From global think tanks – July 14, 2022

With The Science of Where Magazine

AROUND THE WORLD

Australia

• July 14, 2022. David Uren, The Strategist. Beijing will be keeping a close watch on the G7’s efforts to cap the price of Russian oil because China is trying to do the same to Australian iron ore. Imposing price caps on commodities like oil and iron ore is a risky business

Australia – Pacific Islands

• July 14, 2022. Greg Earl, The Interpreter. As the new Labor government oscillates between promoting investment in Southeast Asia to deepen security ties and trying to keep the Pacific family together in the face of Chinese challenges, recent Australian capital flows tell an interesting story. Economic diplomacy: The Pacific beats ASEAN for nervous investors

Brazil 

• July 14, 2022. HRW. Candidates running for president, Congress, state legislature, and governor in the October 2022 Brazil elections should put forward proposals to address the country’s serious human rights problems. The issues should include police abuse, violence against women and forest defenders, the impact of environmental destruction, and the rights of people with disabilities. Brazil: Candidates Should Address Human Rights

China – South Pacific

• July 14, 2022. Michael Shoebridge, The Strategist. Beijing is moving at high speed to co-opt South Pacific states economically and then use that leverage to achieve broader goals, including the ability to project military power across the Indo-Pacific. China also working to undercut Pacific regionalism and obtain advantage from its bilateral engagement with individual Pacific states, with obvious successes in Solomon Islands, while Manasseh Sogavare remains prime minister, and now with Kiribati. China in the South Pacific: splintering regionalism and strategic gains through economics

Europe – Taiwan

• July 13, 2022. Janka Oertel, Brookings. The COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine have changed how the EU thinks about the future of its relations with China — with significant potential for shifts in policy towards Taiwan. How COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine could change EU-Taiwan relations

Germany

• July 13, 2022. Artyom Sokolov, Valdai Discussion Club. On February 15, 2022, Olaf Scholz made his first visit to Moscow as Chancellor of Germany. Despite the fact that a significant part of the time in the negotiations with the President of Russia was devoted to the situation in the South-East of Ukraine, the leaders of Russia and Germany also discussed the prospects for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, the trade balance, economic indicators, and interaction between non-government organisations. The chancellor laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Against the backdrop of a rather cold visit to Russia by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock a few weeks earlier, Scholz’s trip looked like a step towards normalising the stalled Russian-German dialogue. Germany and Ukraine

Japan

• July 14, 2022.  Rumi Aoyama, East Asia Forum. The Indo-Pacific Framework for Economic Prosperity (IPEF) was launched in May 2022 during US President Joe Biden’s first visit to Asia. Of the 13 participants, Japan is the only country to announce it will join all four pillars of the IPEF. Will Tokyo’s IPEF membership mix with Japan–China relations?
• July 13, 2022.  Brad Glosserman, East Asia Forum. In May 2022, Japan’s National Diet passed its long-anticipated economic security bill. The legislation reflects growing concern about the vulnerabilities created by extended supply chains, dependence on foreign sources of critical materials and theft of intellectual property. It is the latest in a series of moves to better prepare Japan for the intensifying geopolitical competition of the 21st century. Japan flirts with techno-nationalism

Russia – Iran – India

• July 13, 2022. Vali Kaleji, The Jamestown Foundation. As the Ukraine war has entered its fifth month, and two decades after Iran, Russia and India signed the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) in 2002, Dariush Jamali, head of the Iranian-Russian Port of Solyanka in Astrakhan Oblast, announced that the first transit shipment from Russia to India had been sent through Iran by way of the INSTC (Mehr News Agency, June 11). This shipment passed on a multimodal route through Astrakhan Port, specifically the Solyanka part (Russia); Bandar Abbas and Chabahar ports (Iran); and Nhava Sheva Port (India). The Rise of Multimodal Transportation Among Russia, Iran and India

