Rare earth metals, or simply “rare earths,” are the essential, irreplaceable materials powering most of modern technology and, since 1985, China has systematically gained near complete control over the global supply chain.

Iran demonstrated they are not working. Iran’s economy might suffer, but not its scientific progress.

Amid all this, we remain perplexed and vexed by the anomalous health incidents, or Havana syndrome, that have stricken some 200 U.S. officials and family members in multiple countries. The cause and source still unknown, one strong theory is targeted microwaves.

By establishing agreed-upon norms of behavior in space and generating binding restrictions on ASAT testing, the international community can ensure that space is stable, secure and accessible to all for generations to come.

a verification regime needs to be developed that will enable all countries to monitor whether or not the conditions of any agreement are being followed

what incentives are driving the testing of ASAT weapons and how those can be shifted.

no agreed-upon space arms control lexicon; one is needed to overcome the existing cultural, language, and geopolitical differences amongst the major space powers.

In October 2021, the U.N. First Committee voted to hold a new Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on space threats (and formalized it in the UNGA with a vote in December 2021). The OEWG would be open to all countries and would meet in 2022 and 2023 to develop concrete proposals for addressing space threats.

The other main multilateral body where one might expect to see negotiations on space arms control, the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, has been bogged down in disagreement over what the real threat to space is. Russia, China and their allies argue that the focus should be on banning the placement of space-to-Earth weapons in orbit. The United States and its allies instead argue that threatening behavior in space—such as uncoordinated close approaches to another country’s satellite, or the deliberate creation of large amounts of debris—is what is destabilizing. Furthermore, the two sides are split over whether the steps taken should be a legally binding treaty or voluntary guidelines and political norms of behavior.

The international community has been trying for decades to limit the development or use of space weapons, such as ASATs, through discussions of what has been called the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

And it happened at an altitude of approximately 480 kilometers; both the International Space Station and China’s Tiangong space station orbit at an altitude of around 400 kilometers.

And some of this orbital debris is long-lived, meaning that it could pose a future risk to anything that might launch into the same altitude for years to come.

A new solution to Africa’s remittances problem

With Nigeria’s crypto ban dominating headlines throughout 2021,

As we’ve witnessed from China, blanket bans do little in terms of limiting trading activity and protecting consumers but engaging experts who understand the nuances of new and complex technology like cryptocurrencies can provide a huge amount of value on how to protect consumers from its risks.

Gibson wrote in 2012 that “video games represent one of the most difficult challenges for digital preservationists,” noting they are made for a “diverse array of hardware and software platforms, rife with rights issues.” He also wrote that they are “expressive creative works objects which one hopes to attend to the highest levels of artifactual qualities.”

Game history is part of general culture as well as intellectual and media history. It’s not possible to include a full history of any of those topics without including games from the 1970s forward.

“Game history is part of general culture as well as intellectual and media history,” said Henry Lowood, curator for film and media collections as well as science and technology collections in the Stanford University Libraries. Lowood is one of the academics pushing for increased access to games for the purposes of study. “It’s not possible to include a full history of any of those topics without including games from the 1970s forward.”

the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a trade organization that lobbies on behalf of game publishers.

have touted gaming’s cultural impact as the equal of literature, film and music.

have touted gaming’s cultural impact as the equal of literature, film and music.

air purifier that goes around your neck.

Just take the Ameca robot from Engineered Arts, a true-to-scale, metal-and-plastic robot person who blinks, shrugs and grimaces just like you and me — if you and me were stilted human facsimiles.

People still don’t have legal protections for the personal data they generate in normal old smartphone apps, yet consumer tech is marching forward into virtual reality.

Some door locks, for example, worked only with Apple phones and not Androids; some thermostats were controlled by talking to Google Assistant and not to Siri.

The metaverse could still turn out to be a fad, depending on what products emerge and who buys them.

