HIGHLIGHTED
- Over the past decade, artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved rapidly, becoming increasingly sophisticated and capable of solving ever more complex problems. AI is deployed in sectors as diverse as manufacturing, transportation, finance, education and healthcare. In a similar vein, it has the potential to advance the development of nuclear applications, science and technology. Harnessing its capabilities in the nuclear field can positively contribute to addressing some of today’s most pressing challenges, from food security to climate change. Here are some ways in which AI has and will continue to benefit the peaceful applications of nuclear technology. These are discussed in more detail in a new IAEA publication, Artificial Intelligence for Accelerating Nuclear Applications, Science and Technology. Artem Vlasov and Matteo Barbarino for IAEA (Seven Ways AI Will Change Nuclear Science and Technology)
- Discussions during a trilogy of AUKUS-related events in Washington on the one-year anniversary of the deal’s announcement suggest the novel strategic partnership is about much more than submarines, the transfer of nuclear propulsion know-how and Anglosphere chumminess. Iain MacGillivray, Bronte Munro and Gregory Brown for The Strategist (Despite progress, major challenges lie ahead for AUKUS)
- Israel has agreed to sell an advanced air defence system to the United Arab Emirates, two sources familiar with the matter said, in the first such known deal between them since they forged ties in 2020. Alexander Cornwell and John Irish for Reuters (Israel to sell air defence system to United Arab Emirates, sources say)
- On August 30, eight Baltic Sea littoral countries (Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark) signed the so-called Marienborg Declaration, agreeing on the necessity of “phasing out Russian energy and decarbonizing the energy sector” within the region (Regeringen.dk, August 30). The document itself does not contain any binding provisions nor introduce any new sectoral policies. The move should be, however, understood as a clear expression of energy solidarity within the Baltic Sea region as a whole and as an additional political commitment to collaborate (both on a regional and pan-European basis) extensively in the further development of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and offshore wind projects. Mateusz Kubiak for The Jamestown Foundation (Baltic Sea Countries Utilize LNG and Offshore Wind to Secure Energy Independence)
- The head of the Italian Air Force will travel to Japan next month to hold talks with his Japanese counterpart about collaboration on sixth-generation fighter technology. General Luca Goretti said the visit would be a chance to explore what ambitions Rome and Tokyo share for next-generation fighters and what technologies can and cannot be shared by the nations. Tom Kington for Defense News (Italy Air Force chief heads to Japan to talk next-gen fighter jets)
- In our prior series of papers for Brookings, we explored the rise of national artificial intelligence (AI) strategy documents and sought to make sense of what each country was trying to do and how effectively they were doing it. In our concluding paper, we focused on where the U.S. was lagging behind and proposed options to remedy the lagging. In particular, we recommended three options: 1) apply lessons from the U.S. space race to invigorate talent development, (2) adopt a multi-national consortium approach (similar to NATO) and (3) create a robust partnership with one other country. Gregory S. Dawson, Kevin C. Desouza, and James S. Denford for Brookings (Understanding artificial intelligence spending by the U.S. federal government)
- The United States convened Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) partners and key minerals-rich countries to discuss priorities, challenges, and opportunities in responsible mining, processing, and recycling of critical minerals. Secretary Antony Blinken opened the meeting, held in New York City on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week. US Department of State (Minerals Security Partnership Convening Supports Robust Supply Chains for Clean Energy Technologies)
- A dearth of energy supply worldwide has been hastened by the Russian war in Ukraine. Europe in particular has for some time felt the effects of higher natural gas prices, a trend that began well before the war when European gas spot prices increased from under $10/million British thermal unit (mmBtu) in early 2021 to $24/mmBtu in the second half of last year before persisting at close to $30 for most of the first half of 2022. Tensions have been increasing in Europe due to lower Russian gas pipeline deliveries since early June 2022, pushing prices to even higher levels—as high as $100/mmBtu and sustaining over $50/mmBtu. Abhi Rajendran and Anne-Sophie Corbeau for SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy (Opportunities and Risks in Expanding US Gas and LNG Capacity)