Russia – Ukraine

• July 13, 2022. Neil Melvin and Ed Arnold, RUSI. This episode considers where Russia’s war against Ukraine stands nearly five months after it began, as the conflict enters a potentially pivotal moment with Ukraine planning to mount a counteroffensive to reclaim lost territory.  Episode 30: Russia’s War Against Ukraine
• July 14, 2022. Chatham House. This Chatham House research aims to address some of the longer-term conceptual challenges in understanding Russian hard power, which are not directly linked to current operations in Ukraine. Myths and misconceptions around Russian military intent
• July 14, 2022. HRW. Russian forces in Ukraine have forcibly disappeared civilians and illegally transferred them to Russia, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch documented the detention of nine civilian men by Russian forces while they occupied Ukraine’s Kyiv region, and their apparent transfer to detention facilities in Russia’s Kursk and Bryansk regions when the forces rotated out or withdrew. Russia: Forcible Disappearances of Ukrainian Civilians
• July 13, 2022. Valery Dzutsati, The Jamestown Foundation. On July 2, Russian police detained Tahir Sozaev, head of the village Belaya Rechka in Kabardino-Balkaria. Sozaev is suspected of fomenting interethnic discord between the Balkars and other ethnic groups. In December 2021, the municipal official reportedly posted a controversial audio message in a village group chat. Sozaev demanded that all trade in Belaya Rechka be conducted only in the Balkar language (Karachay-Balkar). The official warned shop owners to refrain from serving customers who spoke Russian. According to preliminary information, Sozaev also wanted to ban the sale of land in Belaya Rechka to ethnic Russians and Kabardians (i.e., Circassians) (Sovsekretno.ru, July 4). Invasion of Ukraine Has Unintended Consequences for Russian Ethnic Minorities
• July 13, 2022. Vladimir Socor, The Jamestown Foundation. Four months into the biggest conventional war in Europe since World War II, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Allies did not demonstrate a coherent strategy to deal with this war at their summit in Madrid (see EDM, July 6, 7, 8, 11). While all Allies agree on defining it as an unprovoked war of aggression and destruction, most Allies view it as a two-sided conflict between Russia and Ukraine, loath to recognize that Russia views it as a conflict between itself and the West on Ukraine’s territory. Summit Shows NATO’s Limited Relevance to Ukraine (Part Three)
• July 13, 2022. Hung Tran and Charles Dallara, Atlantic Council. The war in Ukraine has entered its fifth month and risks becoming severely protracted. The international community must step up its efforts to support Ukraine now by advancing Ukraine’s proposed roadmap to end the war and clarifying its economic policies in response to Russian aggression. Ukraine needs more international support
• July 13, 2022.  Peter Dickinson, Atlantic Council. Vladimir Putin escalated his war against Ukrainian statehood on July 11 by expanding the fast-track distribution of Russian passports to include the whole of Ukraine. Putin weaponizes Russian passports in his genocidal war against Ukraine
• July 13, 2022. Kateryna Stepanenko, Grace Mappes, George Barros, and Frederick W. Kagan. The Kremlin likely ordered Russian “federal subjects” (regions) to form volunteer battalions to participate in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, instead of declaring partial or full mobilization in Russia. Russian war correspondent and milblogger Maksim Fomin stated that Russia has begun a “volunteer mobilization,” where every region must generate at least one volunteer battalion. The term “volunteer mobilization” likely implies that the Kremlin ordered the 85 “federal subjects” (regions, including occupied Sevastopol and Crimea) to recruit and financially incentivize volunteers to form new battalions, rather than referring to literal mobilization relying on conscription or the compulsory activation of all reservists in Russia. Russian outlets reported that regional officials recruit men up to 50 years old (or 60 for separate military specialties) for six-month contracts and offer salaries averaging 220,000 to 350,000 rubles per month (approximately $3,750 to $6,000). Separate regions offer an immediate enlistment bonus that averages 200,000 rubles (approximately $3,400) issued from the region‘s budget and social benefits for the servicemen and their families. Russian media has already confirmed the creation or deployment of volunteer battalions in Kursk, Primorskyi Krai, Republic of Bashkortostan, Chuvashia Republic, Chechnya, Republic of Tatarstan, Moscow City, Perm, Nizhny Novgorod, and Orenburg Oblasts in late June and early July. Tyumen Oblast officials announced the formation of volunteer units (not specifically a battalion) on July 7. Russia Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 13

