Here's what you need to know this week: Cuba's biggest protests in decades, Syria increases salaries by 50% amidst inflation, Twitter now responsible for user content in India, and Vietnamese factory works sleepover to protect against virus outbreaks. 

China and US rivalry are dividing the tech world into two incompatible systems. China's technological ecosystem has continued to expand beyond internet platforms to operating systems, CPU architectures, satellite communications networks and payment systems, with little interoperability with Western equivalents. 

Draft UN agreement on biodiversity targets conservation, pollution and finance. The agreement will put 30% of the planet under conservation protection within the next decade. The targets include reducing pesticide use, cutting plastic waste and channelling $200 billion a year towards protecting nature in developing countries.  

Where poverty risk is on the rise in the EU. New estimates by Eurostat have revealed the potential effect the pandemic year 2020 had on the most economically at-risk in the European Union.

Handful of cities driving urban greenhouse gas emissions. Just 25 big cities, almost all of them in China, accounted for 52% of the climate-warming gases. These included 23 Chinese cities - among them Shanghai, Beijing and Handan, as well as Moscow and Tokyo.

US probing American ties to assassination of Haitian president. US law enforcement and intelligence agencies were probing American connections to the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise. Two Haitian-American men were arrested on charges of participating in it.

Taliban advances in Afghanistan give Kashmir militants a boost. Experts fear a spike in armed insurgency in India-administered Kashmir. If the Taliban continue their advances and gain control of more territory, they could support extremists in Pakistan and Kashmir.

Beijing says it 'drove away' US warship in South China Sea amid rising tensions over contested waters. The incident came as the US repeated a warning to China that an attack on Philippine armed forces in the South China Sea would trigger a 1951 defence treaty between the US and the Philippines.

China and US can coexist in peace but challenge is enormous. The White House said that it was possible for China and United States to coexist in peace but the challenge was enormous and Beijing had become increasingly assertive.

Rwanda commits troops to fight Mozambican insurgency threat. Rwanda declared that it is deploying 1000 soldiers ‘immediately’ to fight extremists in the Cabo Delgado province. This contingent will fortify other armed support commitments made by SADC countries. 

Cuba sees biggest protests in decades. Thousands of Cubans joined street protests from Havana to Santiago in anti-government demonstrations. They were protesting against shortages of basic goods, curbs on civil liberties and the authorities' handling of the pandemic.

World passes milestone of 4 million recorded Covid-19 deaths. The WHO chief announced the figure. It has been 18 months since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019. Variants are currently outpacing vaccines. 

Iceland opting for shorter hours after four-day week trials. More than 85% of the country's government workers were part of a programme, which found there was no decrease in productivity.

Chinese government deploys facial recognition to limit gaming. China’s national regulations are aimed at reducing screen time amid youth internet dependency. A curfew has been imposed from 10pm to 8 am for those under 18.

Mexico President casts video of brother taking cash as political smear. The video, the second within a year to feature a brother of the President taking money from the political operative, sparked fresh criticism.  

Jordan and Israel agree to a water deal. Israel agreed to sell water to the kingdom, doubling the supply for the year, while significantly boosting Jordanian exports to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The deal comes after Bennett coalition indicated that warming ties with Jordan was a foreign policy priority.

Ethiopia PM Abiy's party wins landslide victory in election. Abiy's party won 410 of 436 parliamentary seats, however elections did not take place in three of the ten regions, including Tigray, because of violence.

Biden signs order to tackle corporate abuses across US economy. The President signed a sweeping executive order to promote more competition in the US economy, urging agencies to crack down on anti-competitive practices in sectors from agriculture to drugs to labour.

China-Europe rail trade increases despite Beijing-Brussels tensions. The railway network between Europe and China saw a record number of freight train trips through Xinjiang in the first six months of the year.

EU economy expects fastest growth since 1976. Growth across the EU is likely to expand by 4.8% this year and 4.5% next year. The improving outlook is being fuelled by rapid progress with vaccinations, which has enabled many European countries to ease restrictions, boosting service businesses in particular.

Europe’s startup funding set for record year. Europe accounted for 18% of total global funding for startups. On a per capita basis, Sweden outperforms the US as the richest breeding ground for startups.

What are the most peaceful countries in 2021? The Global Peace Index 2021 has the latest country rankings and analysis, as civil unrest and political instability increases globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Download the report for free now. 

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Dive into our research this week: 

• Positive Peace: the COVID-19 recovery framework
• Economic Value of Peace: How much does violence cost us?
• Business & Peace: Peace as an economic indicator?