Championship: Caves Valley Golf Club (Baltimore, USA), 23rd – 29th August.

BMW PGA Championship: Wentworth Club (London, ENG), 8th – 12th September.

43rd Ryder Cup: Whistling Straits (Kohler, USA), 21st – 26th September.

BMW Ladies Championship: LPGA International (Busan, KOR), 21st – 24th October.

in a row against Los Angeles and fifth in a row against the AFC West with a rushing touchdown. The second-year back has recorded at least 100 scrimmage yards in three of four career games in primetime. Tight end DARREN WALLER had seven catches for 75 yards last week and in Week 13, became the fourth tight end in NFL history to record at least 200 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a single game.

Waller had a touchdown reception in the teams’ Week 9 meeting and his seven receiving touchdowns this season are a career high. He ranks second among tight ends in 2020 with 84 catches and 817 receiving yards. Defensive end MAXX CROSBY had a sack in Week 9 and has recorded a sack in four of his five past games against the division.

Last week, Los Angeles kicker MICHAEL BADGLEY connected on a 43-yard field goal as time expired to give the Chargers a 20-17 victory over Atlanta after erasing a halftime deficit. Rookie quarterback JUSTIN HERBERT completed 36 of 44 passes (careerhigh 81.8 completion percentage) for 243 yards and two touchdowns with one interception for a 95.4 rating in the victory. He became the fourth rookie in NFL history with at least 25 touchdown passes.

With three touchdown passes on Thursday night, Herbert will

surpass BAKER MAYFIELD (27 touchdown passes in 2018) for the most-ever by a rookie.

In Week 9 against Las Vegas, he passed for 326 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions for a 105.9 rating. Running back AUSTIN EKELER recorded 146 scrimmage yards (79 rushing, 67 receiving) last week, his fourth game with at least 125 scrimmage yards this season, joining DERRICK HENRY as the only AFC running backs with at least four such games in 2020.

Wide receiver KEENAN ALLEN had a touchdown catch in Week 14 and has recorded a touchdown reception in six of his past seven games. He aims for his 10th in a row against the Raiders with at least five catches. Allen ranks second in the NFL with 99 catches and has 623 receptions in 99 career games, the most by a player in his first 100 games in league history.

Defensive end JOEY BOSA has recorded a sack in five of six career games against the Raiders.

Adding to television availability, several streaming options will be available to fans. FOX Thursday Night Football games will be available to stream on Amazon via Prime Video and Twitch in addition to NFL, FOX and FOX Deportes digital properties across devices.* During the season, fans can learn all of the ways to watch at NFL.com/TNF.

something I’m extremely passionate about.” Joining Fowler in the Suncorp Super Netball Team of the Year is an impressive list of athletes who all enjoyed stellar seasons in 2020: Several other awards were given out during the awards show with Adelaide Thunderbirds young gun Maisie Nankivell rewarded for a breakout season, being named the rebel Rising Star, recognised for her outstanding efforts and leadership on and off the court.

Coach of the Melbourne Vixens Simone McKinnis was awarded the Joyce Brown Coach of the Year for leading her side to the 2020 Suncorp Super Netball premiership and minor premiership while spending more than 90 days away from home due to the season being played in Queensland.

Also recognised was South Australian umpire Georgina Sulley-Beales who was named the Lorne McConchie Umpire of the Year.

A replay of the full Australian Netball Awards is now available on the Netball Live Official App and Telstra TV.

Sport Australia has today announced the finalists for the annual Sport Australia Media Awards.

The 2021 dates for Germany’s most prestigious professional golf tournament have been announced.

The BMW International Open will take place at Golfclub München Eichenried from 23rd to 27th June. Whether spectators will be permitted, and if so how many, will be decided at a later date in close consultation with authorities and the European Tour. Tickets will not go on sale until this decision has been taken.

At the present time, it is not possible to predict how the guidelines for major events will develop by the end of 2021, with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tournament organiser BMW will work with the relevant authorities and the European Tour to develop definite concepts regarding what form the tournament may take. The health and safety of all involved continues to take top priority in any decisions, particularly regarding spectators.

