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The Role of Sub-state and Non-state Actors in International Climate Processes: Corporate Sector

The Role of Sub-state and Non-state Actors in International Climate Processes: Corporate Sector Research paper sysadmin 27 November 2018

Given the challenging political contexts since 2015, the corporate sector will have a key role to play in persuading national governments how technologies and expertise have moved on since the pledges were made.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez, ‘Climate Reality’ via Unsplash, 2017.

This is one of four background papers feeding into a synthesis paper entitled The Role of Sub-state and Non-state Actors in International Climate Processes.

Summary

  • The corporate sector has traditionally engaged governments at national rather than international level in lobbying for action related to climate change. Where it has engaged at an international level, this has often been to restrain regulation and ambition, such as in air transport. Over time, many businesses have increasingly understood that there is more commercial opportunity in a strong, consistent approach to tackling climate mitigation and adaptation, and an increasing number are willing to speak up on the issue. The Paris Climate Conference in 2015 demonstrated this positive engagement.
  • Businesses are more powerful when engaging directly with national governments on detailed policies – by demonstrating what is possible and indirectly influencing national governments’ international pledges. Traditional trade/industry sector associations and groups have tended to suffer from the ‘lowest common denominator’ effect of their least progressive members. Progressive business groups coalescing around climate ambition can help to counter this.
  • Unlike at the Copenhagen climate talks in 2009, the business community provided a positive, supportive backdrop to the 2015 Paris talks, mindful of the public relations opportunities in taking a progressive stance and of the benefits of targets that reflected the science. The carbon market was a particular focus for corporates, which succeeded in getting emissions trading options and market mechanisms included in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
  • Given the challenging political contexts since 2015, the corporate sector will have a key role to play in persuading national governments how technologies and expertise have moved on since the pledges were made. With increasing awareness of resource scarcity, businesses are pursuing ever more creative solutions.
  • Wide recognition that the avoidance of future emissions is increasingly dependent on developing and emerging economies means that business voices from these countries will potentially be more influential in the next few years.




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The Role of Sub-state and Non-state Actors in International Climate Processes

The Role of Sub-state and Non-state Actors in International Climate Processes Research paper sysadmin 27 November 2018

In the current international political environment of rising populism, the role of sub- and non-state actors may become more important than ever.

Photo by UNclimatechange, ‘Bonn Climate Change Conference - October 2014’ via Flickr, 2014.

Summary

  • Climate action from sub-state and non-state actors such as subnational governments, cities, corporations and NGOs has very significant potential to enhance national efforts to curb CO2 emissions, close the so-called ‘emissions gap’ – between current commitments and the action necessary to meet climate targets – and help move the world on to a ‘1.5°C pathway’ that would limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100.
  • In addition to their own climate action, sub-state/non-state actors can contribute to climate governance by developing new policies and business models to support emissions cuts and build resilience. Knowledge exchange and capacity-building have a role to play in helping these innovations to spread internationally.
  • Politically, measures implemented by sub-state/non-state actors can help national governments to implement existing targets faster and more effectively, while helping to build political support for more ambitious climate action.
  • The post-Paris climate regime of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) reflects the growing importance of sub- and non-state actors, and has featured the creation of institutional structures to engage and coordinate them.
  • In the current international political environment of rising populism, the role of sub- and non-state actors may become more important than ever. However, more questions about the robustness of sub- and non-state action are also likely to be raised.
  • With the 2020 deadline approaching for countries to submit details of enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), long-term climate strategies and other means of raising policy ambition, the next two years are set to provide significant opportunity for sub- and non-state action. Many governments are already developing ways to engage with sub- and non-state actors to identify opportunities to strengthen action by 2020.
  • Key questions in this respect include (a) whether sub- and non-state actors can mobilize across sectors; and (b) whether action can be extended beyond the ‘usual suspects’ to include contributions from less familiar sources, such as business sectors with limited opportunities for climate action or corporations in the Global South.




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Proportionality in the Conduct of Hostilities: The Incidental Harm Side of the Assessment

Proportionality in the Conduct of Hostilities: The Incidental Harm Side of the Assessment Research paper sysadmin 6 December 2018

Clarification of international humanitarian law is important in ensuring compliance with the rule of proportionality, but a culture of compliance within armed forces and groups is also crucial.

Members of civil right defence conduct a search and rescue operation on destroyed buildings after an airstrike was carried out over the city of Jisr al-Shughur in Idlib province in Syria, on 6 May 2018. Photo: Hadi Harrat/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images.

