Submarine cables and pipelines are vitally important for energy supply, global communications and economic activity. But several recent high-profile incidents have exposed their vulnerability to deliberate damage from state and non-state actors. In April 2021, Norway reported that several kilometres of its fibreoptic cables disappeared from the Svalbard archipelago, leaving Norway unable to monitor submarine activity in the region. These cables formed part of an extensive network of high-tech cables and sensors used for scientific research and maritime surveillance. Better known, on 26 September 2022, a series of explosions damaged the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, which were built to transport gas from Russia to Germany. While suspicions initially fell on Russia, Dutch intelligence suggest that the explosion was caused by experienced divers belonging to a ‘pro-Ukrainian group’.
Biden’s big semiconductor law will boost US chip production at high cost: report – Go Health Pro
A sweeping 2022 law, touted by President Joe Biden as a way to revive US manufacturing of semiconductors and reduce the country’s reliance on foreign-made computer chips, will “sharply increase production” of semiconductors in the United States. But it will do so at a high cost and might not deliver the best bang for the … Read more
