The RCSI School of Nursing & Midwifery has a long-standing track record in the provision of research training to nurses and midwives.
As Ireland's only exclusive postgraduate nursing and midwifery school, we are dedicated to developing the practice, educational and research capabilities of ambitious nurses and midwives.
As a School our aim is to engage in even more progressive types of healthcare research, placing the School and its students at the cutting edge of improvements in how nurses, midwives and other healthcare workers deliver better outcomes for patients and their families.
We also aim to establish ourselves as a School that wants to know more about how families can engage with caring for relatives, and how families can be more involved in healthcare delivery.
As a research student at the RCSI School of Nursing & Midwifery, you will benefit from the close working and helping relationship with your supervisors, with the aim of you completing your studies in a timely manner and delivering a final research product that will have a high impact on healthcare.
If you are ambitious and are interested in pursuing research in any of the five areas listed below, please register your details for more information.
If you are interested in pursuing a MSc by Research or PhD in any of these areas please register your interest.


New life in Christ is a blessed life that glorifies God.
New life in Christ is an exciting life and a soul-refreshing experience, which cannot be ignored. It is living by the grace of God and walking in the path of faith. It's not a life of fantasy but reality.
The dramatic effects of being in Christ are far beyond the deceitful works of self-righteous men. Its vividness cannot be captured and expressed by world famous artist; neither can be spoken by great orators of our time. Its sweetness and grace cannot be compared with sweet music played by the best violin virtuoso of all times. Truly, it's not from men, but an amazing miracle of God.
New life in Christ produces unspeakable joy that stays for eternity. Renewed life in Christ is a life-changing relationship with the Savior. It creates new desires in the hearts of believers. It's a wonderful freedom guided by the Gospel rule of life.
*Desire that pleases the Lord.
He who loves the Lord will not leave the Word.
He who leaves the Lord will surely love the world.
Having a good image is a great advantage, much more if we use it in the service of the King.
God created us not for our own glory, but for His honor and glory.
The best of all servants is he who faithfully serves the Lord Jesus until He comes. Living in Christ blocks the desire of our old man, so that the Holy Spirit could work according to the will of God. A Spirit-led life glorifies our Heavenly Father. It is a life filled with godly knowledge and moral excellence; a life guided by the Word of God; and enhanced through godly goals. New life in Christ is not a life of vanity and emptiness, but a life with a purpose and certainty, and could be enjoyed through our Christian service and sweet fellowship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.


Nigel Clough wishes Liam Boyce's final international call-up of the season could have come a few weeks earlier for Burton Albion.
Boyce is currently training with the Northern Ireland squad ahead of home Euro 2020 qualifiers against Estonia on Thursday and Belarus on Sunday.
It means he will miss Albion's League One clash with Accrington Stanley on Saturday, a week after notching his first goal in more than two months in the 3-0 victory over Blackpool.
Boyce also provided the assist for Lucas Akins' match-sealing strike in the second half, and Clough feels ending the goal drought will be a "big, big relief" for Albion's club-record signing.
But with the confidence now flowing again, the 27-year-old will have to wait until April 6 against Barnsley before he is back in action for his club.
"I wish he could've gone a couple of weeks ago!" joked Clough after the win over Blackpool.
"Now he has scored and we're going to miss him for a week.
"But he'll be back for the Barnsley game, and we'll try to manage without him.
"When you are a striker and you are not scoring, it gets to you.
"No matter what people say, if you are making them and playing well - and he hasn't even been doing that really - it still gets to you when you haven't got a goal.
"He got the first one on Saturday, and the thing is to keep getting in that six-yard box.
"It almost hit him, but he has finished it. We keep saying that if you get in the right position, it will almost hit you and go in.
"The cross was brilliant. Lucas turned a cross like that down in the loss at Charlton Athletic the other night, on the righthand side.
"We said to him, 'just cross it'. On Saturday, he hasn't looked, he has just swung it in and Boycie is in where he should be.
"It'll be a big, big relief. Unfortunately we are without him next week."
Boyce and Akins partnered each other in a two-man attack against Blackpool, an approach Clough has rarely taken this season, with him favouring a 4-3-3 system.
But the 4-3-1-2 setup from Saturday will be used again by the Brewers in the coming weeks.
"Definitely," said Clough when asked about the prospect of looking at that shape again this season.
"It was for several factors. We've been having so much possession in wide positions, but not getting what we should from it.
"Let's change it around, put somebody just off the strikers, like Will Miller.
"Then it doubles up, and he took care of Jay Spearing as well, who is a very influential player for Blackpool."


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Josh Pfeiffer's Hits the Charts 'One More Time' With Debut on the Netherlands iTunes Top 100
2019 has been a very good year for recording artist Josh Pfeiffer. The California based singer, songwriter, and music producer recently released his latest single, and music video entitled 'One More Time' on November 17th, 2018.
So far in 2019, the single has gone on to reach various music charts in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and most recently peaking at #2 overall on the Netherlands iTunes Top 100 on May 7th, 2019. The song also reached #1 on the more specific Netherlands iTunes Country music genre chart.
The song, written and co produced by Pfeiffer, is the artists first release in the country music genre and features Nashville youtube sensation Shawn Tubbs on peddle steel guitar. Pfeiffer's regular collaborative team of musicians rounds out the rest of the credits, including David Hawkes on drums, Kevin Jachetta on piano, and David Schram on bass, ukulele, and rhythm guitar. David Schram who wrote and co produced Pfeiffer's previous single 'Brand New Shoes' is also credited as co producer on 'One More Time'.
Also worthy of noting is that 'One More Time' was one of the last projects recorded at the legendary Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California before it shuttered it's doors September 15th 2018. The studio opened in 1971 and is known for its recordings of award-winning albums such as Journey's Escape and Green Day's Dookie. The single was engineered and mixed by Adam Munoz, and mastered by Ken Lee.
The music video was directed by five time Emmy Award winner Alejandro Guimoye and features Josh's wife Tara Pfeiffer in the lead role. This marks the third collaboration between Pfeiffer and Guimoye, following up the critically acclaimed video productions of 'Life', and 'Brand New Shoes'.
Later this year Josh is tentatively scheduled to release his next single entitled 'Dancing Girl' feat. Mic Gillette and Shawn Tubbs. The song is the final project that the late great brass player Mic Gillette and Pfeiffer collaborated on together. Gillette originally found fame as a founding member of the funk band Tower Of Power, and toured with Santana, and the Rolling Stones among others.
Pfeiffer is just of many indie, and small record label artists who are finding success internationally through social media and online marketing. It is a recent trend that continues to inspire up and coming artists who are dreaming of finding success on a larger stage. Thanks to the internet and online retailers like iTunes, Amazon, Spotify etc. as well as social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, the entire global market has now become that larger stage. And what a stage it is.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The swivelling faucet features a socket base unit with a retractable hose that enables use as a faucet or shower. Water flow can be temporarily shut off at the shower head. Wall mount for shower head included. Available as single or mixer tap.
Suitable for pressure or micro switched systems. Use 136639 adaptor for connection to Whale System 15 pipework.
• Elegance faucets and showers are serviceable, they are not sealed units. Single Faucet Tap Swivelling standard faucet for cold water only systems.


Redelmeier, D.A., and Tien, H.C.
The objective of this literature review was to identify effective medical interventions that could be used by physicians to prevent vehicle crashes among their patients. Libraries were searched using a set of keywords and published studies involving randomization or rigorous observational analytical methods in the past 30 years were considered for inclusion along with selected governmental background documents.
The study included an overview of societal interventions to prevent crashes, as well as explored restrictions that are recommended for reversible medical conditions. With regard to research that provides insight into the effectiveness of medical warnings to patients, there is some variation in results. While one study produced a 45% reduction in serious crashes, among 11 studies that utilized a variety of research methods to examine this topic, there were 4 studies that indicated warnings had no significant effect. Moreover, 3 studies reported modest benefits, and the other 4 were inconclusive. However, the 2 studies with the most rigorous designs revealed a relative risk reduction of 13% and 32% for road crashes. Collectively these results may indicate that some patients may not adhere to medical warnings.
The authors suggested that the greater use of medical warnings by physicians may have benefits, and incentives may encourage their use among physicians. They also proposed that physicians may play a more prominent role in reducing road crashes in light of anticipated changes in the age demographic of Canadian drivers.
Redelmeier, D. A., & Tien, H. C. (2014). Medical interventions to reduce motor vehicle collisions. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 186(2), 118-124.


Most of the individuals who became adults may have left their passion for playing the piano in their young age or in the childhood. At a certain point of time, an adult will definitely regret of not learning the piano properly. Most of the adults think that knowing how one can learn to play piano in their age isn't correct. Because they think it is not appropriate at such age and might be slow in adapting new thing as they feel kids are quicker in learning a piano. But this is not at all true, even as an adult, you can learn piano and it is common these days. There is no specific age to learn the piano instrument. If as a grown-up person, just set the reasons and stick to them to get the motivation for working hard in learning piano. Adapting for new things in this adult age is beneficial such as figuring out how to play the piano, it practices your cerebrum. This is an incredible pressure reliever and is extremely fun. You can just put aside some time for learning piano and enjoy playing it passionately like a pro. Are You A Busy Working Adult? Take up online piano exercises to live your passion.
