Challenges in relief efforts emerge from Morocco’s earthquake and Libya’s floods, including failed disaster diplomacy and infrastructure devastation
UpdatesThere have been difficulties encountered during relief efforts following the earthquake in Morocco and the floods in Libya, such as ineffective disaster diplomacy and extensive infrastructure damage.
Reporting initiative from Western Balkans Digital Summit 2019
UpdatesThe Digital Watch Observatory conducted a reporting initiative during the 2nd Western Balkan Digital Summit, supported by Serbia. Over 70 sessions on topics like infrastructure, cybersecurity, and digital economy were covered. The conference, with over 3,000 participants, aimed to advance regional digital cooperation.
How can handwriting improve learning in the digital era?
AI & linguistics, humAInism Pedagogy UpdatesHandwriting is beneficial for conceptual understanding and memory retention, according to the article in the Economist. Handwriting is endangered as laptops enter classrooms worldwide. Some countries reacted by banning computers in the classroom or introducing compulsory handwriting. As typing is critical skill for digital era, it should not be banned. It also has some advantages for summarising texts. Thus, it is essential to strike right balance and proper timing of using typing and handwriting in educational process.
Emerging Kenya’s climate diplomacy
Climate diplomacy, Development UpdatesKenya has been fostering emergence of Africa's climate diplomacy. African leaders are calling on rich countries to fulfil their financial pledges to support developing nations in their climate change efforts. However, Africa faces challenges such as a lack of resources, an incipient debt crisis, and the impact of Western policies on trade and competitiveness. Kenya is leading the way in attracting climate finance and pursuing green industrialisation, but there are concerns about this approach. The Economist's article emphasizes the need for African countries to focus on what they can control, such as the investment climate, and for the world to address why many African countries still rely on fossil fuels for economic development.
How can science diplomacy support the use of AI in scientific research
AI & linguistics, AI & philosophy, AI Technology, humAInism AI diplomacy, Artificial Intelligence, Science diplomacy UpdatesArtificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to accelerate scientific discovery and help solve humanity’s biggest problems, according to the Economist coverage. Two areas that show particular promise are “literature-based discovery” (LBD), which analyzes existing scientific literature for new ideas, and “robot scientists” or self-driving labs, which use AI to generate and test hypotheses. The main barrier to AI’s transformation of scientific practice is the willingness and ability of scientists to embrace and use AI tools.
The purpose of Taiwan’s president’s visit to Eswatini explained
UpdatesThis article clarifies the reasons behind Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen's visit to Eswatini.
Niger crisis requires a multifaceted approach, Says US Academic
Compromise, Negotiations UpdatesDr. Fred Cocozelli, an expert, advises a two-pronged strategy involving diplomacy and incentives to restore democracy in Niger, with backing from organizations like the African Union, United Nations, and the international community.
Germany signs Artemis Accords
Space diplomacy Space diplomacy UpdatesGermany signed the Artemis Accords on September 14, 2023, becoming the 29th country to join. The Accords aim to improve governance, safety, transparency, and sustainability in space exploration and activities.
Abu Dhabi launches Jais: advanced AI language model for Arabic
Artificial Intelligence, Multilingualism UpdatesAbu Dhabi has unveiled a new artificial intelligence language model called Jais, developed for the Arabic language. Jais, developed by Inception, Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, and Cerebras Systems, is an open-source bilingual Arabic-English model. Jais aims to encourage the scientific community to focus more on non-English language models. It has been developed for government use and sectors such as finance, energy, climate, and healthcare.
The US aims to strengthen diplomacy-military interplay
Diplomatic career, Diplomatic service, Foreign ministries UpdatesDiplomacy and military must work together to handle the growing number of conflicts. The current trend of decrease of US State Department advisors to military units is likely to reverse. The article provides various scenarios for renewed diplomacy-military cooperation in the United States.