The announcement of the European Tour calendar also confirms the dates for the 2021 BMW PGA Championship – one of four tournaments of the prestigious Rolex Series – at the Wentworth Club, near London. The European Tour’s flagship event will take place from 8th to 12th September and will be the final tournament, at which qualifying points for the European Ryder Cup team are still

FOWLER WINS THIRD PLAYER Finalists announced for 2020 OF THE YEAR AWARD Sport Australia Media Awards

TL Bureau, Fitzroy

Jamaican shooting superstar Jhaniele Fowler has won her third consecutive Suncorp Super Netball Player of the Year Award after an outstanding 2020 season. Fowler was awarded her third title during a special online version of the Australian Netball Awards this evening, aired on the Netball Live Official App. For the third year running, the West Coast Fever shooter ended the season as the league’s highest goal scorer on 979 points at 94% accuracy, scoring more than 50 points in 16 of the 17 matches she played.

Fowler was also named as the goal shooter in the Suncorp Super Netball Team of the Year, another accolade she has won three years in a row.

“To have won the Suncorp Super Netball Player of the Year award for the third consecutive year, it’s no longer the mere feeling of being elated, it’s much more,” Fowler said.

“I’m beyond honoured and moved by this, and I’m not easily moved, pun intended, to be recognised for

TL Bureau , Bruce

The Sport Australia Media Awards have been running since 2002 and recognise excellence in Australian sports journalism, broadcasting, production and photography.

There was strong contention for places among the finalists again this year with more than 330 entries received, including 78 entries for the highly-competitive Best sport profile – written category. Given the unique challenges of 2020, Sport Australia also introduced a new award Innovation in sports media which acknowledges the important role media plays in engaging new participants and audiences in sport.

Due to COVID-19, the 2020 Sport Australia Media Awards will be held online with winners announced in February 2021. Finalists will be notified of the details early in the new year. A new Lifetime Achievement

recipient will also be announced – last year awarded to broadcaster Karen Tighe. Sport Australia Acting CEO Rob Dalton said: “On behalf of Sport Australia, I congratulate all 51 finalists selected across the 12 award categories open for entry in 2020. “Once again, the Sport Australia Media Awards has attracted hundreds of high-quality entries, showcasing the world-class reporting and incredible depth of talent within our Australian sports media. “In a year like no other in Australian sport, the quality of story-telling took another leap making this year’s awards among the most competitive we’ve seen in the 19 years of the event.” Best sport profile – broadcast Chris Gillett, ‘Tayla Harris’, 7.30, ABC TV Laurence Billiet, ‘FREEMAN’, ABC TV + iview Quentin McDermott, Greg Hassall, Rebecca Armstrong, Ian Harley, ‘Beating the Blues’, Australian Story, The ABC, Adrian Brown, Richard

Ostroff, ‘The Test – A New Era for Australia’s Team’, Whooshka Media and Cricket Australia Innovation in sports media David Mark, ‘The Science of Running’, ABC ‘Siren: A Women in Sport Collective’, Siren Sport Jack Snape, ‘AFL and NRL analysis for ABC Sport’, ABC ‘Fox Sports Audio, Virtual Crowd and Flying Fox Camera’, Fox Sports Australia Best coverage of sport for people with disability Matthew Carmichael, ‘Paralympic Presence’, 7 News Daniela Intili, ‘Nine-year-old Brydi’, ABC Scott Spits, The Age Nas Campanella, Celina Edmonds, John Lang, ‘Sydney Paralympics 20th Anniversary’, ABC Best depiction of inclusive sport Johanna McDiarmid, ‘The Cheer Community’, ABCDaniel Miles, ‘AFL called on to give greater recognition for marngrook and Moyston as home of football’, ABC News Nick Wright, ‘Sporting Chance’, Townsville Bulletin.

11

tech/auto

Introducing the Bugatti of home audio BUGATTI ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH TIDAL AUDIO FOR PERFECTION WITHOUT LIMITS IN HOME AUDIO

TL Bureau, Molsheim / Hürth

BUGATTI and TIDAL Audio are united in a shared philosophy: to strive for perfection without limits in order to perform with exceptional design, effort and uncompromising spirit. The two companies, leading in their respective fields of exclusive luxury automotive design and premium audio systems, will set a new standard for home music systems – introducing ‘the BUGATTI of home audio’.