Can you be able to adapt piano as busy working person and catch on quickly?
The absolute vital test, you will have been when you pick in figuring out how can you learn to play a piano as a grown-up. It is done by finding an opportunity to do it. When you are in the process of learning the piano as an adult, you may sometimes become busy because of hectic work schedule. This will make you in missing the classes and leads you to ask your piano teacher to postpone the exercise. Changing the class timings always because of busy work might wreck your training schedule. In this situation, it is essential to think of any other type of alternatives that are progressively adaptable in manners. So that you can be able to plan an opportunity to learn and rehearse. The best alternative in this situation is taking online piano lessons on the web. Some of the self-showing online piano courses not only explain how to play piano, they also offer few education modules and techniques for instructing that can be altered. Also, where you can search the kind of exercises and with how much amount of speed you can play it. This is a lot way better choice if you are the busy working person. Just put aside time of about thirty minutes and learn through online exercises at whatever time is sufficient for you. So, what are you waiting for?


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Best Laptop for Crafting
Crafting is typically thought of as an art form in which individuals produce things with their hands in a traditional manner. You must make sure that you are using the best Laptop for crafting. It's surprising to realize that you can do crafting and art online. It is possible to complete the task using only a laptop. It is entirely up to the user to determine which laptop model is best for them.
Various laptops are available in a variety of pricing ranges on the market. This article will present the top ten best laptops for crafting, along with their advantages and downsides, to aid in making a more informed purchase in the future. Without this, it may be difficult for you to select the correct option.
1 Apple MacBook Pro
1.0.1 CPU and GPU
1.0.2 RAM and Storage
1.0.3 Display and keyboard
1.0.4 Connectivity and Battery
1.1 Microsoft Surface Book 2
1.2 HP Spectre x360 4K Ultra HD
1.3 Dell XPS 15
1.4 Lenovo Yoga C930
1.5 Acer Predator Helios 300:
1.5.1 CPU and GPU:
1.5.2 RAM and Storage:
1.5.3 Display and keyboard:
1.5.4 Connectivity and Battery:
1.6 Asus Vivobook F510QA
1.7 Acer Spin 3
1.8 Asus ZenBook Pro UX550GE
1.9 Lenovo Ideapad 330
1.10 Buying Guide
1.11 FAQ
1.11.1 What is the best Laptop for crafting?
1.11.2 What Laptop works with Cricut?
1.11.3 What is the best Laptop for creative people?
1.11.4 Do I need a computer for a Cricut?
Thanks to Apple's new M1 processor, the latest 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro is as elegant as ever and more powerful than ever. The Apple MacBook Pro is sleek and modern. This device is available in either a dark, gloomy Space Gray or a brighter Silver finish. With an intel core, the best Laptop for crafting must have the specs that this device has.
CPU and GPU
The MacBook Pro is equipped with either the brand-new M1 chip or processors from Intel's Core i5 and Core i7 families, as well as the Radeon Pro 560X GPU. All computational operations, including graphics output, are handled by the Apple M1 CPU. The software architecture of the M1 processor differs from that of the Intel Core i5 or Intel Core i7 processors.
RAM and Storage
In addition to the processors, there is 8GB of RAM and 256GB of solid-state storage. Of course, upgrading to 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD costs more money. Users with massive storage requirements can also outfit a MacBook Pro with 1TB or 2TB SSDs, resulting in a fully loaded M1-powered configuration.
Display and keyboard
The Retina display on the device has remained relatively consistent in recent models and continues to do so in the current one. It has a 13.3-inch display with a very high native resolution that falls somewhere between 1680×1050 and 1024×640.
The colors are beautiful, the text is clear, and the True Tone feature, which adapts the screen's white balance for the nature of the ambient light surrounding the Laptop, is awe-inspiring, making it the best Laptop for crafting. Its screens are also certified to display the whole P3 color gamut.
The switches on the new Magic Keyboard are divided into two halves. First, a scissor mechanism directs the movement, locking into the keycap at the peak of travel to avoid shaky keys.
The typing experience is adequate, and key pushes benefit from the chassis's rigidity, as there is no discernible flex. You'll enjoy that the keyboard backlight incorporates an ambient light sensor, which prevents it from turning on when you don't need it.
Connectivity and Battery
Another small design tradeoff of the device is it only has 3 ports: two USB Type-C connectors and a 3.5mm headphone jack. This was a serious issue a few years ago for professional users who had a lot of devices, especially external drives that used the older USB Type-A cords. The dual USB-C ports of the M1 MacBook Pro support charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1 Gen 2, and USB 4 connections.
The battery life of the laptop is excellent. The rundown test, which entails looping a locally stored HD video at 50% screen brightness with WiFi and Bluetooth switched off, lasts more than 22 hours. Undoubtedly, long-lasting battery life is essential for a laptop for crafting.
The MacBook Pro is the best Laptop for crafting because of its screen size, graphics card, tablet mode, and long battery life.
Huge battery life
Magic Keyboard feels great
The design remains the same
Still lacks ports
Apple MacBook Pro (15-Inch, Latest Model, 16GB RAM, 256GB Storage) - Silver
9th-generation 6-Core Intel Core i7 Processor
Brilliant Retina Display with True Tone technology
Touch Bar and Touch ID
Radeon Pro 555x Graphics with 4GB of video Memory
Microsoft Surface Book 2
The 15-inch Surface Book 2 weighs 4.2 pounds and dimensions 0.9 by 13.5 by 9.87 inches (HWD). Despite the greater power, the clamshell is slanted so that it tapers down to 0.5 inches at the front, the same thickness at both ends as the original Surface Book.
It's worth mentioning that the tablet weighs only 1.8 pounds when removed, which increases portability. As a result, the Surface Book 2 can be considered the best Laptop for crafting.
This model comes fully loaded with an Intel Core i7-8650U processor and an Nvidia GTX 1060 graphics card. Its GTX 1060 graphics card, commonly found in recent midrange gaming laptops, is ideal for 1080p gaming. The 14-inch Razer Blade is the equivalent compact and thin Laptop with a GTX 1060. This is the best Laptop with a generation intel core i7.
Internal storage is in the form of a solid-state drive. Multiple disc configurations are available on each screen size. This model's most expensive option is a 1TB SSD, while the smallest offered is 256GB. One drawback is that the 16GB RAM restriction may turn off for some professionals.
The PixelSense display is at the heart of the PixelSense experience. Fortunately, it has a lovely screen with a 3,240-by-2,160 resolution, a 3:2 aspect ratio, and 10-point multitouch. Its HD resolution makes it one of the best laptops for crafting.
The display resolution is a bit higher than 3,000×2,000 and significantly higher than the 2,880×1,800 resolution of the MacBook Pro.
The keyboard is pleasant to use, with illuminated keys pleasing to press and a reasonable amount of travel without feeling mushy. The touchpad is responsive. The touchpad makes it the best Laptop for digital crafting.
Except for the headphone jack, positioned on the right side of the display, all ports are located on the keyboard dock. There are two USB 3.1 ports and an SD card slot, while the right side has the Surface Connect port and a USB-C port.
The new Surface Pen is also compatible with the Surface Book 2. All of this is supplemented by an excellent battery life, which manages 17 hours and 12 minutes on the video-rundown test.
The long-lasting battery life, the backlit keyboard, generation intel core i7 processor, HD display make it the best Laptop for crafting.
Powerful machine with Nvidia graphics
The display still wobbles when you touch it
No Thunderbolt 3 support
Microsoft Surface Book 2 13.5"(Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256 GB), silver
Microsoft Surface Book 2 Features a 7th generation Intel Dual Core i5 Processor, 256 GB of storage,...
Includes an Intel HD Graphics 620 integrated GPU; Full size SDXC card reader
The fastest Surface Book yet, with 2x more power. Aspect ratio: 3:2, contrast ratio: 1600:1
Vibrant PixelSense Display: now available with an improved 13.5" touchscreen
HP Spectre x360 4K Ultra HD
The HP Spectre x360 is a high-quality piece of hardware right out of the box. The brushed metal surface makes the entire Laptop feel sturdy, and the same build quality extends to the namesake 360-degree hinge, which allows it to switch between laptop and tablet mode.
It's small enough to grasp with one hand, and the nearly bezel-less screen means the overall size is only slightly larger than the display itself, making it one of the best laptops for crafting.
This Laptop eats up everyday work activities with ease, thanks to Intel's 10th-generation laptop CPUs that perform brilliantly. The intel core makes it the best Laptop for digital crafting. If you frequently work with high-intensity software, you may prefer a system with a more powerful graphics solution. The Iris Plus graphics card outperformed prior integrated graphics.
You get 16GB LPDDR4 (3200MHz) RAM and 512GB SSD (PCIe, NVMe, M.2) in terms of storage. But, of course, this 2-in-1 isn't content with that. More sophisticated activities like rendering and video encoding are feasible because of the increased memory and new, more powerful processors.
The 4K AMOLED screen (a standout feature of our model) does, however, have a unique setup. The screen bezel is almost non-existent, and the display is a stunning AMOLED panel. Blacks are pitch dark, while bright colors explode with vibrance, and maximum brightness is excellent even in well-lit areas.