Summary

  • Military operations are taking place with increasing frequency in densely populated areas. Such operations result in loss of life and harm to civilians, as well as damage to civilian objects, (including infrastructure providing essential services). In order to protect civilians, it is imperative that armed forces and groups comply with the rules of international humanitarian law on the conduct of hostilities, including the rule of proportionality.
  • The rule of proportionality prohibits attacks which may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects or a combination thereof, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated. This research paper analyses the key steps that belligerents must take to give effect to the rule, with a particular focus on one side of proportionality assessments – the expected incidental harm.
  • Those undertaking proportionality assessments before or during an attack must consider whether the expected harm will be caused by the attack, and whether that harm could be expected (that is, was it reasonably foreseeable).
  • For the purpose of proportionality assessments, injury to civilians includes disease, and there is no reason in principle to exclude mental harm, even though it is currently challenging to identify and quantify it. Damage to civilian objects includes damage to elements of the natural environment.
  • Once the incidental harm to be considered has been identified, a value or weight must be assigned to it. This is then balanced against the value or weight of the military advantage anticipated from the attack to determine whether the harm would be excessive.
  • In the determination of whether the expected incidental harm would be excessive compared to the anticipated military advantage, ‘excessive’ is a wide but not indeterminate standard.
  • Belligerents should develop methodologies so that those planning and deciding attacks are provided with all necessary information on expected incidental harm, and to assist them in assigning weight to the incidental harm to be considered.
  • If it becomes apparent that the rule of proportionality will be contravened, the attack in question must be cancelled or suspended.
  • Clarification of the law is important in ensuring compliance with the rule of proportionality, but a culture of compliance within armed forces and groups, inculcated by their leaders, is also crucial.




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The Role of Sub-state and Non-state Actors in International Climate Processes: Financial Institutions

The Role of Sub-state and Non-state Actors in International Climate Processes: Financial Institutions Research paper sysadmin 20 December 2018

The trillions of dollars needed to secure the sustainable, climate-compatible pathway outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement have focused attention on private finance and investment.

Photo by João Barbosa, ‘The need to keep growing’, 2018.

This is one of four background papers feeding into a synthesis paper entitled The Role of Sub-state and Non-state Actors in International Climate Processes.

Summary

  • The trillions of dollars needed to secure the sustainable, climate-compatible pathway outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement have focused attention on private finance and investment, and on the role of the financial sector as a potentially powerful non-state actor in the international climate debate.
  • Leading individual financial institutions reacted to the Paris Agreement by framing it in terms of what it would mean for markets – i.e. risks and opportunities – and by underlining the importance of national implementation of climate change commitments.
  • Key recent developments signal that the financial sector actively supports Paris-compatible government action on climate change, as well as company-level action to understand the physical and ‘transition’ risks and opportunities associated with climate change and policy responses. Financial sector engagement is taking place through well-organized and well-supported international initiatives and platforms. A critical part of this process entails robust activity by financial institutions to embed climate change and broader sustainability factors into strategies and operations.
  • At country level, attention to implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and associated sector-level policy development has been largely separate from the broader ‘sustainable finance’ dynamic. National-level action has not benefited from the same level of organized financial sector involvement evident in international action. One of the reasons for this is that, with some notable exceptions, international financial initiatives lack the capacity and resources to participate in the granular detail of national policy processes. Policymakers in turn often lack the internal capacity to consult or engage with the financial sector domestically.
  • This paper includes some thoughts on further international and national climate actions. Ensuring that messages from successful international financial sector initiatives are heard in regional and non-climate forums offers one avenue for building a stronger foundation for greater climate ambition. Building the resource base for stronger national climate policy engagement, as a counter-voice to incumbent interests and to ensure that the quality of policy is ‘investment grade’, is another. This will be critical to the delivery of policy outcomes. Other key elements include the need to pool knowledge across relevant parts of the finance sector, build alliances, and shift action towards joint problem-solving with policymakers. A ‘Talanoa 2.020’-type initiative offers one potentially promising approach to advancing dialogue in this respect.




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The Role of Sub-state and Non-state Actors in International Climate Processes: Subnational Governments

The Role of Sub-state and Non-state Actors in International Climate Processes: Subnational Governments Research paper sysadmin 23 January 2019

This paper looks at the role of subnational governments in influencing global climate ambition, and makes recommendations for how these actors can increase their influence in the future.

