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Irish Housebuilding to Fall by One-Third Due to Covid-19: Central Bank

Communist China’s Silent War Against America

Analysis Stealthily, surreptitiously, and with sweeping precision, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a decades-long war against America for world domination utilizing a military strategy known as “unrestricted warfare” that continues today. Unbeknownst to most of the population, the CCP infiltrated nearly every major avenue of life in the United States—leaving virtually no industry untouched. While this threat has largely existed undetected, the impact it has had on the nation, as well as the geopolitical consequences, are far reaching. Skirting the traditional, direct military confrontation offensives that have became somewhat outdated in modern times, this unconventional strategy has become central to the communist regime’s approach to warfare. The strategy is highlighted in the 1999 book “Unrestricted Warfare,” authored by two Chinese air force colonels—Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui—and published by…

Irish Housebuilding to Fall by One-Third Due to Covid-19: Central Bank

DUBLIN鈥擧ousebuilding in Ireland is likely to fall by at least one-third over three years due to COVID-19 disruptions and could fall by half in the event of a second wave of infections, a senior central bank official forecast on Tuesday.

A scarcity of supply has led to rapid rises in rents and levels of homelessness in recent years in Ireland, whose economy was booming until the coronavirus crisis shut it down at the end of March.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Ireland, the central bank forecast 88,000 new homes would be built over three years: 26,000 in 2020, 30,000 in 2021, and 32,000 in 2022.

That is likely to fall by around 10,000 for each of the three years, Director of Economics and Statistics Mark Cassidy told a parliamentary committee, a cumulative fall of just over one-third.

Analysts say around 35,000 homes are needed a year to meet demand.

“We are well short of producing enough housing for our medium-term requirements, so this will exacerbate the situation,” Cassidy said.

A second wave of COVID-19 infections in Ireland could increase the fall in supply over three years from 30,000 to 45,000, Cassidy said, a fall of more than half of the original 88,000 forecast.

Housebuilding in 2022 would fall from around 32,000 to 15,000 in the severe scenario, he said.

By Conor Humphries

Focus News: Irish Housebuilding to Fall by One-Third Due to Covid-19: Central Bank

WhatsApp to Pause Processing Law-Enforcement Requests for User Data in Hong Kong

Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp messaging service said on Monday it had “paused” processing law enforcement requests for user data in Hong Kong. WhatsApp is “pausing” such reviews “pending further assessment of the impact of the National Security Law, including formal human rights due diligence and consultations with human rights experts,” a spokesperson said in a statement. Hong Kong has enjoyed unrestricted internet access unlike mainland China, where the likes of Google, Twitter, and Facebook are blocked. Last week, China’s parliament passed the national security legislation for Hong Kong, setting the stage for the most radical changes to the former British colony’s way of life since it returned to Chinese rule 23 years ago. Riot police detain a man as they raise a warning flag during a demonstration against the new national…