But throughout Year 2 of the pandemic, a critical mass of factors came together to make the metaverse more realistic,

“The next phase takes that visual representation and dimensionalizes it. You go into an environment and express yourself through an avatar.”

Many of the same “trends” appear again and again because, to put it simply, technology takes a long time to mature before most of us actually want to buy it.

Latin American countries are also fortifying their “Active Non-Alignment” stance, using stronger relations with China as leverage to achieve relative state autonomy from the U.S. and to extract benefits from both the U.S. and China.

on an Oculus headset from Facebook parent company Meta or clicking into a desktop application.

Smaller data sets make it easier for algorithms to cheat that way and create blind spots that cause poor results in the clinic.

they use powerful algorithms on data sets that are too small.

Accessing health data is harder because of privacy concerns and creaky IT systems.

can be highly accurate at specific tasks, such as finding skin cancers or predicting patient outcomes.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t find those shining stars; we found a lot of problems.”

when the UK’s Alan Turing Institute looked for evidence of how artificial intelligence had helped with the crisis, it didn’t find much to celebrate.

Acknowledgements

But however professional, a chargé d’affaires running an embassy often lacks the clout that comes with being the president’s chosen ambassador, endorsed by the Senate

But for the structured thought it demands, and the ease with which it can be shared and edited, the written word is made for remote work.

But for the structured thought it demands, and the ease with which it can be shared and edited, the written word is made for remote work.

But good prose and useful prose share the same essential qualities: brevity, structure, a clear theme.

“Brainwriting” is a brainstorming technique, used by Slack among others, in which participants are given time to put down their ideas before discussion begins.

Gitlab’s answer is “textual communication”.

teams with high-quality documentation deliver software faster and more reliably

so is turning up to a meeting and not having the foggiest what was decided last time out.

When veterans depart an organisation, they should leave knowledge behind.

When new employees start work on something, they want the back story.

“In my experience, discussion expands the space of possibilities while writing reduces it to its most essential components.”

“The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen,” reckoned Lee Iacocca

slow, time-intensive writing

an old form of communication—writing—is also flourishing.

The FSB arrests of alleged REvil gang members sent a message of the benefits of cooperation with Russia, while at the same time underscoring the potential costs to the United States if relations worsen.

Although that attack was claimed by a different Russian-speaking hacker group, DarkSide, it is not uncommon for hackers to work for more than one group, and it is quite possible that the hacker shown worked for both REvil and DarkSide, analysts said.

but Friday’s arrests are Russia’s first major operation to halt Russia-based ransomware attacks around the globe.

marked a rare positive moment in U.S.-Russia relations after a flurry of diplomatic efforts in Europe this past week failed to deter Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine and persuade Moscow to de-escalate.

Russia’s domestic security agency on Friday arrested 14 alleged members of the REvil ransomware gang and announced that it had eliminated the group at the request of Washington.

one of humanity’s longest-running cultural traditions, involving the expression of identity and relationships.

the existence of a long-distance social network that stretched over thousands of miles, connecting people in far-flung regions.

Careful analysis suggests that people who made the beads – which are still manufactured and worn by hunter-gatherers in Africa today – were exchanging them over vast distances, helping to share symbolic messages and to strengthen alliances.

Two of Tokayev’s decisive moves have been the replacement of Nazarbayev as the head of the National Security Council and the dismissal of the country’s powerful intelligence chief Karim Masimov (who has since been arrested along with other unidentified suspects as part of a probe into “high treason.”)

Why is Kazakhstan a sought-after partner? Simply put, the country provides unique access to ethnic Russian and Chinese groups as “specimens” for conducting field research involving highly pathogenic potential biological-warfare agents. Kazakhstan has 13,364 kilometers of borders with its neighboring countries Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

The EU should respond to the challenge by focusing on four pillars of European Green Deal diplomacy: trade, bilateral financial agreements, multilateralism through the United Nations, and domestic implementation of its Fit for 55 climate package.