Photo by Annie Spratt, ‘High in the SuperTrees’ via Unsplash, 2017

Summary

  • ‘Subnational governments’ – including municipal, regional and provincial authorities – lack the formal status of negotiating parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). But they have a vital role to play in informing and helping to shape international climate action, as they are often the key delivery partners for on-the-ground policies.
  • Subnational governments are often closer to climate problems than the UNFCCC parties themselves, and have experience, expertise and peer influence that can support the development of progressive policies and increased ambition.
  • Many subnational governments have joined or formed various groupings to share information and experience, and to increase their collective profile and voice. Notable initiatives and collaborations include the Under2 Coalition, ICLEI, C40 and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy.
  • Subnational governments are highly diverse. In some cases, politically high-profile administrations – the US state of California being a notable example – have exploited their visibility and policy successes to engage in wider climate debates. Equally, however, subnational agendas can encounter resistance from national governments anxious to ensure the primacy of their negotiating positions in the UNFCCC system.
  • One of the advantages that subnational governments enjoy, subject to resources, is their ability to join with peer groups to take a fresh approach to mitigation or adaptation policies. Groups of cities or subnational regions can, through collaborative organizations, explore new approaches that might be less attractive within a national context.
  • To maintain and build on their current achievements and influence, subnational governments need, among other things, to: improve the credibility of their experience through evaluation of the success of their climate policies; use membership of appropriate international groups to share experience and boost their leverage; continue to create collaborative relationships with progressive businesses to increase influence at a national level; build on cross-regional relationships in climate adaptation and resilience; and work with other subnational actors to build momentum ahead of the first post-Paris revision of climate commitments in 2020.




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Adopting a Market-based Approach to Boost Energy Access in Displaced Contexts

Adopting a Market-based Approach to Boost Energy Access in Displaced Contexts Research paper sysadmin 25 March 2019

This paper evaluates the market-based approaches adopted in the MEI projects in Kenya and Burkina Faso. It articulates how such commercial strategies can be applied to the delivery of energy in displacement settings and compares this to real world examples.

A shop selling fabric and electronics inside the Dagahaley Camp, one of five camps that make up Dadaab, the world’s largest and oldest camp for refugees. Photo: Michelle Shephard/Toronto Star via Getty Images.

  • Development of long-term energy solutions in displacement settings tends to be perceived as investment that falls outside the remit of emergency responses. In addition, when emergency energy supply measures are implemented they often result in expensive, unreliable and unhealthy energy provision for those in protracted or recurrent crises.
  • There is widespread agreement among humanitarian and development experts that an effective refugee response should include long-term development solutions as well as emergency relief.
  • The energy access imperative is more pronounced when considering the need for effective energy distribution in practically all camp activities and basic necessities: pumping and treatment of clean water; heating and cooling for food storage and cooking; energy for livelihood activities; and provision of light for schooling, hospitals and the prevention of violence against women and children.
  • Minor shifts in household energy use to basic solar lighting options and non-wood fuels would save $303 million annually on refugee fuel costs.
  • Within refugee contexts in Kenya and Burkina Faso, the MEI sought to examine opportunities to use market interventions, rather than in-kind distributions, to improve clean energy access over the long-term and test the delivery of market-based approaches.




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The Chatham House Sustainable Laboratories Initiative: Prior Assessment Tool

The Chatham House Sustainable Laboratories Initiative: Prior Assessment Tool Other resource sysadmin 14 June 2019

Laboratories are critical for supporting effective infectious disease surveillance and outbreak response. This tool is meant to help structure a conversation between funding partners and recipient countries on how to most effectively establish or repurpose laboratories in low-resource environments.

Copyright: Getty Images/ER Productions Limited

Introduction

Laboratories are critical for supporting effective infectious disease surveillance and outbreak response, and lack of adequate laboratory capacity is a global challenge. As part of global health security initiatives, cooperative threat reduction efforts and international development programmes, sophisticated laboratories have been provided to mitigate biological threats and bolster a country’s capacity for detection, diagnosis and storage of high-consequence pathogens. Very often, these use the assumptions, standards and templates applied in high-income countries. However, it can be difficult or even impossible to sustain these facilities in low-resource environments. There can sometimes be limited local technical capacity and capability, which can result in a high reliance on imported expertise, skills, equipment and other resources. Sustainability can therefore be hard to achieve. In addition, when a funding partner withdraws, the laboratories can become disused, foundering without the trained personnel and financial resources to sustain them.