Despite its small size, the keyboard is a joy to use, with gently lighted white keys and great-sized keys. Unfortunately, there is no Numpad, and the arrow keys are shortened.
Physical connectivity is handled effectively, with two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports and a single USB-A port. Along with those connectors, there's a headphone jack and a microSD card reader. The HP Spectre x360 charges through USB-C.
One of the few areas where the HP Spectre x360 falls short is battery life. However, the battery life is still good; regular use will last the entire workday, or roughly 10 hours, without needing to be charged.
Admittedly, it's on the pricey side; the excellent design and performance of the HP Spectre x360 are worth the extra money.
Stylish and high-quality finish
New components mean battery life takes a hit
It can run hot at times
HP - Spectre x360 2-in-1 15.6 4K Ultra HD Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 512GB...
HP Stylus Pen Included
Intel Core i7 8565U (1.8 GHz base frequency(2b), up to 4.6 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost...
15.6" diagonal 4K IPS anti-glare WLED-backlit micro-edge touch screen (3840 x 2160)
512 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD, 16 GB DDR4-2400 SDRAM (2 x 8 GB)
One year after Dell dramatically updated the XPS 15, this magnificent desktop replacement laptop is still as good as ever. It's a no-brainer for those who value bright yet bold aesthetics in a 15.6-inch notebook that's as small as possible while yet packing more power than many competitors.
The XPS 15 was powered by an eight-core Intel i7-11800H processor and an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU. That's at the low end of the GPU's maximum power usage. Nevertheless, it should be a significant boost over last year's GTX 1650 Ti. The XPS 15 scored about 6,000 points higher than the previous year's model in the GPU-focused test.
The new XPS 15 comes standard with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. You'd have to pay more for a device with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. Those are reasonable rates for 15-inch workhorse laptops, especially considering that the 16-inch laptop costs a hefty $2,400 and still uses an old ninth-generation Intel CPU.
The XPS 15's other cutting-edge improvement for 2021 is the optional OLED screen. The 16:10-aspect-ratio display, with a resolution of 3,456 by 2,160 pixels (Dell refers to it as 3.5K), is unquestionably the difference between the base model's full HD (1,920-by-1,200) screen and the maximum-out 4K (3,840-by-2,400) IPS panel. The XPS 15's OLED screen was capable of displaying the entire or almost entire range of the sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3 color gamuts.
The keyboard's large layout and responsive keys will appeal to you. It would be great if some of the CherryMX technology seen in Alienware's gaming laptops made its way to the XPS range. Meanwhile, the trackpad is wonderfully smooth. There are no complaints.
Aside from an SD card slot and a headphone jack, the only physical connectors are three USB-C ports: two on the left are Thunderbolt 4 ports, with a USB 3.2 Type-C connector alone on the right.
The battery life of the XPS 15 is superb, lasting more than 11 hours in video rundown testing. The test, which consists of playing a locally stored 720p video file at 50% screen brightness and 100% loudness while turning off WiFi, is relatively forgiving.
Excellent OLED display
Fast 11th-gen Intel CPU
NVIDIA GPU is slower than some competitors
Dell XPS 15 9570 15.6" 4K UHD TouchScreen Laptop: Core i7-8750H, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GTX...
Windows 10 Home4K Ultra HDNVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB dedicated graphics; 8th Gen Intel® Core...
Lenovo Yoga C930
The Lenovo Yoga C930 exemplifies the years spent by the PC manufacturer honing its premium two-in-one recipe. The change may be minor, but it is not without importance.
The C930 is offered with either a 1.6GHz Core i5-8250U or a 1.8GHz Core i7-8550U eighth-generation Core i-series processor from Intel. It would be wonderful to see a low-end discrete graphics option in this range.
The Core i7 processor has 12GB of memory and a fast 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD drive. The actual system performance is generally as predicted. The brute performance of that quad-core processors is unquestionable. Similarly, the 512GB SSD delivers respectable performance.
The Lenovo Yoga C930 has a beautiful screen. With vivid hues and high contrast, it's vibrant and appealing, if not searingly brilliant. Although the fonts on this 1080p model could be more precise, the relatively low resolution allows for running at 100 percent scaling while maintaining font legibility.
The touchscreen capability on the Lenovo Yoga is also excellent, with the stylus being a particular highlight. It's smooth, accurate, and responsive when in use yet unobtrusive when stored.
The backlit keyboard appears the same as the one on the 920. Again, it's comfortable, with good travel and a nice bounce to the keys to keeping things from getting mushy.
The Lenovo Yoga 930 has a small number of ports. The system features two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C connections that can power the Laptop and handle up to two high-resolution external displays.
If the Lenovo Yoga can deliver on its advertised lifespan, you'll have a true all-day 2-in-1. The final aspect of the jigsaw is battery life—the Lenovo Yoga clocks in at just over 13 hours.
Lenovo yoga's latest premium 2-in-1 14-inch portable makes few concessions, with long battery life, a sturdy design, and a comprehensive feature set.
Strong build quality
Weak graphics performance
Pricey upgrade options
Yoga C930 2-in-1 13.9" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 12GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive -...
Windows 10 operating system Brings back the Start menu from Windows 7 and introduces new features,...
Built for Windows Ink With Windows Ink compatible computers, you can take notes on screen, mark up...
13.9" Full HD touch screen for hands-on control Finger-touch navigation makes the most of Windows...
8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550U processor Ultra-low-voltage platform. Quad-core, eight-way processing...
Acer Predator Helios 300:
In terms of design, this laptop is similar to previous Acer Predators. It has adequate features and performance and is reasonably priced. However, it has certain downsides.
CPU and GPU:
The Intel Core i7-10750H is a reliable ally, allowing you to handle gaming with ease when it comes to computing. Powerful GPUs, such as the RTX 2060, are pretty valuable. A graphics card with 6GB VRAM can help you manage activities while developing much more effectively.
RAM and Storage:
Acer provides dual-channel RAM in the amount of 16GB. Furthermore, the processing speed of up to 2933MHz is sufficient for nearly every RAM module present in a specific gaming device.
Display and keyboard:
This laptop's 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080-pixel display is stunning and brilliant for a gaming laptop. It also has a 240Hz refresh rate panel for fluid gaming.
The Helios 300 covers 73.7 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. However, it lacks the vibrancy of some of its competitors' PCs. While the Helios 300 keyboard lacks those fantastic clicks, the keys are nevertheless quite intense, providing a firm response on every stroke.
The keys are distributed evenly. The touchpad is enjoyable to use. However, it can become sticky at times. The keys have a good click making it the best Laptop for crafting.
Connectivity and Battery:
There are several ports on this device. A Kensington lock slot, an Ethernet port, two USB Type-A ports, a headphone jack, a Mini DisplayPort, an HDMI port, one USB Type-A port, and one USB Type-C port.
The Helios 300 barely lasted 4 hours and 40 minutes, which is over 2 hours and 40 minutes less than the popular gaming laptop average of 6:29.
The Predator has a brilliant display as well as a powerful graphics processor. If you don't overlook the poor audio, the Predator Helios 300 is an excellent choice making it the best Laptop for crafting.
Well-designed chassis
Powerful processor and high built-in RAM
Supports video games and multimedia editing
Battery performance is okay.
Awful audio
Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop PC, 15.6" Full HD 144Hz 3ms IPS Display, Intel i7-9750H,...
15.6 inches Full HD (1920 x 1080) Widescreen LED backlit IPS Display (144Hz Refresh Rate, 3ms...
16GB DDR4 2666MHz Memory, 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD (2 x PCIe M.2 Slots; 1 Slot Open for Easy Upgrades)...
Asus Vivobook F510QA
The Asus VivoBook F510QA-DS99 is a 15-inch, one of the best budget laptops designed for college students and casual users. The VivoBook F510QA has a clean, modern design that belies its low price. The exterior has a unique and appealing gunmetal grey color. The dimensions are 0.8 by 14.2 by 9.6 inches (HWD).
The Asus VivoBook F510QA-DS99 is equipped with an AMD Quad-Core A12-9720P processor and an integrated AMD R graphics card. The Core A12 has four processing cores and a base frequency of 2.7 GHz. The processor utilized here is a popular choice for low-cost laptops and Chromebooks, so its performance comes as no surprise, making it a good laptop for crafting.
The VivoBook F510QA has 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, and its specifications indicate that it performs well in everyday tasks such as viewing videos, browsing the web, and editing spreadsheets. In addition, the RAM and storage make it one of the best laptops for crafting.
The LED-backlit 15.6-inch full HD (1,920-by-1,080) display offers vivid visuals. Despite the lack of touch functionality, Asus avoided the glossy screen coating typically found on touch displays, instead opting for a matte finish that reduces screen glare.
The keys here have a narrow journey yet a solid, muted clack. Also, it has a non-backlit keyboard, which is uncommon in low-cost devices. A 4.1-by-2.9-inch touchpad sits beneath the keyboard and feels responsive but a little small. The touchpad has a pleasant click when tapped, and it has a fingerprint reader in the top-left corner.
The connectivity is impressive for a budget laptop, with a single USB 3.1 Type-C port, USB 3.0, two USB 2.0 ports, and HDMI.
