CASA BIANCA: UN REPORT SU TECNOLOGIE CLOUD E INTELLIGENZA ARTIFICIALE

FOCUS

July 19, 2022. Alexandra Kelley, Nextgov. Federal agencies that want to successfully scale and implement cloud computing systems into existing infrastructure can do so through several key practices, including designating expert teams, two-factor authentication, and enhanced education opportunities among users. Outlined in a White House report published earlier this month, officials documented how cloud computing systems can support further federal research and development in artificial intelligence, a goal within the broader Biden administration.  White House Advocates Cloud Investment as a Path to Artificial Intelligence

AROUND THE WORLD

Afghanistan

• July 20, 2022. Patricia Gossman, HRW. A new report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) makes for very grim reading, confirming many of the concerns Afghan human rights advocates have raised since last August, when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. UN Reports on Taliban Repression, Abuse in Afghanistan

ASEAN – Indo-Pacific

• July 20, 2022. Shafiah F Muhibat, East Asia Forum. What is the future of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP)? Nearly three years after its finalisation, there have been hardly any efforts to operationalise the report from within ASEAN or through engagement with ASEAN Dialogue Partners. Looking beyond the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific

Azerbaijan

• July 19, 2022. Eva Melis, World Bank blogs. In May we made our first trip back to Azerbaijan since February 2020, and a little more than two years since Additional Financing for the Judicial Modernization and Smart Infrastructure Project was approved by the World Bank. One Trip, Two Milestones: Seeing Firsthand Azerbaijan’s Efforts to Modernize Its Judiciary

Belarus

• July 19, 2022. Anastasia Kruope, HRW. Last week, a court in Homieĺ, Belarus, found journalist Katsiaryna Andreyeva guilty of “high treason.” She is already serving a two-year sentence on bogus charges, and the new verdict increased her total sentence to eight years and three months. Belarusian Journalist’s Sentencing Indicates New Levels of Repression | Human Rights Watch (hrw.org)

Central Asia

• July 20, 2022. Shaumik Roy, ORF.  In 2021, the head of the Tajik Drug Control Agency was cited by TASS News as having said that the volume of intercepted heroin and hashish had doubled over the last year, from 2.3 tonnes in 2020 to 4 tonnes in 2021. The growing narcotrafficking in Central Asia

China

• July 20, 2022. Albert Zhang, Tilla Hoja, The Strategist. The Chinese Communist Party is using social media and disinformation campaigns to project its preferred narratives about Xinjiang and influence unwitting audiences around the globe. Instead of improving its treatment of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities, the CCP is responding to critiques of its human rights record by coordinating its state propaganda apparatus, security agencies and public relations industry to influence and even silence governments, businesses and civil society at home and abroad. China’s information operations are silencing and influencing global audiences on Xinjiang

• July 20, 2022. Trisha Ray, ORF. At the May meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), President Xi bore down on the country’s “dynamic clearing” or zero-COVID policy. Despite discontent following lockdowns in Shanghai and elsewhere this year, the Standing Committee pronounced the policy a resounding success, stating that just as they had won the “battle for Wuhan”, they will defend Shanghai as well. Shanghai lockdown’s lasting legacy, however, will be in the simmering dissent it elicited, in the face of a months-long shutdown and food shortages. Residents in the Jing’an district banged pots and pans, some took to their balconies to sing songs of protest (followed by the unforgettable imagery of a drone announcing “Please comply with COVID restrictions. Control your soul’s desire for freedom. Do not open the window or sing.”). Long COVID: The pandemic’s shadow on data and dissent in China

Europe

• July 19, 2022. Leonardo Cadamuro, Scott Marcus, Francesco Papadia, Bruegel. This paper quantitatively describes different aspects of the COVID-19 pandemics: new cases, hospitalisations, intensive-care admissions and deaths, while illustrating their changing relationships over time. It then assesses how the different variables have affected relevant sectoral and macroeconomic indicators. Finally, it concludes that, from an economic perspective, what matters when it comes to managing the pandemic is to prevent intensive-care admissions and deaths arising from COVID-19. The success of vaccination should be measured in terms of its ability to prevent the most serious consequences, rather than its ability to prevent infections and hospitalisations. COVID-19 in the European Union: health impacts and effects on economic activity

• July 20, 2022. Kerstin McCourt, HRW. The European Commission annual Rule of Law Report, which includes recommendations for strengthening democracy in all EU-member states, falls short of its stated goal to “identify trends and drive reforms.” Consequently, it fails to help protect the rule of law across the European Union.  European Commission Lacks Tenacity on the Rule of Law

India – Afghanistan

• July 20, 2022. Manoj Joshi, East Asia Forum. Despite being knocked off its feet by the collapse of the Ghani government of Afghanistan in mid-August 2021, New Delhi has quickly re-established its presence in the new Taliban-led Afghanistan. India’s cautious return to Afghanistan

Indonesia

• July 20, 2022. Kyunghoon Kim, The Interpreter. Since President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) entered office in 2014, his priority has been infrastructure construction, with his re-election in 2019 partly due to the government’s performance in the area. Infrastructure investment as a share of total government expenditure almost doubled from 8.6 per cent in 2012–14 to 16.1 per cent in 2017–19. At the same time, Jokowi expanded and mobilised state enterprises to carry out large strategic projects. The results were impressive: for example, 3,387 kilometres of new roads and 1,147 kilometres of new railways were constructed between 2015 and 2019. The Indonesia Investment Authority: Jokowi’s trouble-shooter?

