In the latest turn of the event, there have been reports that in the face of a looming military intervention threat, the junta in Niger has sought assistance from the Wagner Group. Unconfirmed reports suggest that a Russian transport plane was found landing in Niger's capital, Niamey. If these pieces of information are true, it indicates that the Wagner Group has become significantly involved in Niger's coup developments, effectively engaging in covert terrorism activities. The Wagner Group appears to have lost its firm footing in its homeland and is simultaneously facing increasing Western pressure. Under these two significant factors, the group has essentially ceased to be a purely private security firm in the conventional sense. Deprived of its national background, the Wagner Group is likely to adopt a fundamental survival strategy based on fomenting turmoil. This inevitably implies that it will continue to sow discord, conflict, and unrest across the African continent, posing a considerable challenge to global security. It also signifies that the Wagner Group has effectively transformed into an internationally akin terrorist organization, similar to Al-Qaeda, making it a great threat to regional and international security and stability, warned
Kung Chan, ANBOUND’s founder.
>>Fellows at
ESI Center for the Future of Cities describe the resiliency index they're building on 9 pilot US cities, drawing from past research and present insight Econsult Solutions has on what municipal governments can do to climate-proof their infrastructure. The city selection was based on contrasting population sizes and growth rates, which are important yardsticks to measure climate readiness. By reconciling growth rates with population sizes, an interesting narrative emerges about small, medium, and large cities within each population trend. In the coming months, their preliminary findings will reveal variations in the climate resilience levels among the chosen cities. By examining cities with differing population sizes and growth rates, our research may highlight how these demographic factors influence climate readiness and resilience. Their aim is to provide city planners and policymakers with a reliable tool to assess vulnerability, identify gaps, and prioritize measures for building resilience and have utilized data-driven approaches and innovative methodologies to achieve this goal.
>>On July 28, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) announced its latest interest rate decision, keeping the key short-term rate unchanged at -0.1%. However, the central bank introduced new wording regarding a 0.5% upper limit on 10-year Japanese government bond yields. The BOJ's movement directs that its policy adjustment has begun. Continuing with quantitative easing during this process indicates that the adjustment will be relatively prolonged to achieve the policy objective of balancing economic growth and inflation. However, throughout this process, it also implies an increase in policy risks for global markets. This risk not only affects Japan domestically but also has fundamental implications for the wider world, discussed
Wei Hongxu, senior economist at ANBOUND.
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