The battery life only lasts 6 hours and 43 minutes. So if you intend to use the F510QA for an extended period, bring your power adapter with you.
The VivoBook F510QA offers a lot of bang for your buck, with a popular AMD A12 processor, plenty of RAM, and quick SSD storage.
Large FHD display
Keyboard not backlit
ASUS VivoBook F510QA Thin & Lightweight Laptop, 15.6" FHD WideView, AMD Quad Core A12-9720P...
Powerful AMD Quad Core A12-9720P Processor, 2.7 GHz (2M Cache, up to 3.6 GHz)
14.2" wide, 0.8" thin and portable footprint with 0.3" NanoEdge bezel for a stunning 80%...
15.6" anti-glare Full HD WideView display with ASUS Splendid software enhancement
8GB DDR4 RAM, 256G SSD; Ergonomic chiclet keyboard with fingerprint sensor
Acer Spin 3
The Spin 3 is a silvery-grey slab with an Acer logo in the center of the lid. The system measures 0.67 by 12.8 by 9.1 inches, slightly larger than the previously stated Lenovo Flex 5 14 or the HP Pavilion x360 14 LTE.
The Acer Spin 3 SP313-51N-56YV is available with the Intel Core i5 1135G7 processor and the SP313-51N-740X with the Intel Core i7 1165G7 processor. Both devices include the Intel Iris Xe G7 GPU, with just the execution units differing, and are appropriate for all standard office applications. The Intel Core i5 1135G7 is a quad-core CPU from Intel's current Tiger Lake generation. Acer's graphics solution is based on the integrated Intel Iris Xe G7 iGPU.
The working memory is soldered, but with 16 GB RAM, you have adequate reserves for the next few years, and 512 GB and 1 TB memory are also available. The system SSD is a 512 GB Kingston SSD connected through the M.2 PCIe Gen. 3 interface and the NVMe protocol 1.3.
The 13.3-inch LCD with LED backlight technology has a 2560 x 1600 in 16:10 format and supports multitouch. Because it is reflective, the display is suitable for limited outside use. Towards the center, the illumination is uneven and has an average of 306 candelas brightness
The keyboard has a backlight. Overall, the typing experience is adequate, a little flat without much tactile sensation but with satisfying tapping sounds. The buttonless touchpad glides and taps effortlessly, but right clicks are a little shaky.
The small AC adapter connector, a Thunderbolt 3 port, an HDMI video output, a USB 3.2 Type-A port, and a microSD card slot are all located on the Laptop's left side. On the right, there is a security lock slot, an audio jack, a second USB-A port, a power button, and a place to store the active stylus.
With its 48 Wh battery, our test gadget ranks in the middle of the pack, lasting more than 8 hours slightly in the WiFi test with 150 candela and 6 hours and 22 minutes in maximum brightness. Those looking for an indoor mobile convertible with adequate performance and good battery life may have found it here. The touch display is appropriate for all typical applications.
Stylus and carrying sleeve included
A few ounces overweight
Unremarkable screen and keyboard
Acer Spin 3 Convertible Laptop, 14" Full HD IPS Touch, 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G4, 8GB LPDDR4,...
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14" Full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen LED-backlit IPS Multi-Touch Display | Intel Iris Plus Graphics
Intel Wireless Wi-Fi 6 AX201 802 11ax | Backlit Keyboard | Fingerprint Reader | Up to 12 Hours...
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Asus ZenBook Pro UX550GE
The ZenBook Pro is a 15-inch laptop with a small design, premium features, and the most up-to-date hardware at this time, measuring 14.4 x 9.9 x 0.7 inches and weighing 4.2 pounds.
The new Zenbook Pro UX550 follows current design trends, featuring a lighter, slimmer, and more compact build than its predecessors, as indicated by the screen's small bezels.
The Zenbook UX550 series is divided into two primary families: the UX550VD (with Nvidia 1050 graphics, which we have here) and the UX550VE (with Nvidia 1050 Ti graphics). All have different screen options (FHD and UHD, matte or touch), as well as other CPUs (i5-7300HQ, i7-7700HQ) and storage (M.2 80 mm NVMe) options. The ZenBook Pro, with its Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU and 4GB of VRAM, can produce solid frame rates in many AAA games, depending on the settings.
The ZenBook Pro, with its stunning appearance and tremendous power, can compete with competing systems thanks to its 8 GB RAM, 256 GB NVMe SSD, which can be expanded to up to 16 GB of RAM, and larger SSDs.
The ZenBook Pro's display is stunning. The 15.6-inch 4K (3840 x 2160) screen is bright and capable of displaying vivid colors. The ZenBook Pro's vibrant colors are due to its capacity to reproduce a stunning 141 percent of the sRGB color gamut, which is far higher than the 111-per cent premium laptop average.
Asus included a 4.8 x 2.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 LCD touch screen called the ScreenPad, which can instantly adapt to what you're doing for more effortless multitasking, in addition to the gorgeous 15.6-inch panel at the top of the Laptop.
The ScreenPad can be used in four ways: traditional touchpad, screen pad, extension display, and disable the touchpad. The standard TouchPad has a blacked-out display and only acts as a Windows Precision Touchpad. The backlit keyboard on the ZenBook Pro is gorgeous and dynamic, with 1.1 millimeters of key travel and 65 grams of force actuation required.
There are two USB 3.1 Type-A ports, a microSD card, and a combo microphone/headphone jack on the right. To the left, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a full HDMI port, and a DC adaptor jack are to the left.
The battery test, which required constant web browsing over WiFi at 150 nits of brightness, lasted barely 4 hours and 23 minutes. When the ScreenPad was turned off entirely, the notebook lasted 5:14 minutes. However, after a Windows update, the time was increased to 6:01.
Elegant, sophisticated design
Powerful overall and graphics performance
Below-average battery life
Low-res webcam
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If you're on a tight budget and looking for the best laptops for crafts, the Lenovo IdeaPad 330 is a good option. This Laptop offers a robust chassis and a comfy keyboard, which are features that budget laptops rarely have. The IdeaPad 330 appears to be a standard laptop with an intel core. Lenovo Ideapad is the Best Laptop for crafting because of its HD display and can be considered the best budget laptop.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 330's performance can only be described as sluggish. Due to its seventh-generation AMD E2-9000 APU and integrated AMD R2 graphics, the laptop launched to desktop in a mediocre 2 minutes, 5 seconds. Likewise, chrome took more than 28 seconds to launch the first time after booting and around 6 secs later.
The Laptop has 8GB of DDR4 RAM and 256GB of SSD storage. The system may be set with a 1TB 5400RPM hard drive, which means you won't need to expand the storage unless you have a large number of things to store, but having the choice is helpful.
Two display options are available for this laptop which are: a non-IPS LCD 14-inch panel having a 1366×768 resolution and an IPS LCD 14-inch panel having 1920×1080 resolution Unfortunately, even reverting the display to 95 degrees distorts the colors to the point of becoming unrecognizable.
The keys on the keyboard appear flat and shallow, yet they are enough for ordinary typing. To make matters worse, the IdeaPad 330's touchpad was not a precise unit, and the Lenovo website only provided a driver for the ELAN touchpad. However, considering that it is a budget laptop, you get the best you can as one of the best laptops for crafting.
The IdeaPad 330's has a power port, LAN port, HDMI port, two full-size USB ports (one USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0), a 3.5mm audio jack for headsets, and a regular-size card-reader slot are present.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 330 lasted 2-3 hours on a single charge in the Battery Life tests. The battery lasted 3.3 hours while conducting daily duties like writing and browsing with six Chrome tabs open.
Subpar performance
2019 Lenovo ideapad 330 15.6" HD Laptop, Intel Core i3-8130U Dual-Core Processor, 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD,...
Battery life – Crafting, whether online or offline, is a time-consuming activity. As a result, choosing a laptop for crafting that lasts longer after charging than others is strongly advised. The battery life of the Laptop for crafting must be adequate. Make an effort to purchase a device that provides a minimum of 12 to 14 hours of battery life after a single charging attempt.
Screen size –A widescreen with excellent resolution is all you need for Crafting to attain color and schematic accuracy. Some folks are content with 12′′ screens. However, we always recommend choosing a screen size similar to or equivalent to 15′′ to get the best laptops for crafting.
RAM and Storage– Random Access Memory (RAM) less than 8 GB are just insufficient for crafting. If you genuinely want to improve data processing and performance, you should get at least 8GB of RAM. The RAM is also a significant consideration.
Price – The recommendation is to spend as much money as possible on a good laptop for crafting, but not foolishly. It would help if you weighed the benefits and drawbacks before determining the worth of your product. You don't want to get a budget laptop that won't fulfill your needs in the long run.
Processor –If you want to know about a laptop's overall performance, you should look at its processor. The Intel Core i3, i5, i7, and other Intel Processors are the most extensively utilized processors. When it comes to AMD, the Ryzen series is a strong option in terms of performance. The most recent Intel processors are in their tenth generation.
What is the best Laptop for crafting?
Dell XPS 15 9570 4K, Apple MacBook Pro, and the Microsoft Surface Book 2 are the best laptops for crafting.
What Laptop works with Cricut?
Few laptops can compete with the Dell XPS 15, according to Cricut aficionados. However, this type of task has a good CPU, sufficient memory, and storage space.
