Argus Geopolitical Intel

GEOPOLITICAL NEWS: CYBER: We Must Remain vigilant against malicious technologies - UN on GEO´ Posted By GEO´ PRChannel Team www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed on 300621 at 11:22 With over 4.6 billion internet users around the world, digital advances continue to revolutionize human life, but “we must remain vigilant” in the face of malicious technologies that “could imperil the security of future generations”, the head of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA) told the Security Council on Tuesday.  “Digital technologies are increasingly straining existing legal, humanitarian and ethical norms, non-proliferation, international stability, and peace and security”, Izumi Nakamitsu warned the Estonian-led meeting, focused on peace and security in cyberspace.   Moreover, she continued, they are lowering access barriers and opening new potential domains for conflict – giving both State and non-State actors the ability to wage attacks, including across international b...

NEWSBYTE: Ooops! Sensitive Ministry of Defence documents found at bus stop Posted By: GEO´ Newsteam - Gibraltar www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed on 260621 at 11:44 Reuters - Reports that sensitive defence documents found by a member of the public have now been confirmed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) who said in a statement that the employee who lost the documents reported it immediately and that they had started an investigation into the circumstances. "The department takes the security of information extremely seriously and an investigation has been launched. The employee concerned reported the loss at the time. It would be inappropriate to comment further" a MoD spokesman said. A member of the public, who apparently wants to remain anonymous, initially contacted the BBC when they found 50 pages of classified information in a soggy heap behind a bus stop in Kent early last Tuesday morning. It is believed the papers included one set of documents that discussed t...

Getting things done with data in government - Institute for Government on GEO´ Posted By PRChannel Team - Gibraltar GEOPOLITICAL NEWS www.GEOPoliticalmatters.com Google Indexed on 240621 at 10:38 The Institute for Government have announced another in their series of online-only Data Bites events. 18:00 on Wednesday 7 July 2021 Click Here to Register The IoG will be taking questions virtually during the event via the integrated event chat. At this month's event, the 21st in their series, the speakers will present their work in an exciting, quickfire format. Each speaker has eight minutes, followed by eight minutes of questions from the audience. This month's speakers are: • Adam Brocklesby, EY Partner, UK&I Consulting, on how government can improve policy                        decisions and citizen services by being 'insight led' and 'data enabled' • Pye Nyunt, Head of Insight & Innovation at the London Borough...

CLIMATE: Majority of New Renewables Undercut Cheapest Fossil Fuel on Cost - IRENA on GEO´ Posted By: GEO´ PRChannel Team - Gibraltar www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed on 230621 at 14:09 Countries urged to power past coal as new report confirms renewables would bring cost savings of USD 156 billion to emerging economies  The share of renewable energy that achieved lower costs than the most competitive fossil fuel option doubled in 2020, a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) shows. 162 gigawatts (GW) or 62 per cent of total renewable power generation added last year had lower costs than the cheapest new fossil fuel option. Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2020  shows that costs for renewable technologies continued to fall significantly year-on-year. Concentrating solar power (CSP) fell by 16 per cent, onshore wind by 13 per cent, offshore wind by 9 per cent and solar PV by 7 per cent. With costs at low levels, renewables increasingly under...

GEOPOLITICAL NEWS: RUSSIA - Putin calls for honest and constructive cooperation with Europe By Iain Fraser - Geopolitical Editor at Large www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com In an open letter "Being Open, Despite the Past" timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia  is open to honest and constructive cooperation with Europe, and called for the recovery of a comprehensive partnership.  In the document, first published on the Kremlin website  the Russia supremo-in-chief wrote "I reiterate that Russia is in favour of restoring a comprehensive partnership with Europe. We have many topics of mutual interest. These include security and strategic stability, healthcare and education, digitalization, energy, culture, science and technology, resolution of climate and environmental issues."  "We are open to honest and constructive interaction. This is confirmed by our idea of creat...