To help address this situation, a proposal gaining increasing support internationally is to adopt an approach based on a local risk assessment, whereby laboratories are appropriately and optimally tailored to the local risks and to the resources available, both in the short and longer term, without compromising biosafety and biosecurity.

A Chatham House workshop was convened in Abuja, Nigeria, in 2018 to explore what West African countries would find most appropriate in terms of building laboratory capacity, what the main challenges have been so far, and what needs to be done to improve the sustainability of laboratories in the region. It emerged that there was a need for a more structured conversation between the funding partner and recipient country early in the process – prior to embarking on the detailed planning phase for the establishment or repurposing of a laboratory. This should involve careful consideration and an assessment of existing and planned capacity, needs and contextual issues, together with proposals for how to address the issues revealed, so that any ensuing laboratory demonstrably supports the national strategy and therefore flourishes.

The purpose of this tool

This tool aims to provide a structure for such a conversation. Developed in close collaboration with international experts and West African stakeholders, it seeks to increase local ownership and help partners ensure they have given due attention to all the relevant aspects, including risks and benefits, that need to be considered at an early stage. It should provide clarity on what is needed and improve the sustainability of any laboratory project that might result from the discussions. The tool can be applied when a new laboratory is being considered, or when an existing laboratory is to be repurposed or strengthened. It is also appropriate for use with public health, veterinary and environmental laboratories. Although the tool was developed in the context of high-consequence pathogens in Africa, it is anticipated that it will find global application.

It should support recipient countries to take stock of their capacities and capabilities, identify gaps, conduct an analysis of their needs and to develop the business case that can assist in seeking the necessary political and financial support for the laboratory. Meanwhile, it should facilitate the process of due diligence for the funding partner and provide a better understanding of what the recipient country perspective and realities are, and what the scale and nature of any investment might be.




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Nonspecific DNA binding by P1 ParA determines the distribution of plasmid partition and repressor activities [Microbiology]

The faithful segregation, or “partition,” of many low-copy number bacterial plasmids is driven by plasmid-encoded ATPases that are represented by the P1 plasmid ParA protein. ParA binds to the bacterial nucleoid via an ATP-dependent nonspecific DNA (nsDNA)-binding activity, which is essential for partition. ParA also has a site-specific DNA-binding activity to the par operator (parOP), which requires either ATP or ADP, and which is essential for it to act as a transcriptional repressor but is dispensable for partition. Here we examine how DNA binding by ParA contributes to the relative distribution of its plasmid partition and repressor activities, using a ParA with an alanine substitution at Arg351, a residue previously predicted to participate in site-specific DNA binding. In vivo, the parAR351A allele is compromised for partition, but its repressor activity is dramatically improved so that it behaves as a “super-repressor.” In vitro, ParAR351A binds and hydrolyzes ATP, and undergoes a specific conformational change required for nsDNA binding, but its nsDNA-binding activity is significantly damaged. This defect in turn significantly reduces the assembly and stability of partition complexes formed by the interaction of ParA with ParB, the centromere-binding protein, and DNA. In contrast, the R351A change shows only a mild defect in site-specific DNA binding. We conclude that the partition defect is due to altered nsDNA binding kinetics and affinity for the bacterial chromosome. Furthermore, the super-repressor phenotype is explained by an increased pool of non-nucleoid bound ParA that is competent to bind parOP and repress transcription.




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Kapler faces pressure, shifts focus to players

Gabe Kapler is trying to keep the focus on his players in 2019, but it might be an impossible task.




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Pandemics are no longer “rare” and now pose constant threat, global preparedness board warns




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Correction: Functional domain and motif analyses of androgen receptor coregulator ARA70 and its differential expression in prostate cancer. [Additions and Corrections]

VOLUME 279 (2004) PAGES 33438–33446For Fig. 1B, the second, third, and fifth panels were mistakenly duplicated during article preparation as no yeast colonies were observed in these conditions. The corrected images are presented in the revised Fig. 1B. This correction does not affect the results or conclusions of the work. The authors apologize for the error.jbc;295/50/17382/F1F1F1Figure 1B.




