Abdelmageed Abu Alela‏‏

On 28 October 2024, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced that it had allocated $530 million USD to accelerate the development of the laser-based air defense system known as the "Iron Beam" and officially named "Magen Or" by its developer. This high-energy laser weapon system is being developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. The defense ministry stated that it had signed a major deal to significantly expand the acquisition of laser interception systems in collaboration with Rafael and Elbit Systems.

Why is Israel Accelerating its Deployment of a Laser Air Defense System?

Iron Beam:

With the increasing frequency and potential for natural disasters, particularly earthquakes, the question of limiting the human losses and material damages associated with earthquakes is among the biggest challenges for countries. The 2022 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, held on October 13th, focused on early warning mechanisms and the need to increase awareness of their importance, given the current lack of such mechanisms. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) has indicated that, in general, early warning systems cover no more than half the world’s countries.

How Does Artificial Intelligence Help Anticipate Earthquakes?

Early Warning:

Several countries have recently recorded a new outbreak of cholera, particularly low-income countries that suffer from water and sanitation system crises. Cholera is a bacterial disease mostly spread through contaminated water, causing acute symptoms such as severe dehydration, which can be fatal if left untreated. The recent outbreak has raised fears of expanding spread in more countries and of the growing threat of an epidemic amid global concern. Questions have also been raised about the possibility that cholera could pose a new global epidemic risk and about the reasons for its comeback in those countries.

Why is Cholera Spreading Globally?

Epidemic Makes a Comeback:

The earthquake that struck Afghanistan in the early morning hours of June 22 highlighted the limited capabilities of the ruling Taliban. During the months since the Taliban took power in August of 2021, the movement has shown its inability to deal with several key issues, perhaps most importantly the economy. Afghanistan is facing numerous problems that have left a profound impact on Afghan citizens, amid discussion of rising levels of malnutrition. These complexities have also been exacerbated by the continuing repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic. In such a context, the recent earthquake raises two key questions, the first one related to the limited capability of the Taliban to effectively manage crises and disasters, and the second one regarding the issue of international recognition of the Taliban and the extent to which the movement can use the crisis to promote its demand for international recognition.

Abdelmageed Abu Alela‏‏

Abdelmageed Abu Alela‏‏

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