Tunisia

• July 14, 2022. HRW. Tunisian President Kais Saied has decreed a national referendum for July 25, 2022, on a new draft constitution, to replace the 2014 constitution. It was published in the Official Gazette on June 30, with a set of modifications to the draft text published in the gazette on July 8. Saied suspended much of the 2014 constitution in September 2021, two months after his move on July 25, 2021, to suspend parliament and greatly increase his authority. The following Questions & Answers assess what the changes in the proposed new constitution would mean for human rights and the rule of law in Tunisia. Q&A: Tunisia’s Constitutional Referendum

USA

• July 13, 2022. Joseph W. Kane and Martha Ross, Brookings. Funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is starting to flow across the country, accelerating thousands of transportation, water, energy, and other projects. But those are just the beginning of the $860 billion in investments over the coming years that will reach transportation departments, water utilities, and other infrastructure owners and operators at a state and local level. And the challenge facing these entities is not simply getting more shovels in the ground, but maximizing the economic reach of this generational funding. That’s especially the case for millions of workers who remain unemployed, underemployed, or disconnected from the labor market. Service and conservation programs can lead to infrastructure careers
• July 13, 2022. Marvin Kalb, Brookings. Journalism now faces a genuine dilemma. If one is to believe the stories from Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump is musing these days about a July announcement of his third run for the presidency. 2024 may be just around the corner. Why make such an early announcement? Trump creates a dilemma for journalists

USA – Middle East

• July 13, 2022. Jacqueline Feldscher, Defense One. President Joe Biden touted America’s “unshakeable commitment” to Israeli security on Wednesday after landing in Tel Aviv on his first trip to the Middle East as president.  Biden’s Trip to ‘Stabilize’ US-Mideast Ties Kicks Off in Israel
• July 13, 2022. Ben Cahill, CSIS. Energy is unmistakably on the agenda for President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia. A splashy production announcement by Saudi Arabia seems unlikely, although surprises are possible. Even if the trip does not produce an immediate breakthrough, more constructive dialogue between Washington and Riyadh on energy matters is sorely needed. Don’t Expect Saudi Arabia to Save the Day
• July 13, 2022. CSIS. ​CSIS’s Jon Alterman joins the podcast to discuss President Biden’s visit to the Middle East and what the administration can gain strategically from the trip. Biden’s Mideast Visit
• July 13, 2022. R. Clarke Cooper, Atlantic Council. If US President Joe Biden wants to foster regional stability, bolster US relationships in the Middle East, and advance normalization with Israel—in addition to the anticipated Jerusalem Declaration to re-affirm US-Israeli security cooperation and commit to denying nuclear capability to Iran—the president has two significant tools provided to him when he took office in 2021. US interests and capacity for Middle East stability exist, but President Biden must convey will
• July 13, 2022. Ruth Marks Eglash and Scott Lasensky, Atlantic Council. This week’s presidential visit to the Middle East will spotlight major strategic questions, such as Israeli-Saudi normalization, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and how to revive the long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. However, one lesser-known element of Washington’s alliance with Israel will be squarely on US President Joe Biden’s agenda: Israel’s long-running quest to join America’s visa waiver program. Biden is visiting Israel. Travel is squarely on the agenda

