United States

Environment, Science & Technology

Politics

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs announced that the state would pause new housing development in the Phoenix metro area that relies on groundwater after a state study found that 4% of the area's groundwater supplies would not be met if housing development continued as planned, The New York Times reported on June 1.

U.S.: Citing Water Shortages, Arizona Will Limit Phoenix Metro Area's Housing Developments

Brazil

Economics

Brazil's lower house approved a bill that seeks to strip the environmental ministry of oversight of the rural land registry and other responsibilities and to strip the Indigenous affairs ministry of its power to demarcate Indigenous lands, Reuters reported on May 31.

Brazil: Lower House Approves Proposal to Strip Ministries of Powers

Europe

Energy

Support for shareholder proposals calling for U.S. oil and gas corporations ExxonMobil and Chevron to set Scope 3 emissions targets at their annual meetings reached only 10.5% and 9.6%, respectively, Reuters reported on May 31.

U.S., Europe: Supermajors' Shareholders Reject Climate-Related Resolutions

Japan

North Korea

South Korea

Military & Security

North Korea's attempt to launch its first military reconnaissance satellite, the Chollima-1, failed, Yonhap News Agency reported on May 30.

North Korea: Failed Satellite Launch Prompts Evacuation Scare

China

U.S. officials in the Biden administration are split over how to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), leading to uncertainty in the May 30-31 U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council talks, Bloomberg reported on May 31.

U.S.: Biden Administration Split over AI Regulations

Five large insurers are quitting the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance (NZIA), one of the alliances under the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), the Financial Times reported on May 26.

Global: Five More Insurers Leave Net-Zero Insurance Alliance

U.S. technology company Neuralink announced that the Food and Drug Administration approved the company's first in-human clinical study for the Link implantable brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), which aim to enable people with extreme paralysis to control external technologies using neural signals, BBC reported on May 25.

U.S.: FDA Approves Neuralink's First In-Human Clinical Trial

A congressional committee passed a bill in a 15-3 vote that seeks to strip Brazil's environmental and Indigenous affairs ministries of their oversight powers in a broader effort to boost the agribusiness sector in Brazil, Folha de Sao Paulo reported on May 25.

Brazil: Congressional Committee Approves Bill to Strip Ministries of Powers

The world is connected, but even the broadest topics deserve an individual look. Below are our latest and most relevant science and technology analyses. 

Technology

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Eurasia

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

Agriculture

COVID-19

Supply Chains

Cyber

_Energy

Environmental Issues

Globalization

The 4th Industrial Revolution

Media

Podcasts

How do climate issues, strategic competition and advanced technology interact and influence each other? 

Applied Geopolitics: The Relationship Between Climate, Strategic Competition and Technology

Assessments

Turkey

An image of the Turkish flag. 

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Turkey Holds a Presidential Runoff, U.S. Debt Ceiling Talks Enter Crunch Time

U.S.-China Relations

Algeria

Morocco

Tunisia

Low water levels are seen at the Sidi Salem Dam, Tunisia's largest embankment dam, on April 6, 2023. 

Social Issues

Water and food shortages this summer will increase socioeconomic risks in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, along with the impetus for more sustainable agricultural practices. 

After a Dry Spring, Northwest Africa Braces for Disruptive Crop Failures

The offices of U.S. semiconductor manufacturer Micron in Shanghai, China, are seen on May 22, 2023.

The partial ban on the U.S. firm's memory chips signals Beijing's willingness to use disruptive legal tools in the name of national security against Western companies amid the growing tech standoff.

By Banning U.S. Chipmaker Micron, China Hits Back at Western Tech Restrictions

Beyond COVID: An Update on the Current COVID-19 Environment

Chile

In this aerial view, pools of brine containing lithium carbonate and mounds of salt byproduct stretch through a lithium mine in the Atacama desert on Aug. 24, 2022, in Salar de Atacama, Chile.

Lithium nationalization in Chile will face many obstacles in its efforts to attract foreign investment.

Chile's Lithium Industry Holds its Breath as Boric Pursues Nationalization

How will China respond to U.S. tech restrictions?

Essential Geopolitics: China's Response to Tech Restrictions by the U.S. and Allies

Columns

On Geopolitics

Norway

Russia

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang (3rd from right), Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store (4th from left) and members of their delegations meet in Oslo, Norway, on May 12, 2023. 

As the Arctic Council leadership transfers from Russia to Norway, China is positioning itself to play a greater role in Arctic matters.

In the Arctic, Russia's Geopolitical Isolation Opens New Doors for China

South Africa

India

An attendant stands next to South African, Indian, Russian, Brazilian and Chinese flags during a BRICS summit in Xiamen, China, on Sept. 4, 2017. 

The addition of other non-Western nations like Saudi Arabia would boost BRICS’ economic and political heft as an alternative to the G-7, though it may come at the cost of the bloc’s internal cohesion.

For BRICS, More Members Would Mean More Power -- and More Problems

People walk along a pedestrian street surrounded by small shops in Changsha, China, on Sept. 7, 2020.

Despite its shrinking population, China still has plenty of workers. But many of them currently lack the skills needed to drive the country’s transition to a high-income economy.

What China's Demographic Decline Means for Its Labor Force

A production plant owned by the Luxembourgish multinational steel manufacturing corporation, ArcelorMittal, is seen in Desteldonk, Belgium, on April 24, 2023.

The measures aim to reduce key industries' carbon footprint by increasing the cost of polluting in the bloc, while also reducing the impact of that cost increase on more vulnerable consumers and businesses.

The Takeaways From the EU's Latest Carbon-Cutting Measures

How will these changes impact open-source intelligence gathering?

Environment, Science & Technology

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S.: Citing Water Shortages, Arizona Will Limit Phoenix Metro Area's Housing Developments

Brazil: Lower House Approves Proposal to Strip Ministries of Powers

U.S., Europe: Supermajors' Shareholders Reject Climate-Related Resolutions

North Korea: Failed Satellite Launch Prompts Evacuation Scare

U.S.: Biden Administration Split over AI Regulations

Global: Five More Insurers Leave Net-Zero Insurance Alliance

U.S.: FDA Approves Neuralink's First In-Human Clinical Trial

Brazil: Congressional Committee Approves Bill to Strip Ministries of Powers

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