What is the best Laptop for creative people?
ASUS ZenBook Pro, Apple MacBook Pro, and the HP Specter x360 are the best laptops for creative people.
Do I need a computer for a Cricut?
It is not necessary to get a computer to operate a Cricut. Cricut machines are compatible with iOS and Android devices.
That concludes our list of the top ten best laptops for crafting. Laptops with touchscreens and styluses are often more expensive than non-touchscreen models. However, it should be noted that in order to be more affordable, a budget laptop may sometimes compromise crucial components. Dell XPS 15 9570 4K, Apple MacBook Pro, and the Microsoft Surface Book 2 are the best laptops for crafting.
As a result, it is recommended that you purchase the best Laptop that will cost you once but will be helpful for many years to come. Finally, the decision is fully yours to make.. I hope this article has given you some ideas for selecting the best Laptop for crafting.
Your decision is yours! Hopefully, this post has been helpful, and that you will examine all of the factors discussed above before purchasing one.
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text:
Countering Russian and Chinese Cyber-Aggression
China Cybersecurity Hybrid Threats Russia
Franklin Holcomb
Prospects for transatlantic cooperation
Black Sea Cables to Slake Europe's Thirst for Energy Western Elites — Rubles Bought (Some of) the Best The European Union's Evolving Military Capability Leopards Can Change Their Spots Iran Embassy Killing Shakes Region Russia's Return to Gulag Economics What's a Russian?
WP Post Author
The United States and its European partners face serious and determined cyber opponents and must expand cyber defense cooperation with an emphasis on learning from each other's strengths.
Russia has shown itself to be a reckless cyber actor, with its NotPetya cyberattacks against Ukraine in 2017 that devastated private and public systems worldwide.
Cyber vulnerabilities to European countries are also vulnerabilities to the United States.
Hostile cyber actors such as Russia and China have not been deterred by Western policy responses and the West must focus on becoming more resilient to cyberattacks.
State-sponsored cyber operations, both hacking and disinformation, are increasingly mutually reinforcing.
Eastern European states have taken innovative policy steps to harden their defenses against constant Russian cyber aggression.
The U.S. government and U.S. civil society should expand their outreach to governments and societies to help support and learn from our partners and thereby improve our cyber defenses.
The United States and its allies face increasingly capable and aggressive cyber opponents and must work together and learn from one another to counter them. Hostile countries regularly mount major cyber operations against American and European states aiming to disrupt their economies, conduct espionage, undermine military readiness, and manipulate public opinion through the spread of disinformation. At the same time, Western societies are becoming ever more politically and economically interconnected through digitalization. The internet of things (IoT) is dramatically increasing the connectivity of the average citizen, with the number of IoT devices worldwide expected to hit 50 bn by 2022. 1 States too are becoming increasingly digitalized as they increasingly rely on e-services and data storage. As more people and services go online, hostile actors have exponentially more entry points for attacks, information to steal or distort, and systems to breach and paralyze.
Cyber threats to society cannot be contained to ensure they do not threaten the government, nor can a state isolate itself from threats to its allies and partners. A hostile breach of a café outside a parliament in Europe that exploits a vulnerability in an IoT device that the cashier did not update could be used in seconds to infect key systems, steal vital data from the target country and enable more dangerous attacks on American targets. Meanwhile, an attack on a café on Capitol Hill aimed at gaining access to a congressional staffer's phone poses the same risks to European states. As the internet erodes geographic restrictions on communication and trade and helps bring the Euro-Atlantic community closer together it also increases American and European vulnerabilities to interlinked cyberattacks, particularly coordinated operations from hostile governments. Because we are only as strong as our weakest link, as the maxim goes, cybersecurity cannot be thought of in purely national terms. If a disinformation campaign succeeds in undermining political stability in Europe, it is only a matter of time until a similar one is loosed on the United States. Increasing active cooperation between America and European countries, particularly in joint research, cyber-exercises, and training, as well as efforts to develop a common understanding of hostile cyber actors' intentions, are already crucial to securing our shared political, economic, and military interests from hostile cyber activities and will only become more so in coming years.
Governments have used cyber tools to many ends, including conducting information operations to influence elections or political decisions, snooping to extract information, disrupting economies, and supporting ongoing combat operations. The lines notionally dividing these operations were always weak and have eroded to the point that they are often differences without distinction.
Hostile actors now conduct multifaceted operations that do not fit easily within existing models of thinking about security. These attacks' long-term objectives, such as undermining American influence or European unity, often overlap and reinforce one another. Cyber operations targeting politicians in the United States can be used to gain access to governmental systems or to extract useful intelligence, but they can just as easily be used to extract information and release it as part of a wider disinformation operation targeting the U.S. and/or European publics. Russia has conducted cyber "information operations commensurate with broader strategic military doctrine" by breaching a target organization and stealing "internet data that is then leaked to further political narratives aligned with Russian interests," the cybersecurity firm FireEye concluded in 2017. 2
Cyber and information operations are increasingly linked and mutually reinforcing, complicating effective and coordinated responses by traditional government agencies. "Cybersecurity isn't purely IT. Active operations are targeting people's minds in cyberspace," 3 Joanna ?wi?tkowska, the former program director of the European Cybersecurity Forum, observed. When considering how to help their countries withstand cyberattacks, policymakers should realize that cyber threats are a wide range of potential threats and operations against an entire society, with distinct yet often overlapping objectives.
Central and Eastern European countries have been primary targets in modern cyber warfare since at least 2007, when a massive series of attacks, including distributed-denial-of-service attacks as well as more complex attempts to hack into specific systems, savaged Estonia in conjunction with widespread riots and vandalism conducted by ethnic Russians in the country. 4 Since then, hostile cyber operations originating from hostile states such as Russia and China with a wide range of political, economic, and military objectives have repeatedly hit every country on the continent. Most prominent among these attacks was the 2017 Russian NotPetya attack on Ukraine, which inflicted massive economic damage worldwide. Due to its Russian creators' negligence or malice, the attack spilled out of Ukraine, nearly crippling the international shipping giant Maersk and causing an estimated $10 bn in economic damages. 5 The United States indicted six members of Russia's military intelligence for conducting the attacks on Ukraine, among other dangerous cyber activity, though naming and shaming the individual hackers will hardly deter Russia from pursuing similar operations. 6
Cyberattacks against countries in central and eastern Europe continue, and the region has become a laboratory for hostile cyber actors seeking to test new tools and methods of manipulation. Russia's attacks on Estonia in 2007, its attacks on Ukraine with BlackEnergy in 2015 and NotPetya in 2017, and its ongoing cyber operations demonstrate the Kremlin's view of Eastern Europe as a primary target for cyber operations. 7 "When they want to try something new, they try it on us and then think about if that kind of model can be used elsewhere, maybe someday in the U.S.," said Rolands Heni?š, Latvia's defense counselor in Washington. 8 Europe and America share cyber adversaries, prominently including Russia and China, who aim to exploit technical weaknesses and social strife.
Photo: A poster showing six wanted Russian military intelligence officers is displayed as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania Scott Brady, accompanied by Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division John Demers, speaks at a news conference at the Department of Justice, in Washington, U.S., October 19, 2020. Credit: Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS
SECTION 1: THE CYBER BEAR AND DRAGON
The cyber threat landscape is vast and increasingly active, and it endangers governments and citizens on both sides of the Atlantic. Among the wide array of hostile entities, Russia and China pose unique threats to the Euro-American alliance. Central and Eastern European governments and societies are under increasing pressure from these hostile states, who disrupt, compromise, and exploit European cyberspace to undermine Western societies and further their own political ends. Russia and China aim to expand their global influence at the expense of the United States and its partners. 9 Although they use different tools to pursue different goals, they both work to weaken the transatlantic alliance and democratic norms. Of the two, Russia is more reckless and poses a greater danger to the democratic community today. China is somewhat less obviously aggressive in cyberspace, yet it could surpass Russia as the democratic world's primary cyber threat at some point in the 21st century.
THE CYBER BEAR
With its history of aggression toward American allies in Europe, Russia is the Euro-Atlantic community's most dangerous cyber opponent. The Kremlin is a committed, hostile, reckless, and inventive actor that will require coordinated, consistent, and committed transatlantic cooperation to manage.
The Russian government views the American-European partnership as a threat to its regional and global interests, and it has committed to an adversarial relationship with the United States and its European allies. Putin's primary aims include the "preservation of his regime, the end of American global hegemony and the restoration of Russia as a mighty and feared force on the international stage." 10 While the Russian government is not always a unitary actor, Putin's core objectives unite the often feuding and disparate components of its foreign policy, military, and intelligence apparatus and are consistently pursued by all branches of the state. 11 Putin's Russia sees the American-European partnership as a key roadblock to pursuing its revanchist dream of turning Russia into a political and military power that dominates or controls its neighbors in Europe. The Putin regime views democratic projects across the former-Soviet territory as a unique and primary threat to its domestic legitimacy and regional influence. The regime wages complex military, economic, political and intelligence campaigns against these projects, despite international sanctions and condemnation.
