Projects in the News this week – 15th November

International

New UN forestry project bids to help countries combat climate change
Monday 11 November 2019, a new UN project is launched to help twenty-six countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America tackle climate change through better forestry management. These nations will provide improved data on forest and land use – a key pledge of all State signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement. Accurate monitoring of forest and land use is essential if countries track progress towards the sustainability goals as they adopt climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.
Project Nightingale: Google’s access to US patient data
Wednesday 13 November 2019, there was considerable media attention regarding Google's access to medical data of up to 50 million Americans from one of the largest healthcare providers (Ascension). This attention came after an anonymous whistleblower posted a video on social media that contained a document dump of confidential files relating to the project, which aims to analyse patient data and give health care providers new insights. The Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights opened the inquiry on Tuesday as individuals were not aware of Googles access to their data which began last year.
Germany Removes Legal Hurdle For Russia's Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Project
Thursday 14 November 2019, Germany's parliament passed an energy law that allows part of Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline project to skirt European rules that forbid one entity from being both the producer and the natural gas supplier. It's one of the last hurdles to be overcome for the completion of the 1,225-kilometer underwater pipeline project owned by Russia's state-owned Gazprom company. Nord Stream 2 is to carry 55 billion cubic meters of gas annually to Germany, doubling the country's imports from Russia. The company expects to complete the project in the coming months.
Microsoft Will Strengthen Project xCloud In The Coming Months
Thursday 14 November 2019, at its annual Xbox event in London, X019, Microsoft delivered updates on its Project xCloud cloud-gaming service. Microsoft is planning to launch its xCloud game streaming service in 2020, and the company is expanding it to Windows 10 PCs next year. It will integrate Project xCloud with Xbox Game Pass, allowing players to stream games from the company's subscription service direct from the cloud.

Domestic (Ireland)

Luas to be extended into north Dublin as a new project
Sunday 10 November 2019, it was reported that design work is underway to extend the Luas line further into North Dublin with a preferred route expected to be identified in 2020. The extension of the Luas to Finglas will help thousands of commuters each day and remove congestion in the city centre.
£343m electricity interconnector project between Ireland and Great Britain
Tuesday 12 November 2019, preparations for a new electricity interconnector linking Ireland and Wales have begun, with the first planning applications (which cover the marine components of the project) submitted. The €400m (£343m) project will connect the electricity grids of Great Britain and Ireland if approved in what its designers said would increase energy security and the cost-effective integration of low-carbon energy. The project is expected to take three years to build with commissioning in 2023.
Three completes digital transformation project with Amdocs
Thursday 14 November 2019, Three Ireland finished a significant digital transformation project with Amdocs. The project included the consolidation and modernisation of the mobile operator's IT infrastructure for managing more than 50 third party partners and the digitisation of customer experience. David Hennessy, CTO, said: "With Amdocs' support, we are consolidating and upgrading our infrastructure and digitalising our systems to understand our customer journeys across all touchpoints of the business, leveraging smart systems to improve engagement and time-to-market.