Iran

• July 19, 2022. Raz Zimmt, INSS. The arrest of regime critics, imprisonment of cultural figures, and strict enforcement of wearing the hijab in public areas: one year after the conservative President Raisi was elected, Iranian authorities have stepped up civil repression. What has prompted this policy change, and how might it negatively affect the Islamic regime? Mounting Political and Civil Repression in Iran

Japan

• June 20, 2022. Yusaku Yoshikawa, The Interpreter. Japan is famous for its “mottainai” culture, often translated as “what a waste!”, which encourages people to reduce what is discarded from their everyday lives. At the same time, Japan’s government, as well as the country’s private sector and citizens, are struggling to reduce the most ubiquitous wastage – food loss and waste. What a waste! Japan’s food sustainability challenge

• July 20, 2022. Pinak Chakravarty, ORF. In a peaceful country known for discipline, hard work, and innovation, overcoming the devastation of the Second World War and the two nuclear attacks, Japan has few peers. It was consequently, a tsunami of shock that spread across the world when the news of the assassination of Shinzo Abe spread. Abe was assassinated while addressing a small crowd at a street corner election rally, in the city of Nara. The global outrage was spontaneous and widespread, in recognition of Shinzo Abe’s sterling qualities as a political leader and visionary, both in the domestic and international arenas. Abe’s demise leaves a huge void in Japan’s politics and his Liberal Democratic Party [LDP] which currently holds the reins of the government. Shinzo Abe: A statesman who saw the future

Kazakhstan

• July 19, 2022. Paul Globe, The Jamestown Foundation. The Kremlin had expected its relationship to improve with Kazakhstan following Russia’s intervention to support Kazakhstani President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s government against violent rioters early this year. Instead, since then, relations have deteriorated seriously due to Nur-Sultan’s refusal to support Moscow’s policies in Ukraine (see EDM, May 12). Recently, interactions between the two countries took yet another dive as Tokayev declared that Kazakhstan will seek to attract Western businesses fleeing Russia due to the sanctions regime there. He also mentioned that Nur-Sultan will no longer consult Moscow on financial and currency matters via the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and that Kazakhstan will build its own military and seek to expand ties with the West. Kazakhstan Seeks to Attract Western Companies Leaving Russia, Infuriating Moscow

Kenya

• July 20, 2022. Crisis Group. A historic drought in Kenya is coinciding with a hotly contested election. Nerves in central and northern Kenya are fraying, as climate stresses intensify intercommunal conflict and amplify electoral tensions. Drought, Violence and Politics: Inside Laikipia’s Cattle War

Morocco

• July 19, 2022. HRW. One year after his arrest at Casablanca airport, Yidiresi Aishan, also known as Idris Hasan, a Uyghur activist, remains under threat of extradition from Morocco to China, where there are substantial grounds to believe that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture, 45 human rights organizations said today. Morocco: Uyghur Activist at Risk of Extradition

Myanmar

• July 19, 2022. HRW. Myanmar’s abusive junta will obtain an increased stake in the country’s largest oil and gas field when the French company TotalEnergies withdraws from Myanmar on July 20, 2022, Human Rights Watch said today. TotalEnergies’ shares will be divided proportionally among the remaining three partners – US-based Chevron, Thai-based PTTEP, and the junta-controlled Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE). Myanmar: TotalEnergies Withdraws; Junta Gains

Nicaragua

• July 19, 2022. HRW. Nicaraguan authorities have closed hundreds of nongovernmental organizations, applying highly restrictive legislation that undermines freedom of association and freedom of expression, Human Rights Watch said today. Concerned governments, especially from Latin America, should condemn this systematic dismantling of civil society groups, which play a critical role in a country that has no independent state institutions left to act as a check on executive power. Nicaragua: Government Dismantles Civil Society

Russia

• July 19, 2022. Kseniya Kirillova, The Jamestown Foundation.  Pro-Kremlin sociologists record an extremely low level of protest activity in Russia against the background of the Ukrainian war. In particular, the Social Opinion Fund notes that only about 15 to 25 percent of citizens are inclined to express open disagreement in today’s Russia (Media.fom.ru, July 8). Telegram channels loyal to the Kremlin connect this tendency to social disapproval with protests in time of war, sanctions from the authorities and the elimination of nonsystemic opposition from the internal Russian information space (Tgstat.ru, July 10). Is a Military Coup Expected in Russia?