The Kremlin has shown little compunction about using any means at its disposal, including its cyber toolkit, to antagonize the United States, undermine democratic countries and attempt to assert control in Europe. The Russian government extensively uses disinformation and hacking to achieve political, economic, or military ends. Military operations against Ukraine and Georgia aimed at punishing these countries for their lack of fealty to Moscow have been accompanied by devastating hacking operations against targets such as electrical grids, government websites, corporations, and even frontline artillery units. 12 European countries, including France in 2017, which was targeted by a Russian hack-and-dump operation against then-candidate Emmanuel Macron, have been repeatedly targeted by Russian hackers working with disinformation campaigns to influence the results of local and national elections. 13 Countries in Europe with national agendas that Russia views as counter to its global interests, such as Poland, Romania, Norway, and others, have been targeted by Russian cyberattacks and political pressure simultaneously. 14
Russian cyber actors are sophisticated and committed. According to Nicu Popescu, Moldova's minister of foreign affairs and European integration, and Stanislav Secrieru, a senior analyst at the European Union Institute for Security Studies, Russia has a long history of activity in cyberspace and is "undoubtedly one of the world's great cyber powers" with "extremely sophisticated capabilities" that are "integrated into its foreign and security policy much more extensively than other international players."
That virtuosity is thanks in part to a "general laissez-faire approach to cybersecurity" by the international community. 15 During this period of relative inattention to Russia's cyber campaigns, the Kremlin has used its cyber tools in reckless and dangerous ways particularly against Ukraine. The Kremlin conducted cyberattacks against civilian infrastructure in Ukraine in 2015, crossing a de facto red line. The Kremlin's attacks on Ukraine in 2017 not only caused immense damage to Ukraine but resulted in massive spillover well beyond the scope of its initial attack, causing worldwide economic chaos.
THE CYBER DRAGON
China, another global cyber superpower, has worked to shore up its image in central and eastern Europe as part of a larger effort to thwart any global moves to check its activity worldwide. While its aim has been less obviously aggressive and confrontational than Russia's, China nevertheless poses long-term threats to the unity of the European bloc and the transatlantic alliance.
With primarily economic and political interests in Europe, China seeks "influence over political parties and politicians" and to make the Continent more dependent on Chinese technology, according to Veronika Víchová, the head of KremlinWatch at the European Values Center for Security Policy. 16 "Chinese economic influence might not be an immediate risk to European politics, but the attraction of Chinese investment could pose a medium-to-long-term threat to the EU and transatlantic community if it leads to individual members trying to break European consensus on Chinese foreign policies," Víchová said. 17
China's footprint in European cyberspace has so far been smaller than Russia's, though recent developments, including the coronavirus crisis, suggest it could be set to expand. China has used cyberspace to spy in Europe, prominently targeting EU diplomatic cables. 18 The regime in Beijing has developed sophisticated cyber-hacking operations looking for ways to blackmail or sway key politicians in Europe to look more kindly on Chinese geopolitical interests, said Janusz Bugajski, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis. 19 In addition, since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, China has churned out more Covid-related disinformation, and senior EU leaders have suggested a link between China and attempted hacks of European hospitals. 20 All of which makes China's efforts to entrench state-linked firm Huawei into European telecommunications infrastructure all the more concerning for Europe's long-term security. 21
SECTION 2: EUROPEAN INNOVATION AND STRENGTHS IN CYBER DEFENSE
After more than a decade in the crosshairs of hackers and online snoops, central and eastern European governments, businesses and civil society groups have developed a wealth of expertise and institutional knowledge on cyber defense. Edvinas Kerza, a former deputy defense minister of Lithuania, said his government realized that "you can lose a war or a battle without the firing of a single bullet" as cyber adversaries use cheap-to-produce viruses to do "as much damage as missiles" against unprepared targets. 22 In response, experts and others in the region have pioneered policy systems and principles that can serve as models for hardening cyber defenses worldwide and as frameworks for enhancing U.S.-European cyber cooperation against shared threats.
Of course, strengthening cybersecurity is a complex undertaking that requires the participation of not only the government but also businesses, civil society organizations, and ordinary citizens. If any one of these layers is vulnerable to cyber exploitation through hacking or disinformation, it invariably endangers the others. It is important, then, to remove institutional barriers that artificially silo state entities from one another and from the rest of society.
Some central and eastern European countries are working at all levels, from consulting internationally to fostering domestic civilian responses, to ward off or respond to cyber threats. Without the financial and scientific resources of the United States, have had to come up with creative approaches to this problem. Their answers are not necessarily replicable elsewhere but they nevertheless provide a framework for thinking about and improving cybersecurity on multiple levels of society.
SOCIETAL LEVEL
A government's cybersecurity is inherently tied to the level of cyber resilience in the society it governs. Thus, ensuring societal buy-in to cybersecurity practices, helping people spot and resist disinformation campaigns, and using civilian talent to supplement state capacity is crucial. Organizations and governments across central and eastern Europe have launched important initiatives and built policy systems to achieve these goals.
Cyber Auxiliaries
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania's state-run auxiliary cyber units grew out of conventional civilian defense reserves, ready to be called up in times of crisis. As the nature of threats has evolved, these units have added cyber expertise to their arsenal and have worked to raise awareness of cybersecurity and threats among their fellow citizens.
The three main units, the Estonian Defense League (Kaitseliit), Latvian National Guard (Zemessardze), and Lithuanian Riflemen's Union (Lietuvos Šauli? S?junga), are generally led or overseen by state authorities. In a conflict or crisis, the Baltic states can mobilize tens of thousands of people into ready-built units with deep knowledge of local terrain and communities. They are trained in a wide range of activities, from support operations and frontline combat to organizing guerrilla activities and resistance movements—and now, with the increasing digitalization of society, to protecting Baltic societies in cyberspace from cyberattacks and disinformation. 23
The Baltic auxiliaries play a key role in regional cyber defense as professional hubs, training grounds, and most importantly, institutions where patriotic civilians who might not be willing to commit to a military lifestyle can support national armed forces' cyber defense capabilities. Olevs Nikers, president of the Baltic Security Foundation, said the Latvian National Guard's cyber unit "serves as a great hub for countering, detecting and raising the alarm about issues faced by the armed forces" while helping to "build expertise and train new people." 24 By bringing civilian experts into cyber defense, the Baltic states have not only enhanced state cyber capacity but also fostered a whole-of-society approach to the issue.
Counter Disinformation Movements
The threats posed by disinformation to Western societies and political structures have become increasingly clear in recent years. Hostile disinformation campaigns have run the gamut from attacks on NATO, such as recent operations by Russia-linked hackers to push disinformation about NATO in Poland and Lithuania, to now-infamous operations against the U.S. electorate. 25
Countries across central and eastern Europe, however, have been on the geographic and metaphorical front line in the fight against disinformation for over a decade. Many civil society groups and eastern European governments have developed hard-earned experience while serving as a testing ground for hostile disinformation campaigns. Among the lessons learned: State-led responses, while often helpful, may be insufficient in countering disinformation, so civil initiatives have stepped in to spot, uncloak and counter hostile disinformation campaigns.
Organizations such as Propastop, the Czech Elves, the Baltic Elves, and others have played key roles in educating people about disinformation. These groups, started by patriotic and civic-minded experts and journalists across eastern Europe, use advanced technologies and expert knowledge to stop the spread of dangerous hostile narratives. For example, Kerza said the Baltic Elves use a specialized AI to monitor social networks and news portals that can detect possible disinformation within two minutes of it being posted. Their experts then search these results for specific trends and publicly identify the attempted disinformation campaigns. 26 While technical wizardry no doubt makes this work easier and more effective, the heart of any effort to counter disinformation is a corps of knowledgeable and committed experts.
Photo: Abraham Liu, Huawei Chief Representative to the EU Institutions and Vice-President European Region speaks at a news conference at the Huawei European Cybersecurity Center in Brussels, Belgium, May 21, 2019. Credit: REUTERS/Francois Lenoir
Governments across eastern Europe have taken important steps to bolster their cyber defenses by securing key state data, streamlining and fine-tuning their responses to hostile cyber action, and linking up the region's officials and experts to confront joint challenges.
Estonia's Data Embassies
While no system or data is ever fully secure, ensuring government continuity is not disrupted by data loss in the event of a major real-world or cyber crisis is crucial. Committed and competent attackers can eventually compromise nearly any system. As societal and government workflows become ever more digitized, more key data becomes vulnerable to hostile cyberattacks, while physical attacks on key servers also remain a threat to government functions.
In response, the government of Estonia has pioneered an innovative approach to security by establishing a "data embassy" in Luxembourg. Data embassies, which have the same rights as traditional embassies, are "servers outside the country that are legally under Estonian jurisdiction" in which digital copies of key databases are stored and secured against hostile attack. 27 The former director of the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) in Tallinn, Sven Sakkov, said the embassy "Is an additional layer of resilience … it's like having your phone doing automatic backups regularly" and noted that "it gives us the ability to reboot services even if something bad happens."28
Estonia's data embassy complicates any cyber operation aimed at crippling the government's access to its data and helps ensure that the data is not destroyed or seized by hostile forces in a conflict or temporary foreign occupation.
Consolidated State Cyber Authority
Rapid and decisive action and a clear chain of responsibility are important to ensuring a state can respond to a hostile cyberattack quickly and effectively. Excessive siloing or duplication of cyber efforts in different agencies can hamstring a state's capacity to halt a major attack and mitigate damage.