Wealthy Western powers such as the US, the United Kingdom, and the EU still fail to see that climate justice and efficiency in dealing with the global climate crisis are two sides of the same coin.

The European Commission has proposed a version of the CBAM that is designed to be compatible with the rules and principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO). But legality is not the real test of such a measure. The EU and its member states need to prepare to face trade retaliation for the CBAM.

Most countries – rich and poor, large and small – view the CBAM as green trade protectionism.

However, lawyer Kian Bone claimed that Djokovic could only benefit from diplomatic immunity if he entered Australia on official state business. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade also state on their website that holding such a passport will not lead to special rights of privileges.

According to Li, the moon simulator could also be used to test whether new technology such as 3D printing could be used to build structures on the lunar surface. It could help assess whether a permanent human settlement could be built there, including issues like how well the surface traps heat, he said.

According to Li, the moon simulator could also be used to test whether new technology such as 3D printing could be used to build structures on the lunar surface. It could help assess whether a permanent human settlement could be built there, including issues like how well the surface traps heat, he said.

The timing of the project can be linked to China’s recent successes in the standards domain with Huawei dominating the 5G standards and with China exporting standards through Belt and Road projects in regions like Central Asia and Africa.

to open standardization to the outside world.

China has successfully captured the renewable energy market being the global leader in solar power and EV batteries.

views technical standards through the lens of green and sustainable development.

by acquiring the first-mover advantage in key sectors.

The Chinese government believes that the strategic and geopolitical game is no longer limited to market domination and is inherently influenced by system design and rulemaking.

better economic gains in the form of licenses and royalties

the optimization of the industrial supply chains (production, distribution, circulation, and consumption),

to dictate the terms of technological innovation in certain critical technologies

banking on technical standards to achieve technical competence and excellence in critical technologies

China views standardization as a way to strengthen its research and development in critical and emerging technology areas like artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and biotechnology.

the National Standardization Development (NSD) outline document

The frenetic social media action follows an end-of-year announcement by Kosovo’s government of an immediate, albeit temporary, ban on all crypto mining activity as part of emergency measures to ease a crippling energy crisis.

That was because of the nations’ “soaring” negative perceptions towards each other, economic issues being politicised and affected by national security scrutiny, and both sides seeking support from allies “in a sustained geostrategic competition”, he said.

a hot peace rather than a new Cold War.

“Despite escalating political difficulties, Chinese and American businesses remain deeply integrated in terms of financial, intellectual and production networks,” Wang wrote. “The vast majority of Chinese and American companies are not embracing the idea of decoupling.”

Wang noted that Beijing was grappling with an economic slowdown and trying to contain the spread of Covid-19, while the pandemic and financial stability were also key issues for Washington.

He said US President Joe Biden would be under fire at home if his administration moved away from confrontation with China before the 2022 midterm elections. And he also expected Beijing to show stronger resolve to resist US challenges to its legitimacy and authority in the run-up to the Communist Party national congress in autumn.

STANDARDS FOR IOT SENSORS

The devices have become key enablers for a host of new technologies essential to business and to everyday life, from turning on a light switch to managing one’s health.

tates, the progress enjoyed by the LGBTQI+ community rests on the shoulders of thousands of brave pioneers with the courage to live their lives openly a

on Julian on Wednesda

The device is powered by a Qualcomm

er. The printi

y printer. The printing cost is inversely proportional to the cost effectiveness, which means the lower the c

bor-saving digital technologies could spur the reallocation oflabor toward higher-growth sectors, provided it is accompanied by proper labor and social protection policies, helping to raise potential output and sustain the global recovery (Dieppe 2020).

Google did announce a partnership with Paratus to land the cable in Namibia but not much else made the news.

Nagasaki demonstrates all the signs of active city diplomacy — global advocacy and a myriad of activities that help to maintain the city’s global identity. Cities should use their local history, experiences and resources to build networks and coalitions for action. As the world continues to deal with difficult problems like nuclear proliferation and climate change, we will continue to see cities network and collaborate to engage these issues.

