1. Oct 2022
    1. promote efforts to enhance educational opportunities for women and girls in STEM and telecommunication/ICT skills and careers across their lifespan, with particular attention to women and girls in rural and underserved areas;11continue to assist developing countries to close the gender digital divide, including enhancing women's and girls' access to reliable connectivity, digital literacy and digital skills;12support the continuation of the Network of Women (NoW) advisory group, working on a voluntary basis, composed of two women representative coordinators per region designated in collaboration with the regional groups
    2. promote educational programmes to protect women and girls from online forms of abuse and harassmentand to address their safety needs
    3. evelop partnerships with other United Nations agencies to promote the use of telecommunications/ICTs in projects aimed at women and girls in line with ITU's mandate, with the aimof encouraging women and girls to connect to the Internet, increasing training for women and girls, and monitoring the telecommunication/ICT gender divide, including actively participating in and promotingEQUALS –The Global Partnership for Gender Equality in the Digital Age
    4. mobilize resources for gender-sensitive projects, including projects to ensure that women and girlscan use ICTs for their own empowerment and in daily personaland professional activities,and create services and develop applications that contribute to the equality and empowerment of all women and girls
    5. design, implement and support projects and programmes in developing countries and countries with economies in transition that are either specifically targeted to women and girls or are gender sensitive, for the purpose of tackling the barriers that women and girls encounter in access to and use of ICTs in terms of digital literacy and skills, training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, affordability, trustand confidence, at the international, regional and national levels, taking into account SDG target 5.b
    6. continue to work to promote gender equality in the field of telecommunications/ICTs, recommending and supporting the implementation of actionsonpolicies and programmes at the international, regional and national level in order toimprove the socio-economic condition of women, with greater emphasis on developing countries
    7. support gender mainstreaming in the Union's activities
    8. shall continue to support the development of activities, projects and events aimed at closing the gender digital divide
    9. RESOLUTION55(Rev.Kigali, 2022)Mainstreaming a gender perspective1in ITU to enhance women's empowerment through telecommunications/ICTs

      Res 55: Mainstreaming a gender perspective in ITU to enhance women's empowerment through telecom/ICTs

    10. RESOLUTION 46(Rev.Kigali, 2022)Assistance toindigenouspeoples and communities through information and communication technologies

      Res 46: Assistance to indigenous people and communities

    11. RESOLUTION45(Rev. Kigali, 2022)Mechanisms for enhancing cooperation on cybersecurity, including countering and combating spam

      Res 45: Mechanisms for enhancing cooperation on cybersecurity, including countering and combating spam

    12. in order to
    13. to maintain the Group on capacity-building initiatives(GCBI),composed of competent capacity-development experts familiar with the needs of their regions, to enhance the ability of ITU Member States, Sector Members, Associates, Academia, experienced and expert professionals and organizations with relevant expertise to assist ITU-D, and to contribute to the successful implementation of its capacity andskills-developmentactivities in an integrated manner in cooperation with the two ITU-D study groups and in accordance with adopted Kigali Action Planpriorities and regional initiatives, each according to its respective field of competence
    14. RESOLUTION 40(Rev.Kigali, 2022)Group on capacity-building initiatives

      Res 40: Group on capacity-building initiatives

      CD

    15. RESOLUTION 37(Rev. Kigali, 2022)Bridging the digital divide

      Res 37: Bridging the DD

    16. RESOLUTION 34(Rev. Kigali, 2022)The role of telecommunications/information and communication technology in disaster preparedness, early warning, rescue, mitigation, relief and response

      Res 34: The role of telecom/ICT in disaster preparedness, early warning, rescue, mitigation, relief and response

    17. RESOLUTION 15(Rev. Kigali, 2022)Applied research and transfer of technolo

      Res15: transfer of tech

    18. RESOLUTION 11(Rev.Kigali, 2022)Telecommunication/information and communication technology services in rural, isolated and poorly served areas

      Res 11: Telecom/ICT services in rural, isolated and poorly served areas

    19. RESOLUTION 5(Rev. Kigali, 2022)Enhanced participation by developing countries1in the activities of the Union

      Res 2: Enhanced participation by developing countries in ITU activities

    20. Resolutions

      Resolutions

    21. REGIONAL INITIATIVES

      Overview of regional initiatives

    22. Implementation of ITU-D Priorities

      PKI for implementing ITU-D priorities

    23. Affordable Connectivity

      Kigali AP: ITU-D priorities: affordable connectivity, digital transformation, enabling policy and regulatory environ, resource mobilisation and international cooperation, inclusive and secure telecom/ICTs for sustainable development

    24. WorldTelecommunicationDevelopmentConferencecallsuponthe ITUmembership and all development-oriented stakeholders,includingthosein theUnitedNations system,tocontribute activelytowardsthesuccessfulimplementationofthis Declaration
    25. Promoting international cooperation and partnership among ITU membership and development-oriented stakeholders for achieving sustainable development using telecommunication/ICT-centric digital technologies.

