IEP Future Trends 4/11/2023

April 11, 2023

IEP Future Trends 4/11/2023


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Concentrated solar power is an old technology making a comeback.

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April 11, 2023

◯ Conflict ◯ Development ◯ Social ◯ Economics ◯ Politics

IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION

Here's what you need to know: Russia threatens countermeasures as Finland joins NATO, Pakistan parliament rejects top court order to conduct provincial snap polls, violence erupts at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, Tunisian President rejects IMF’s terms for $1.9BN relief package, snail fish filmed off Japan may be the fish deepest ever recorded.

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Russia threatens countermeasures as Finland officially joins NATO.

SPECIAL EDITION: UKRAINE

As Finland officially joins NATO, Russia warns of possible countermeasures. The move effectively doubles the length of the border that NATO shares with Russia by 1,340 kilometers, and strengthens its eastern flank. This comes at a time when the war in Ukraine continues with no sign of a resolution.

The next year could be the Russia-Ukraine war's most decisive stage. Ukraine has one summer, after that, they cannot necessarily rely on the continued level of support from other countries that they're currently getting.

Putin lays off top commander. Following significant losses in the Donbas, Putin has decided to sack Colonel-General Rustam Muradov, commander of the Eastern Group of Forces. It is the most high-profile dismissal by Russia so far.

POLITICS

Pakistan parliament rejects top court order to conduct provincial snap polls. Pakistan's parliament rejected a Supreme Court order to conduct provincial snap polls, in the latest move in a power struggle between the government and the top court amid political and economic instability.

German ambassador to Chad ordered to evacuate the country. The expulsion came after the Ambassador criticised the ruling junta’s delay in holding democratic elections. Military leaders in the Central African country originally promised an 18-month transition to hold elections.

Ugandan minister jailed over theft. Ugandan cabinet minister Mary Goretti was jailed over the theft of metal sheets that were meant for vulnerable communities in north-eastern Karamoja region. About 10 other ministers are also believed to have been involved in the scheme.

Macron criticised for saying Europe should take independent stance on Taiwan. The French President has caused a stir by saying Europe has no interest in accelerating the conflict in Taiwan and should become a "third pole", independent of both Washington and Beijing.

India launches villages programme in Arunachal, ignores angry China. India's home minister visited a Himalayan frontier state that China claims as part of its territory to launch a $585 million development scheme he said would add to the security of the disputed border.

Worst US intelligence leak since Wikileaks. Highly classified military and intelligence documents appeared online, with details covering Ukraine's air defences to Israel's Mossad spy agency. US officials are scrambling to identify the leak's source.

CONFLICT

Violence erupts again at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque. Israeli police have clashed with Palestinians at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque a second time, hours after the arrest and removal of more than 350 people in a police raid at the compound. This is despite US and UN appeals to ease tensions.

Armed rebel groups kill dozens in Nigeria’s Benue State. A number of bodies have been recovered after gunmen launched two separate attacks in the Benue state. Reasons for the attack are still unknown. The area has been experiencing increased violence between pastoralists and farmers.

Jihadists responsible for the deaths of dozens in Burkina Faso. Islamic militants are responsible for the death of 44 people in Burkina Faso after attacking 2 villages in Seno province. The West African nation has been overrun by jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group that’s killed thousands and displaced 2 million people over six years.

Thousands flee into Thailand after fighting between Myanmar military, rebels. Fierce fighting between the Myanmar military and armed ethnic rebels has forced about 5,000 people to flee across the country's border into Thailand this week. Fighting broke out in Karin State after rebels attacked a military border post.

Thousands of Israelis march to illegal West Bank outpost as tensions mount. Thousands of Israelis, including ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government, marched to an evacuated Jewish outpost in the West Bank in support of settlements viewed as illegal under international law.

ECONOMICS

Tunisian President rejects IMF’s terms for $1.9 bn relief package. The president stated that he will not accept the conditions laid out by the IMF saying that cutting subsidies will only lead to civil unrest. The country remains in deep financial trouble with soaring debts.

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit files for bankruptcy. The company is seeking a sale of its assets after announcing the lay-off of roughly 85% of its 750 employees. The shift in demand toward larger launch rockets which deliver cost effective shared rides into space have raised competition in the industry.

OPEC+ announced a surprise cut to oil output that renewed inflation concerns. Saudi Arabia, the oil cartel’s de facto leader stated that it will implement a 500,000 bpd cut from May until the end of 2023.

China plans $500 million subsea internet cable to rival U.S.-backed project. The undersea fiber-optic internet cable network that would link Asia, the Middle East and Europe to rival a similar US backed project. The plan is a sign that an intensifying tech war between Beijing and Washington risks undermining the fabric of the internet.

China, Malaysia to discuss Asian Monetary Fund to reduce dependence on US dollar. Malaysia is reviving a decades-old proposal to create an Asian Monetary Fund to reduce dependence on the US dollar, with China being open to talks about the matter.

DEVELOPMENT

Concentrated solar power is an old technology making a comeback. Concentrated solar power (CSP) uses mirrors to focus heat from the Sun to drive a steam turbine and generate electricity. The reason for its comeback is that it provides overnight energy storage.

Repeating radio signal leads astronomers to an Earth-size exoplanet. Astronomers have detected a repeating radio signal from an exoplanet located 12 light-years away from Earth. The signal suggests that the Earth-size planet may have a magnetic field and perhaps even an atmosphere.

China holds the key to understanding COVID-19 origins: WHO chief. The World Health Organization chief pressed China to share its information about the origins of COVID-19, saying that until that happened all hypotheses remained on the table, more than three years after the virus first emerged.

Gene-edited food legalised in the UK for commercial production. British MPs passed a new law legalising the commercial development of gene-edited food in England. While supporters claim it will boost climate change resilience, detractors say that it may have disastrous consequences for food production and the environment.

One-sixth of the global population is affected by infertility, says WHO. A WHO report indicates that about 17.5% of adults worldwide, and with no significant regional differences, are affected by infertility. This has prompted discussions over the lack of accessibility to fertility treatments.

SOCIAL

A snail fish, filmed off Japan, may be the deepest ever recorded. Scientists have film of a snail fish swimming in a trench south of Japan, spotted more than 27,000 feet down. They say that's very close to the maximum depth a fish could survive at.

A miniature heart in a petri dish: Organoid emulates development of the human heart. A team has induced stem cells to emulate the development of the human heart. The result is a mini-heart known as an organoid. It will permit the study of the earliest development phase of the heart and facilitate research on diseases.

Nigerian school accepts plastic bottles as school fees. This makes Lagos's Morit International School more accessible while also cleaning up the local community. One plastic bottle equals one naira, so parents bring plastic bottles to be weighed and sold, paying their children’s school fees in this creative and unorthodox way.

Five ozone-depleting CFCs have been increasing in the atmosphere. These increases came as a surprise to researchers. CFC emissions overall have declined since the 1980s to about 5% of their peak, and the Antarctic ozone hole is still on track for recovery by around 2060.

NASA’s Perseverance Rover May Already Have Evidence of Ancient Martian Life. In January NASA’s Perseverance rover deposited 10 tubes on the surface of Mars. Each contains a sample of Martian rock that was selected for its potential to clarify chapters of the planet’s history. Some of these minerals indicate there was organic material but to fully analyse, they need to be brought back to earth.