Proximity Tech

• [New] On the positive side, the U.S. could have a GDP level above pre-COVID levels in the near-term, which would help Latin American economies in terms of remittances and trade.
• [New] The start-up of the tight gas and condensate Ghazeer field gives Oman the opportunity to rebase its economy from exports towards value-added products.
• [New] Five Chinese telecommunications companies, including Huawei, pose a risk to U.S. national security, a significant move early in the Biden administration after the Trump administration's all-out effort to limit the Chinese tech company's reach in the U.S. and abroad.
• [New] Artificial intelligence, improved data analytics, energy grids, new methods for delivering and managing energy storage and delivery could make energy systems around the world cleaner, more efficient and lead to significant productivity gains in the energy sector itself.
• [New] USAID and the Afghan government are working together to establish economic programs that diminish poverty, provides security and stimulate the private sector to do investments and create job opportunities.
• [New] Russian troops massing near Ukraine border - panic on edge of Europe as UK issues alert.
• [New] The Kremlin has said that Russian military movements near its shared border with Ukraine posed no threat to Ukraine or anyone else and that Moscow moved troops around its country as it saw fit.
• [New] Whole Foods Market will be the first retailer to sell the Field Roast Signature Stadium Dog and will expand its Lightlife offerings to include Lightlife Plant-Based Italian Sausages and Plant-Based Breakfast Patties in all regions nationwide.
• [New] The IMF maintains Kenya's debt is sustainable but it was at high risk of debt distress, and authorities should focus their near-term agenda on urgent structural policy challenges.
• [New] Verizon's Private 5G Edge platform will give customers a reliable, secure, high bandwidth, low latency connection to AWS services, APIs and tools running on AWS Outposts.
• [New] NATO voiced concern on Thursday over what it said was a big Russian military build-up near eastern Ukraine after Russia warned that a serious escalation in the conflict in Ukraine's Donbass region could destroy Ukraine.
• [New] There's another benefit to capturing so much data: CrowdStrike has become an unrivaled authority in the field of threat intelligence, which has translated into industry-leading detection capabilities.
• [New] Iran will supply oil and gas to China, while the Chinese side shall consider financing and investing in the up-and-downstream projects of the energy industries in Iran.
• [New] Allowing Chinese telecom companies like China Telecom or China Mobile to have a point of presence in the United States may not create unmanageable risk if adequate cybersecurity measures are in place (usually they are not).
• [New] KYIV, Ukraine - Russia has deployed troops and armor near Ukraine's eastern border and in Crimea, sparking fears of a wider war after years of stalemated trench combat in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.
• [New] The government in Beijing will welcome more Chinese firms expanding in Hong Kong to boost business sentiment and create job opportunities.
• With the U.S. sinking into a deep recession, now expected to be much worse than the Great Recession, the returns on investment from the infrastructure boost would be likely higher over the near term, given costs are lower in the now soft jobs market.
• Renewed volatility and a repricing of risk spilling over from the U.S. to Europe is a new, elevated risk.
• The greatest threats to endangered species are a result of human settlement, deforestation, water, soil and air pollution, climate changes due to overuse of fossil fuels, and poaching to supply international markets with rare animal parts.
• Based on projected power and energy capacity capital costs for 2050, hydrogen storage with up to 2 weeks of discharge duration is expected to be cost-effective in future power systems.

Last updated: 11 April 2021