      Kigali Decl: international coop, partnerships with 'development-oriented SH'

    26. Providing support to and cooperating with developing countries, LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS in addressingtheir constraints for accessing digital-centric new and emerging telecommunication/ICT technologies and services and for the integration thereof into different sectors, such as government services, agriculture, education, health, finance, transport, etc

      Kigali Decl: support for developing countries

    27. implement evidence-based decision-making
    28. Promoting sound, open, transparent, collaborative and future-proof policy and regulatory decisions with a view to facilitating digital transformation in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. We will implement innovative strategies and policy/regulatory initiatives to bridge the widening digital divides by enabling universal, secure and affordable broadband connectivity and promoting increased digital inclusion, while enhancing confidence and security in the use of telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and services. As such, we will develop and implement policy/regulatory frameworks to help ensure infrastructure resiliency, interoperability and protection of data, as well as increase broadband uptake. Besides, we will adopt effective plans to develop and enhance digital capacities and skills that are required in the online world, without which the digital divides will continue to widen

      Kigali Decl: good governance? DD, cybersec, infra, digital capacities and skills

    29. bold and innovative national plans and recovery strategies for ensuring governance, business, education and social-life continuity. This includes providing the necessary platforms and networks for essential activities such as teleworking, e-commerce, remote learning, telemedicine and digital financial services, while paying special attention to the needs of women and girls, persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs, the elderly and children, and at the same time preparing the ground for future developments in the post-COVID-19 era

      Kigali Decl: governance?

    30. We are also fully committed to tackling environmental and climate-change issues, notably in implementing telecommunication/ICT tools to mitigate the impact of climate change and addressing the impact of telecommunications/ICTs on the environment, in collaboration with users, the private sector, policy-makers and regulators

      Kigali Decl: environment and climate change

    31. Accelerating the expansion and use of efficient and up-to-date digital infrastructures, services and applications for building and further developing the digital economy,including mobilization of financial resources for providing universal, secure and affordable broadband connectivity to the unconnected as soon as possible. This will also include promoting investments in broadband infrastructure deployment, adoption and acces

      Kigali Decl: investments in BB infra; access

    32. Multistakeholder cooperation
    33. Digital inclusionis a necessity, and insufficient digital capacity and lack of digital skills are core barriers to digital transformation and the digital economy. The demand for digitally skilled workers will increase with the accelerated move towards digital transformation. While many jobs have been and will be lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic, digital transformation and the digital economy can nurture new ICT-centric jobs. Education and capacity building for youth, and their access to digital skills and tools, are essential for youth engagement in shaping the digital future

      Kigali Decl: digital inclusion, skills, education, capacity building

    34. We recognize that available, affordable, dependable and accessible ICTs when leveraged through adequate digital skills can provide powerful drivers for development and are instrumental in timely, inclusive and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Capacity building/development in different ICT areas, including spectrum management, remains a challenge

      Kigali Decl: access, skills and capacity development

    35. ualities
    36. build confidence, trust and security in the use of telecommunications/ICTs

      Kigali Decl: cybersec

    37. In the digital era, universal, secure and affordable broadband connectivity is indispensable and provides opportunities for boosting productivity and efficiency, ending poverty, improving livelihoods and ensuring that sustainable development becomes a reality for all.
    38. Another first for WTDC-22 is the Network of Women (NoW)

      Gender: First meet-up of Network of Women

    39. The Kigali conference revised Resolution 55 on mainstreaming a gender perspective in ITU to enhance women’s empowerment through telecommunications/ICTs to encourage Member States to have gender parity in their delegations to ITU-D activities to help solve the issue of under representation of women

      Gender: Revision of Res 55

    40. SeveralpledgesweremadedirectlyinsupportofITUprojects,including

      Pledges by govs and development agencies (GIZ, UK, UAE...)

    41. Thefirst-everITUPartner2Connect (P2C) Digital DevelopmentRoundtablewas heldon7-9June2022asanintegralpartofWTDC-22.Atthetimeofthiswriting(13June2022),374pledges had been announced, representinganestimatedvalueofUSD24.5billion.Thedriveforuniversalandmeaningfulconnectivityrepresentedinthesepledgesisexpectedtobenefitbillionsofpeoplearoundtheworld,especiallyindevelopingcountries.

      Partner2Connect roundtable and Digital Coalition

    42. The digital divide continues to be a challenge, particularly for the LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS. In response to this challenge, in September 2021 at the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, ITU launched the Partner2Connect (P2C) Digital Coalition, a multistakeholder alliance to foster meaningful connectivity and digital transformation globally. Launched in close cooperation with the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, and in line withthe United Nations Secretary General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, P2C provides a leadership platform to mobilize and announce new resources, partnerships and commitments around four focus areas:
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    1. Regions

      Interesting that North Africa scores as the least expensive region when it comes to the average costs of 1GB of mobile data. But the ranking is solely based on the costs, without measuring what that cost means relative to incomes within regions.

      ||mwendenATdiplomacy.edu||

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    1. A Bolsonaro reelection poses biggest threat to Brazilian press freedom, says RSF

      TITLE: Election campaign and online attacks pose threat to Brazilian press freedom

      CONTENT: The image of the media by President Bolsonaro as an enemy of the state that must be stopped has always resonated strongly with his support base, which is well-organized on social media, but especially during this election campaign.