Russia – India

• July 20, 2022. Anuradha Chenoy, Valdai Discussion Club. India-Russia relations, which have been time-tested, consistent and mutually beneficial, have gone through a trial by fire in recent days.  India withstood collective Western pressure as it took a position of neutrality and subtle support for Russia as the Western alliance went hammer and tongs against the Russian operation in Ukraine. India has chosen not to endorse the West’s effort to isolate and condemn Russia in several international forms. We examine the Indian position on Russia in the context of a transformative international order and ask: has there been a greater renewal in relations? Russia-India Relations in a Transformative World Order

Russia – Ukraine

• July 20, 2022. Phil Muncaster, Info Security. Researchers have spotted what they believe is the first recorded instance of Android malware distributed by prolific state-sponsored Russian hacking group Turla. Russian Hackers Target Ukrainians Via Copycat DoS App

• July 19, 2022. Elizabeth Hoffman, CSIS. The United States’ support of Ukraine following the Russian invasion has been a glimmer of solidarity and bipartisanship in an otherwise increasingly polarized political environment. Even five months into the conflict, 6 in 10 Americans supported continued weapons and financial aid to Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict. However, the question that seems to be missing from the conversation is U.S. support for Russian civil society and those challenging the authoritarian rule of Russian president Vladimir Putin inside Russia. Amplified U.S. Support for Russian Civil Society Is Key in the Fight for Ukraine

• July 19, 2022. Justin Katz, Breaking Defense. Ukraine’s defense minister today dismissed concerns that weaponry sent to Ukraine by the United States and other nations could be diverted into the dark world of illegal arms trafficking, calling the worry “artificially engineered.”. Amid flow of weapons to Ukraine, DefMin says black market smuggling is ‘artificial’ concern
• July 19, 2022. Jacqueline Feldscher, Defense One. Russia is preparing to annex parts of eastern Ukraine following the same “playbook” it used to illegally seize Crimea in 2014, a White House official said Tuesday.  Russia Following 2014 ‘Annexation Playbook’ In Eastern Ukraine, White House Says
• July 19, 2022. Patrick Tucker, Defense One. The recent addition of new long-range fires capabilities to Ukraine’s arsenal has played a key role in defending against stalled Russian forces. But additional mobile rocket batteries and longer-range rockets would allow Ukraine to mount more effective counter attacks and reclaim territory stolen by Russia, Oleksii Reznikov, minister of defense of Ukraine, said Tuesday.  Ukraine Says It Needs at Least 100 HIMARS and Longer-Range Rockets
• July 19, 2022. Karolina Hird, George Barros, Katherine Lawlor, Layne Philipson, and Frederick W. Kagan, ISW. Calls among Russian nationalist and pro-war voices for Russian President Vladimir Putin to expand Russia’s war aims, mobilize the state fully for war, and drop the pretext that Russia is not engaged in a war reached a crescendo on July 19. Former Russian militant commander and nationalist milblogger Igor Girkin presented an extensive list of military, economic, and political actions that he argues the Kremlin must take to win the war in Ukraine; first among this list is abandoning the rhetoric of the “special military operation” and defining the official goals of the war in Ukraine. Girkin advocated for expansive territorial aims beyond the Kremlin’s stated ambitions in Donbas, including the reunification of the entire territory of “Novorossiya” (which Girkin maintains includes Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts as well as Kryvyi Rih) with the Russian Federation and the creation of a Malorossiya state (all of Ukraine up to the Polish border), which Girkin claims should be reunified with Russia through the Russia-Belarus Union State. Girkin also called for the Kremlin to shift the Russian economy fully to a war footing and to carry out extensive mobilization measures including forced conscription and the (further) suspension of Russians’ rights. Girkin has often criticized what he views as a lack of ambition and decisive action in the Kremlin’s handling of the war in Ukraine through his calls for maximalist objectives and measures to support territorial gains. His newest list of demands adds to the growing discontent within the Russian pro-war nationalist zeitgeist. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 19
• July 19, 2022.  Dan Peleschuk, Atlantic Council. Nearly five months into Russia’s unprovoked invasion of its neighbor—and amid fears of fading Western support for Kyiv—Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov remains hopeful that his country can emerge victorious. Ukraine’s defense minister: With the right weapons, ‘Russia can definitely be defeated’

Sri Lanka – India

• July 19, 2022. Ganeshan Wignaraja, East Asia Forum. Sri Lanka’s pre-emptive default on its foreign debt obligations in mid-April 2022 and recently resigned president Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s flight from Sri Lanka on 12 July provides India with an opportunity to match China in the foreign aid game. The Indian government plans to hold an all-party meeting on the Sri Lankan crisis on 19 July and Sri Lanka’s parliament is expected to elect a new President from among MPs on 20 July.  India mulls aid in Sri Lanka’s hour of need

USA

• July 20, 2022.  Paul C. Light, Nextgov. Americans head into the 2022 midterm election season with record-setting doubts about the federal government’s faithful execution of the laws. Public demand for comprehensive government reform is at a 20-year high, while confidence in government has dropped to a historic low. The thickening of government with layers of management has continued unabated, and support for government careers has slipped below 40 percent. Absent large-scale repairs to renew and repair and renew the federal sprawling federal bureaucracy, Americans have good reason to ask whether the government can deliver on the promises it makes.  More Americans Want ‘Very Major’ Government Reform

