. Not for EVs this time: NATO’s mineral needs for weapons NATO’s list of 12 defence-critical raw materials, released i(Aluminium, Beryllium, Cobalt, Gallium, Germanium, Graphite, Lithium, Manganese, Platinum, Rare Earth Elements, Titanium, and Tungsten), along with the associated risk assessments, makes this clear. The risk map - Very high risk (red): Aluminium and graphite are used as fundamental structural and thermal materials in almost every platform (fighter aircraft, main battle tanks, missiles, submarines, artillery, and ammunition). They are the most widely used and highest-risk pair. - High risk (orange): Cobalt, beryllium, chromium, nickel, titanium, tungsten, rare earth elements (neodymium, samarium, dysprosium, etc.), tantalum, vanadium and similar materials are critical for jet engines, radar systems, guidance systems, and armour-piercing ammunition. - Fighter aircraft require the most diverse and intensive set of materials. In submarines and surface naval platforms, graphite reduces acoustic signatures and improves stealth. In ammunition and torpedoes, dense, high-performance metals such as tungsten, zirconium and lithium stand out. Specific uses and dependencies - Cobalt: Modern jet-engine superalloys, missiles and submarine systems. - Graphite: Submarine hulls and structural components - Aluminium: The backbone of aircraft, missile and ship structures - Rare earth elements (REEs): Radar, guidance, actuators and electronic systems and F-35 - Tungsten: Armour-piercing ammunition - Gallium and Germanium: Semiconductors in radar, night-vision and guidance systems. China holds a dominant position in either mining or (more critically) refining/processing for most materials on the list. Even where mining is concentrated elsewhere refining capacity is largely in China. Source: @BBVAResearch

. Nuclear power plants and nickel: a breakthrough in reducing dependency The need: Nuclear reactors heavily rely on nickel-based alloys for their high corrosion resistance. However, nickel is expensive, difficult to transport, and often sourced from geopolitically unstable regions. The solution: The US Argonne National Laboratory has developed a new framework to replace thick nikal components with cheaper substrates, like stainless steel. These materials are then coated with a highly corrosion-resistant, ultra-thin layer that matches or exceeds nickel's performance. Using advanced multi-physics modeling and the ATLAS accelerator system, the team can test and validate these new coatings in just days rather than decades. This breakthrough lowers costs, secures the supply chain, and accelerates the licensing of next-generation reactors. Source: @NSEnergyNews

. North Korea’s low birth rate is affecting its economy UN estimates show a gradual decline in North Korea’s fertility rate. However, research based on defector interviews suggests a sharper drop: from 1.91 in the 1990s to 1.38 in the 2010s. Key effects - In the 2010s, fewer children per household improved living standards (more food, better clothing, more living space per adult). - From the mid-2010s, military manpower shortages appeared. The government lowered recruitment standards and increased female enlistment. - Since 2020, the working-age population has declined by nearly 1% per year. This has led to labor shortages in farms and mines, forced youth assignments, and greater mobilization of married women. - Markets (jangmadang) have stagnated as the number of people in their 20s and 30s shrinks, reducing demand and innovation. Source: @38NorthNK by Jooyung Lee

. China’s exports/imports to Latin America have surged Bilateral trade has grown dramatically over the past two decades (billions of USD): China’s exports to Latin America: Climbed from near zero in the early 2000s to nearly $275 billion by 2025, with a sharp acceleration after 2020. China’s imports from Latin America: Also rose strongly, reaching roughly $230 billion, but the trade balance has tilted more heavily in China’s favor in recent years. The data underscores China’s deepening economic presence in Latin America, shifting from a more balanced relationship to one increasingly driven by Chinese manufactured goods exports. Source: General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China, @AmerQuarterly by @MyersMargaret

. China’s batteries are being used much more than before The chart shows average full cycles per year. One full cycle means the battery is charged and emptied once. Light green bars are batteries next to solar or wind plants. Dark green bars are standalone batteries .In 2022, co-located batteries did about 80 cycles. Standalone batteries did about 146. By 2025, those numbers rose to 199 and 299. So both types are used about twice as hard as in 2022. Standalone batteries are used more than batteries built next to renewable plants.

🇯🇵 Japan’s power grid is split into different regions, and they are not all fully connected The map shows the main interconnection lines between regions like Hokkaido, Tohoku, Tokyo, Chubu, Kansai, Chugoku, Kyushu and others. Red lines are the links that carry electricity between regions. Some connections need special equipment: frequency converters (because eastern Japan uses 50 Hz and western Japan uses 60 Hz) and AC/DC converters. Okinawa is separate and not connected to the main grid. These limited links make it harder to move large amounts of solar or wind power from one region to another. Strengthening these interconnections is important for using more renewable energy across Japan. Source: @iea

. AI hardware trade is highly concentrated Taiwan and South Korea run large surpluses in AI hardware trade, while the United States and China run the biggest deficits. The chart ranks economies by the absolute size of their AI hardware trade balance. Taiwan leads with a surplus of over $100 billion, followed by Korea. In contrast, the US and China show deficits of roughly $200 billion each. India has deficit too. This highlights how a small number of economies dominate the production and export of AI-related hardware, while the largest economies are major net importers. Source: @KGeorgieva @IMFNews