GEOPOLITICAL NEWS: Africa is hitting its third COVID-19 wave—and alarm bells should be ringing Atlantic Council on GEO´  Posted By: GEO´ PRChannel Team - Gibraltar www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed on 220621 at 10:39 The headlines after last weekend’s meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) featured the big names of global politics: Biden, Macron, Johnson, and more. But the man who should have got the headlines was South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. He travelled to England to argue the case for his country and for Africa, and that case really deserves a hearing. “We need to address the substantial financing gap for tests, treatments, critical supplies like oxygen, and the health systems that enable testing, treatment, and vaccination,” Ramaphosa said. “If the world is to emerge from this grave crisis, it is essential that we work together to mobilize and direct resources to those countries in the greatest need—and that we do so now." I am focused on COVID-19 in Africa th...

GEOPOLITICAL NEWS: ARMENIA ELECTIONS - Civil Contract claims victory in snap poll By GEO´ Newsteam - Gibraltar GEOPOLITICAL NEWS www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed on 210621 at 09:06 Nikol Pashinyan , the acting prime minister of Armenia, has claimed victory for his Civil Contract party after a snap parliamentary election called in effort to quell tensions and avert a geopolitical crisis following its ill fated war with Azerbaijan over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Preliminary results suggested Mr Pashinyan's Civil Contract party was in the lead with 58% of the vote but the opposition alliance led by his main rival, former president Robert Kocharyan were quick to allege electoral fraud despite the confirmation from the Central Election Commission (CEC). With 75 percent of results declared, Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party had 55.61 percent of the vote on Monday. The electoral alliance of his top rival, former President Robert Kocharyan, had 20 percent of the vote. To r...

GEOPOLITICAL NEWS: The Biden-Putin staredown - Atlantic Council on GEO´  Posted By: GEO´ PRChannel Team - Gibraltar  Geopolitical News/Analysis  www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed on 180621 at 09:58 The body language said it all. US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Geneva today for a tense two-and-a-half hours of talks—far shorter than anticipated—on everything from the Arctic and Ukraine to cyberattacks and human rights. Did Biden or Putin come away with any wins? Can US-Russian relations ever be “stable and predictable,” as Biden desires? We called in our crack Russia experts to separate the signals from the noise.  Learn More /... Image Credit:  Kremlin.ru under CC4.0

GEOPOLITICAL NEWS: Putin - Biden Summit, Both parties laud positive talks - Analysis By GEO´ Newsteam - Gibraltar Geopolitical News/Regime www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed on 170621 at 10:58 AP - The much anticipated summit between US President Joe Biden and Russian Federation premier Vladimir Putin took place yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting has been described as cordial by both parties and while many important issues were broached little was agreed, having said that early reports suggest the meeting provided for a much needed ice-breaker between the two super-powers whose relationship in recent months had deteriorated Both the White House and Kremlin had set low expectations going into the summit. They issued a joint statement after the conclusion that said their meeting showed the “practical work our two countries can do to advance our mutual interests and also benefit the world.” But over and over, Biden defaulted to “we’ll find out” when assessing whether th...

CLIMATE: Morocco Partners with IRENA to Boost Renewables and Green Hydrogen Posted By: GEO´ PRChannel Team - Gibraltar Geopolitical News/Climate www.geopoliticalmatters.com Google Indexed on 160621 at 15:05 The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Environment (MEME) of the Kingdom of Morocco have today agreed to strengthen joint collaboration to advance knowledge in renewable energy and to accelerate the energy transition. Specifically, IRENA and Morocco will work closely to advance the national green hydrogen economy as the country aims to become a major green hydrogen producer and exporter. Under the strategic agreement signed by IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera, and Morocco’s Minister of Energy, Mines and the Environment, Mr. Aziz Rabbah, the two parties will actively pursue green hydrogen studies and jointly explore policy instruments to engage the private sector at a national level in the green hydrogen economy.   Morocc...

