Politics

• [New] At stake are COVID-19 measures and revitalizing the pandemic-battered economy, as well as diplomatic and security issues amid the rise of China and growing security risks including North Korea's missile and nuclear threats. CP24
• [New] Population growth and rising energy demand are opportunities for local and national governments in Africa to advance economic development. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
• [New] French domestic pressure could push the French government to withdraw more rapidly, particularly if French forces suffer further casualties in Mali and the Malian government continues to issue anti-France statements. Critical Threats
• [New] Government has a clear role to play in responsibly deploying GGRs, and is committing to an ambition of deploying at least 5 MtCO2 / year of engineered removals by 2030. UK Government
• [New] The Scottish Government has set ambitious targets to restore 250,000 ha of peatland by 2030 and for 18,000 ha of new woodlands to be created annually by 2024/25, with woodland cover increased from around 19% to 21% of the total area of Scotland by 2032. UK Government
• [New] Government has launched a new England Woodland Creation Offer to fund woodland creation in England and will establish new Woodland Creation Partnerships in key areas, bringing together government, NGOs, and the private sector to develop bespoke offers to encourage woodland creation. UK Government
• [New] Subject to devolved competence, the Scottish Government has committed to phasing out the need to install new or replacement fossil fuel boilers, in off gas areas from 2025 and in on gas areas from 2030, subject to technological developments and decisions by the UK Government in reserved areas. UK Government
• [New] The Scottish Government will allocate at least £1.8 billion over the next five years to support the accelerated deployment of heat and energy efficiency measures in homes and buildings. UK Government
• [New] The Scottish Government has recently announced that it will establish a National Public Energy Agency whose remit will be to coordinate the delivery of investment and heat decarbonsiation and the rollout of energy efficiency initiatives. CMS Law-Now
• [New] After the new heat networks regulatory system is implemented, the Scottish Government has said that it will only consent heat networks with low and zero carbon emission heat sources. CMS Law-Now
• [New] A non-Canadian mutual fund investing in EAFE securities will have also paid withholding taxes to foreign governments, on the income it received from foreign securities. www.finiki.org
• [New] The increase in applications from China could be due partly to subsidies from the Chinese government to encourage companies to obtain U.S. trademark registrations. Bloomberg
• [New] Privacy and security, access and divides, government-Apple-Google relations and the heightened importance of design will be four things to keep a critical eye on as the UK government moves to appify public services. The Conversation
• [New] The prospect of the world's leading economic power arriving in Glasgow with no domestic policy to cut emissions will make it harder to convince other major emitters, primarily China, to do more at a time when governments are collectively failing to avert unlivable global heating. The Guardian
• [New] As the UK government promises 'armed forces overseas more often and for longer periods of time', understanding the risks of UK security assistance matters now more than ever. Resources
• [New] New Zealand's largest city, Auckland, will extend its lockdown, the harshest in the world, for another two weeks, making it an outlier in the Asia-Pacific region as nations move to ease domestic restrictions and reconnect to the rest of the world. The New York Times
• [New] South Korea on Monday as expected approved its upgraded 40% emissions reduction target by 2030, which contains steep cuts for sectors in the emissions trading scheme and a shared role for government and the private sector in buying carbon credits from abroad. the weekly ledger
• [New] Security risks coupled with new data privacy laws are forging roles that exist at the intersection of government policy and technology. CIO
• [New] Across Asia, Australia and New Zealand, we are urging governments to step up and commit to clear and strong climate policies that will unlock the capital needed to transition to a net-zero economy. Ceres
• [New] Nigeria's population is 211 million people and is expected to nearly double by 2050 overtaking the United States as the third most populous country in the world. University of Copenhagen
• [New] Australia risks losing more than $12 billion in national income and several thousand jobs if South Korea, China and G7 members follow the EU and introduce carbon tariffs. ABC Radio National

Last updated: 20 October 2021