Argus Geopolitical Intel

CLIMATE CRISIS & RENEWABLES: IRENA - Urgent Action Needed for the Energy Transition in Heating and Cooling  Posted By: PR Channel Team - Malaga (Remote) www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Heating and cooling based on renewable energy has emerged as an urgent priority for countries striving to meet climate goals and build resilient, sustainable economies. The transition to cleaner, more sustainable heating and cooling solutions can attract investment, create millions of new jobs and help to drive a durable economic recovery in the wake of the global COVID-19 crisis, says a new study by leading energy organisations.  The joint report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Renewable Energy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), highlights the benefits, identifies investment barriers, as well as the policies to drive faster uptake of renewable heating and cooling worldwide. Renewable Energy Policies in a Time of Transition: ...

CLIMATE CRISIS: ECFR - Between Coordination and Competition: The EU, China, and the new Reality of Climate Action  By NewsTeam - City of London (Remote) www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com In the name of E3G and the European Council on Foreign Relations, together with MEP Reinhard Bütikofer, we are delighted to invite you to our roundtable on rethinking the EU-China relation on climate cooperation.  European Council on Foreign Relations  Thursday 3 December 2020, 11:00 – 12:30, CET | ZOOM Registration required. Register here In this virtual roundtable discussion ECFR and E3G will present the key findings of their latest policy brief that maps the geopolitical dimension of the climate conversation and its impact on EU-China relations.  The broad notion of ‘partnership’ no longer sufficiently reflects the reality of the EU’s interaction with China in tackling the most important global challenge. Instead Europe and China are increasingly competing across the entirety of the rel...

CYBERSECURITY: Cyber Risk Aware partners with Blue Cube Security to fight cyber crime By PR Channel Team - Malaga (Remote) www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed at 06:22 on 27/11/20 Cyber Risk Aware and Blue Cube Security’s new partnership brings a high-value, low-cost approach to the ever-rampant cyber threat to businesses. Cyber Risk Aware and Blue Cube Security have joined forces on a mission to tackle the increasing cyber threat to businesses and organisations in the UK. Over the last year, 98% of security professionals in the UK have reported an increase in cyber-attacks, with 96% revealing more sophisticated methods being used in these attacks. It is therefore imperative that businesses of all sizes look to invest in cyber security to protect their networks and avoid a potentially devastating attack. Investing in advanced technical defences against cyber threats often comes with a high price tag and without the desired result; something many businesses do not have suffici...

UKRAINE: The Orange Revolution - How it shaped twenty-first century geopolitics By Peter Dickinson - Editor, UkraineAlert for Atlantic Council https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/peter-dickinson/ www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Ukrainians marked the Day of Dignity and Freedom on November 21, continuing a seven-year tradition that seeks to place the country’s 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2014 Euromaidan Revolution in a broader historical context. This might also be something for the international community to consider. While Ukraine’s two people power uprisings are recognized as important milestones in the country’s post-Soviet journey, their impact on the wider region has yet to be fully appreciated. This lack of clarity is perhaps understandable. Indeed, few events in modern European history have been subject to quite so much deliberate distortion. Ever since the Euromaidan protest movement first emerged in Kyiv in late November 2013, it has been a favoured target of Russian informat...

COVID VACCINE: ‘Real hope’ surrounding COVID vaccines ‘cannot be overstated’ – WHO chief By NewsTeam - City of London (Remote) www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com   #Geopolitics #Coronavirus #CovidVaccine #CovidLatest Along with other tried and tested public health measures, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) told journalists on Monday that “there is now real hope” that vaccines will play an essential part in helping end the COVID pandemic.   Setting new standards Noting that no vaccine in history has been developed as rapidly, the WHO chief remarked that the scientific community had set “a new standard for vaccine development” and now the international community must set “a new standard for access”.   “The urgency with which vaccines have been developed must be matched by the same urgency to distribute them fairly”, he spelled out, warning of a real risk that the poorest, and most vulnerable will be “trampled in the stampede” to get inoculated.  ACT Accelerator...

GEOPOLITICS: UK - Digital government during the coronavirus crisis By Institute of Government www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com With the coronavirus crisis accelerating the digital transformation of public service delivery and government use of data, the government must learn quickly from what has, and has not, worked if it is to effectively serve citizens during and beyond the pandemic. This report also warns that the opportunities offered by better use of data and technology could be squandered unless the government is more open about how it uses and shares people’s data. Decades of investment in expertise, digital tools and practices across government have helped civil servants to create new services and adapt existing ones. In addition, clear political direction, and partnerships with external suppliers, allowed HMRC to quickly build three new services to support furloughed workers and the self-employed, and also helped the DWP to ensure Universal Credit could cope with unprecedented dem...