- Rising insecurity, including the proliferation of terrorist and other non-State armed groups, coupled with political instability, is creating a crisis in the Sahel that poses a “global threat”, the UN chief warned Thursday’s high level meeting on the vast African region, which took place behind closed doors at UN Headquarters in New York. UN News (Sahel security crisis ‘poses a global threat’, Guterres warns)
- Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday said a two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was “the right thing” for Israel, but he cautioned that a future Palestinian state must not be “another terror base”. UN News (Israeli Prime Minister Lapid backs two-State solution)
- The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ukraine war and rising costs are ‘severely and disproportionately affecting’ Least Developed Countries (LDCs), the President of the UN General Assembly told their annual ministerial meeting on Thursday. UN News (Least developed countries impacted by ‘range of interlinked crises’ – Assembly President)
TOPICS
- (Climate Change & Sustainability) September 19, 2022. The land sector, including agriculture, forestry, & natural land protection & restoration, must reach net zero annual emissions by 2030. This is the result of a new report by Conservation International, in partnership with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the WWF, and the Exponential Roadmap Initiative. The report pinpoints actions needed to turn the land sector from a greenhouse gas source today into a carbon sink by 2050 and lays out a new benchmark: the “Carbon Law for Nature”. Nature key for climate-safe future: New Exponential Roadmap Initiative for Natural Climate Solutions
- (Cybersecurity) September 23, 2022. Fergus Hanson, The Strategist. Optus, Australia’s second-largest telecommunications company, yesterday notified the media that the data of its customers had been compromised in a cyberattack. It remains unclear how many customers are affected, but CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said it might be up to 9.8 million users in a ‘worst case’ scenario, while stressing the breach involved ‘a very small subset of data’. Criminal or state actor, there are major lessons in the Optus cyber breach
- (Cybersecurity) September 22, 2022. Alessandro Mascellino, Infosecurity. American financial services giant Morgan Stanley agreed to pay the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a $35m penalty on Tuesday over data security lapses. Morgan Stanley Fined $35m By SEC For Data Security Lapse
- (Cybersecurity) September 22, 2022. Alessandro Mascellino, Infosecurity. The threat actors known as FIN11 (and Clop) may have impersonated web download pages of the Zoom Application to conduct phishing campaigns against targets worldwide. Russia-Based Hackers FIN11 Impersonate Zoom to Conduct Phishing Campaigns
- (Cybersecurity) September 22, 2022. James Coker, Infosecurity. Increasingly, organizations must be aware of cyber-threats from within their network perimeters as well as those looking to penetrate defenses from the outside. There is a growing trend being observed whereby threat actors are exploiting existing employees for their knowledge and access to an organization’s data. These employees are most commonly known as insider threats. #NITAM: Preventing the Recruitment of Insider Threat Actors
- (Defense – Military – Security) September 23, 2022. Joshua Dunne, Jasmine Latimore, Yvonne Lau, Hsi-Ting Pai, Stephan Robin and Ben Stevens, The Strategist. The five-domains update
- (Defense – Military – Security) September 22, 2022. Patrick Tucker, Defense One. Jet skis look great in spy movies, but for actual military use, they have some big drawbacks. They’re noisy gas-guzzlers and inconvenient aboard a warship, which must find a safe and secure place to store their fuel. The future of jet skis for elite SEAL teams looks and sounds different. On Thursday, the Defense Innovation Unit and electric jet ski maker T3MP3ST told Defense One that they have inked a deal to help the military experiment with electric jet skis that can be converted into autonomous drones. The Military Is Buying Electric Jet-ski Robots
- (Defense – Military – Security) September 23, 2022. Stephen Losey, Defense News. The Air Force on Thursday awarded a $985 million contract to Raytheon Technologies to develop and demonstrate scramjet-powered hypersonic cruise missiles. Raytheon wins $985M contract to develop hypersonic missiles
- (Defense – Military – Security) September 22, 2022. Megan Eckstein, Defense News. With its Virginia class of attack submarines suffering from maintenance woes and low operational availability, the U.S. Navy is working to ensure its next attack submarine is easier to sustain, according to the program executive officer for attack submarines. Next-generation attack subs will be designed with maintenance in mind
- (Defense – Military – Security) September 22, 2022.