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Business Development in Madagascar: How to Enable Entrepreneurialism

Business Development in Madagascar: How to Enable Entrepreneurialism 15 November 2017 — 12:00PM TO 1:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 9 November 2017 Chatham House, London

Madagascar’s business environment has improved in a period of stability ushered in with elections in 2013, which brought an end to the political crisis that had started in 2009. SME development has been constrained by poor access to credit and financial services, weak definition of property titles, and skills gaps and human capital shortfalls that have impeded the development of a managerial talent pool. However, the government has prioritized reform for company creation, granting construction permits and cross-border trade, in support of entrepreneurialism and business development.
At this event, Erick Rajaonary, the CEO of the GuanoMad Group and president of the association of the Madagascar entrepreneurs, will discuss the how to create space for entrepreneurialism and prospects for broad based business development in Madagascar.




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Mine Action in Angola: Clearing the Legacies of Conflict to Harness the Potential of Peace

Mine Action in Angola: Clearing the Legacies of Conflict to Harness the Potential of Peace Other resource sysadmin 14 June 2019

This publication draws on and updates the briefing note published following a meeting of the All- Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Angola on 26 April 2017. It also incorporates insights from a Chatham House Africa Programme conference session on the legacies of the Angolan Civil War, held on 23 March 2018; and draws on the Africa Programme’s research into conservation-driven development models in Southern Africa.

A mine clearance specialist in Angola preparing equipment used to look for unexploded ordnance, May 2012. Photo: Eye Ubiquitous/Contributor/Getty Images.

Almost two decades after the end of its civil war, Angola remains one of the most heavily landmine-contaminated countries in the world. The Angolan government has committed to clearing its landmines by 2025, and there is constructive collaboration between the government and mine clearing agencies in this endeavour, but the target will be achievable only if a decline in funding from international donors is reversed. International funding for mine clearance in Angola fell by more than 80 per cent between 2005 and 2017, and this sharp drop in external support has compounded the impact on domestic funding for national clearance efforts as a result of the downturn in prices for Angola’s main export commodities.

The national mine action agency, the Comissão Nacional Intersectorial de Desminagem e Assistência Humanitária (CNIDAH), is supported by the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) and the HALO Trust. By 2017, 15 years after the end of the civil war, these organizations had collectively helped clear 56 per cent of known landmine-contaminated land. State-led demining has focused principally on clearing areas designated for infrastructure projects. Now, it is critical that humanitarian demining in largely agricultural and conservation areas is prioritized to bring to an end the daily threat to Angola’s rural poor – as well as to the country’s livestock and wildlife – of injury or death as a result of landmine accidents.

Angola has some of the world’s most important remaining wilderness, including the tributary system for the unique Okavango Delta, and the country has the potential to host one of the most diverse wildlife populations on the continent. However, the presence of landmines and other remnants of the civil war render large areas of the country unsafe both for wildlife and for the local people, whose ability to derive a sustainable livelihood from their natural environment is fundamental to its protection.

Wildlife and tourism provide important economic opportunities for diversification beyond an oil-dominated economy. Critically, Angola’s economic diversification and development objectives can only be achieved if the landmines that prohibit access to land for agriculture, mining, tourism and wildlife are cleared.

There are economic opportunities for released land in the most heavily mined provinces of Cuando Cubango and Moxico. Already, some new funding for mine action in Angola, if upscaled or matched by international donors, could be transformative for its people, and for the conservation of the region’s vital biodiversity.




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Zimbabwe Futures 2030: Policy Priorities for Industrialization, Agri-Business and Tourism

Zimbabwe Futures 2030: Policy Priorities for Industrialization, Agri-Business and Tourism 6 June 2019 — 9:30AM TO 1:15PM Anonymous (not verified) 21 June 2019 Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

The government of Zimbabwe has committed itself to facilitating an open-market economy and industrialization including through the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) and new industrialization policy. To achieve industrialization and economic expansion, government will need to underpin markets with provision of public goods, entrepreneurial incentives and protect contract enforcement and dispute resolution mechanisms. The private sector also has a role to play in working with government to create an environment conducive to inclusive and job creating economic growth.
Discussions at this invitation only event will help to identify specific policy options to support inclusive long-term economic growth in Zimbabwe.
This roundtable is part of an ongoing research process that aims to draw on senior private sector expertise to develop policy recommendations to support inclusive economic growth in Zimbabwe. A summary of the first roundtable can be found here.
Attendance at this event is by invitation only.