      Since the campaign's launch on August 16th, RSF has carefully tracked (put this link on ‘carefully tracked’: https://rsf.org/en/press-under-pressure-brazil-rsf-analyzes-online-attacks-against-journalists-during-presidential ) these online attacks and has recorded no less than 2.8 million posts that target and degrade journalists.

      In terms of direct assaults, 86% of victims were female journalists. The president's family and government officials, who have millions of followers on social media, have shared the vast majority of this offensive material.

      LINK: https://rsf.org/en/bolsonaro-reelection-poses-biggest-threat-brazilian-press-freedom-says-rsf

      EXCERPT: RSF has recorded more than 2.8 million posts that target and degrade journalists in Brazil since the beginning of election campaign.

      TOPIC: Freedom of the press

      DATE: 30.09.

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    1. common sense is not one precise thing, and therefore cannot be easily defined by rules
    2. Common sense is different from intelligence in that it is usually something innate and natural to humans that helps them navigate daily life, and cannot really be taught.

      common sense vs intelligence

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    1. but research seems to show that combining synthetic data with real data gives statistically sound results
    2. Synthetic data can give smaller players the opportunity to turn the tables.
    3. it can reduce biased outcomes
    4. it can protect privacy and copyright
    5. he synthetic data comes perfectly labeled
    6. it’s easier to collect way more of it
    7. Synthetic data, however it is produced, offers a number of very concrete advantages over using real world data.

      advantages of synthetic data

    8. There are a couple of ways this synthetic data generation happens

      How synthetic data is produced.

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    1. Lazarus-Associated Hackers Weaponize Open-Source Tools Against Several Countries

      TITLE: Lazarus hacker group weaponize open-source software against several countries

      CONTENT: Legitimate open-source software has been weaponized by threat actors connected to North Korea and is now being used to target personnel in businesses from a variety of industries.

      The information was obtained by the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC), which on Thursday released a warning about the threat.

      The Lazarus Group, also known as the actor Microsoft tracks as Zinc, is said to have carried out the attacks, the technical write-up stated.

      According to the advisory, Zinc has successfully compromised numerous organizations in the media, defense and aerospace, and information technology sectors in the United States, United Kingdom, India, and Russia.

      EXCERPT: Open-source software has been weaponized by threat actors connected to North Korea. The Lazarus Group, also known as the actor Microsoft tracks as Zinc, is said to have carried out the attacks. Targets include media, defense and aerospace, and information technology sectors in the United States, UK, India, and Russia.

      LINK: https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/lazarus-group-weaponize-open/

      TOPIC: Cyberconflict and warfare, Cybercrime

      DATE: 30.09.

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  2. Sep 2022
    1. TITLE: 54 countries outline support for human-centric approach at the core of standardisation and connectivity

      CONTENT: In a joint statement delivered during the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference, 54 countries endeavoured to promote 'a human rights-based approach to the whole life cycle of telecommunication/ICT technologies – including design, development, deployment, use and disposal - as part of a human-centric vision of the digital transformation, including in international standard-setting processes'. The countries encouraged the ITU to work with other standard development organisations to develop international technical standards are consistent with exiting international frameworks on human rights and fundamental freedoms. It also called on the organisation to intensify efforts to make its procedures more transparent and accessible, including to organisations active on human rights aspects of telecommunications/ICTs. Among the signatory countries were the 27 EU member states, Australia, Canada, Ghana, Chile, Japan, Rwanda, Switzerland, the UK, and others.

      TOPICS: digital standards, human rights principles

      DATE: 26 September 2022

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    1. TITLE: GSMA, IBM, and Vodafone launch Post-Quantum Telco Network Taskforce

      CONTENT: GSMA, IBM, and Vodafone have launched a Post-Quantum Telco Network Taskforce to contribute to the definition of policies, regulations, and business processes for the protection of telecommunication in the context of advanced quantum computing. According to GSMA, the taskforce will help define requirements, identify dependencies, and create the roadmap to implement quantum-safe networking, mitigating the risks associated with future, more-powerful quantum computers. Activities to be undertaken by the taskforce will focus on three areas: (a) strategy: integrating quantum-safe capabilities into telecom network operators’ technology, business processes; and security; (b) standardisation: identifying the needs and common alignments for the integration of quantum-safe capabilities into existing telecom networks; and (c) policy: advising on public policy, regulation, and compliance matters.

      TOPICS: Telecom infra, emerging tech

      TRENDS: Quantum

      DATE: 28 September 2022

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    1. Vietnam preparing rules to limit news posts on social media accounts - sources

      TITLE: Vietnam is working on a new set of rules to restrict news posts on social media accounts

      CONTENT: According to Reuters, Vietnam is preparing new rules that will restrict which social media accounts can post news-related content, as authorities tighten their grip on the country's news and information sources.

      The regulations would create a legal foundation for regulating news distribution on platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.

      The sources confirmed that government officials have been holding confidential meetings with popular social media and internet firms to brief them on which types of accounts will be allowed to post news content under the new rules. According to them, authorities will be able to order social media companies to ban accounts that violate the rules.