TOPICS

Cybersecurity

• July 14, 2022. Stephen Pritchard, Info Security. APT groups are increasingly targeting journalists and impersonating media outlets, according to new research from Proofpoint. State-Sponsored Hackers Targeting Journalists
• July 14, 2022. John Ward, Info Security. Cyber Essentials revised its password-based authentication requirements in 2022 in response to the ever-changing threat landscape. The changes highlight a shift towards tighter technical controls and away from user reliance. You’ll need configuration against brute-force attacks, implement technical controls to manage password quality and provide support to users around the password process.  Cyber Essential’s Password-Based Authentication Requirements
• July 14, 2022. Stephen Pritchard, Info Security. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has asked the UK government to review its use of “private correspondence channels,” including email, WhatsApp and other messaging services. ICO Calls for Review of Government “Private” Messaging
• July 13, 2022. Danny Bradbury, Info Security. Most critical services companies are struggling to secure their industrial internet of things (IIoT)/operational technology (OT) systems and acknowledge the need to invest more heavily in these areas, said a report from security company Barracuda Networks this week. Critical Industries Failing at IIoT/OT Security
• July 13, 2022. Danny Bradbury, Info Security. Ransomware activity rose by a fifth in the last quarter, according to a report from security firm Digital Shadows. Ransomware Activity Resurges in Q2
• July 13, 2022. Robert Clyde, Info Security. Much of security awareness training is basic math when what is required is advanced calculus. You don’t have to be a high school pre-calculus teacher to guess that not everyone is equipped for that kind of challenge. Let’s Rethink Cybersecurity Training Investment
• July 13, 2022. Kate O’Flaherty, Info Security. A new ransomware family dubbed ‘HavanaCrypt’ disguises itself as a Google software update app, using a Microsoft web hosting service IP address as its command and control server to circumvent detection. HavanaCrypt Ransomware Masquerades as a Fake Google Update
• July 13, 2022. Kate O’Flaherty, Info Security. The frequency and volume of cyber-attacks targeting Ukraine have surged over the second quarter of the year, according to a new report by the country’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection (SSSCIP). Ukraine’s Cyber Agency Reports Q2 Cyber-Attack Surge
• July 14, 2022. Mariam Baksh, Nextgov. A new public-private body within the Department of Homeland Security has said all it plans to say on the incident referred to as “SolarWinds,” under an executive order mandate. That order came in response to the intrusion event’s compromise of several federal agencies and high-profile tech companies. Cyber Safety Review Board Closes the Book on SolarWinds While Reporting on Log4j
• July 14, 2022. Fergus Ryan,  The Strategist. In September 2020, at the conclusion of a UK parliamentary committee hearing during which TikTok executives were grilled, in public, for the first time, committee member Kevin Brennan offered his colleagues a frank assessment of how he thought the questioning went. It’s time TikTok Australia came clean