RENEWABLES: IRENA and GWEC Enhance Cooperation to Scale Up Renewables Globally By Newsteam - City of London (Remote) www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) signed a cooperation agreement in order to join efforts aimed at increasing the adoption and deployment of wind and renewable energy worldwide. This agreement was signed by IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera and GWEC CEO Ben Backwell on the occasion of the Race to Zero Dialogues, a programme to accelerate progress by governments, industry and other key stakeholders to meet the Paris Agreement, convened by the High-Level Champions for Global Climate Action. As shown in IRENA’s Global Renewables Outlook report, a Paris-compliant future by 2050 requires transformative changes to policy, behaviour and international cooperation. Renewable technologies such as onshore and offshore wind, as well as energy efficiency measures, can deliver more than 90 p...

GEOPOLITICS: The Past, Present and Future of Globalisation By Chan Kung - Chief Researcher Anbound Consulting, Beijing www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed at 07:11 CET on 191120 In today's world, there are serious disputes over the definition and thoughts of globalization at all levels. The dispute is so intense that it can reach the point of confusion. British scholar Anthony Giddens believes that globalization is merely the expansion of modernity from society to the world, because "modernity is globalizing in its essence¹". In the past few decades, anyone who did not know about globalization, or did not talk about it, almost meant that he or she is outdated and ill-informed. The problem is that modernity is also changing, and what used to represent modernity in the past may become "outdated and ill-informed" today. With the growth of the post-war generations, a lot of theories and classics were established on the basis of the concept of globalization, m...

UN: We must put technology to work for those who need it most By Newsteam - City of London (Remote) www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Due to the digital divide, nearly half the world’s citizens are denied opportunities to study, communicate, shop, work and participate in much of modern life, he said, with close to half a billion students – including at least 11 million girls – affected by school closures.Meanwhile, disinformation about COVID-19 spread online has put health and lives at risk.    While the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the importance of digital technologies and the benefits of connectivity, it has also exacerbated inequalities, including basic online access, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday in a video message to the closing session of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). A true equalizer The Secretary-General welcomed the Forum’s focus on digital inclusion, which he described as essential to building strong recovery from the pandemic. “We urgen...

IRENA POLICY TALKS 2020: Policies for Green Hydrogen Posted by PR Channel Team - Malaga www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed at 07:06 on 171120 The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is pleased to invite you to its webinar, organised as part of the IRENA Policy Talks 2020 webinar series. Replacing the 6th Policy Day, IRENA Policy Talks 2020 provide a forum for renewable energy policy discussions where experiences and best practices in policy design and implementation can be shared to support the efficient deployment of renewable energy, and the maximisation of the benefits realised. The Policy Talks generate feedback from IRENA Member States, policy makers and experts, which provides key input to support IRENA’s implementation of the Work Programme in the policy realm, to ensure relevance and accuracy. The second Policy Talk will be an occasion to present the findings of IRENA's new report Green Hydrogen: A Guide to Policy Making:   on Thursday, 19 November 2...

UK POLITICS: The Cummings & Goings at Number 10 as Dynamic Duo Exit Stage Right ... By Iain Fraser - Geopolitical Editor www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed at 07:48 on 161120 Well that was a week in Downing Street with the unceremonious departure of two of Prime Minister, Boris Johnson´s key advisers, Lee Cain his Director of Communications & of course Dominic Cummings, his Chief adviser. The news that Mr Cain - who worked with Mr Cummings and the PM in the Vote Leave campaign to get Britain out of the EU was departing shocked many and even the offer of becoming the Prime ministers Chief of Staff didn't deter his exit. Last Tuesday (10th November 2020) Mr Cain was Mr Johnson’s presumptive new chief of staff, having loyally served him long before he entered Downing Street, however Downing Street insiders have revealed that his resignation came after the Prime Minister’s fiancée, Carrie Simons and senior No 10 grandees blackballed his appointment, suggesting that Ms S...

UN: Landmine toll still high amid concerns over COVID-19 impact on clearance efforts By Iain Fraser - Defence & Security Correspondent www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Thousands of people continue to be killed and injured every year by landmines and explosive weapons in conflicts around the world, while the COVID-19 pandemic has forced mine-clearance efforts to be scaled back, a  UN-backed civil society report on the issue said on Thursday. According to the Landmine Monitor 2020, more than 80 per cent of the world – 164 countries – have adopted the Mine Ban Treaty 23 years after it was drafted and signed, and most of the 33 countries that are not bound by it, comply nonetheless.  Despite this achievement, long-running conflicts continue to cause mainly civilian casualties, while other dangers requiring action include the new use of improvised landmines by non-State armed groups and a decrease in global mine action assistance. For 2019, “we recorded about 2,200 people killed of...

Journalists covering conflict, essential workers for a ‘durable peace’ says Guterres Posted By: PR Channel Team - London (Remote) www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com "Reporters and other media workers in war-zones across the world, are reliable witnesses who contribute to forging peace, and must be better-protected under international humanitarian law" the UN chief said. António Guterres said in the statement issued by his Spokesperson that he remains deeply concerned, and condemned attacks against journalists and media workers in general, calling for “concerted efforts to tackle widespread impunity for such crimes.” In 2018-2019, UNESCO - the UN cultural agency which speaks up for journalist safety and protection - documented 67 killings of journalists in countries experiencing armed conflict, among which, 23 were directly involved in covering battlefield hostilities. “Apart from fatal attacks, journalists covering conflicts face a range of other threats including violence leading ...