Nagasaki also plays a special role in the history of sister-city relations, which are now a common aspect of city diplomacy.

Nagasaki is active in city diplomacy on both the domestic and international fronts through its promotion of peace tourism, research on nuclear abolition, its sister-city relationships and activities that emphasise its history as an open city to the world.

Cities have shown that they are capable of acting on the global stage by leveraging their resources as hubs of globalisation, forming networks and coalitions with other cities and focussing on issues in which they have unique experiences or expertise.

Whether Chinese companies are able to meet these new demands could inform analogous debates in Europe over the right to explanation.

The CAC is traditionally an internet-focused regulator, and future regulations for autonomous vehicles or medical AI may create an opening for a ministry like the MIIT to seize the regulatory reins.

many practical aspects of trustworthy AI will first surface in the MOST-inspired ethics committees of individual companies.

the CAC’s approach appears to have the clear upper hand: It is the most mature, the most in tune with the regulatory zeitgeist, and it comes from the organization with the most bureaucratic heft

But in the Chinese context, that tactic feels quite out of step with the country’s increasingly hands-on approach to technology governance, a disconnect that could undermine the impact of MOST’s efforts.

released its own set of ethical norms for AI, with a special focus on weaving ethics into the entire life cycle of development.

In November 2021, it issued its first batch of trustworthy AI certifications for facial recognition systems.

trustworthy AI refers to many of the more technical aspects of AI governance, such as testing systems for robustness, bias, and explainability.

a focus on creating the tools for measuring and testing AI systems.

to “give an explanation” and “remedy” situations in which algorithms have infringed on user rights and interests.

a draft set of thirty rules for regulating internet recommendation algorithms

three different approaches to AI governance

“These technologies are partially already used and it will be the intention to use them more,” said Ambühl. “Everything around data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning … we want to see how can it be made beneficial for multilateral or bilateral diplomacy.”

“The narratives of debt-trap and the influence-building on the back of state-to-state infrastructure projects delivered by China are increasingly influencing, possibly dominating, international perceptions of China’s overseas infrastructure projects, railways included,” he said.

“Much more is exported from China than is imported into China via this railway corridor,” Pavlicevic said. “While the containers on outbound trains are full, many on the inbound ones are empty, and this has a negative impact on the overall economics of this logistic corridor, and the prospects for the logistic sector.”

“Railways are very convenient in the context of China’s current zero-Covid policy because they do not involve people. The whole train only has an operating crew,”

In the first 11 months of this year, 13,817 freight trains ran from China to Europe, delivering more than 1.33 million containers, a 30 per cent increase on the same period last year.

it has seen explosive growth over the past months as manufacturers at both ends of the line seek alternative trade routes because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has disrupted sea and air shipping and pushed up prices.

intensifying tensions in the South China Sea had forced Beijing to turn to land routes.

once the China-Laos railway linked up with the Thai rail network

The 1,035km (643-mile) China-Laos railway

“One could say that railway projects in that sense are also meant to contribute to China’s soft power.”

“The goals are quite simple – the export of Chinese standards, facilitating the going global of Chinese capital and industries, and helping solve domestic issues related to overcapacity,” said Karl Yan, an associate professor with Zhejiang University.

“railway diplomacy”.

In 2021, President Xi had 79 telephone calls with leaders of foreign countries and international organizations, attended 40 major diplomatic events via video links, delivered speeches and sent correspondences and messages totaling at least 100 via video links, according to a China Media Group documentary titled "Exceptionally significant 2021" broadcast on Sunday.

The wild metamorphosis continues, and while its mechanisms may be technological, the soul behind them is deeply and unavoidably human

We won’t tell you what to think about the future, but how to think about it.