Defense, Military, Space

• July 12, 2022. Galip Dalay, Chatham House. With NATO’s new Strategic Concept being designed to address a global security environment defined by the great power competition, it was key for Ankara to ensure that the issue of terrorism was not de-emphasized, and so the fact this remained a major part within it was a win for Turkey. Turkey gains much from NATO, but a rocky road lies ahead
• July 13, 2022. Patrick Tucker, Nextgov. Russia, which used drones to terrifying effect in its initial 2014 invasion of Ukraine, appears in the current campaign to be losing both small and large drones at a rapid pace.  Russia Seems to Be Running Low on Drones
• July 13, 2022. Naval News. The steel-cutting ceremony for the second FDI Frigate for the Hellenic Navy (FDI HN) took place today at the Naval Group shipyard in Lorient. FDI HN: Naval Group Cuts Steel for Second Frigate
• July 13, 2022. Naval News. Russian media reported on efforts to develop the “Zmeevik” anti-ship ballistic missile, dubbed an aircraft killer, to improve the country’s coastal defences. Russia Develops Zmeevik Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile
• July 13, 2022. Naval News. Following a recent uptick in orders, Kongsberg Maritime’s Sensor and Robotics division has announced that it has secured over NOK 450M (~$44 million) in contracts for HUGIN AUV in Q2 2022. Kongsberg secures several major contracts for HUGIN AUVs
• July 13, 2022. Naval News. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. is participating at the Farnborough International Airshow 2022 in the United Kingdom where it will introduce the Ice Breaker: a 5th generation long-range, autonomous, precision-guided missile system, enabling significant attack performance against a variety of high-value land, and sea targets. Ice Breaker is a multi-service solution, across air, land, and sea domains. RAFAEL Unveils Ice Breaker Long Range Air-to-Surface Missile
• July 13, 2022. Naval News. General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced today that 10,000 catapult launches and arrested landings using the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) have been successfully and safely completed aboard USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). EMALS Aboard CVN 78 Reach 10,000 ‘Cats and Traps’ Milestone
• July 14, 2022. Alan J. Kuperman, The Interpreter. Recently-elected Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faces a dilemma on nuclear submarines. Having received only a single day’s notice, and wanting to avoid looking weak on China with an election looming, Albanese felt compelled last September to endorse his predecessor’s AUKUS deal to acquire an expected eight nuclear-powered attack submarines, assisted by the United States and United Kingdom. France can help Albanese fix AUKUS
• July 14, 2022. Brendan Nicholson, The Strategist. Harnessing resources from industry through to armed forces, Australia, the United States and their allies must together develop an effective level of military power in the Indo-Pacific to avoid ‘a catastrophic failure of deterrence’, says Defence Minister Richard Marles. Industry and defence must gear up to deter China’s military build-up, says Marles
• July 13, 2022. Sandra Erwin, Space News. President Biden’s proposed defense budget for fiscal year 2023 is “record-breaking” when it comes to national security space, says a new report from the consulting firm Avascent. Funding for military space has  increased every year since 2018 but that growth may not be sustainable, the report says. Analysis: Space Force budget growth could be short lived
• July 13, 2022. Jeff Foust, Space News. The James Webb Space Telescope, once an albatross around the neck of NASA, has become a symbol of the agency’s capabilities and potentially a tool to win support and funding for other programs. NASA sees JWST success helping win agency support and funding
• July 13, 2022. Jeff Foust, Space News. The European Space Agency has officially ended cooperation with Russia on the ExoMars mission, prompting a Russian threat to halt use of a European robotic arm on the International Space Station. Russia threatens ISS European robotic arm after ExoMars termination
• July 13, 2022. Jason Rainbow, Space News. Europe’s new Vega C medium-lift rocket lifted off on its maiden flight July 13, carrying an Italian physics satellite and six cubesats. Vega C lifts off on maiden flight
• July 13, 2022. Sandra Erwin, Space News.  A draft environmental assessment released July 13 by the Department of the Air Force said the proposed relocation of U.S. Space Command to Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, would have “no significant impacts on the human or natural environment.”. Air Force completes draft environmental review of U.S. Space Command candidate locations
• July 13, 2022. Jason Rainbow, Space News. The payload for Viasat’s second ViaSat-3 broadband satellite has arrived in California to be integrated with a Boeing chassis, the operator said July 13. Second ViaSat-3 payload arrives in California for integration
• July 13, 2022. Sandra Erwin, Space News. Chirag Parikh, executive secretary of the National Space Council, said he expects the Office of Space Commerce to start developing an architecture for space traffic management, an initiative that has been bogged down by studies and lack of funding. Office of Space Commerce to start developing architecture for traffic management
• July 13, 2022. Theresa Hitchens, Breaking Defense. A draft environmental impact review of the options for a new home for Space Command has given all six locations the okay, concluding that the necessary construction would cause no significant damage to the local ecosystem and populace at any of the sites, the Air Force announced today. Environmental review gives clean bill to all SPACECOM site options
• July 13, 2022. Jaspreet Gill, Breaking Defense. The Air Force needs a strategy to get more out of its investments in its different “raindrops” of software factories, according to a former Pentagon official who said he also fears the service isn’t growing enough talent in those initiatives. Air Force needs more efficiency from ‘raindrop’ software factories: Former DoD cyber official
• July 13, 2022. Arie Egozi, Breaking Defense. Israeli firm Rafael has unveiled a new long-range strike missile, one the company bills as having built-in autonomous capabilities, a range of 300 KM — and, if Rafael gets its way, an American corporate partner. Rafael unveils new Ice Breaker missile, seeks US production partner
• July 13, 2022. Justin Katz, Breaking Defense. The Navy recently demonstrated a new training device designed to help prepare its pilots for potential emergencies in the air by having them feel the effects of oxygen deprivation while safely on the ground, the latest tool in the service’s years-long struggle with the phenomena known as physiological episodes.  New Navy flight mask could prep aviators to avoid blacking out mid-flight
• July 13, 2022.  Courtney Albon, Defense News. The U.S. Air Force conducted a second consecutive successful flight of Lockheed Martin’s AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, marking the end of the hypersonic program’s booster test phase. Lockheed hypersonic weapon moves to next phase after US Air Force test success
• July 13, 2022. Andrew Chuter, Defense News. Shipbuilder Harland & Wolff has inked a deal with the British government to give an ex-Royal Navy mine countermeasures vessel a new lease of life — with the Lithuanian Navy. Harland & Wolff wins $65 million deal to fix up ex-British ship for Lithuanian Navy
• July 13, 2022. The Associated Press, Defense News. Iran’s foreign minister insists his country opposes Russia’s war against Ukraine, but was vague Wednesday about whether Tehran’s military cooperation with Moscow would include sales of drones that could carry missiles.  Iranian envoy responds to US claim it’s selling drones to Russia
• July 13, 2022. Colin Demarest, Defense News. A proposed exercise to assess progress made on the Pentagon’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control vision for seamless communications across the military should be driven by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, according to one expert. Proposed JADC2 cross-service exercise belongs in Pacific, says Hudson’s Clark
• July 13, 2022. Bryant Harris, Defense News. The White House on Tuesday doubled down on a brewing fight with Congress over legislative efforts that would prevent the retirement of several ships and aircraft as well as the scrapping of a nuclear modernization program. White House wrangles with Congress over ship, aircraft retirements
• July 13, 2022. Stephen Losey, Defense News. Booz Allen Hamilton, one of the 10 largest U.S. defense contractors, launched a $100 million venture capital fund to invest in fledgling companies creating promising new technology. Booz Allen unveils $100M venture capital fund to back tech startups
• July 13, 2022.  Vivienne Machi, Defense News.  Germany has received its first batch of anti-spoofing, anti-jamming military-code GPS equipment, in the first non-U.S. sale of this equipment, manufacturer BAE Systems announced Tuesday. BAE Systems delivers new M-code GPS receivers to Germany under first non-US sale
• July 14, 2022. Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One. The United States is not prepared to defend itself from the types of cruise missiles Russia has increasingly used to attack Ukraine, warns a new assessment from a prominent Washington think tank. US Can’t Down Russian Missiles Being Used in Ukraine, Report Says
• July 13, 2022. Ursala Knudsen-Latta, Defense One. A near-global ban on the use of anti-personnel land mines is once again U.S. policy, thanks to President Biden’s June 21 reversal of the Trump administration’s stance. This overdue fulfillment of a campaign promise brings the United States into alignment with key provisions of the Mine Ban Treaty: a pact signed by 164 nations, including every other NATO member, that bans developing, producing, using, acquiring, transferring, or exporting such mines. The US Remains the Exception on Land Mines