• July 19, 2022. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Margaret Burchinal, and Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Brookings. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled on one of the most controversial issues in the last 50 years. It overturned Roe v. Wade, the decision that made abortion legal in the United States. Thirty-seven percent of the population rejoiced arguing that all children have a right to life. Will those same voices rise to create policy supporting children and families as they grow? Supporting children post-Roe: An urgent call for social infrastructure
• July 19, 2022. Ariel Gelrud Shiro and Kristin F. Butcher, Brookings. An extensive literature in economics shows that workers experience large and persistent earnings losses following a job displacement. Given the millions of workers that were displaced during the COVID-19 recession and the high income inequality in the United States, it is important to understand the role that job displacements may play in driving inequalities across demographic and socioeconomic groups. In this paper, we use the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to measure the frequency and earnings impact of job displacements by race, education, and parental income level. Job displacement in the United States by race, education, and parental Income
• July 19, 2022. Wendy Edelberg, Louise Sheiner, and David Wessel, Brookings. The final episode of the Recession Remedies podcast sums up lessons learned from the COVID-19 downturn and looks ahead. How does rising inflation factor in to the assessment of the economic policy response? What lessons should, and should not, be taken from the pandemic to the next economic crisis? Host David Wessel is joined by Wendy Edelberg and Louise Sheiner. The three are senior fellows at Brookings and co-editors of the book Recession Remedies: Lessons Learned from the U.S. Economic Policy Response to COVID-19. Is the US ready for the next recession?

USA – Japan

• July 19, 2022. Christopher B. Johnstone, CSIS. When Prime Minister Fumio Kishida assumed office in September 2021, he had a reputation for caution, and—following on the heels of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s brief tenure in office—there were widespread concerns in Washington about a return to weak, revolving door leadership in Tokyo. But Kishida has defied expectations. He quickly joined the G7 in imposing sweeping sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, and has provided robust support to Kyiv—including, for the first time, a package of nonlethal security assistance. He has sought to rally the Indo-Pacific region to the cause, pushing back against Beijing and Moscow’s deepening alignment and warning in a speech in Singapore in June that “Ukraine today could be East Asia tomorrow.” He has sustained a high diplomatic tempo, hosting the Quad—the leaders of Australia, India, and the United States, along with Japan—in May, joining the NATO leader’s summit for the first time in June, and meeting regularly with leaders in Southeast Asia. His leadership was instrumental to the successful launch of President Biden’s Indo-Pacific Economic Forum (IPEF) in Tokyo in May. After nearly a year in office, Kishida has reinforced Japan’s place as the United States’ most critical ally in the Indo-Pacific. Now the Real Work Begins: The U.S.-Japan Alliance after the Upper House Elections

USA – Middle East

• July 19, 2022. Jonathan Panikoff, Atlantic Council. Last Wednesday, somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan informed reporters traveling with Joe Biden to the Middle East that the president would not be shaking hands during his trip. The stated reason was the recent uptick in COVID-19. But in reality, the White House—which less than forty-eight hours earlier had brought together a large crowd to celebrate the passage of new gun-control legislation—was spooked by the optics of shaking hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (also known as MBS), the man accused of ordering the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. A tale of two greetings: Decoding Biden’s hand-to-hand diplomacy in the Middle East
• July 19, 2022.  Kirsten Fontenrose, Atlantic Council. Don’t be distracted by the fist bump. Assumptions about the greeting between US President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (better known as MBS) during the former’s visit to the kingdom last week are overblown. Despite the outsize coverage of the visit, the takeaways for both sides were less than thrilling. Why Biden’s Mideast trip was much ado about very little

Uzbekistan

• July 19, 2022. Fozil Mashrab, The Jamestown Foundation. On 20 June, Uzbekistani President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting dedicated to changes and amendments to the national constitution. After dwelling on the reforms related to strengthening the protection of human rights and improving state administrative functions, President Mirziyoyev went on to propose that several principles related to Uzbekistan’s foreign policy should be enshrined in the new constitution. In Mirziyoyev’s view, these principles include generally building peaceful and friendly relations across the world and primarily with neighboring countries, upholding the respect for human rights and freedom in international relations and conducting interstate relations by strictly adhering to the principle of territorial integrity. Uzbekistan Seeks to Enshrine Pragmatic Foreign Policy With Wider Constitutional Reforms

TOPICS

Cities

• July 20, 2022. Abhinav Madhavanunni, Anuttama Dasgupta, ORF. The concept of smart cities in urban planning first emerged in 1990 along with the World Wide Web. The notion of smart cities has its roots in urban planning whereas the internet emerged from the need to document, store, and exchange all human knowledge and information. Despite distinct purposes, both smart cities and internet seem to share a 100-year history of co-evolution which goes back to some of the early concepts brought forth by “the father of modern town planning”, Patrick Geddes. This article attempts to explore not just how the internet is integral to the development of smart cities but also how urban planning, over a long period of time, has influenced the idea of the internet. The road to Smart City planning: A historical co-evolution of urban planning and information systems