      The rules are anticipated to be announced before the end of the year, with specifics still being worked out.

      TOPIC: Freedom of expression

      LINK: https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-vietnam-preparing-rules-limit-news-posts-social-media-accounts-sources-2022-09-28/

      DATE: 29.09.

      EXCERPT: Vietnam is preparing new rules that will restrict which social media accounts can post news-related content, as authorities tighten their grip on the country's news and information sources. If the rules are announced, authorities will be able to order social media companies to ban accounts that violate the rules.

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    1. Human Rights Council Holds Annual Discussion on the Integration of the Gender Perspective, Focusing on Overcoming Gender-Based Barriers to Freedom of Opinion and Expression

      TITLE: HR Council’s annual debate on gender-based barriers to freedom of opinion and expression: online aspects

      CONTENT: The Human Rights Council held its annual debate on the incorporation of a gender perspective, with the focus on overcoming gender-based barriers to freedom of opinion and expression.

      Gender-based online violence against journalists, according to Julie Posetti of the International Centre for Journalists, is one of the most serious contemporary threats to press freedom and the safety of women journalists worldwide. Individual political actors and parties have been identified as perpetrators, instigators, and amplifiers of online violence against female journalists in many countries.

      Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression said that states must not use efforts to eradicate online violence, gendered hate speech, and disinformation as an excuse to limit free expression.

      During the discussion that followed, speakers stated that online discrimination plays a role in censoring and silencing the voices of women and girls.

      TOPIC: Gender rights online, Freedom of expression, Freedom of the press

      LINK: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/09/human-rights-council-holds-annual-discussion-integration-gender-perspective

      EXCERPT: Human Rights Council held its annual debate on the incorporation of a gender perspective. The focus was on overcoming gender-based barriers to freedom of opinion and expression. Gender-based online violence against journalists is one of the most serious contemporary threats to press freedom, and states must not use efforts to eradicate online violence, gendered hate speech, and disinformation as an excuse to limit free expression.

      DATE: 28.09.

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    1. conceptual break with traditional human-centered understandings of the world and its politics.
    2. but with the biogeochemical processes of the Earth itself.
    3. do not care about our borders and political divisions
    4. require processes and institutions that are inherently planetary in scale and scope.
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    1. Women more vulnerable on cyber space: FWRM

      TITLE: Fiji Women’s Rights Movement claims that women are more vulnerable to online violence

      CONTENT: Nalini Singh, Executive Director of the Fiji Women's Rights Movement, made remarks on gender rights in cyberspace, while praising the government's intention to join the Convention on Cyber Crime.

      According to Singh, cybercrime should not be approached from a gender-neutral standpoint.

      She claims that women who have regular access to online spaces are more vulnerable to online violence. Singh also states that dissecting how cybercrime occurs can help the state respond more effectively.

      LINK: https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/women-more-vulnerable-on-cyber-space-fwrm/

      DATE: 28.09.

      EXCERPT: Nalini Singh, Executive Director of the Fiji Women's Rights Movement made remarks on gender rights in cyberspace. She claims that women who have regular access to online spaces are more vulnerable to online violence.

      TOPIC: Gender rights online

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    1. Indonesian activists deplore latest cyberattack as ‘assault on press freedom’

      TITLE: Indonesian advocates condemn latest cyberattack on press freedom

      CONTENT: Indonesian advocates have condemned a series of widespread and coordinated cyberattacks on journalists and employees of the state’s media company Narasi and urged police to act immediately. This media company is known for its criticism of the government.

      The attacks aimed to take control of its employees' Telegram, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts, states the head of newsroom, Laban Laisila.

      Advocates condemned the attack on press freedom and urged law enforcement not to take sides when dealing with cyberattacks.

      Discrepancy between the way law treated cyberattacks involving state or government institutions and those involving the press is noticeable.

      EXCERPT: Indonesian advocates have condemned a series of widespread and coordinated cyberattacks on journalists and employees of the state's media company Narasi. This media company is known for its criticism of the government. Press freedom is at stake as the country deals with cyberattacks differently depending on whether they occurred against the government than against the press.

      LINK: https://asianews.network/indonesian-activists-deplore-latest-cyberattack-as-assault-on-press-freedom/

      DATE: 28.09.

      TOPIC: Freedom of the press, Cybercrime

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    1. Meta dismantles massive Russian network spoofing Western news sites

      TITLE: Meta takes down Russian network spoofing Western news sites

      CONTENT: According to Meta, it took down a vast network of Facebook and Instagram profiles spreading misinformation that had been spoofed on more than 60 websites across Europe.

      The primarily targeted countries were Germany, France, Italy, Ukraine, and the U.K. Original articles were attacking Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees and suggesting that Western sanctions on Russia will backfire.

      Meta said it succeeded to take down around thousands of Facebook and Instagram accounts, while stating that this is ‘the largest and most complex Russian-origin operation that we've disrupted since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.’

      EXCERPT: Social media company Meta says it has disrupted 'the largest and most complex Russian-origin operation that we've disrupted since the beginning of the war in Ukraine'. The primarily targeted countries were Germany, France, Italy, Ukraine, and the U.K. Original articles were attacking Ukrainian refugees and suggesting that Western sanctions on Russia will backfire.

