Government of Georgia (08.08.2020) Almost 112,000 beneficiaries received discount cards for over 29,000 tons of agricultural diesel. Farmers who have cashed their cards have saved almost 3.6 million GEL. Agricultural diesel discount cards expire on December 31, 2020.

AZERNEWS (10.08.2020) Lump-sum payment in the amount of AZN 190 ($111.7) will be given to unemployed people in 13 cities and regions (Baku, Jalilabad, Ganja, Masalli, Mingachevir, Sumgayit, Yevlakh and in Absheron, Barda, Goranboy, Goygol, Khachmaz, Salyan districts regions)  amid COVID-19, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population has reported. These payments will cover 278,000 people, including the unofficially employed, unemployed and those who lost their jobs during the special quarantine regime in these regions.

The Interoperability Standards Advisory (ISA) process represents the model by which the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) will coordinate the identification, assessment, and determination of "recognized" interoperability standards and implementation specifications for industry use to fulfill specific clinical health IT interoperability needs.

thehill.com (08.07.2020) While social security benefits are secure, the unprecedented conditions of the COVID-19 economic crisis have unearthed a technical glitch. If left uncorrected, a COVID-19 notch will result: Those turning 60 this year – more than 4 million workers – and their families will receive substantially lower Social Security benefits than workers (and their families) with identical earnings who turned 60 last year. Fortunately, the solution is easy and straightforward. But Congress must act.

blogs.worldbank.org (04.05.2020) One of Pakistan’s initial measures was to expand its national safety net institution, the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), to direct additional support to its 4.5 million women beneficiaries. 

senado.leg.br (14.07.2020) The presidential decree increases the maximum deadlines for the two situations (suspension of contract or reduction of wages) to 120 days: For the proportional reduction of working hours and wages, 30 days are increased, going from the current 90 days to 120 days in total; For the adoption of the temporary suspension of the employment contract, there are 60 more days, going from the current 60 to 120 days in total.

KPMG (26.05.2020) On May 26, the Chamber of Deputies approved a bill that transfers R $ 3 billion from the Union for emergency actions aimed at the cultural sector during the pandemic of the new coronavirus, such as the payment of an emergency income of R$ 600 to informal professionals in the field.

agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br (03.07.2020) The federal government issued a decree authorizing the National Institute of Social Security (INSS) to pay prepayments for sickness benefits and the Continuing Benefit Benefit (BPC). The measure, published in an extra section of the Official Gazette (DOU) of this Thursday (2), determines that the advances will be paid until October 31.

Despite the buzz, artificial intelligence (AI) appears to be not finding as much traction in businesses as we would expect. On the surface, it seems most companies do not understand the use cases that would lead them to invest heavily in AI. But the story is more complicated than it first appears.  

ec.europa.eu (16.07.2020) The European Commission presents Guidelines to ensure the protection of seasonal workers in the EU in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. It provides guidance to national authorities, labour inspectorates, and social partners to guarantee the rights, health and safety of seasonal workers, and to ensure that seasonal workers are aware of their rights. Cross-border seasonal workers enjoy a broad set of rights, but given the temporary nature of their work, they can be more vulnerable to precarious working and living conditions.