Digital & Tech

• July 13, 2022. John Breeden II, Nextgov. The advantages of installing 3D printing across the federal government could be huge, although the technology has been slow to reach that potential. That could finally be changing as the Navy has deployed the first 3D printer onboard a warship that is capable of printing reliable metal parts while underway at sea. Heavy Metal on the High Seas
• July 13, 2022. Elizabeth Stoycheff, Nextgov. Website cookies are online surveillance tools, and the commercial and government entities that use them would prefer people not read those notifications too closely. People who do read the notifications carefully will find that they have the option to say no to some or all cookies. Browser Cookies Make People More Cautious Online, Study Finds
• July 13, 2022. Edward Graham, Nextgov. The U.S. Department of State has implemented some leading recruitment and retention practices to address its IT workforce challenges, but more is needed to strengthen and measure the effectiveness of these steps, according to a watchdog report released to the general public on July 12. GAO: State Department Needs to Do More to Address IT Workforce Challenges

Energy

• July 14, 2022. World Nuclear News. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for Holtec International’s proposed consolidated HI-STORE interim storage facility (CISF). The final EIS includes the NRC staff’s recommendation that there are no environmental impacts that would preclude the NRC from issuing a construction and operation licence for environmental reasons. NRC issues final EIS on New Mexico used fuel facility : Waste & Recycling
• July 14, 2022. World Nuclear News. The Global Fusion Industry in 2022 report says that USD2.83 billion of investment was declared by private nuclear fusion companies over the past year. Commercial fusion funding sees sharp rise, industry study says : New Nuclear
• July 13, 2022. World Nuclear News.  Denison Mines has received approval from the Saskatchewan Minister of Environment to prepare, construct and operate the facilities required to carry out the in-situ leach (ISL) feasibility field test planned for the Phoenix deposit at the Wheeler River uranium project. Approval for Denison’s ISL testing of Phoenix deposit : Uranium & Fuel
• July 13, 2022. World Nuclear News. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has issued a request for proposals for supplying up to 5000 MW of carbon-free energy that must be operational before 2029. Nuclear power, along with renewables, is listed among the sources acceptable to TVA. TVA seeks suppliers of carbon-free energy : Corporate
• July 13, 2022. World Nuclear News. Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between Rosatom and Myanmar’s Ministry of Science and Technology cover cooperation in training and skills development in the field of nuclear energy and shaping positive public opinion on nuclear energy in Myanmar. Russia’s Rosatom and Myanmar sign nuclear energy MoUs : New Nuclear
• July 13, 2022. World Nuclear News. Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and X-energy have signed a framework agreement to seek opportunities for the decarbonisation of high-temperature industrial applications through the deployment of Xe-100 small modular reactors (SMRs) in Canada. OPG, X-energy to examine industrial applications for Xe-100 : New Nuclear