The two companies will work to establish a new category of sound systems, underpinned by unrivalled exclusivity and high quality like no other. The partnership between BUGATTI and TIDAL Audio begins with the “Royale” range of speakers that lead the way for luxury in the home audio sector.

Technical avant-garde meets a passion for design, the perfect finish and outstanding results – with the visual promise of the breathtaking performance that follows. Just as the engine of a Bugatti hyper sports car releases power and emotions, this unrivaled sound impresses with its finest definition and incredible power.

The superlative quality becomes its own metaphor and redefines the parameters of audio equipment design. Just as the BUGATTI models on four wheels give an almost infinite number of

possibilities for customization, the options list for this new standard of home audio is equally as unique.

As for the design there are two main themes: Monocoque and Duotone. One can select between piano finishes or avant-garde color and material combinations. Each “Royale” loudspeaker pair can be customized with carbon fiber, fabrics, leather, polished stainless steel, dark aluminum or precious metal surfaces.

The front of the speakers show the BUGATTI logo plaque, finished in polished stainless steel and curved to accommodate the shape of the unit up to the brand’s qualities for personalization and performance – every set of speakers by TIDAL for BUGATTI is subject to a very personal bespoke ordering process, allowing the customer to share

their precise vision of the best audio system in the world. And the plaque at the backside, branded ‘TIDAL for BUGATTI’, underlines the exclusive cooperation.

The “Royale” is deploying four subwoofer drivers per speaker and a 3-way front unit with a midrange-driver and tweeter with diamond diaphragms. The diamond diaphragm tweeter can be also found in our cars. The Royale is an active speaker with housing extremely powerful amplifier channels inside. The matching music controller allows to connect to all kinds of sources, including music streaming services and TV and can be controlled with smart devices.

The start of the partnership manifests itself in the ‘Edition Noir’ and ‘Edition Blanc’, each

limited to only 15 pairs.

About TIDAL Audio: TIDAL Audio was founded in Germany in 1999 by entrepreneur and music enthusiast Jörn Janczak with a clear vision of building the finest audio systems in the world. From the beginning, TIDAL Audio pursued single-mindedly the ambition to redefine quality in the

sphere of sound systems. TIDAL Audio systems are a combination of passion and professionalism never sparing any efforts to reach new heights in audio quality and design aspirations. TIDAL Audio serves prestigious clients around the world and has received multiple awards from leading reviewers and magazines.

Accelerating Transformation: ZF Presents Middleware and Establishes Global Software Center

TL Bureau, Friedrichshafen

The vehicle of the future will feature high levels of networking and automation defined by software.

But a “software-defined car” is much more than a ”smartphone on wheels” even if the vehicle operation increasingly resembles that of a smartphone. The difference is the quality and quantity of hardware systems that need to be intelligently connected by a software platform to help move people comfortably and safely.

In a preview to CES 2021, ZF presented its new middleware.

This open software platform is a “mediator” between a vehicle computer’s operating system and its software applications. Key functions of the middleware are the abstraction of computing hardware from software applications and the communication between these applications.

“The new ZF middleware underpins ZF’s claim to be one of the world’s leading system suppliers for the software-defined car of the future”, says Dr. Dirk Walliser, Senior Vice

Middleware as “mediator” between the vehicle’s operating system and its software applications Middleware will be available in series vehicles from 2024 Individual approach: ZF adapts to software challenges by setting up a Global Software Center

President Research & Development, Innovation & Technology at ZF. “Our customers benefit from accelerated development processes and significantly reduced complexity when integrating hardware and software. Throughout the vehicle’s lifetime functions can be updated or additionally offered on-demand.”

As a comprehensive software platform, the ZF middleware will be available in series vehicles from 2024. Its development is closely connected to the development of application software for mobility domains like automated driving, integrated safety, vehicle motion control and electric mobility.

System Solutions for the SoftwareDefined Car Bits and bytes have been allowing vehicle components to communicate with each other for almost five decades since the first electronic control units (ECUs) were installed in cars in the 1970’s.

Today, vehicles may have up to 100 different ECUs. Each of them includes its own software. In new and future vehicle platforms, the electric and electronic architecture (E/E architecture) will change dramatically. Software functions move away from decentralized controllers towards a centralized system with only a few dedicated

domain control units (DCUs), e.g. for automated driving functions.