Cybersecurity

• July 20, 2022. Carly Page, TechCrunch. The Russia-linked hacking group behind the infamous SolarWinds espionage campaign is now using Google Drive to stealthily deliver malware to its latest victims. Russian hackers behind SolarWinds are now hiding malware in Google Drive

• July 20, 2022. Kate O’Flaherty, Info Security. Russian adversaries are taking advantage of trusted cloud services, including DropBox and Google Drive to deliver malware to businesses and governments, according to new research.  Russian Adversaries Target DropBox and Google Drive in New Campaign

• July 20, 2022. Brett Raybould, Info Security. Lazarus Group is by no means a new kid on the cyber-criminal block. Active since roughly 2009, the North Korean state-sponsored cyber threat group is a highly financially-motivated organization behind some of the most destructive cyber incidents of the past decade. Browser exploits: A Concerning Revival Led by the Lazarus Group

• July 20, 2022. Phil Muncaster, Info Security. Legal experts have expressed serious misgivings about aspects of the UK government’s proposed changes to data protection legislation, claiming it may risk ending streamlined data flows with EU countries. Legal Experts Concerned Over New UK Digital Reform Bill

• July 20, 2022. Phil Muncaster, Info Security. The US authorities have managed to return half a million dollars to several corporate victims, including healthcare providers forced to pay up after being infected by a new ransomware strain. DOJ Recovers $500K Paid to North Korean Ransomware Actors

• July 19, 2022. Mariam Baksh, Nextgov. The Justice Department will return an estimated half a million dollars it seized from money launderers based in China to victims of ransomware attacks attributed to North Korea, officials announced Tuesday while imploring victims to report their ransom payments to federal authorities. Justice Recovered $500K for Victims, Traced Ransomware Payments to China

Defense, Intelligence, Military, Security, Space

• July 20, 2022. Danielle Ireland-Piper, The Strategist. Activities in space matter for national security, not least because of the significance of remote-sensing technologies in gathering intelligence and data. Any weaponisation of space presents obvious national security challenges. Continued safe access to space, and also to launch sites, will be key in securing essential information, such as that used to monitor military activity and climate events, and in delivering humanitarian aid. Developing Australia’s role in space is vital for national security

• July 20, 2022. Jeffrey McGee and Anthony Bergin, The Strategist. At the recent Quad leaders’ summit in Tokyo, Australia, India, Japan and the US launched the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, an initiative aimed at strengthening maritime security in the region. Apart from one very useful explainer and David Brewster’s excellent recent analysis, the announcement has been largely overlooked. Quad maritime security initiative holds promise for the Indo-Pacific’s southern flank

• July 20, 2022. Hassan Elbahtimy, RUSI. With missile stockpiles edging up across the Middle East, there is a clear need to develop a regional code for their acceptable use. Towards a Regional Code of Conduct for Missiles in the Middle East

• July 20, 2022. Xavier Vavasseur, Naval News. Romania’s defense minister confirmed plans to procure new Submarines from France. What would be the impact on the Black Sea region should the move come to fruition ? Romania’s Submarine Ambitions: Which impact for the Black Sea Region?

• July 20, 2022. Jaspreet Gill, Breaking Defense. The Pentagon is giving $100 million million total to various program offices under a new pilot program aimed at bridging the dreaded “valley of death” where promising technologies fail to shift from the lab into actual operations, the Defense Department announced today. For emerging tech, DoD funds $100M in new projects to help bridge ‘valley of death’

• July 20, 2022. Andrew White, Breaking Defense. Senior representatives from the Italian Ministry of Defence  and Leonardo have disclosed new details about the workshare they are developing for the UK-led Future Combat Air System (FCAS), including details of Japan’s collaboration on sensor and communication capabilities. Italy expects Tempest exports by 2040; Japan working on jet’s Jaguar system

• July 20, 2022.  Courtney Albon, Defense News. Leonardo UK and BAE Systems announced they will partner on development of a Future Combat Air System demonstrator, which the British Ministry of Defence plans to fly by 2027. Leonardo, BAE announce partnership on Future Combat Air System demonstrator

• July 20, 2022. Tamir Hayman, Sima Shine, INSS. The heightened discussion of a “regional air defense alliance” was met by increased Iranian activity to block any such measure, including explicit threats that in turn prompted rejection of the idea by senior Gulf figures. It appears that at this stage, relations between Israel and the Gulf states that remain below the radar are preferable to grandiose public statements that do match the reality on the ground. Tehran Heightens the Pressure as it Strives to Thwart a Regional Air Defense System

• July 19, 2022. Anthony H. Cordesman, CSIS. The Ukraine war has many lessons for NATO, but one of the key lessons is the need to rethink the linkage between its force planning and its defense industrial base. Some of these lessons reinforce the lessons of past national, NATO, and EU studies. Some illustrate the need to take a new approach to shaping the industrial base of NATO states and their strategic partners, and some are tied to the need to look beyond defense and to look at the national and collective trends in terms of grand strategy.  NATO Force Planning: Rethinking the Defense Industrial Base