- (Defense – Military – Security) September 22, 2022. Zamone Perez, Defense News. Brazil’s military has purchased new helicopters from Airbus, according to a statement from the European defense company. Brazil buys new Airbus helicopters for Air Force, Navy
- (Defense – Military – Security) September 22, 2022. Rachel S. Cohen, Defense News. Air Force Special Operations Command is moving forward with plans to turn its cargo planes into weapons-toting, amphibious aircraft. Air Force plans more tests of amphibious, armed MC-130J airlifter
- (Defense – Military – Security) September 22, 2022.
- (Health & Digital) September 22, 2022. Mark Melchionna, Health IT Analytics. Developed by researchers at Tulane University and described in a study published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, a new blood testing system displayed the ability to enhance the pediatric tuberculosis diagnosis process through artificial intelligence (AI) and nanotechnology. Artificial Intelligence Enhances Pediatric Tuberculosis Diagnosis Process
WORLDS
- (Afghanistan) September 22, 2022. US Department of State. Special Envoys and Representatives for Afghanistan of the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States met in Washington D.C. on September 15, 2022, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. Other officials from Japan, Qatar, Switzerland and UNAMA also participated in the meeting as observers, which included technical sessions with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. Communiqué of the U.S.-Europe Group on Afghanistan
- (Africa) September 23, 2022. Peter Fabricius, Institute for Security Studies. Can the political opposition win elections even when the incumbent government is determined to remain in power at all costs? This is a challenge for Africa where many leaders or political parties seem to have staked claims to power in perpetuity. Can Africa outdo its election riggers?
- (Australia) September 23, 2022. Jenny Gordon, The Interpreter. In The Interpreter this week, Roland Rajah presented five reasons for establishing a Development Finance Institution (DFI). While he makes a good case, like any major policy change, it is important that the government goes into it with “eyes wide open”. To further the debate, this article puts six reasons why government should be cautious about setting up an Australian DFI. Six reasons to be cautious about Australia establishing a DFI
- (Australia) September 23, 2022. Ulas Yildirim and John Coyne, The Strategist. One of the significant challenges with commodity investments is knowing when to buy and sell. Some view such investments as a form of institutionalised gambling. However, an understanding of the market, and a firm plan for return on investment, usually underpin investor decisions. Two years ago, the Australian government made such a commodity investment when it purchased $94 million worth of oil and stored it in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve. End to excise discount highlights Australia’s fuel-storage vulnerabilities
- (Blue Pacific) September 22, 2022. US Department of State. The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom on the occasion of the Partners in the Blue Pacific Foreign Ministers Meeting September 22, 2022. Joint Statement on Partners in the Blue Pacific Foreign Ministers Meeting
- (China – Europe) September 23, 2022. Global Times. As the world has entered a turbulent period, China believes that the EU will stick to its strategic independence and work together with China to ensure the steady and long-term development of China-EU relations, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday, while meeting with Josep Borrell Fontelles, high representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. China stresses EU’s strategic independence amid global turbulence
- (China – Japan) September 23, 2022. Xinhua. The Chinese embassy in Japan has held a reception here to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan. Reception held in Japan to mark 50th anniversary of normalization of China-Japan diplomatic ties
- (China – Poland) September 22, 2022. Xinhua. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday met with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly. Chinese, Polish FMs meet on sidelines of UN General Assembly
- (Hungary – Russia) September 23, 2022. TASS. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto commended his country’s cooperation with Russia’s energy giant Gazprom following a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the 77th UN General Assembly in New York. Hungarian top diplomat commends gas cooperation with Russia’s Gazprom
