Insights

Leaders and experts convened by the Asian Development Bank in 2025 identified gaps in strategy, financing, and governance for pandemic preparedness. They proposed an investment road map aimed at scaling sustainable domestic and multilateral funding to build resilient health systems. This plan emphasizes pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response while reinforcing universal health coverage and primary health care as foundational elements for future health security.
Africa | Financial services, Health
Fitting Pandemic Solutions to Scale
A survey of 13,547 respondents across 14 Asian economies reveals widespread concern about climate change, but varying levels of support for climate policies across countries and demographic groups such as age, gender, and income. Awareness of climate policies is the strongest predictor of public support. These findings highlight the need for tailored communication strategies and consideration of local contexts to design effective climate policies in Asia.
Predictors of Climate Change Concern and Climate Policy Support: An Analysis Across Asian Economies
For over a decade, open data efforts focused on who would use the data and how, with AI now solving demand-side challenges. However, AI reveals a deep supply-side issue: government budget data often undercounts actual figures by a large margin, previously masked by limited data users with domain expertise. As millions access this data via AI, incomplete or partial datasets lead to widespread misinformation rather than accountability. Governments face no penalties for publishing incomplete data extracts, resulting in "openwashing"—presenting partial data as complete—enabled by lack of requirements to reconcile API data with full internal records or conduct audits, undermining transparency and accountability.
Openwashing by Architecture: How AI Reveals Budget Opacity
The UAE's decision to leave OPEC after 59 years signals a split among major oil producers over adapting to a changing energy landscape. While the UAE produces 3-4% of global oil, its exit highlights tensions caused by OPEC's production quotas, which limit the country's ability to fully utilize its 5 million barrels per day capacity. Unlike Saudi Arabia, the UAE can maintain its budget at lower oil prices and prioritizes maximizing exports amid expectations of plateauing demand due to global energy transitions. The move also reflects shifting geopolitical alliances, especially after regional attacks and strained GCC relations, with the UAE strengthening ties with the US and Israel. OPEC’s cohesion and influence are fading, and while the UAE's exit may lead to slightly higher supply and lower prices, it poses complex economic challenges for global producers, including the US.
Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
UAE’s departure from Opec tells a story about the limited future of oil production
Reform UK and the Green Party present contrasting visions for rural Wales ahead of the Senedd elections. Reform UK focuses on boosting food production, reducing environmental regulations, opposing new wind and solar farms, and cutting red tape, appealing to traditional rural voters concerned about farming support and energy infrastructure. In contrast, the Greens advocate for land reform to empower communities, a right to access the countryside, rewilding, nature-friendly farming subsidies, and renewable energy targets, reflecting a progressive, environmentally focused rural outlook. These differences highlight the ongoing debate over the future of Wales’s countryside amid concerns over farming subsidies, windfarm development, and rural services.
Welsh countryside: what Greens and Reform are promising they would change after election
AI technology operates without centralized control or accountability, yet it permeates critical global sectors, necessitating oversight. The UN has initiated an independent panel to monitor AI development and promote shared standards, aiming to address the challenges posed by differing international governance approaches — with the US opposing the panel, the EU enforcing strict regulations, and China exercising state control. Unlike other global issues, AI is driven largely by private firms, complicating coordination. Beyond technical concerns, AI wields significant social power, influencing information control, surveillance, and potentially exacerbating discrimination and digital radicalization. The UN's symbolic authority and history in fostering global cooperation position it as a key actor in guiding ethical AI development despite enforcement limitations.
Education
Why the world needs the UN to keep an eye on AI
The conflict involving the US and Israel against Iran has drastically increased demand for tungsten, a vital metal used in armor-piercing munitions, high-temperature components, and steel alloys critical for military hardware. Tungsten's extreme hardness and thermal resistance make it indispensable; however, global production is limited, with China dominating 80% of the supply and recently imposing export restrictions. These factors, combined with rising military usage and geopolitical tensions, have strained tungsten stockpiles and supply chains. The UK has potential to boost its tungsten resources through projects like the Hemerdon mine in Devon and Cornwall's Redmoor site, offering strategic opportunities amid global shortages. Recycling tungsten also contributes significantly to supply.