      LINK: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/meta-dismantles-massive-russian-network-spoofing-western-news-sites/

      DATE: 27.09.

      TOPIC: Cybersecurity, Cybercrime

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    1. Berggruen Institute Books:

      ||minam|| It is effective way of presenting all books at one place. How can we turn ourpublicaitons into something like this.

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    1. Introducing Whisper

      ||Cecile|| ||Jovan|| ||anjadjATdiplomacy.edu|| Cecile shared the following text with me. Is it ofa any interest for our AI research?

      ||sorina||

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    1. Ukraine warns allies of Russian plans to escalate cyberattacks

      TITLE: Ukrainian military intelligence warns allies of major upcoming Russian cyber-attacks

      CONTENT: The key infrastructure of Ukraine and its allies will be the target of ‘major cyber-attacks,’ according to a warning issued today by the Ukrainian military intelligence service.

      According to the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence (HUR MO), this upcoming ‘massive’ wave of strikes will likely target disrupting and destroying institutions and facilities related to the energy sector.

      The Russian cyberattacks' most likely objective would also be to disrupt the Ukrainian Army's on-going advance and heighten the destruction caused by missile strikes against the country's eastern and southern energy supply facilities.

      EXCERPT: 'Major cyber-attacks' will target key infrastructure of Ukraine and its allies, warns Ukrainian military intelligence service. Main objective would be to disrupt the Ukrainian Army's advance and heighten destruction caused by missile strikes against the country's eastern and southern energy supply facilities.

      DATE: 26.09.2022.

      TREND: Ukraine

      TOPIC: Cyberconflict and warfare

      LINK: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ukraine-warns-allies-of-russian-plans-to-escalate-cyberattacks/

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    1. RSF calls on Azerbaijan to end online harassment of Swedish journalist

      TITLE: RSF urges Azerbaijan to stop harassing Swedish journalist online

      CONTENT: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) demands that supporters of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stop smearing Swedish freelance journalist Rasmus Canbäck, particularly on Twitter.

      Canbäck has been called a ‘Islamophobe,’ a ‘terrorist,’ a ‘spy,’ and ‘funded by the Armenian lobby’ on Twitter as a result of his articles about Azerbaijan, particularly for the online magazine Blankspot. He has been writing about Nagorno-Karabakh, a region with an Armenian majority where a long-running conflict has recently resurfaced, as well as Azerbaijan's alleged use of bribes in its ‘caviar diplomacy’ and lobbying.

      According to RSF, Canbäck's account was mentioned in nearly 900 tweets between September 1 and September 21. Therefore, RSF also requests that Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde remind Azerbaijan's Ambassador Ahmadov to maintain press freedom and journalistic independence. Nevertheless, Ambassador himself participated in the online harassment.

      TOPIC: Freedom of the press

      LINK: https://rsf.org/en/rsf-calls-azerbaijan-end-online-harassment-swedish-journalist

      DATE: 23.09.2022.

      EXCERPT: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) demands that supporters of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stop smearing Swedish freelance journalist Rasmus Canbäck, highlighting the one on Twitter. His account was mentioned in nearly 900 tweets between September 1 and September 21, and he suffers from online harassment in all of them. RSF also urges Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde to remind Azerbaijan's Ambassador Ahmadov to maintain press freedom and journalistic independence.

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    1. Ukraine dismantles hacker gang that stole 30 million accounts

      TITLE: The Security Service of Ukraine dismantles hacker group which stole around 30 mil. accounts

      CONTENT: The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has dismantled a group of hackers who stole the accounts of nearly 30 million people and sold them on the dark web.

      On victim systems in the European Union and Ukraine, the hackers deployed malware to steal login information and other sensitive data. Several hard drives containing stolen personal data, as well as computers, SIM cards, mobile phones, and flash drives, were discovered and confiscated during raids on the perpetrators' homes in Lviv, Ukraine.

      Although the number of people detained is still unknown, they are all being prosecuted on criminal accusations related to the illegal sale or dissemination of information with restricted access kept in computers and networks. Sentences for these offenses carry long prison terms.

      Since the first days of the Russian invasion, spreading false information about the conflict has become common throughout Ukraine. Misinformation and deception are still flooding the internet.

      EXCERPT: The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has dismantled a group of hackers. They stole the accounts of nearly 30 million people and sold them on the dark web. Hard drives containing stolen personal data, as well as computers, SIM cards, mobile phones, and flash drives were all discovered and confiscated during raids in Lviv. The number of detained people remains unknown, but sentences for the offenses in question will be quite long.

      DATE: 23.09.2022.

      LINK: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ukraine-dismantles-hacker-gang-that-stole-30-million-accounts/

      TOPIC: Cybercrime, Cyberconflict and warfare

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    1. The experts also called attention to the radical impact of digital technologies on any humanitarian response. They highlighted the dependence on digital identity programs – particularly the collection of sensitive biometric data as a condition to access humanitarian aid – despite dangers to human rights as illustrated recently in breaches, data loss, and the exclusion of at-risk communities. They implored humanitarian actors to account for human rights impacts to ensure that digital solutions do not cause further harm to those most vulnerable.