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Economic Recovery and Anticorruption in South Africa: Assessing Progress on the Reform Agenda

Economic Recovery and Anticorruption in South Africa: Assessing Progress on the Reform Agenda 4 December 2019 — 3:00PM TO 4:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 25 November 2019 Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE

South Africa has significant economic potential based on its resource endowment, quality human capital and well-developed infrastructure compared to the region. However, the country’s economic growth rate has not topped 2 per cent since 2013, and in 2018, was below 1 per cent. This has put a strain on citizens and communities in a country that still suffers from structural inequality, poverty and high unemployment. Economic recovery and anti-corruption were the central pillars of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2019 electoral campaign and he has set an investment target of $100 billion. However, voters and investors alike are demanding faster and more visible progress from the country’s enigmatic leader who has a reputation for caution and calculation.

At this event, Professor Nick Binedell will discuss the progress of and opposition to the president’s economic reform agenda and the opportunities for international investment to support long term inclusive and sustainable growth in South Africa.

Attendance at this event is by invitation only.




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Angola's Business Promise: Evaluating the Progress of Privatization and Other Economic Reforms

Angola's Business Promise: Evaluating the Progress of Privatization and Other Economic Reforms 21 January 2020 — 2:30PM TO 3:30PM Anonymous (not verified) 16 January 2020 Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE

Minister Nunes Júnior will discuss the progress of the Angolan government’s economic stabilization plans and business reform agenda including the privatization of some state-owned enterprises. These reforms could expand Angola’s exports beyond oil and stimulate new industries and more inclusive economic growth.

THIS EVENT IS NOW FULL AND REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED.




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POSTPONED: Pursuing Economic Reform and Growth in South Africa: the view from the African National Congress

POSTPONED: Pursuing Economic Reform and Growth in South Africa: the view from the African National Congress 18 March 2020 — 10:30AM TO 11:30AM Anonymous (not verified) 3 March 2020 Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE

The government of South Africa is pursuing a programme of reform to revitalize the economy, strengthen institutions and combat corruption. The State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 13 February and the budget speech of 26 February represent the most significant articulation of the government’s economic strategy. Central to this is the government’s plans for the energy sector, which is fundamental for reviving the economy, and the reform of State Owned Enterprises (SOEs). But questions remain about possible divergence of the approach taken by government ministers from the policy position of the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), and what this might mean for the sustainability and progress of reform.

At this event, Paul Mashatile, Treasurer General of the ANC, will discuss the party’s assessment of reform efforts to date and priorities for delivering on inclusive growth.

PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT IS POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.




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Long term aircraft noise is linked to incidence of high blood pressure




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Artificial pancreases for type 1 diabetes: Better access is “watershed moment”—but delivery is key




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Covid-19: Progression to clinical type 1 diabetes accelerated after infection, study suggests




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The state of the union? US foreign policy and a new US Congress

The state of the union? US foreign policy and a new US Congress 30 January 2023 — 5:30PM TO 6:30PM Anonymous (not verified) 11 January 2023 Chatham House and Online

As a new Congress takes shape, what is the impact for US foreign policy?  

The recent US 2022 midterm elections have led to a split with Republicans in command of the US House of Representatives and Democrats retaining a slim majority in the Senate.

Following a gruelling selection process for the new Speaker of the House, the new Congress took its seats in January 2023, but President Joe Biden no longer enjoys single-party control of Congress.

  • What will be the implications of this for US leadership and US foreign policy?
  • How will domestic politics constrain foreign policy objectives?
  • Can policymakers across government set aside political differences to tackle global challenges?

This panel also unpacks insights into the following questions:

  • What will this Congress view as foreign policy priorities?
  • Will policies that are tough on China ramp up?
  • Can the US continue its support for Ukraine with a split Congress?
  • Will the next two years lead to any considerable foreign policy pivots with a general election on the horizon?

As with all members events, questions from the audience drive the conversation.

Read the transcript.




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Russia’s aggression and a crisis for multilateralism

Russia’s aggression and a crisis for multilateralism 30 March 2023 — 1:00PM TO 2:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 23 March 2023 Chatham House and Online

In conversation with Dmytro Kuleba, minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine, about how multilateral organizations struggle to respond adequately to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia pursues this war in defiance of the umbrella organization’s multiple resolutions condemning the invasion, along with its war crimes, annexation of territory, deliberate targeting of civilian nuclear infrastructure, cultural extermination, and global disinformation campaign. 