The Iran war has depleted supplies of tungsten, a critical mineral for the world’s militaries
Foreign direct investment (FDI) is essential for economic growth but varies significantly across countries due to political incentives. Research shows a U-shaped relationship between political competition and FDI inflows: both strong democracies with high competition and established autocracies with very low competition attract substantial FDI, albeit for different reasons. Competitive democracies use FDI to boost growth and secure electoral support, while stable autocracies exploit FDI to increase economic rents for elites. In contrast, regimes with moderate political competition—entrenched democracies and weak autocracies—tend to attract less FDI due to complacency or instability. Thus, political regime type and competition crucially shape a country's incentives and ability to attract foreign investment.
Latin America
How does a country’s political system affect its incentives to attract foreign investment?
Sri Lanka’s exports have grown modestly from 2015 to 2024, underperforming regional peers and contributing to trade deficits and economic pressures. The country’s exports are concentrated in a few sectors and reliant on limited markets, exposing it to shocks like during COVID-19. India, as Sri Lanka’s third-largest export market, offers an $800 million untapped export opportunity, potentially increasing exports by nearly 50%. However, barriers such as restrictive tariff quotas, non-tariff barriers, strict rules of origin, and slow export procedures limit trade expansion. Key reforms include upgrading the Indo–Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement to expand product and service coverage, phasing out para-tariffs, digitalizing trade processes, harmonizing standards, and promoting high-potential sectors. These steps can help Sri Lanka diversify exports, enhance job creation, and boost economic resilience.
Armenia, Belarus, Bermuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Ecuador, Finland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Lithuania, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Rwanda, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, China, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Uganda, Viet Nam
Sri Lanka’s $800 Million Opportunity Next Door
The 2026 Middle East conflict is expected to cause prolonged energy supply disruptions, leading to slower economic growth and higher inflation in developing Asia and the Pacific. Under a revised scenario, economic growth is projected to decline to 4.7%, while inflation may rise to 5.2% in 2026. Policymakers are advised to consider targeted support for vulnerable households to maintain price signals and preserve fiscal space amid these challenges.
Latin America
The Impact of the Middle East Conflict on Asia and the Pacific: An Updated Analysis
Since 2022, about a third of newly created websites are AI-generated or AI-assisted, according to research by teams from Stanford, Imperial College London, and the Internet Archive. Their study, “The Impact of AI-Generated Text on the Internet,” found that AI-generated content is increasingly prevalent, rising from zero before ChatGPT’s launch to roughly 35% by mid-2025. The research also noted that this influx of AI text is making online content more cheerful and less verbose, raising concerns about effects on diversity, factual accuracy, and the semantic quality of internet content.
Education
Study Finds A Third of New Websites are AI-Generated
Federal agencies like the NIH and NSF shape scientific progress by determining research funding, and the rise of AI tools, particularly since 2023, is changing this process. Analysis of confidential and public grant data reveals that proposals with AI-assisted writing are more likely to receive funding and produce higher quantities of publications, though not more high-impact breakthroughs. AI seems to reduce the cost and effort of proposal writing, leading to research that is less distinctive and more aligned with existing funded work. These shifts indicate AI is influencing not just proposal style but the substance of research ideas early in the funding pipeline.
AI Is Changing Who Wins Research Grants
Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) shape global policy through scientific guidelines, relying on external scientists to connect research and advisory processes. Analysis of 230,737 scientific papers cited in IGO documents (2015–2023) revealed a small group of "Highly IGO-Cited Scientists" (0.7% to 4.4% of authors) whose work represents 30% of citations. These scientists form dense transnational collaboration networks centered on Western Europe, with strong presence in established fields like climate modeling. Despite IGOs' efforts to diversify input, citation concentration persists, facilitated by overlapping advisory roles and synchronized diffusion across IGOs. This structure underscores the influence of a concentrated scientific elite on international policymaking.
Health
Structure of scientific knowledge flows to intergovernmental organizations
AI adoption faces significant employee resistance due to psychological factors tied to competence, autonomy, and relatedness. The AWARE framework helps leaders address these by acknowledging concerns, monitoring behaviors, aligning support, redesigning roles for human-AI complementarity, and empowering employees through transparency and participation. This approach treats AI integration as an organizational transition, emphasizing tailored training, collaborative workflow redesign, and employee involvement. Companies like PwC, Moderna, and BNY demonstrate effective practices by fostering experimentation, simplifying processes, and broadening AI access to reduce resistance and enhance productivity gains.