• July 19, 2022. Frank Konkel, Nextgov. The Department of Homeland Security’s Disinformation Governance Board is on life support following an interim report Monday issued by a Homeland Security Advisory Council subcommittee stating there was “no need” for the body. Advisory Subcommittee Says ‘No Need’ for Homeland Security’s Disinformation Board
• July 19, 2022. Theresa Hitchens, Breaking Defense. Industry operators have until Aug. 8 to tell the Commerce Department what space tracking and spacecraft safety services they need beyond what the Defense Department now provides, as well as any concerns about usage rights and legal liability for any of their own space situational awareness (SSA) data they might share with the Office of Space Commerce (OSC). Commerce asks industry: ‘What space safety help do you want from us?’
• July 19, 2022. Valerie Insinna, Breaking Defense. The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin have struck a deal on F-35 production lots 15-17, which will encompass about 375 aircraft, but the parties have still yet to hammer down specifics on unit costs as Lockheed contends with inflation and continued supply chain challenges. Pentagon and Lockheed reach handshake deal for 375 more F-35s, but no price set
• July 19, 2022. Aaron Mehta, Breaking Defense. Boom Supersonic, a startup attempting to bring supersonic flights back to the commercial world, announced Tuesday that it has teamed with Northrop Grumman to develop a military-focused version of its Overture supersonic aircraft design. Northrop teams with Boom Supersonic for ‘special missions’ aircraft
• July 19, 2022.  Bryant Harris, Defense News. Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos is visiting the United States this week as Athens continues its bid to join Lockheed Martin’s F-35 co-production program and lobby against a potential F-16 sale to Turkey. Greece moves to join Lockheed’s F-35 program as Turkey F-16 bid stalls
• July 19, 2022.  Courtney Albon, Defense News. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency this week announced a second successful flight test of Raytheon Technologies’ Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapons Concept. Raytheon hypersonic scramjet missile has another successful flight test
• July 19, 2022.  Stephen Losey, Defense News. As a potential fight for the Air Force’s bridge tanker simmers, the two most likely competitors on Tuesday touted their planes’ potential to carry out advanced aerial refueling operations. Airbus, Boeing tout advanced aerial refueling capabilities at Farnborough
• July 19, 2022. Joe Gould, Defense News. Lockheed Martin’s chief executive said Tuesday the U.S. and its allies are “changing gears” toward increased defense spending that will boost the company’s future sales ― but it will take time. ‘The clutch isn’t engaged yet’: Lockheed posts slow sales amid supply chain woes
• July 19, 2022. Andrew Chuter, Defense News. BAE Systems, the largest defense contractor in Europe, is considering a move into the military air transport business via a strategic partnership with Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer. BAE Systems, Embraer team up to pursue Saudi Arabia tactical airlift contract
• July 19, 2022. Colin Demarest, Defense News. General Dynamics Information Technology will provide network and data technology support to U.S. Air Forces in Europe after scoring a contract worth as much as $908 million. General Dynamics IT wins $908 million Air Force networks contract in Europe
• July 19, 2022.  Burak Ege Bekdil, Defense News. Turkey’s defense and aerospace exports in the first half of 2022 reached a record high of almost $2 billion, up 48 percent from the same period in 2021, official statistics revealed on July 19. Turkey nearing $4 billion in annual defense exports
• July 19, 2022.  Daehan Lee, Defense News. Korea Aerospace Industries and the country’s Air Force on Tuesday confirmed the first successful test flight of Seoul’s indigenous 4.5th-generation fighter jet, the KF-21 “Boramae.”. South Korea records successful maiden flight test of its KF-21 fighter jet
• July 19, 2022. Marcus Weisgerber, Bradley Peniston, Defense One. You couldn’t tell from the maskless throngs packing railcars, exhibit halls, and evening receptions for the 2022 Farnborough Airshow that the coronavirus, which canceled the previous edition of this sprawling biennial show, is mounting its third major wave of the year. But in the air-conditioned chalets stacked along the flight line at Farnborough Airport, executives focused on how the pandemic is still very much affecting the aerospace and defense industry. Worker shortages, record inflation, and a broken global supply chain dominated the discussions among large firms, smaller suppliers, and government leaders. At UK Airshow, Defense Execs Warn of Inflation, Supply Chains, and Worker Shortages
• July 19, 2022. Tara Copp, Defense One. After World War II, Austria instituted a policy of permanent neutrality, which prohibits it from joining military alliances and has largely kept its troops focused on homeland defense and humanitarian roles. Amid increased global insecurity, Vienna is expanding its military presence and connection with the West. On Tuesday, it became the newest official training partner with the U.S. National Guard.  Austria Becomes the National Guard’s Newest Security Partner in Europe

Digital & Tech 

• July 20, 2022. Aisha Malik, TechCrunch. Instagram has announced a new feature that allows businesses to boost their Reels to turn them into ads in order to reach new audiences. Boosted Reels will appear in feed, Stories, the Reels tab and the explore page. To be eligible to boost your Reel, the Reel must be less than 60 seconds and have a 9:16 aspect ratio, which means it must be filmed vertically and have a full-screen format. Instagram’s new ‘Boost’ feature lets businesses turn Reels into ads