      This is an interesting epistemological challenge: how to link this notion on humanitarian issues to digital identity and human rights.

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    1. a unique holistic view of technology and deep experience in multiple genres of research communities
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    1. researchers at the Stanford Internet Observatory determined that the web of accounts—on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and five other social-media platforms—had been promoting pro-Western narratives, posting in Russian, Arabic and Farsi. The researchers characterise it as “the most extensive case of covert Western influence operations…analysed by open-source researchers to date.”
    2. Governments in Latin America, Africa and South-East Asia have avoided condemning Russia not because they buy tales of Ukrainian neo-Nazis, but because they want Russia’s guns, oil and grain. Traditions of nonalignment and resentment towards the West exist independently of Russian propaganda.
    3. And while eyeballs may be a “necessary precondition” for effectiveness, “high engagement doesn’t necessarily translate into effectiveness,” notes Ms Grossman
    4. In a poll of six African countries commissioned by The Economist earlier this year, support for Russia’s invasion was strongest in Mali and Ivory Coast.
    5. “Russia is very effective at building on sentiments that already exist,”
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    1. The five permanent members (America, Britain, China, France and Russia) should wield their veto only in “rare, extraordinary situations”, Mr Biden said
    2. On global health, Mr Biden pledged help to ensure the world is better prepared to confront the next pandemic
    3. food security
    4. The second part of the West’s strategy is to mitigate the repercussions of the war
    5. First, Mr Biden softened his long-standing division of the world into rival camps of democracies against autocracies.
    6. “Ukraine fatigue”,
    7. “I have come to say that Africa has suffered enough of the burden of history; that it does not want to be the breeding ground of a new cold war,” said Macky Sall, the president of Senegal and current chairman of the African Union. Like others, he managed to bemoan the impact of the Ukraine war without mentioning Russia. He urged de-escalation, a ceasefire and a negotiated solution.
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    1. Eastern Europeans are keen on enlargement, but also want to keep the veto, particularly in matters of foreign policy, where they do not trust France or Germany
    2. Hungary (along with Poland) is currently not receiving any of the pandemic cash, specifically because of its rule-of-law shortcomings
    3. The Luxembourg Compromise protects against federalist overreach. The Reverse Luxembourg would protect Europe from diplomatic blackmail.
    4. But because the proposal to move away from unanimity itself requires unanimity, it is unlikely to go anywhere.
    5. threatening to kibosh Europe’s participation in a global corporate-tax deal.
    6. This includes anything relating to defence and foreign policy, enlargement, taxation and policing.
    7. But in several policy areas unanimity among member states is still needed
    8. Most eu business now is agreed by a qualified majority of countries.
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    1. This article is interesting for a few reasons:

      Firstly, it introduces 'planetary' into the policy language; after term 'globalisation' got tired and 'tainted', planetary is new term. Thus be prepared for digital planetarisation, cyber planteraism, etc.

      Secondly, authors are trying to revitalise some western concepts (humantiarian intervention) via Chinese philosophical concepts

      Thirdly, we are preparing cooperaiton with Berggruen Institute. I started annotating their text in order to see their thinking.

      ||VladaR|| ||sorina|| ||StephanieBP||||Pavlina||||Katarina_An||

    2. the notion of limited sovereignty, the conception of just war, the obligation of states to exercise self-restraint in the use of force, states’ obligation to protect human dignity and human rights, the legitimacy of humanitarian intervention, and the role and responsibility of the dominant states in the maintenance of international peace
    3. to formulate a minimalist morality
    4. it must at once acknowledge the plurality of moral ideals that are defining of the world’s cultures,
    5. it is in clarifying the next phase of the discussion.
    6. Relationality is ontologically more basic than individuality.
    7. While new technologies and artificial intelligence can contribute to the emergence of a new geopolitical order, the human predicament today is fundamentally an ethical issue.
    8. now need to “de-colonize” themselves from the forms of knowledge imposed upon them by the West
    9. it also exerted a form of epistemic violence by imposing divisive ideas, particularly its ideas concerning nations, races, and gender.
    10. mechanism of transformational harmony.
    11. Zhao argues that the key to the Tianxia system lies in how, via its methods of “relational rationality” and “Confucian improvement,”14 it constitutes a world with no outsiders.
    12. Today’s China is a sovereign state and not Tianxia
    13. A looming Pax Sinica rivaling the Pax Americana, China is projecting its soft power and brandishing its culture around the world
    14. China does not seek to forcefully impose its worldview onto others
    15. It believes that each ethnic group and nation can have its own history, but just as in the end all streams return to the sea, ultimately all groups will submit willingly to a higher-order culture and its institutions
    16. It advocates ‘transformation’ and thus works by winning over the hearts of others instead of subduing them by force.
    17. First, Tianxia means the Earth under the sky, ‘all under heaven.’ Second, it refers to the general will of all peoples in the world, entailing a universal agreement. It involves the heart more than the mind, because the heart has feelings. And third, Tianxia is a universal system that is responsible for world order.
    18. This strategic shift towards coexistence is rational because it continues to produce positive payoffs when copied by other players.
    19. The ancient Chinese concept of Tianxia translates roughly as “all under heaven existing harmoniously.”
    20. Tianxia begins from an ecological understanding of international relations that acknowledges the mutuality and interdependence of all economic and political activity.
    21. The idea of Tianxia (天下) — conventionally translated as “all under heaven” — is a familiar term in everyday Chinese parlance that simply means “the world.” But Tianxiais also a geopolitical term found throughout canonical Chinese literature that has deeper philosophical and historical significance.
    22. for rethinking global governance and rebuilding trust in humanity’s shared future.
    23. a global consciousness — an awareness of our interdependence in addressing issues on a planetary scale
    24. inadequacy of our modern state system to respond effectively to a global crisis.
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    1. ||sorina||