All these software applications benefit from a smoothly integrated middleware platform managing system integration.

Middleware reduces Complexity for System Integration Being a connector to the software applications and the hardware components of a vehicle, only the middleware needs to be connected to the operating system. This approach minimizes the interfaces, guarantees fast communication with all parts of the system and can help to significantly reduce the complexity of system integration

for the OEM. The same principle applies for the development of hardware components. The middleware simplifies their flexible integration into vehicles providing communication in “one universal language”. It “translates” and standardizes the communication between the vehicles different hard- and software layers.

Accelerated and Improved Processes The open hard- and software architecture enables an accelerated and improved development process between ZF, vehicle manufacturers and other partners – from the first step of development and during the entire lifetime of the vehicle.

12

OIC Strongly Lambast Terrorist Attack, in Niger TL Bureau, Jeddah

The Secretariat General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly lambasted here today, a terrorist attack that took place, in the Diffa region, South-eastern Niger, resulting in 27 dead, various casualties and missed.

Secretary-General of the OIC Dr Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen expressed in strong wordings denunciation of such a new terrorist attack, in Niger, offering sincere condolences to the families, government and the people of Niger and wishing a speedy recovery for the injured.

He reiterated emphasizing the firm stance of the OIC of outright condemnation of terrorism, in all forms and manifestations, reasserting the OIC backing up of all endeavours exerted by the government of Niger to combat such a scourge.

Covid-19 vaccination: Federal Councillor Berset meets with European health ministers TL Bureau, Bern

Federal Councillor Alain Berset today took part in a virtual meeting of ministers and held discussions with his European counterparts on the Covid-19 vaccination and the associated vaccination strategies. Close coordination at an international level is especially important in connection with cross-border issues.

Russian Influence in the Mediterranean

TL Bureau, Washington D.C.

Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in comments at the MED Dialogue, accused the United States of playing political games in the Mediterranean and stalling the appointment of a new UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Libya. It’s unfortunate and unhelpful that Mr. Lavrov again gets the facts wrong and attempts to rewrite history.

The United States is working actively with allies and partners in the Eastern Mediterranean to promote greater stability, security, and prosperity. In Libya, the United States supports the formation of an inclusive government that can secure the country and meet the economic and humanitarian

Today, the Department of State has designated the Saraya al-Mukhtar group as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to Executive Order 13224 for posing a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism that threaten the national security and foreign policy of the United States.

Saraya al-Mukhtar is an Iranbacked terrorist organization based in Bahrain, reportedly receiving financial and logistic support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Saraya al-Mukhtar’s selfdescribed goal is to depose the Bahraini government with the intention of paving the

variety of techniques to spread disinformation, undermine national sovereignty, and sow chaos, conflict, and division within countries throughout the region. In Syria, Russia supports the Assad regime whose war against its own people has added to regional instability, led to a protracted humanitarian crisis, and displaced half the population. In Greece, we saw Russian diplomats expelled from the country in 2018 for undermining the Prespes agreement and meddling in Greek Orthodox religious affairs. Wealthy Russians – many with connections to the Kremlin – have laundered billions of dollars through the Republic of Cyprus and Malta, distorting their domestic markets and spreading corruption.

Clear requirements, supervision and cooperation between authorities at the core of key sectors’ data security TL Bureau, Helsinki

The interim report of the cross-sectoral working group surveying the data protection and security of sectors of key importance for the functioning of society has been submitted for statements on 15 December 2020. The working group’s main observation was that good data security culture is created as a result of data security requirements in the legislation, not on the basis of instructions or other voluntary measures. The working group found that data security requirements for critical sectors should be defined more precisely in the legislation of each sector and the implementation of the requirements should also be monitored actively. The authorities need more resources and the cooperation between the authorities should be more organised and efficient than currently.

State Department Terrorist COVID-19 blog, 15 December: 301 Designation of Saraya al-Mukhtar new positive test results have been added in the past 24 hours

TL Bureau, Washington D.C.

Today, the Department of State has designated the Saraya al-Mukhtar group as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to Executive Order 13224 for posing a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism that threaten the national security and foreign policy of the United States.