- (Japan) September 22, 2022. Aurelia George Mulgan, East Asia Forum. In Japan, the Unification Church (UC) is a religious corporation known formally as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification and for its unique interpretation of Christian theology and practices widely criticised for being similar to those of a cult. Japan mixes religion and politics
- (Pakistan) September 23, 2022. Manita Raut, Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt, East Asia Forum. The catchphrase ‘water is life’ took on a deeper meaning in 2022 as floods submerged two-thirds of Pakistan, affecting over 33 million people, displacing tens of millions and killing 1400 people. Pakistan floods do nothing to dampen climate change
- (Russia) September 22, 2022. Paul Globe, The Jamestown Foundation. Russia’s demographic problems, including the extremely high male mortality among working-age groups (Socio.bas-net.by, accessed September 21; Nakanune.ru, August 1) and the declining size of the Russian nation, especially in rural areas where most soldiers come from and opposition to the war is growing (Siberia.Realities, August 24), impose serious constraints on Moscow’s ability to effectively carry out the “partial mobilization” announced by President Vladimir Putin on September 21. The relative increase in the share of men in their 20s and 30s from non-Russian areas who also oppose the war in Ukraine makes this task evermore daunting (Caucasus Post, June 18). Russia’s Demographic Problems Make Putin’s Mobilization Plans Explosive
- (Russia) September 22, 2022. Pavel Luzin, The Jamestown Foundation. On September 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on partial mobilization (Kremlin.ru, September 21) and issued a public statement in which he claimed that the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine are de facto confronting the West (Kremlin.ru, September 21). The Impossible Mobilization
- (Russia) September 22, 2022. US Department of State. The United States and 37 other countries invoked the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Moscow Mechanism on July 28 to examine the Russia’s adherence to its OSCE Human Dimension commitments on human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Moscow Mechanism Report on Russia’s Failure to Fulfill its Human Dimension Commitments
- (Russia – Ukraine) September 22, 2022. Karolina Hird, Kateryna Stepanenko, Katherine Lawlor, and Mason Clark, ISW. The Kremlin’s heavy-handed approach to partial mobilization may successfully meet the Kremlin’s internal quota of mobilized personnel but is unlikely to generate effective soldiers and is prompting significant domestic backlash for little gain. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 22
- (Russia – Ukraine) September 22, 2022. Seth G. Jones, Jared Thompson, Riley McCabe, CSIS. Russian president Vladimir Putin’s announcement on September 21, 2022, to call up roughly 300,000 military reservists is a sign of desperation. As newly released CSIS battlefield maps indicate, Ukrainian forces have—thus far—conducted an effective counterattack that has reconquered roughly 3,700 square miles, slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut. Mapping Ukraine’s Military Advances
- (Sahel) September 22, 2022. Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Climate change could turn one of Africa’s driest regions into a very wet one by boosting the Monsoon circulation. New computer simulations show a significant future increase in seasonal rainfall in the Sahel under the current trend of global warming. A major increase in average rainfall might kick-in by 2040 already, which means that it is inevitable regardless of how future greenhouse gas emissions develop. Although crossing this new tipping point is potentially beneficial, it comes with substantial unknowns. The change could in fact be so big, it would be a major adaptation challenge for an already troubled region. Shifting Climate Zones: Sahel might get 50 % more rain by 2040
- (South Africa) September 12, 2022. Institute for Security Studies. Public officials and politicians routinely blame immigrants for a range of social and economic problems in South Africa. This reinforces negative, xenophobic sentiments among many people. The research and analysis presented in this report tests the validity of these widely held beliefs. It shows that they are largely false and can only have detrimental consequences for South Africa’s economy and people. Scapegoating in South Africa: busting the myths about immigrants
- (UNGA) September 22, 2022. UN News. Collectively, “we must address…the fundamental imbalances in the world we share,” Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said on Thursday, calling for global “climate solidarity” to support vulnerable countries that have suffered “loss and damage” from climate change. Demark rallies wealthy nations to back ‘climate solidarity’, boost financing for hard-hit poor countries