• July 20, 2022. Jagmeet Singh, Manish Singh, TechCrunch. An Indian court on Wednesday ordered the initiation of insolvency process against Amazon’s estranged partner Future Retail in yet another setback for the American e-commerce group in the key overseas market. Indian court agrees to send Future Retail into bankruptcy in another setback for Amazon

• July 20, 2022. Taylor Hatmaker, TechCrunch. Xbox is adding support for Discord voice chat, bringing a reliable, well-loved universal chat app to Microsoft’s gaming console, albeit in a sort of roundabout way. Discord’s new Xbox integration will let you send voice chats to your console

• July 20, 2022. Christine Hall, TechCrunch. Arrenda, a Mexico City-based fintech company, is offering digital financial services to the real estate market of Latin America and closed on $26.5 million in a pre-seed round of equity and debt. Arrenda emerges with Adelanta, a financing offering for landlords in Latin America

• July 20, 2022. Rebecca Bellan, TechCrunch. Tortoise is partnering with hospitality giant Sodexo to bring a mobile smart store — which is basically a fancy vending machine with wheels — to Comic Con this year. Tortoise is coming to Comic Con, and it’s bringing burritos

• July 20, 2022. Aisha Malik, TechCrunch. Tedooo, a Tel Aviv-based social network marketed towards the trade world, has raised $3 million in seed funding led by Stardom Ventures. The platform is designed to help boost and create global trade communities via partnerships between sellers and buyers. Tedooo’s current main focus is the handmade crafts and DIY industry in English-speaking countries. Tedooo raises $3M to scale its social network for buyers and sellers

• July 20, 2022. Aisha Malik, TechCrunch. DoorDash is introducing a new in-app safety measure designed to ensure that alcohol is only delivered to people over the age of 21. DoorDash introduces dual ID verification for alcohol deliveries

• July 20, 2022. Anita Ramaswamy, TechCrunch. Crypto infrastructure provider Blockdaemon has acquired Danish startup Sepior, a digital asset security company providing key management services for institutional clients, for an undisclosed price. The deal marks the startup’s fourth acquisition in two years, the latest of which was Blockdaemon’s purchase of NFT aggregator Gem in March of this year. Crypto startup Blockdaemon continues acquisition spree, buying Sepior

• July 20, 2022. Kyle Wiggers, TechCrunch. In both down times and boom times, businesses across industries are faced with the challenge of building sales pipelines and closing revenue. “Account-based” intelligence — i.e., research into potential customers — can help during the prospecting process. But it requires a thorough, vetted source of information and contacts in departments like business development, sales and recruiting. Crunchbase looks to grow its database of startups with $50M in new cash

• July 20, 2022. Paul Sawers, TechCrunch. Meatable, a Dutch biotech company developing cultivated “lab-grown” meat products, has revealed images of its inaugural pork sausage for the first time. Cultivated meat company Meatable showcases its first product — synthetic sausages

• July 20, 2022. Paul Sawers, TechCrunch. Conversational commerce isn’t exactly a new phenomenon, with countless companies using live chats, messaging apps, chatbots, voice assistants and more to encourage consumers to part with their cash. As part of that broader movement, the mighty WhatsApp, a dominant force in the messaging world, has been pushing deeper into the business arena with myriad tools to connect retailers with customers — from product catalogs and collections, to shopping carts and Instagram Shops integration. Charles raises $20M to bring conversational commerce to WhatsApp in Europe

• July 20, 2022. Manish Singh, TechCrunch. Xiaomi said on Wednesday it has shipped over 200 million smartphones in India to date, demonstrating just how large of a presence it has marked in the world’s second largest phone market in just eight years. Xiaomi says it has shipped over 200 million smartphones in India amid crackdown

• July 20, 2022. Paul Sawers, TechCrunch. Google is expanding its photo and canvas prints service to Europe and Canada. Google expands its photo and canvas printing service to Europe and Canada

• July 20, 2022. Manish Singh, TechCrunch. An industry group representing several tech giants has requested the Indian government to make a series of changes to the proposed amendments to the country’s new IT rules, warning those amendments “negate” the government’s commitment to ease of doing business. American internet giants seek changes to India’s proposed new IT rules

• July 20, 2022. Rita Liao, TechCrunch. Didi, the Chinese ride hailing behemoth that has undergone a year of regulatory overhaul, faces a fine of over 8 billion yuan ($1.28 billion) from the country’s authorities, The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported. China’s $1B fine on Didi could end the mobility giant’s troubled year

• July 20, 2022. Lauren Forristal, TechCrunch. In today’s earnings call, Netflix confirmed the reports that have been circulating since last week that it is renegotiating deals to allow the streamer to put content on its cheaper advertising-supported plan, the arrival of which on the platform has been moved to early 2023. Netflix confirms its ad-supported tier won’t have all its content at launch