We’ll be critical but not cynical; skeptical but not defeatist

“change everything.”

get carried away by hype

You cannot explain the impacts of technology on the world without deeply understanding the motives, incentives, and limitations of the people who build and use it.

taking an evenhanded, clear-eyed look at what it would take to tackle the severe challenges the world faces.

a false dichotomy

This tug-of-war between optimism and pessimism is the reason why I said this feels like an inflection point in the history of tech.

tech itself—“this tech is bad” vs. “this tech is good”—instead of looking at the underlying economic, social, and personal forces that actually determine what that tech will do.

Every issue is divisive and tribal

The metaverse

Personalized medicine

Blockchain

to always collapse into either/or.

As F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said, an intelligent person should be able to hold opposed ideas in their mind simultaneously and still function.

we were wrong to think tech itself was the solution

with rejecting the binary

What does it mean to be WIRED, a publication born to celebrate technology, in an age when tech is often demonized?

when various binaries that have long been taken for granted are being called into question.

to think about the issue intelligently and with nuance instead of always falling into the binary trap.

When WIRED was founded in 1993, it was the bible of techno-utopianism.

“I am very grateful to the leadership of Kazakhstan for their attentive attitude to the maintenance and development of the Russian language… Many people in Kazakhstan are studying Russian. This is a Russian-speaking country in the full sense of the word.”

As a minimum, knowing the Russian language is a must. You need to understand what Russia is.”

Russia is a top destination for labor migration from Tajikistan and for the first nine months of 2021, more than 1.59 million Tajik citizens entered the country for the purpose of work. Tajikistan’s economy is highly dependent on remittances from those migrants.

the creation in 2017 of the European Battery Alliance of batteries is already producing significant results. By 2025, the EU will be able to produce enough battery cells to meet the needs of the European automotive industry – and even to build our export capacity. This is also strategic autonomy!

EU resilience in the rare earth magnet and motor value chain.

The list of sensitive materials has more than doubled over the past decade, including rare earth elements joined by lithium, titanium and bauxite.

the European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA)

a useful toolbox for 5G

the Strategic Compass that is currently under development will be very important because it aims precisely at harmonizing the perception of threats and risks.

not all European states see the problems through the same lenses, because they share neither the same history nor the same geography.

Science, technology, trade, data, investments are becoming sources and instruments of force in international politics.

the transformation of economic interdependence in which we, as Europeans, have invested a great deal, particularly through the defence of multilateralism.

Strategic autonomy is, in this perspective, a process of political survival.

Thirty years ago, we represented a quarter of the world's wealth. It is foreseen that in 20 years, we will not represent more than 11% of world GNP, far behind China, which will represent double it, below 14% for the United States and at par with India.

to be a “political union” able to act as a “global player” and as a “geopolitical Commission” without being “autonomous”.

“capacity to act autonomously when and where necessary and with partners wherever possible”.

widened to new subjects of an economic and technological nature, as revealed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was born in the field of defence industry and, for a long time, it was reduced to issues of defence and security.

"If they are able to convince large swaths of the public that the 2022 elections are illegitimate, then they are more likely to get the sorts of legislative changes that they want."

Even though these larger social media platforms are trying to stomp out misinformation, people spreading false information and conspiracy theories have found other platforms. Telegram, an encrypted messaging app, has become a haven for QAnon influencers who talk to their hundreds of thousands of followers. Rumble and Odysse are two video platforms filled with misinformation and conspiracy theories that would be quickly removed from YouTube.

they mistrust the government and public officials after social systems in the US have failed them -- whether through economic hardships or a lack of proper mental illness coverage. This leaves believers feeling alienated and dissatisfied with how their lives ended up.

"I think we're going to see an acceleration and expansion of the conspiracy theories,"

“There’s an old adage that ‘all models are wrong, some are useful,’” says Milrad. “Even if it’s a great forecast it’s going to be slightly wrong. It's how you can add value to that model.”

Over the two decades of information Novak’s team studied, humans were 20 to 40 percent more accurate at forecasting near-future precipitation than the Global Forecast System (GFS) and the North American Mesoscale Forecast System (NAM), the most commonly used national models.