This event explores the following questions: 

  • How should the response of the UN to Russian aggression be assessed? 
  • What can be done to uphold the guiding principles of the UN Charter? 
  • Is there a ‘UN problem’ or a ‘Russia problem’? 
  • How can trust and the legitimacy of multilateral cooperation be restored in times of strategic rivalry and rising global tensions?
  • Who can drive such an effort? 
  • Is post-Soviet transfer of the UN Security Council seat to Russia a cause of current impunity? 

This event features a live in-person audience in Kyiv as well as in London and online.




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EU-Turkey Customs Union: Lessons for Brexit

EU-Turkey Customs Union: Lessons for Brexit 15 March 2018 — 11:00AM TO 12:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 5 March 2018 Chatham House, London

Turkey and the EU are preparing to open negotiations to modernize their 22 year old customs union and expand its scope beyond goods to include services, public procurement and a more liberal regime for agriculture. At the same time, the UK is debating whether to seek a customs union with the EU to facilitate a frictionless flow of goods and to prevent a hard border with Ireland. The speaker will discuss Turkey’s customs union modernization agenda and share his insights on the lessons for the UK’s future relationship with the EU.

Attendance at this event is by invitation only.




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EU-Turkey Customs Union: Prospects for Modernization and Lessons for Brexit

EU-Turkey Customs Union: Prospects for Modernization and Lessons for Brexit 12 December 2018 — 12:30PM TO 1:30PM Anonymous (not verified) 26 November 2018 Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE

Turkey and the EU have been in a customs union since 1995. Both sides recognize that the current agreement is in need of modernization and have agreed to open negotiations to expand its scope to include services, public procurement, agriculture and other elements that would help bring it into the 21st century.

At the same time, the UK Parliament is debating whether to approve the agreement on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. It includes a backstop which – if triggered – would keep the UK and the EU in a single customs territory which would limit the disruption of withdrawal but hamper Britain’s ability to pursue an independent trade policy. The political declaration proposes building on this customs arrangement as the basis for the future relationship.

In this context, the speaker will discuss the current EU-Turkey customs union arrangement and its shortcomings, examine the prospects for its modernization and share his insights on the lessons for the UK’s future trading relationship with the EU.

The event will launch the briefing paper ‘EU-Turkey Customs Union: Prospects for Modernization and Lessons for Brexit’.

Attendance at this event is by invitation only.




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Medical supply company McKesson to pay more than $400K over discriminatory hiring

McKesson Medical-Surgical Inc. entered into an agreement with the Labor Department on Monday resolving employment discrimination issues involving nearly 900 Black, Hispanic, and White applicants at a distribution center




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Planet Fitness makes second bid to buy out Blink Fitness chain in bankruptcy

Planet Fitness is seeking to further grow its number of locations in a second bid for the Blink Fitness chain of workout facilities, according to new reports.




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Microchip Expands 64-Bit Portfolio with High-Performance PIC64HX Microprocessors for Edge Computing

CHANDLER, Ariz., Oct. 23, 2024 — The global edge computing market is expected to grow by more than 30 percent in the next five years, serving mission-critical applications in the […]

The post Microchip Expands 64-Bit Portfolio with High-Performance PIC64HX Microprocessors for Edge Computing appeared first on HPCwire.




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Lionel Messi vows to return stronger after Inter Miami's soccer playoff exit

Lionel Messi said Inter Miami will get ready to "come back stronger next year" after the Herons' upset loss to Atlanta United in the first round of the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs.




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Advance Science, Technology and Sophistication with SX-Aurora TSUBASA or Vector Processor or Vector Engine (VE)

Noritaka Hoshi, Senior Manager, AI Platform Division, talks about the impetus for and challenges within the development of SX-Aurora TSUBASA or a massive SIMD, created to handle enormous computing and […]

The post Advance Science, Technology and Sophistication with SX-Aurora TSUBASA or Vector Processor or Vector Engine (VE) appeared first on HPCwire.




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Harness Insights with Cutting-edge AI Capabilities from HPE

The demand for high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) is rising dramatically as organizations rush to put their data to work. Several industries see a significant increase in HPC […]

The post Harness Insights with Cutting-edge AI Capabilities from HPE appeared first on HPCwire.