• July 20, 2022. Harri Weber, TechCrunch. From Project Ara to Wave, Google has a rich history of bailing on neat ideas when the going gets tough. Yet unlike those forgone experiments, augmented-reality glasses apparently aren’t doomed to rest in Google’s metaphorical graveyard.  Google really doesn’t want its Glass successor to piss you off

• July 19, 2022. Edward Graham, Nextgov. Federal agencies are having success migrating to cloud services, but training employees to use the new technology and navigating regulatory hurdles are still factors that must be addressed during the transition, federal IT experts explained during the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center’s 2022 Cloud Migration Virtual Summit on Tuesday. Federal Agencies Invest More Each Year in Cloud as Benefits Outweigh Challenges

Energy

• July 20, 2022. World Nuclear News. The first safety-related concrete has been poured for the nuclear island of unit 1 of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant in Egypt. It marks the official start of construction of the first of four Russian-supplied VVER-1200 reactors at the site on the country’s Mediterranean coast. Construction of Egypt’s first nuclear power plant under way : New Nuclear

• July 20, 2022. World Nuclear News. Fusion energy company TAE Technologies has received investments to fund the construction of its sixth-generation research reactor that it says will demonstrate the viability of net energy from TAE’s approach. The announcement came as TAE’s fifth-generation reactor, Norman, has sustained stable plasma at more than 75 million degrees Celsius, 250% higher than its original goal. TAE Technologies secures funds to build next fusion machine : New Nuclear

• July 20, 2022. World Nuclear News. The application for the construction of Sizewell C power plant in Suffolk, in the east of England, has been granted development consent by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Kwasi Kwarteng. UK gives development consent to Sizewell C nuclear power plant : New Nuclear

• July 20, 2022. World Nuclear News. The plant, designed by Kairos Power and based at the Materion campus in Elmore, Ohio in the USA, will produce high-purity fluoride salt coolant to be used in high-temperature molten salt reactors. Kairos and Materion commission molten salt purification plant : New Nuclear

• July 18, 2022. Ben McWilliams, Bruegel. Global oil markets are stretched to the limit. Post-COVID-19 travel demand is roaring and capacity constraints in the system are pushing prices to record highs. While attention has focussed on OPEC and their regulation of crude oil supply, refiners and the available capacity to process crude oil into useful oil products (diesel, gasoline and kerosene) are just as critical to high prices today. What role for China in the global refining crunch?

• July 20, 2022. World Nuclear News. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has conducted its first Integrated Research Reactor Utilization Review (IRRUR) mission. An international team of experts carried out a thorough assessment of the way in which Chile’s RECH-1 research reactor is currently being used and its potential capabilities. IAEA team assesses utilisation of Chilean research reactor : Regulation & Safety

• July 19, 2022. Guangzhe Chen, World Bank blogs. South Asia has witnessed a growth in energy demand over the past two decades, increasing by over 50 percent since 2000. Rising demand has been driven by factors such as an increasing population and growth in the manufacturing sector. In Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka in particular, electricity demand has grown on average by more than five percent annually over the past two decades and is expected to more than double by 2050. An integrated electricity market in South Asia is key to energy security

• July 19, 2022. Peter Nagle, Kaltrina Temaj, World Bank blogs. The recent surge in natural gas and coal prices has been so swift that the main benchmarks were roughly three times higher in 2022Q2 compared to a year earlier. European natural gas and South African coal prices reached all-time highs in March and April, while U.S. natural gas prices reached their highest level since 2008. The surge in prices partly reflects the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine; in 2020, Russia accounted for one-quarter of global exports of natural gas and just under one-fifth of coal exports. Beyond the impact of the war, demand for natural gas and coal has been robust, rising by about 5 and 6 percent, respectively, in 2021 amid a strong post-pandemic recovery, with both reaching record highs. Energy market developments: Coal and natural gas prices reach record highs

Health & Digital

• July 20, 2022. Shania Kennedy, Health IT Analytics. In collaboration with Mayo Clinic, digital health company Lisa Health launched Midday, a personalized solution that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and digital therapeutics to provide menopause management. Mayo Clinic, Lisa Health Leverage AI to Create Personalized Menopause App

• July 19, 2022. Shania Kennedy, Health IT Analytics. A Mayo Clinic-led study published in Gastroenterology shows that radiomics-based machine-learning (ML) models may help diagnose pancreatic cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage than standard diagnosis methods. Mayo Clinic ML Can Predict Pancreatic Cancer Earlier Than Usual Methods

Global 

• July 19, 2022. Maria Demertzis, Bruegel. The last time the euro was at parity with the dollar was 20 years ago in November 2002. The current situation of an almost one-to-one exchange is therefore an event of some economic significance. It is not, however, representative of the euro’s value relative to the dollar. Rather the current parity has a lot more to do with the dollar appreciating rather than the euro falling. Monetary policy cycles in the United States and euro area are not in sync currently, with US rates rising much faster than in the euro area, therefore pushing the value of the dollar.  Euro-dollar parity: beyond symbolism