      If space should remain a shared resource with equitable access to the orbits and frequencies around Earth, there is a need for additional international regulation.

      The main threat for limiting 'carrying capacity' of low earth orbit (LEO) is launching of commercial mega-constellations with thousands of satellites.

      As space is over-exploited through the 'move fast and break things' approach of corporate sector, there are more and more risks, including:

      • risk of collisions of increasingly busy outer space
      • the light pollution as satellites may soon outnumber visible starts
      • the threat of mega-constellations for environment.

      ||sorina|| possible update. ||Jovan||

    2. “move fast and break things” approach
    3. to place reasonable multilateral constraints
    4. International treaties have long recognised that nations must have equitable access to the orbits and frequencies around Earth.

      What is international treaty that indicates 'equitable access to the orbits and frequencies'. Who regulates this?

    5. “carrying capacity” can help us assess how to best use the resource to benefit all.
    6. LEO is a shared natural resource
    7. the environmental footprint of each LEO constellation.
    8. total mass of the LEO mega-constellations has been increasing at an alarming rate.
    9. the light pollution caused by countless satellites may soon outnumber visible stars, interfering with optical and radio astronomy.
    10. crisis of debris in space
    11. a cascade of collisions,
    12. the over-exploitation of limited space resources

      riks of over-exploitation

    13. Mega-constellations incorporating thousands, and soon tens of thousands, of satellites are crowding into low-Earth orbit, or LEO, and claiming the right to occupy it
    14. Space is a shared resource which must remain available to all nations.

      Key principle.

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    1. We need to be sure that the capacity to innovate — to be fully engaged in making the future — isn’t constrained by class, ethnicity or gender. That really would be disruptive.
    2. We need innovation that is accessible and organic — that is owned by the communities to which it matters and that’s adapted to local cultures, rather than being the whim of iconoclasts
    3. rather than recognize the dogged and meticulous hard work that makes for real innovation.
    4. The marketization of expertise over the past few decades has also created a climate in which expertise is taken to be something that can be treated like just another commodity.
    5. have had enough of experts,
    6. experts — at least the visible ones — are easily dismissed as being in hock to special interests, too, even by other elites.
    7. an image of expertise that we’ve inherited from the Victorians
    8. Innovation really is the work of multitudes, not singularities.

      Good point

    9. Tesla failed

      Tesla may failed individually (fortune), but he prevailed utimately. He lost 'battle' with Edison but wan the war of innovation on all fronts from electricity to wireless communcatin.

    10. that successful innovation requires collective effort.
    11. Russell’s Earthlings were Kuhnians to the aliens’ disruptive Popperians, we might say, and their example offers an antidote to our persistent habit of succumbing to Tesla Syndrome.
    12. “Legwork” might be fiction, but I think there’s something very human about the way the humans’ triumph over the disruptive aliens is portrayed as the ultimate application of teamwork.
    13. “Legwork” by the British writer Eric Frank Russell, a brilliant piece of post-war science fiction published in Astounding Science Fiction in 1956, serves as an exploration of the collective against the disruptive in fictional form.
    14. cryptocurrencies
    15. Popper’s problem, though — and the problem of tech disruptors, too — is that the experience of political disruptors shows us disruption generates chaos, not innovation.
    16. Normal science was boring, and not really science at all, he argued.
    17. Karl Popper,
    18. Thomas Kuhn’s “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions,” with its emphasis on the routines of consensual normal science, was very much a product of this post-war view of technoscientific innovation as a collective activity. Kuhn’s argument was that successful science depended on rule-following. Innovation was generated by going by the book. This was a philosophy of science that mirrored post-war consensus about progress and its requirements.
    19. Much of this was driven by the spectre of the Cold War. During the 1980s and 1990s, Reaganism, Thatcherism and the end of the Cold War broke those connections.
    20. The decades immediately following the Second World War were the decades of big government. They were also the decades of big science and big corporations.
    21. Political institutions are seen as being there to serve their own interests rather than those of citizens. It’s that perception that makes the strident calls to “drain the swamp” that have become prevalent in USA politics since the 1980s appear so seductive.
    22. The roots of disruption’s attraction in politicians lie in the long, slow decline of trust in post-war political institutions.

      It is interesting hypothesis that needs to be revisited.

    23. that disruption has gained a foothold outside of tech culture.
    24. Why has it — and the notion of disruption it captures — acquired so much resonance now?

