IEP: Future Trends Newsletter April 19th

Institute for Peace and Economics Newsletter DEVELOPMENT Coastal cities around the globe are sinking. Satellite observations have revealed that some cities are sinking by up to several centimetres per year, on average. The study covered 99 cities across 6 continents. How did Earth get its water?  Ice-infused asteroids were forged beyond Jupiter and subsequently swarmed the inner solar system. These space rocks delivered water to Earth after being hurled at our planet by the gravity of Jupiter and Saturn.  Chile plans water rationing in capital after 12 years of drought. Authorities in Chile have announced possible plans to ration water in the capital, Santiago. Water cuts will affect one city sector at a time, and for a maximum of 24 hours. 2021 was the deadliest year in U.S. history. There were over 3.4 million deaths in the US in 2021, about 80,000 more than in 2020. The record number comes amid a decline in US population growth. COVID-19 was the primary cause, along with drug overdoses, cancer, diabetes, and strokes. Brazil plans to increase mining in the Amazon, citing the Ukraine war. President Bolsonaro has cited the war in Ukraine in the latest attempt at economic development in the Amazon. Brazil relies heavily on imported fertilisers for its agribusiness industry. By mining in indigenous territories, Brazil can build more of its own potassium reserves.  ============================================  About Us  Maps + Data  Resources April 19, 2022 ◯ Conflict ◯ Development ◯ Social ◯ Economics ◯ Politics IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION What you need to know: Violence strains Israel's coalition government, US approves Nigerian arms sale, coastal cities around the globe are sinking, 2021 the deadliest year in U.S. history; Sri Lanka debt default has begun, mushrooms 'talk' to each other with a vocabulary of 50 ‘words’, and Stanford University develops solar panels that work during the night. SPECIAL EDITION: UKRAINE Ukraine and Russia: The latest news you need to know, covering fighting, diplomacy, economics and business. How could Russia’s invasion of Ukraine end? Russia's invasion of Ukraine is unlikely to be resolved on the battlefield. Here’s how peace negotiations have worked in past wars. Russia-Ukraine conflict increases UN food agency’s costs in West Africa. The World Food Programme’s operational costs in West Africa will rise by US$136 million this year due to the global rise in food and fuel prices. CONFLICT Jerusalem violence puts strain on Israel's coalition government. Clashes in Jerusalem have stoked tensions during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, putting further strain on Israel's coalition government which consists of Arab Israelis and settlers. M23 rebels announce withdrawal from eastern DR Congo villages. Rebels from the M23 group have announced their retreat from villages captured in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo last week, following losses to government troops in the Rutshuru region.  US approves arms sale to Nigeria after pause over human rights concerns. Washington has approved a nearly $1 billion weapons sale to Nigeria after lawmakers had put a hold on the deal over concerns about possible human rights abuses by the Nigerian government. Brazil arrests 'Colorido,' PCC drug gang leader. Brazil’s justice ministry said that federal police had captured the No. 2 leader of the First Capital Command (PCC), the country’s most powerful prison gang and a major exporter of cocaine. More than 100 insurgents killed in the Lake Chad region. A joint West African military force from Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon said it had killed more than 100 Islamist insurgents in the past few weeks, as it intensifies a ground and air offensive in the Lake Chad region. DEVELOPMENT Coastal cities around the globe are sinking. Satellite observations have revealed that some cities are sinking by up to several centimetres per year, on average. The study covered 99 cities across 6 continents. How did Earth get its water?  Ice-infused asteroids were forged beyond Jupiter and subsequently swarmed the inner solar system. These space rocks delivered water to Earth after being hurled at our planet by the gravity of Jupiter and Saturn.  Chile plans water rationing in capital after 12 years of drought. Authorities in Chile have announced possible plans to ration water in the capital, Santiago. Water cuts will affect one city sector at a time, and for a maximum of 24 hours. 2021 was the deadliest year in U.S. history. There were over 3.4 million deaths in the US in 2021, about 80,000 more than in 2020. The record number comes amid a decline in US population growth. COVID-19 was the primary cause, along with drug overdoses, cancer, diabetes, and strokes. Brazil plans to increase mining in the Amazon, citing the Ukraine war. President Bolsonaro has cited the war in Ukraine in the latest attempt at economic development in the Amazon. Brazil relies heavily on imported fertilisers for its agribusiness industry. By mining in indigenous territories, Brazil can build more of its own potassium reserves.  ECONOMICS  Meta plans to charge 47.5% on asset sales in its metaverse. The company popularized the term 'metaverse' last year when it announced it would focus on developing the space as the next evolution of human connection.   Sri Lanka debt default 'has begun' - rating agency. Sri Lanka is about to default on its debts, two of the world's largest credit rating agencies have warned. Fitch Ratings has downgraded its assessment to 'C', meaning the default-like process has begun.  UK's Johnson creates a constitutional crisis after lockdown breaches. The Prime Minister has thrust Britain into a constitutional crisis by breaking the law he set for pandemic restrictions, the country’s leading constitutional expert has said. Vietnam arrests deputy foreign minister in bribery case. Tô Anh Dũng has been arrested over allegations he received bribes when organising repatriation flights for Vietnamese citizens abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic.  UK to fund Rwanda economic development in conjunction with migrant deportation. The government has announced a controversial deportation plan that would see migrants arriving by irregular routes relocated to Rwanda. An economic development program is also part of the deal. POLITICS Belarus bans EU-registered trucks from entering country. The country has announced a ban on trucks registered in the European Union from entering its territory. The announcement caused a queue of up to 40km long.  Somalia swears in lawmakers, paving the way for presidential vote. Hundreds of Somali lawmakers were sworn into office, allowing them to select the country's new leader.  Pakistan military dismisses Khan's theory US conspired to oust him as PM. Khan accused Washington of backing his ouster because he had visited Moscow against US advice. Washington denies the charge. Sri Lankan president expands cabinet ahead of IMF talks. Sri Lanka's President expanded his cabinet with 17 new ministers, but they did not include members of his family who were dropped after protests. SOCIAL Research suggests mushrooms 'talk' to each other with a vocabulary of 50 ‘words’. Mycologists studying the underground filaments of fungi are observing electrical signals similar to a nervous system: a normal phenomenon, except that they found the signals were remarkably similar to human language.  Stanford University develops night time solar panels. Researchers have constructed a photovoltaic cell that harvests energy from the environment during the day and night, avoiding the need for batteries altogether. The device makes use of the heat leaking from Earth back into space.   Hubble telescope spots most distant star ever, 12 billion light years away. NASA’s telescope has established an extraordinary new benchmark: detecting the light of a star that existed within the first billion years after the universe’s birth – the farthest individual star seen to date.  Camp beds and bread for Shanghai's quarantined COVID cases. People at quarantine facilities lie in rows of grey camp beds closely placed together after testing positive for COVID-19. Where you grew up may shape your navigational skills. People who grow up outside of cities are better at finding their way around than urbanites, a large study on navigation suggests.  Enjoying Future Trends? Pass it on! Institute for Economics & Peace 205 Pacific Hwy, St Leonards, Sydney 2065, Australia