Lithuania has benefited from efforts to centralize its cyber command. In 2015, it ranked on the International Telecommunication Union's Global Cybersecurity Index, but thorough efforts to rethink its cybersecurity command structures vaulted it to fourth place in 2018. 29 Edvinas Kerza, the former deputy defense minister, said Lithuania reformed its cybersecurity policies after seeing serious Russian cyberattacks on Georgia and Ukraine. Lithuania "stopped viewing cybersecurity in separate pieces," he said, with different responsibilities "going to the Interior Ministry, the Ministry of Transport, the Foreign Ministry, and so on." Though the government consolidated cyber defense in the Defense Ministry's National Cyber Security Center, not all participants are military officers, and civilians occupy high-ranking posts in cyber decision-making. 26 With responsibility for Lithuania's cyber defense concentrated in one place, Kerza said, "We joined forces in one center and started doing a practical job, not pointing fingers and trying to delegate responsibility." Streamlining its cyber forces and command structures has made the country much more resilient to cyberattacks or mischief, but Kerza stressed that its cyber forces are distributed throughout the country with multiple layers of redundancy, including Lithuania's auxiliaries, EU institutions, and NATO, to thwart a possible cyber-decapitation strike. 26
Cyberattacks pose serious risks not only to their primary target but also to countries with economic, social, military, or political ties to the target, necessitating a multinational response to cybersecurity. Countries across central and eastern Europe, working multilaterally or through NATO or the EU, have built the expert-to-expert ties necessary to boost cyber capacity and ensure that none of them is ever alone against a cyberattack.
Training centers where experts from across NATO and NATO-partner states can meet to share experience and conduct research and training are critical. Four centers in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania produce a nuanced analysis of hostile cyber campaigns and bolster regional capacity to counter hostile hacking and information operations.
Information Warfare:
The NATO StratCom Center of Excellence in Riga was established in 2014 by Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom to enable its "multinational and cross-sector participants, from the civilian and military, private and academic sectors" to use modern technologies to produce analysis and research on hostile information operations and NATO strategic messaging. 30
The Baltic Center for Media Excellence in Riga was founded in 2015 to train local and national media, and "gather intelligence on regional media trends and skills, as well as research media audiences with a focus on those most vulnerable to propaganda" in eastern Europe. 31 Solvita Denisa-Liepniece, a consultant at the center, said it has helped foster regional journalistic cooperation, improved media best practices, and helped identify specific vulnerabilities to disinformation in the region, which Russia uses as a testing ground for its disinformation campaigns. 32
Cyber Security:
The NATO Cooperative Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE) in Tallinn was established in 2008 by Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, and Spain "to support our member nations and NATO with unique interdisciplinary expertise in the field of cyber defense research" and with training and exercises in technology, strategy and law. 33 CCDCOE organizes the world's largest and most complex international live-fire cyber defense exercise, Locked Shields, annually.
The government of Lithuania established the Kaunas Cyber Security Center as a subdivision of the National Cyber Security Center to draw on the expertise of Lithuanian, American, Ukrainian and Georgian cybersecurity experts. 34 To keep NATO one step ahead of the Russians, Kerza said the center in Kaunas allows specialists who deal with Russian cyber operations every day to physically work together to monitor their networks and analyze hostile cyber operations. 22 "We always talk about information sharing, but if you're sharing information about an attack it's already too late," he said.
Photo: A woman looks at the screens during the Locked Shields, cyber defence exercise organized by NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Exellence (CCDCOE) in Tallinn, Estonia April 10, 2019. Credit: REUTERS/Ints Kalnins
SECTION 3: THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE
The United States must expand cooperation with its central and eastern European partners not only to help bolster their defense capacity but also to help the United States better understand hostile cyber actors' activities and how to counter them. Central and eastern European governments and societies are committed to improving regional cybersecurity and have had to think creatively about becoming more resilient. The United States has partners across central and eastern Europe eager to share their frontline experience in defending against hostile hacking and information attacks on their cyberspace.
That experience dealing directly with hostile cyber actors, combined with U.S. resources and expertise, could vastly improve the security of both the United States and Europe. "If you want to be more secure, you need to do practical work with those who face a real threat from the East," Kerza said. "If you sit at home thinking that a cyberattack will never reach you, you'll be wrong." 22 Meanwhile, Iti Press, the counselor for cyber issues and economic affairs at the Estonian Embassy in Washington, said many Estonian cybersecurity experts have struggled to get access to their U.S. counterparts and emphasized the importance of improving participation in joint cyber exercises taking place in the United States. 35 Sven Sakkov, the former director of ICDS, described U.S. involvement in the NATO CCDCOE in Tallinn, where only one member of the 30 senior staff is an American, as "underwhelming" and urged greater U.S. participation. 36 Likewise, the Latvian defense counselor in Washington, Rolands Heni?š, said, "We are there on the front line facing malign influence for over 30 years, and we have learned our lessons. Use our smart people and knowledge." 37 Joanna ?wi?tkowska, the former European Cybersecurity Forum official, said the United States and Europe should expand the sharing of threat indicators and early warning information to help harden European and American cyber defenses and present a united front to hostile actors. 3 And Solvita Denisa-Liepniece of the Baltic Center for Media Excellence said the United States could learn from eastern European journalists how hostile states conduct disinformation campaigns and media manipulation. 32
American-European cooperation in cyberspace will be vital to ensuring the security of the transatlantic community in the face of shared threats from Russia and China. It is highly unlikely that these foes will ever be deterred from launching cyberattacks, but by working together American and European countries can be prepared to manage these attacks as they come and exact a high price on those conducting them. In the coming years, the United States should focus on engaging more with its European partners.
U.S. Cyber Command should conduct more bilateral and multilateral cyber defense exercises across Europe, with a focus on engaging central and eastern European states and expert communities.
U.S. Cyber Command should improve existing information-sharing frameworks with its counterparts in central and eastern Europe.
The U.S. government broadly should bring eastern European cybersecurity and disinformation experts to the United States, where they can engage with, learn from, and teach their American counterparts. The U.S. government should also send U.S. experts to work directly with their counterparts in Europe.
The U.S. government should coordinate strong joint responses with European countries against particularly dangerous or reckless cyber actors such as Russia.
The U.S. policy community should engage with eastern European officials and experts to learn about the effectiveness of various methods of improving cyber resilience employed in central and eastern Europe.
The U.S. State Department and Congress should increase dialogue with European governments and the European community to improve and expand ways to name, shame, and sanction hostile cyber actors.
The U.S. government should increase financial assistance for central and eastern European cyber defense and research programs through initiatives such as the Countering Russian Influence Fund.
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"Norway blames Russia for cyberattack on parliament." BBC. 13 October 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54518106; Bing, Chris. "Russia-linked hackers impersonate NATO in an attempt to hack Romanian government." Cyberscoop. 11 May 2017. https://www.cyberscoop.com/dnc-hackers-impersonated-nato-attempt-hack-romanian-government/; "Poland says it repelled a 3rd Russian hacking attack." AP. 13 October 2017. https://apnews.com/article/ae703cec6849457a865a64141554d94e[↩]
Popescu, Nicu, and Stanislav Secrieru. "Hacks, leaks, and disruptions: Russian cyber strategies." European Union Institute for Security Studies. October 2018. https://www.iss.europa.eu/sites/default/files/EUISSFiles/CP_148.pdf[↩]
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Vesselina Pentcheva. "The Tale of Two Chinas: Improving the Dialogue on Chinese Investment in Europe," Center for European Policy Analysis, October 2018. https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/644196_2c9e1d6d80ed4fb79ac9d03c792a9742.pdf[↩]
"Chinese hackers stole at least 1,100 EU diplomatic cables, US cybersecurity firm says," Associated Press, December 19, 2018. https://apnews.com/article/0bb42b3bb8fe485cb7bcbbfb7b0be989[↩]
Bugajski, Janusz. "The West Needs a China Strategy," Center for European Policy Analysis, https://www.cepa.org/chinas-eurasian-ambitions[↩]
Cerulus, Laurens, "China Rebuffs EU warning on hacking hospitals," Politico, June 23, 2020, https://www.politico.eu/article/china-rebuffs-eu-warning-hacking-hospitals/; Rankin, Jennifer, "EU says China behind 'huge wave' of Covid-disinformation," The Guardian, 10 June 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/10/eu-says-china-behind-huge-wave-covid-19-disinformation-campaign; "Coronavirus: EU strengths action to tackle disinformation," The European Commission, June 10, 2020. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1006[↩]
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Western Elites — Rubles Bought (Some of) the Best
The European Union's Evolving Military Capability


text:
COVID CHAOS
Fury as towns & villages with ZERO Covid cases are plunged into strictest Tier 2 & 3 restrictions
Natasha Clark
Sascha O'Sullivan
NEARLY all of England will be under tougher Covid restrictions from next Wednesday as fresh tier rules come into play.
But fury is mounting over the sleepy towns and villages where rates are still low - but they have been dragged into extra rules as a result of their wider local areas.