      No reference to Schumpeter?

    25. untrammelled by compromise

      Use of compromise in negative context.

    26. There he is held up as the epitome of the otherworldly maker of the future, an iconoclastic breaker of rules interested only in innovation for its own sake and doomed to failure because of his single-minded focus on invention.
    27. in this ability to break with established routine.

      Correct.

    28. The 19th-century inventors of the idea of progress imagined that the future would be produced through accumulation. Innovation would build on innovation. Built into the idea of disruption is the sense that successful innovation means abandoning the old entirely for the new.

      I am not sure it is the case. Accumulation happends in different context as in the case of Tesla who brought into his innovation unique family combination of mother (innovaitve genious) and father (Ortodox priest with interest in Asian sprituality). Tesla always higlighted spiritual origins of his innovations.

    29. the erosion of trust in institutions.

      Which institutions? Military are doing well in 'trust analysis' in many countries worldwide. It is not good sign. I would prefer higher standing of diplomacy. But, it is reality.

    30. Why has the idea that the best innovators are disruptive gained such traction over the past decade or so, to the extent that it is now, paradoxically, orthodox to be heterodox?

      It is part of framing of narrative which questioned today. "Ortodoxy' was created by intellectual, media, and policy framing. 'Traction' are gradually developed. It is not necessarily matter of coordinated or counciousness actions. But, it is action of people and institutions that shape the dominant narrative in society.

    31. why do we see disruption as a virtue?

      Who are 'we'? Maybe author? Maybe myself? But, what about Trump or Brexit voters? What about stratas of society that is 'thrown under the bus' of disruption?

      This statement poses clear bias in framing narrative.

    32. It’s all about the individual, and particular sorts of individuals at that.

      Is it only about individuals? Bezos decided to open Amazon while he heard news on radio in his car on the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court on taxation. It gave him a chance to sell books from Washington State to other states without paying taxes.

    33. whom society rewards precisely because they refuse to follow convention.

      It is 'meritocracy' argument. Did 'society' or 'market' rewarded them? Why we equalise society with market?

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    1. European Convention.

      more?

    2. legally binding mechanism that ensures solidarity.

      important emphasis

    3. new initiative on mental health

      interesting and useful

    4. If we want to be credible when we ask candidate countries to strengthen their democracies, we must also eradicate corruption at home

      internal EU challenges

    5. Many of us have taken democracy for granted for too long
    6. These lies are toxic for our democracies

      This really reminds me so much of the rethorics of China, Russia and Balkan autocrats. Am I missing something? ||JovanK||

    7. a university in Amsterdam shut down an allegedly independent research centre, which was actually funded by Chinese entities.

      No independent research centres in China, Russia, ... funded by EU?

    8. Their disinformation is spreading from the internet to the halls of our universities.

      Disinformation is fastly climbing the ladder of importance

    9. Foreign entities are funding institutes that undermine our values

      Like? BTW one could equally put this in mouth of Putin, Xi, or Erdogan

    10. In this spirit, President Biden and I will convene a leaders' meeting to review and announce implementation projects.

      First reference to the US

    11. great challenges of this century, such as climate change and digitalisation.

      the two leading challenges of the century: climate and digital (yet not much said on digital at all here)

    12. European Political Community

      EU+?

    13. So I want the people of the Western Balkans, of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia to know

      Georgia in

    14. This starts with those countries that are already on the path to our Union. We must be at their side every step of the way.

      focus on pre-accession regions

    15. core group of our like-minded partners: our friends in every single democratic nation on this globe

      following the US policy of blocks

    16. Let's make sure that the future of industry is made in Europe.

      ambitious

    17. European Sovereignty Fund.
    18. Last year I announced the European Chips Act. And the first chips gigafactory will break ground in the coming months.

      interesting pattern

    19. European Critical Raw Materials Act

      new

    20. one country dominates the market

      Russia or China?

    21. Today, China controls the global processing industry. Almost 90 % of rare earths and 60 % of lithium are processed in China.
    22. nd for this reason, I intend to put forward for ratification the agreements with Chile, Mexico and New Zealand. And advance negotiations with key partners like Australia and India.

      Will they respect environmental aspects?

    23. Trade that embraces workers' rights and the highest environmental standards is possible with like-minded partners

      Seeing how things work in Serbia with western companies, I am not really convinced

    24. Lithium

      for bateries

    25. rare earths

      for microchips

    26. raw materials

      focus on raw materials (dominantly held out of EU, many of which in Russia)

    27. As a first important step, we need to speed up and facilitate the recognition of qualifications also of third country nationals.

      important

    28. It is financing new wind turbines and solar parks, high-speed trains and energy-saving renovations.
    29. The summer of 2022 will be remembered as a turning point.

      this is certainly true

    30. Norway.

      Norway was not so keen in the recent past. Now, they might need to play along, but probably asking for some benefits in future

    31. But in these times it is wrong to receive extraordinary record profits benefitting from war and on the back of consumers.

      important change

    32. proposing a cap on the revenues of companies that produce electricity at a low cost.
    33. Last year, Russian gas accounted for 40% of our gas imports. Today it's down to 9% pipeline gas.
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