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GIGABYTE Joins AI Accelerator Skyscraper Congress to Highlight Sustainable Supercomputing Advances

Oct. 31, 2024 — Giga Computing, a subsidiary of GIGABYTE and a leader in generative AI servers and advanced cooling technologies, will participate in today’s AI Accelerator Skyscraper Congress, hosted […]

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US Treasury Issues Final Rule Addressing Investments in Certain National Security Technologies and Products

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2024 — The U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) today issued a final rule (Final Rule) to implement Executive Order 14105 of August 9, 2023, “Addressing United […]

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AMAX Expands Server Portfolio with New AMD EPYC 9005 Series Processors for AI and HPC Workloads

FREMONT, Calif., Nov. 6, 2024 — AMAX, an AMD Elite Partner and a global leader in end-to-end GPU cluster solutions and advanced cooling technologies, announced its latest lineup of servers powered […]

The post AMAX Expands Server Portfolio with New AMD EPYC 9005 Series Processors for AI and HPC Workloads appeared first on HPCwire.




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Pentagon asks employees to report cases of strange, sudden sickness

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has pledged to get to the bottom of reports of military personnel experiencing mysterious illnesses while overseas.




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U.S. Air Force seeing ‘good progress’ on new B-21 Raider stealth bombers

An arms contractor is making "good progress" on the production of five B-21 Raider stealth bombers, U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall disclosed during a speech on Monday.




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U.S. Space Force presents new dress uniforms, drawing sci-fi comparisons

U.S. Space Force has made public the prototypes of its new uniforms, which immediately drew comparisons to those worn in Star Trek and other science fiction franchises.




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U.S. F-16 fighter jets intercept Cessna during U.N. General Assembly

U.S. fighter jets escorted a small plane flown by a U.S. Army soldier out of restricted air space over New York City during the United Nations General Assembly.




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Austin visits Ukraine, voices U.S. support against Russian aggression

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Ukraine continues to have U.S. support against Russian aggression and is free to decide its own foreign policy during a visit to Kyiv Tuesday. 




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Vitamin D supplements may help lower blood pressure in obese seniors

Vitamin D supplements might lower blood pressure in seniors who are obese, reducing their heart health risk, a new study says.




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IBM Develops New Quantum Benchmarking Tool — Benchpress

Benchmarking is an important topic in quantum computing. There’s consensus it’s needed but opinions vary widely on how to go about it. Last week, IBM introduced a new tool — […]

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Do IT Now and Codee Partner to Enhance Code Correctness, Modernization and Optimization

BARCELONA, Spain, Nov. 7, 2024 — Codee, a provider of software developer tools for automated code review and testing specializing in correctness, modernization and optimization of Fortran/C/C++ code, is pleased […]

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Sylabs Highlights Confidential Computing in HPC at SC24 BoF Session

ATLANTA, Nov. 12, 2024 — Sylabs, in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories, will host a Birds of a Feather (BoF) session at SC24 titled Integrating Confidential Computing into High-Performance Cloud Workflows. […]

The post Sylabs Highlights Confidential Computing in HPC at SC24 BoF Session appeared first on HPCwire.




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Consciousness Is a Continuum, and Scientists Are Starting to Measure It

A new technique helps anesthesiologists track changes in states of consciousness




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Here's the Happiness Research that Stands Up to Scrutiny

From meditation to smiling, researchers take a second look at studies claiming to reveal what makes us happy




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Aggression Disorders Are Serious, Stigmatized and Treatable

Researchers have a clearer picture than ever before of how common conditions that involve aggressive behavior emerge and how treatment can help




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Biden invokes wartime powers to address IV fluids shortage

The nation's depleted supply of IV solutions is recovering after a North Carolina facility recently resumed production after Hurricane Helene temporarily put it out of business.




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Excessive daytime sleepiness can lead to dementia, study indicates

Experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness as an older adult can spell dire consequences that ultimately may lead to full-blown dementia, according to a new study funded by the National Institute on Aging.




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Boffo HPC Conference Sessions: Leicester 2024

Leicester was the center of the HPC universe on October 15-16 as the HPC/AI Advisory Council and DiRAC hosted their sixth annual UK conference. The theme this year was “Democratising […]

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ORNL Develops Solution to Residual Stress Challenges in 3D-Printed Metal Structures

March 26, 2024 — Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have determined how to avoid costly and potentially irreparable damage to large metallic parts fabricated through […]

The post ORNL Develops Solution to Residual Stress Challenges in 3D-Printed Metal Structures appeared first on HPCwire.




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Kevin Costner's 'Yellowstone' fate addressed at top of S5B premiere

The fate of fictional Montana Gov. John Dutton -- played by Kevin Costner -- has finally been disclosed in the Season 5B premiere of "Yellowstone" that aired on Paramount Sunday night.