Many parts of the country with low Covid rates have been planed into Tier 2 anywayCredit: PA:Press Association
Boris Johnson said he knew it was frustrating today - but defended the systemCredit: AFP and licensors
99 per cent of England will be under Tier 2 or 3 next week - banning indoor socialising and slapping extra rules on pubs and restaurants.
Five areas across the nation will jump from Tier 1 straight up to 3 after cases in some parts of their areas shot up.
And residents in hundreds of areas going from Tier 1 to Tier 2 are fuming with the unfairness of the new rules.
Boris Johnson, visiting the Public Health England laboratory at Porton in Wiltshire today, acknowledged the restrictions are "frustrating" - particularly for people in areas of low infection - but said they are necessary to control the disease.
He said: "The difficulty is that if you did it any other way, first of all you'd divide the country up into loads and loads of very complicated sub-divisions - there has got to be some simplicity and clarity in the way we do this.
"The second problem is that, alas, our experience is that, when a high incidence area is quite close to a low incidence area, unless you beat the problem in the high incidence area, the low incidence area, I'm afraid, starts to catch up."
But up to 70 MPs are considering whether to rebel and oppose the new rule laws next week.
However, they are unlikely to be able to vote it down as Labour will likely back it.
ASHFORD AND TUNBRIDGE WELLS, KENT
Ashford has some of the lowest rates in Kent, but is in Tier 3 after rates shot up in other parts of the areaCredit: Alamy
Ashford, Kent, is one of just a handful of areas which has leapt from Tier 1 to Tier 3.
But it's had just 165 cases in the last week - resulting in a rate per 100,000 of 126.9.
Similarly, another Kent area, Tunbridge Wells, is also in a tricky spot.
It's had only 140 cases in the last seven days but its pubs will be forced to stay shut next week.
Overall Kent is seeing some of the highest rates in the country.
Swale and Thanet have the two highest rates of Covid-19 infection in England, and Medway has risen to fourth.
Ministers are particularly concerned about the rates of people testing positive in the over 60s.
Kent's MP, former Cabinet Minister Damian Green said today he needs to be convinced before he can back the new laws in the Commons next week - and mutinous locals will refuse to stick to the new rules as they are so harsh.
He urged the PM to think again and take a more localised approach so low infection areas are not bundled into the same category as Covid hotspots because they are in the same county.
He told The Sun: "In Kent we have a town called Tenterden which has a Covid rate of pretty much zero. There have been weeks when there has been literally nothing there.
"My real fear is that if people think these rules have been applied unfairly in their area then there is a big chance they will start to disobey them."
He added: "There is a lot of anger. My email inbox has not been this full since the Dominic Cummings lockdown row.
"If they can take a localised approach to Slough, why can't they do the same elsewhere?"
Tunbridge Wells' MP Greg Clark, the former Business Secretary said today he was "very disappointed that Tunbridge Wells has been put into Tier 3, when Covid infections are about half the national average and falling".
He added: "We need the full analysis to be made public and the decision reviewed. Local MPs have written today to @MattHancock, who has agreed to meet."
Tunbridge Wells rates are half the national averageCredit: Alamy
Very disappointed that #TunbridgeWells has been put into Tier 3, when Covid infections are about half the national average and falling. We need the full analysis to be made public and the decision reviewed. Local MPs have written today to @MattHancock, who has agreed to meet ⬇ pic.twitter.com/Y1yQCPRhVN
— Greg Clark (@GregClarkMP) November 26, 2020
Bath has been pushed up into Tier 2Credit: Getty - Contributor
Bath - in North East Somerset - has jumped from Tier 1 to 2.
But the town where Jane Austen grew up has had just 300 cases in the last week, resulting in a rate per 100,000 of just 156.8.
Nearby areas North East Somerset and Weston Super Mare have also been slapped with new rules from next week.
MPs Liam Fox and Jon Penrose were furious over the move.
In a joint statement they begged ministers to move to a more regional system - pointing out their infection rates have been slashed during the national lockdown.
They said: "This isn't right or fair.
"We hope that at the review point in 14 days time, the methodology can be changed so that North East Somerset can be treated on its own merits."
Joint statement from North Somerset MP @LiamFox and Weston-super-Mare MP @JohnPenroseNews on the #tiersystem. #COVID19 #coronavirus #RoadtoRecovery 👇 pic.twitter.com/Sg0Fawt4TZ
— Dr Liam Fox MP (@LiamFox) November 26, 2020
WEST BAY, DORSET
The seaside resort of West Bay, which provided the dramatic backdrop to TV crime series Broadchurch, is the only place in England where no positive tests have been reported since March.
Yet from next week the fishing village will be plunged into Tier 2 - banning friends and family from seeing each other.
Dorset MP Conor Burns said: It is very unfair.
"There is widespread frustration and disappointment that Dorset went into the national lockdown and is coming out with more restrictions at the end."
Public Health England's own research on Dorset admits that case rates are falling across the area to the latest of 131/100,000.
But they are still worried about the cases in the over 60s and hospital admissions are rising, so have chosen to put it in Tier 2.
Poole MP Robert Syms said he was likely to vote down the measures.
He blasted: "I have told Health Secretary that both urban and rural Dorset are bitterly disappointed to be in tier 2 .
"I am not happy this could last until next April so I am likely to vote against next Tuesday."
I have told Health Secretary that both urban and rural Dorset are bitterly disappointed to be in tier 2 . I am not happy this could last until next April so I am likely to vote against next Tuesday.
— Sir Robert Syms MP (@RobertSyms) November 26, 2020
BURFORD, OXFORDSHIRE
In the seven days to 21 November 2020 just eight people tested positive in Burford, Oxfordshire.
West Oxfordshire had just 87 recorded cases that will, but the area will face tougher rules.
Now it will be shoved in with no mixing rules round in cities including Liverpool and even London.
Burford Mayor John White said yesterday: "The biggest problem we have had in Burford is the damage this had done to small businesses."
Weekly cases showed some areas were in Tier 3 but had lower case rates than Tier 2
STRATFORD UPON AVON, WARWICKSHIRE
Stratford's MP is disappointed the area will be in Tier 2 despite low rates of Covid-19Credit: Alamy
Shakespeare's birthplace has seen just 137 new cases of Covid in the last week - making its Covid rate per 100,000 just 105.3.
That's lower than Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly - which has 338 cases in the last seven days, comparatively, and a similar rate per 100,000 - and will be in Tier 1.
PHE says the rate in the over 60s - 182/100,000 - means it must be in a high tier, and argued that there is a clear upward trend in seven local areas.
The pressure on the local NHS remains high there too.
Business minister Nadhim Zahawi came out to say he was shocked at his area being put into a higher tier - and said he was determined to get it into Tier 2 by the time of the December 16 review.
He said yesterday: "Hugely disappointed that we are in tier3.
"The high numbers of infection (especially over 60) & hospitalisation in North Warwickshire, Solihull is the challenge.
"North & South Warwickshire need to work together to get the infection rates down and go into tier 2 in two weeks time."
Most areas in England saw their rates for over 60s go down in the last week - but the Tiers system will still be a tougher one
Following meetings with colleagues yesterday and today, I have updated my statement on the Tier 3 restrictions set to come into effect in Warwickshire next week. ⬇https://t.co/WhcJ5kElZK pic.twitter.com/kRQPsxDrQk
— Nadhim Zahawi (@nadhimzahawi) November 27, 2020
CHELTENHAM, SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Cheltenham's town will see Tier 2 rules - banning people from socialising with others indoorsCredit: Alamy Live News
Similarly, the sleepy rural home of GCHQ, Cheltenham, is also facing few cases.
Just 149 were recorded in the last week - a rate of 128 per 100,000.
But it will also jump from Tier 1 to Tier 2 next week, infuriating residents who feel they have been obeying the rules.
KENSINGTON, LONDON
Residents in areas which haven't gone down a tier are also infuriated with the way they are worked out.
Despite being a central part of the capital, Kensington and Chelsea has the lowest cases per borough this week of all of London - with 205 cases - down 13% on last week.
Richmond is the second lowest, with 214 cases.
Yet they are in the same Tier next week as Redbridge, which has recorded nearly five times the number of cases - 923 - making its case rate soar above 300 per 100,000.
Ministers have been under fire for treating London - and other major cities including Manchester and Birmingham - as one area after the lockdown is lifted, rather than dividing them up into boroughs.
MP Stephen Hammond said this week: "London is a wonderful, diverse city - it's not just one unit.
"We ought to look at London on a borough-by-borough or sub-regional basis.
"I don't see why Londoners should suffer when the rest of the country is being looked at on a more localised basis."
The number of people in hospital with Covid-19 is levelling off in most areas
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And the situation is similar in Stockport, where the rates of infection have been falling too down to 208.6 per 100,000, but they have been lumped in with the rest of Manchester.
It means their infection rates are below the national average, but the entire city faces Tier 3 for months.
Altrincham and Sale West MP Sir Graham Brady - who represents nearby Trafford - says he will vote against the measures as a result.
Weekly case rates remain very high, especially amongst those aged over 60, at around 260 per 100,000 people, Public Health England claimed.
Torridge in Devon is one of the areas with low Covid cases - just 49cases this week - but will be trapped in Tier 2Credit: Alamy
Furious MPs blast 'authoritarian' Tiers rules and threaten to try to vote them down