G7: Vaccinate the World - Leaders commit to providing 1 Billion Vaccines  Posted By GEO´ Newsteam - Gibraltar Geopolitical News www.geopoliticalmatters.com Google Indexed on 150621 at 09:01 Summit leaders have announced their commitment to collectively provide at least 1 billion coronavirus vaccine doses to the world through dose sharing and financing and set out a plan to expand vaccine manufacturing in order to achieve that goal. The target to vaccinate the world by the end of next year would be met "very largely thanks to the efforts of the countries who have come here today" UK Prime Minister Mr Johnson said. Mr Johnson went on to say "Already of the 1.5 billion vaccines that have been distributed around the world, I think that people in this country should be very proud that half a billion of them are as a result of the actions taken by the UK government in doing that deal with the Oxford scientists and AstraZeneca to distribute it at cost."  To receive our ful...

G7 Cornwall: A valuable meeting of minds  - or just another Political Junket ..? Analysis By Iain Fraser - Geopolitical Journalist, Gibraltar www.geopoliticalmatters.com Google Indexed on 140621 at 10.06 The UK hosted the G7 Summit as part of its G7 Presidency in Carbis Bay, Cornwall  The G7 2021 - hosted this year by the UK as part of its Presidency in the resort of Carbis Bay in Cornwall on the English Riviera has seen the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and UK gather in person for the first time since the pandemic. Who attended? Before we address the agenda - the current members attending Cornwall were Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, United Kingdom, United States and the European Union. (The former G8 included Russia, however, in March 2014 Russia was suspended indefinitely following the annexation of Crimea, whereupon the political forum name reverted to G7) What was the agenda? What was agr...

SPECIAL REPORT: Denial of Electricity - the next Geopolitical Weapon? By Iain Fraser - Geopolitical Journalist www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed on140621 at 07:56 - Gibraltar With electricity expected to account for a large share of the world’s energy use by 2050, the stakes are high - with over 50% of the Worlds Energy Requirement (WER) expected to be derived from electricity by 2050 denial of electricity service is a clear and present danger. The world has already had a preview of the ensuing chaos caused by Denial of Electricity hacks - In late 2015, hackers breached the information systems of a Ukrainian electricity distribution company and remotely switched off 30 substations, leaving several hundred thousand people without power for several hours. The incident grabbed headlines only briefly but was touted as the first known cyber hack against electricity assets. Following a similar attack in Kyiv in 2016, then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accused Russia of waging...

World Oceans Day: We Must End the War on Nature - António Guterres on GEO´ Posted By: GEO´ PRChannel Team  www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed on 100621 at 09:09 - Gibraltar Ending the “war on nature” must be part of global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday in his message for World Oceans Day.  Although this year’s theme focuses on their importance for the cultural and economic survival of communities worldwide, the Secretary-General cited a recent report which confirmed that many of the benefits oceans provide are being undermined by human activity.   Pollution, overfishing, acidification  “Our seas are choking with plastic waste, which can be found from the remotest atolls to the deepest ocean trenches”, he said. But the list does not end there.  “Overfishing is causing an annual loss of almost $90 billion in net benefits – which also heightens the vulnerability of women, who are vital t...

Energy's Digital Future: Harnessing Innovation for National Security  Center on Global Energy Policy Series Posted By: PRChannel Team - Gibraltar www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed on 090621 at 07:38 Disruptive digital technologies are poised to reshape world energy markets. A new wave of industrial innovation, driven by the convergence of automation, artificial intelligence, and big data analytics, is remaking energy and transportation systems in ways that could someday end the age of oil. What are the consequences―not only for the environment and for daily life but also for geopolitics and the international order? Amy Myers Jaffe provides an expert look at the promises and challenges of the future of energy, highlighting what the United States needs to do to maintain its global influence in a post-oil era. She surveys new advances coming to market in on-demand travel services, automation, logistics, energy storage, artificial intelligence, and 3-D printing and explores ho...