Education
AI Adoption Is a Challenge. Here’s a Solution.
Research from Wharton’s Generative AI Labs shows that prompting large language models to "act like an expert" does not consistently improve accuracy on advanced science, engineering, and law questions. Testing multiple models with expert personas yielded no reliable performance boost, and sometimes worsened results compared to neutral prompts. The study suggests that organizations gain more by focusing on how tasks are framed, data input, and result verification rather than relying on expert-role prompts. Although personas can shape tone and style, they do not enhance factual correctness and can sometimes cause models to decline answering or limit their knowledge use.
Why You Shouldn’t Ask Chatbots to Act Like an Expert
Semiconductors play a critical role in EU–Taiwan relations, serving as a key area for collaboration and trust-building amid global technological competition. Strengthening this partnership addresses supply chain vulnerabilities and enhances innovation capabilities. Focused policy efforts aim to bridge gaps between the EU and Taiwan, fostering mutual benefits in technology development, economic growth, and strategic resilience. This cooperation contributes to a more secure and competitive semiconductor industry within the evolving geopolitical landscape.
Taiwan, China | ICT
Semiconductors in EU–Taiwan Relations: Bridging Gaps, Building Trust
Technology convergence transforms competitive advantage by combining technologies to overcome industry bottlenecks and reshape value chains. Success depends not on having the most advanced technology, but on effectively integrating systems into workflows, collaborating with partners, and scaling adoption. Key insights show that convergence anchored to specific problems enables breakthroughs, especially at the physical-digital interface leveraging AI. Scaling convergence requires leadership to address operational and ecosystem integration challenges. As convergence shifts value creation towards coordination across complex systems, organizations must adapt by orchestrating technology, people, and partnerships to sustain advantage in this new operating logic.
ICT, Education
Technology Convergence: The New Logic for Competitive Advantage
Following recent municipal and intermunicipal elections, France is preparing for the 2027 presidential race against a backdrop of rising energy prices due to the Strait of Hormuz blockade. The National Rally (RN) has expanded its local influence, potentially impacting the upcoming Senate elections, while La France insoumise (LFI) has gained ground on the left, particularly in Seine-Saint-Denis. On the right, Les Républicains (LR) have chosen Bruno Retailleau as their candidate without a primary, stirring internal dissent and failing to unify the broader center-right bloc. Meanwhile, former prime ministers Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal are positioning independent presidential bids, further fragmenting the political landscape ahead of the election. President Macron focuses on Middle East diplomacy, leaving the Prime Minister to address economic challenges.
France | Financial services
[Decoding France] - The Road to 2027: Elections, Culture, Energy, and Diplomacy
Global trade depends on supply chains with predictable routes, stable pricing, and continuous visibility, but conflicts like the Iran war are disrupting transport routes unpredictably. A 2026 case of a frozen food container from Ukraine to UAE illustrates this disruption, with unexpected rerouting via Saudi Arabia and India, causing visibility loss and delayed communications. These challenges undermine operational control, forcing reactive decisions amid uncertainty. Mid-transit cost surcharges shift financial risks to traders, increasing market volatility and costs. Dynamic routing driven by geopolitical risks adds complexity, unpredictability, and regulatory challenges, revealing that current logistics systems are ill-equipped for sustained disruption and volatility.
Latin America | Financial services
What happens when supply chains go dark
Sony AI's table tennis robot, Ace, has defeated top human players in real matches, demonstrating advanced capabilities in fast, uncertain environments. Ace uses innovative event-based vision sensors and high-speed cameras to track ball spin and movement in real time, combined with deep reinforcement learning trained in millions of simulated rallies. Its high-performance robotic arm enables rapid, precise strikes at speeds near 20 m/s, allowing competitive play against elite athletes. Ace’s ability to adapt instantly to unpredictable ball trajectories bridges the simulation-to-reality gap, marking a major step toward AI systems capable of real-world adaptability beyond controlled settings, with broad implications for robotics in dynamic, uncertain tasks.
Table tennis robot defeats some of world’s best players – why this has major implications for robotics

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