- (UNGA) September 22, 2022. UN News. Mia Amor Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados, urged world leaders to “use the power of the pen” and impose natural disaster and pandemic clauses in developing countries’ debt, as well as remove the current barriers to accessing financial assistance from multilateral development banks. Barbados Prime Minister Mottley calls for overhaul of unfair, outdated global finance system
- (UNGA) September 22, 2022. UN News. Warring parties in South Sudan are committed to implementing a peace deal that has improved security in the country, Vice-President Hussein Abdelbagi Akol Agany told the UN General Assembly on Thursday. South Sudan: Vice-President highlights commitments and challenges to peace
- (UNGA) September 22, 2022. UN News. Abdel-Fattah Al Burhan Abdelrahman Al-Burhan, the President of the Transitional Government of Sudan, called for more multilateral action to find sustainable solutions to global challenges and to reduce terrible repercussions for people worldwide, particularly in countries affected by conflict and in the least developed countries. Sudan committed to achieve national reconciliation, General Assembly hears
- (UNGA) September 22, 2022. UN News. Despite efforts to move past decades of drought and conflict, Somalia is facing some of the most complex crises in the world, its President said today at the UN General Assembly, urging international partners to help the nation avert a looming famine and defeat the scourge of terrorism. Somalia committed to tackling twin threats of looming famine and terrorism, President tells UN Assembly
- (UNGA) September 22, 2022. UN News. President Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi said on Thursday that with the formation in early April of the Presidential Leadership Council as the legitimate representative of the Yemeni people, his country had entered a new era in based on partnership and national consensus. Leadership Council marks ‘new era’ for Yemen, but country remains wary of terrorist threat
- (UNGA) September 21, 2022. UN News. Addressing world leaders gathered for the first fully in-person high-level debate of the UN General Assembly in three years, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the true essence of the unjust and unsustainable prevailing international order. Pandemic worsened inequalities, exposed true essence of unjust global order, Cuba tells UN
- (USA) September 22, 2022. Joseph W. Kane, Adie Tomer, Caroline George, and Jamal Russell Black, Brookings. The growing threats from climate change leave the global population no choice: We must decarbonize human activity as soon as possible. That includes changing how we build, travel, generate power, and more to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Achieving such transformative change will require a mix of policy reforms, new technologies, and significant capital investments. Under ideal circumstances, cities, national governments, global organizations, and private business owners would seamlessly work together to orchestrate actions that deliver results at the scale and speed the planet needs. Not according to plan: Exploring gaps in city climate planning and the need for regional action
- (USA – Japan – Republic of Korea) September 22, 2022. US Department of State. U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa, and Republic of Korea (ROK) Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin met today on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City to reaffirm their commitment to strong trilateral cooperation as we seek to address urgent 21st century challenges. The United States’ ironclad alliance commitments to the ROK and Japan and our close, enduring friendships are critical to the security and prosperity of our citizens, the region, and the world. Joint Statement on the U.S.-Japan-Republic of Korea Trilateral Foreign Ministerial Meeting
- (USA – Rohingya) September 22, 2022. US Department of State. The United States today announced more than $170 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Rohingya inside and outside Burma, as well as for host communities in Bangladesh. With this new funding, our total assistance in response to the Rohingya Refugee Crisis has reached nearly $1.9 billion since August 2017, when over 740,000 Rohingya were forced to flee to safety in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. United States Announces More Than $170 Million in Humanitarian Assistance for the Rakhine State/Rohingya Refugee Crisis
- (USA – Ukraine) September 22, 2022.
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