IRENA and National Energy Administration of China sign MoU  Posted By: GEO´ PRChannel Team - Gibraltar www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed on 080621 at 09:01 China and IRENA Boost Ties as Leading Renewables Market Eyes Carbon Neutrality Goals IRENA and National Energy Administration of China sign MoU to advance the transition and cooperate on market development. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the National Energy Administration of the People’s Republic of China (NEA) have today agreed to work to strengthen cooperation as the world’s largest renewable energy market builds momentum towards the achievement of its carbon neutrality goals. China has pledged to peak its CO2 emissions before 2030 and committed to the achievement of carbon neutrality before 2060.   Under the agreement, IRENA will prepare a comprehensive energy transition roadmap identifying key policy actions, technology solutions and industrial development programmes to enable the realis...

Israel after Bibi - Atlantic Council on GEO´ Posted By: PRChannel Team - Gibraltar www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed om 040621 at 09:35 FAST THINKING: Israel after Bibi - Fast Thinking by Atlantic Council Related Experts: Carmiel Arbit , David Daoud , Shalom Lipner Bibi might finally get the boot. A group of Israeli political parties led by right-winger Naftali Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid announced today that it would form a new government, potentially ending the twelve-year reign of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  The “Change Government,” which must still be confirmed by a vote in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, would bring together a broad array of Netanyahu foes from the far left to the far right. What can we expect from a Prime Minister Bennett? Can a new government really end the political chaos of recent years? What tricks does Netanyahu still have up his sleeve? Our experts forecast what’s next. Learn More /... Image Credit: Russia Presidential Press and I...

VIRTUAL EVENT: Future Covid-19 scenarios: how can the world meet long-term threats? Posted By: PRChannel Team - Gibraltar www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Google Indexed on 030621 at 10:49 Covid-19 will top the agenda at this month’s G7 summit in Cornwall. As some countries lift restrictions and near the completion of vaccine rollouts, others face severe outbreaks or progress being derailed by new variants. No country will escape from the Covid crisis alone - a coordinated global plan which covers vaccination, surveillance and health infrastructure is essential. To discuss how world leaders can meet these challenges and put in place long term plans for handling the threat of Covid-19, this Institute for Government event will see an expert panel draw on a series of round-tables organised by the IfG and Wellcome Trust. The panel will include:  Tom Whipple, Science Editor of The Times Sir Suma Chakrabarti, former Permanent Secretary at DfID and the Ministry of Justice and incoming chair ...

Biosecurity: Closing the gate after the horse has bolted By Iain Fraser - Geopolitical Journalist, Gibraltar www.geopoliticalmatters.com Google Indexed on 020521 at 06:50 The BBCs lauded World Affairs Editor, John Simpson has written a fantastic article examining the lack of security protocols in the World´s virus laboratories. Simpson says we have seen what an out-of-control virus can do to our overpopulated, highly interconnected planet. Some 166 million people have been infected in just 18 months with an official death toll from Covid-19 is 3.4 million, though the World Health Organization (WHO) are saying the true figure is probably 8 million or even higher. The US has just announced it is revisiting the origins of the virus, including the possibility that it escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan, despite the WHO saying earlier this year this theory was "extremely unlikely" but as Simpson says, we have always known there's a risk a deadly pathogen could do that. Now a le...

CYBER SECURITY: Hydra DarkNet earned over $1.3 Billion in 2020 Posted By: PRChannel Team - Gibraltar www.geopoliticalmatters.com Google Indexed on 010621 at 09:31 Hydra the Russian language "dark web" marketplace, bolstered its position of the go to market for cyber criminals and OCGs earning over 1.11€ Billion ($1.37 USD) worth of cryptocurrencies in 2020 up from up from 7.68€ Million ($9.4 million) in 2016, marking a staggering 624% year-on-year jump over a three-year period from 2018 to 2020. Active since 2015, Hydra opened as a competitor to the now-defunct Russian Anonymous Marketplace (aka RAMP), primarily facilitating narcotics trade, before becoming a bazaar for all things criminal, including offering BTC cash-out services and peddling stolen credit cards, SIM cards, documents, IDs, and counterfeit money, with the operators profiting as the intermediary for every transaction conducted on the platform. Hydra accounts for over 75% of darknet market revenue worldwide in ...