Saraya al-Mukhtar is an Iranbacked terrorist organization based in Bahrain, reportedly receiving financial and logistic support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Saraya al-Mukhtar’s selfdescribed goal is to depose the Bahraini government with the intention of paving the way for Iran to exert greater influence in Bahrain. The group has plotted attacks against U.S. personnel

State Department Terrorist Designation of Saraya al-Mukhtar

TL Bureau, Washington D.C.

needs of the Libyan people. Our overarching goal remains to bring Libyan parties to a negotiated, inclusive UN-facilitated political solution through the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum. We want an empowered UN Mission that can accomplish this goal. To this end, the United States worked with our partners on the UN Security Council to strengthen the UN system and create a UN Special Envoy position and a complementary UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Coordinator in UNSMIL’s 2020 mandate renewal. Russia and China were the only UNSC members to abstain on the Security Council resolution renewing UNSMIL’s mandate.

Russia continues to threaten Mediterranean stability using a

world

way for Iran to exert greater influence in Bahrain. The group has plotted attacks against U.S. personnel in Bahrain and has offered cash rewards for the assassination of Bahraini officials.

This designation seeks to deny Saraya al-Mukhtar the resources to commit acts of terrorism. Among other consequences, all of the group’s property and interests in property that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or hereafter come within the possession or control of U.S. persons, are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with it.

in Bahrain and has offered cash rewards for the assassination of Bahraini officials.

This designation seeks to deny Saraya al-Mukhtar the resources to commit acts of terrorism. Among other consequences, all of the group’s property and interests in property that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or hereafter come within the possession or control of U.S. persons, are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with it. This action notifies the U.S. public and the international community that Saraya al-Mukhtar poses a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism. Designations of terrorist organizations expose and isolate them and deny them access to the U.S. financial system.

Yemen Welcomes US Declaration Removing Sudan from State Sponsors of Terrorism List TL Bureau, Aden

Yemen has welcomed the US announcement to remove Sudan from its state sponsors of terrorism list. In a statement announced here last night, the Yemeni Foreign Ministry said that the declaration is a significant step towards Sudan’s restoration of its normal status, in the international community.

Calling on the international community to offer all aspects of support to Sudan, as such step would bail out the recovery of Sudan’s economy, realizing growth and stability as well, that the Sudanese people deserve to entertain.

TL Bureau, Tallinn

The last 24 hours have seen 4,591 tests being analysed in Estonia in relation to coronavirus, of which the results of 301 (6.6%) of the initial tests were positive.

Based on the data in the population register, the highest number of new positive test results came from Harju County, where 163 further individuals were found to have been infected. A total of 132 of the new cases from Harju County were from Tallinn.A further forty-four new positive

coronavirus test results were added from Ida-Viru County, twenty-seven from Pärnu County, and twenty-five from Tartu County. Eleven new cases were added from Rapla County, six from Järva County, and five from Hiiu County. Four new cases were added from Võru County, three each from Põlva County and Valga County, and two each from Jõgeva County, Viljandi County, and Saare County. On four occasions the places of residence of those individuals who tested positive were not specified in the population register

Council supports EU-wide animal welfare label

TL Bureau, Brussels

The Council approved conclusions for an EU-wide animal welfare label, highlighting the overarching objective of improving animal welfare for as many food-producing animals as possible. Through the approved conclusions, the Council invites the European Commission to submit a proposal on an EUwide animal welfare label for food produced under animal welfare standards higher than those in EU legislation.

“Animal welfare has been a priority for our presidency and I am very pleased to see that it is also now becoming an EU priority for more ambitious and higher standards.

A common EU label on animal welfare would increase credibility

and transparency in our markets and would enable consumers to make more informed choices. It would also help reward producers who respect those standards.”

Julia Klöckner, Germany’s Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture Ministers supported consumer demands to easily recognise food produced under stronger animal welfare standards and, through the conclusions, called for specific criteria to be taken into account when developing an EU-wide label.

Among others, ministers stressed the need to go beyond current EU legal requirements on animal welfare, to gradually include all livestock species in the label covering their entire lifetime (also transport and slaughter), and to ensure a smooth interplay with existing labels.