CORONAVIRUS: Great day for Science & Humanity as first COVID Vaccine 90% Effective in trials By Iain Fraser - Editor www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Hailed by the developers as a "Great day for Science & Humanity" - there isnt a single person in the World who won´t directly or indirectly benefit from the news that Pfizer and its development partner BioNTech have produced the first effective coronavirus vaccine, that preliminary analysis show can protect more than 90% of people from getting the doomsday virus. The vaccine has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries and no safety concerns have been raised. On the strength of the Phase 3 trial results Pfizer and he companies plan to apply for emergency approval to use the vaccine by the end of the month. No vaccine has gone from the drawing board to being proven highly effective in such a short period of time. Obviously there is a mountian to climb for the developers but the announcement has been warmly received by t...

US 2020: Joe Biden Presidency - Implications for Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Region By Professor Ijaz Khan via www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed on 091120 @ 07:17 CET Joe Biden is the new President elect of the United States. He will take office on 20 January 2021.  Now, the question for us is, what Biden Presidency will mean for us in Afghanistan and Pakistan and the broader region. Though most Foreign Policy is bi partisan in the US, there is a difference in emphasis. Also, personal style matters. Democrats, relatively give more importance to Human rights and issues of Democracy than Republicans. Democrats also prefer a multilateral approach than the Republican unilateralism. However, it must be understood, the difference is of degree and a little emphasis, not of either/ or. If serious US interests demands, democrats can shut their eyes from Human rights abuses and go unilateral and Republicans can talk of respect for Human Rights, Democracy and go multilateral. Thoug...

And the Next President of the United States is ... By NewsTeam London www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com 11:46 a.m. ET, November 7, 2020 CNN PROJECTION: JOE BIDEN WINS THE PRESIDENCY   Joe Biden will become the 46th president of the United States, according to a projections by CNN in an announcement on the newswires literally 60 seconds ago, after the veteran politician scored a major victory in the state where he was born which has put him over the 270 electoral votes needed to WIN! With Pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes, Biden now has a total of 273 electoral votes.       Before becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, Biden served as vice president under former President Barack Obama. He is also Delaware's longest-serving senator. Throughout his campaign, Biden has argued that the "soul of the nation" is at stake, and has promised that he would seek to heal a country fractured by Trump's presidency. Image by Gage Skidmore

Syria: No justification for chemical weapon use ‘under any circumstances’ – UN disarmament chief By Newsdesk Team www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed on 061120 @ 07:46 CET The top UN disarmament official on Thursday briefed the Security Council on progress made by Syria towards eliminating its chemicals weapons programme, complicated by the coronavirus pandemic. “It cannot be repeated often enough: There is no justification for the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere and under any circumstances”, Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs said. “There are no excuses for an inexcusable act”.  Although the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the ability of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to deploy to the country, Ms. Nakamitsu said that the Technical Secretariat that serves the multilateral body has “continued with its mandated activities”. Against the backdrop that the Declaration Assessment Team (DAT) has continue...

RENEWABLES WEBINAR:  Renewable Energy Finance Status, Trends and Recommendations Syndicated via PR Channel Team www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com     IRENA POLICY TALKS 2020 - Renewable Energy Finance Status, Trends and Recommendations The first Policy Talk will be an occasion to launch the report co-developed by IRENA and CPI,  the Global Landscape of Renewable Energy Finance 2020: Tuesday, 10 November 2020 at 15:00 CET    The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) are pleased to invite you to their joint webinar, organised as part of the IRENA Policy Talks 2020 webinar series.  Replacing the 6th Policy Day, IRENA Policy Talks 2020 provide a forum for renewable energy policy discussions where experiences and best practices in policy design and implementation can be shared to support the efficient deployment of renewable energy, and the maximisation of the benefits realised. The Policy Talks generate feedback from...

Geopolitical Significance of Russia's Eastward Movement of Infrastructure By Mr. He Jun - Director of China Macro-Economic Research Team www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed on 031120 @ 08:09 CET The world is currently in the most complicated and severe geopolitical and geo-economic situation since the end of the Cold War. The wave of anti-globalization that first appeared in the economic field gradually expanded into the geopolitical arena, with smears of ideological and nationalistic competitions. Promoted by the U.S. President Donald Trump, the U.S.-Russia Cold War-like pattern has now been replayed with China. As for Russia, although Trump appears to have an inexplicable, personalized good relationship with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, the fundamental conflict of interest between the United States and Russia has left the two countries remain in an antagonistic state. In this context, due to the small scale of economy, Russia is facing very urgent pressure to seek...