Health & Digital

• July 13, 2022. Shania Kennedy, Health IT Analytics. A team of researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has developed artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict which patients are most likely to successfully manage their pain post-surgery and which patients might need additional assistance. Cedars-Sinai Develops Predictive Models for Post-Surgery Pain Management
• July 13, 2022. Shania Kennedy, Health IT Analytics. The US Defense Health Agency (DHA) has announced that its PTSD Drug Treatment (PTSD-DT) Program will utilize New York-based artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics company AiCure’s medication adherence and digital biomarker solutions to evaluate the efficacy of multiple PTSD treatments in service members and veterans. Defense Health Agency to Utilize AI, Data Analytics to Enhance PTSD Treatment
• July 12, 2022. Shania Kennedy, Health IT Analytics. The University of Colorado (CU) School of Medicine has announced the launch of its new Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI), which will focus on addressing health disparities and improving healthcare quality using big data and artificial intelligence (AI). Medical School Launches New Department to Enhance Patient Care Through AI
• July 12, 2022. Mark Melchionna, Health IT Analytics. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Medicine Hereditary Hemorrhagic (HHT) Center concluded that limited racial and ethnic data likely contributes to inaccurate diagnoses and treatment of rare genetic disorders in minority patients. Limited Racial Data Curbs Diagnosis, Treatment of Genetic Conditions
• July 13, 2022. Kate McAlpine, Nextgov. A new computer model predicts the communities formed by human gut microbes, report researchers. Machine Learning Predicts Gut Microbe Communities

Global

• July  12, 2022. Jessica Cecil, Leslie Vinjamuri, Chatham House. You have had a long and distinguished career with the BBC. Your most recent leadership role at the BBC was setting up and directing its Trusted News Initiative. We’ve seen the pernicious effects of disinformation. Getting credible information into the public sphere is essential for citizens and also for elected officials if they are to make good decisions. As a leader in this field, what is your perspective on the debate about disinformation? What is at stake? Disinformation is a high-stake game threatening freedom
• July 13, 2022. Kristalina Georgieva, IMF blog. As G20 ministers and central bank governors gather in Bali this week, they face a global economic outlook that has darkened significantly. Facing a Darkening Economic Outlook: How the G20 Can Respond
• July 13, 2022. Ugo Gentilini, World Bank blogs. Over the past 30 months we have been carefully tracking countries’ unprecedented social protection responses to Covid-19. But what are we learning from such wealth of experiences?  Ten lessons from the largest scale up of cash transfers in history
• July 13, 2022. Alen Mulabdic, Gauray Nayyar, World Bank blogs. The advent of industrial robots, the increasing frequency of natural disasters, and changing geopolitical scenarios has placed the spotlight on the reconfiguration of global value chains through reshoring, nearshoring, and friend-shoring. This has raised concerns about the prospects of export-led manufacturing growth—that typically benefited a substantial part of the economy’s workforce through opportunities for scale economies, knowledge spillovers, and increased competition—in hitherto less industrialized countries. Conventional wisdom was pessimistic about export-led growth in the services sector that traditionally relied more on physical proximity between the service-provider and consumer. The promise of export-led services growth is real
• July 14, 2022. Valdai Discussion Club. Realising the positive chances from the emerging new period of growth of the association, all countries need to remain diplomatic in promoting their priorities, and seek a delicate balance that will give the BRICS the required stability in the next development cycle, writes Valdai Club expert Dmitry Razumovsky. BRICS — How Will the Organisation Get a ‘Second Wind’?
• July 12, 2022. Ekaterina Arapova , Yaroslav Lissovolik, Valdai Discussion Club. Topping the agenda of the 2017 BRICS Summit was Chinese President Xi Jinping’s newly introduced concept of BRICS+ aimed at expanding partnerships within the group of emerging markets and establishing South-South cooperation.  BRICS+: The Global South Responds To New Challenges (in the Context of China’s BRICS Chairmanship)