New #article from Torales et al: From individual coping to collective resilience: reframing mental health responses to global crises through geopsychiatry TL;DR: links global crises to mental health outcomes through multilevel pathways www.frontiersin.org/journals/pub...

New #article from Noah Brenner: Beyond Contact: Social Cohesion and Municipal Legitimacy in Times of Crisis TL;DR: social cohesion is consistently associated with higher satisfaction; proximity is associated with satisfaction primarily through cohesion. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

New #article from Chieochan et al: Rural community revitalization through disaster tourism in Japan TL;DR: successful rural community revitalization requires a shift toward community-centric engagement link.springer.com/article/10.1...

New #article from Alibasic: The Algorithmic Leviathan: Hybrid Intelligence and the Future of Public Governance TL;DR: human authority, complementarity over substitution, graduated automation, transparency, continuous learning, and participatory governance link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...

In March, the world passed a major energy milestone, adding its third terawatt of solar power. Increasingly, poorer countries are leading the shift to solar e360.yale.edu/digest/three...

The World Adds a Third Terawatt of Solar Power

e360.yale.edu

China runs the world’s most extensive campaign of transnational repression, operating through informal “overseas police stations” (several identified in Canada) and coercion by proxy theconversation.com/china-is-cla...

China is claiming the right to punish its critics anywhere on Earth

China’s new ethnic unity law reaches across borders. The danger is not that it does so. It is what it criminalizes, whom it targets, and how it enforces.

theconversation.com

More than half a century after commercial atomic energy started, the world’s first permanent underground repository for spent nuclear fuel moved a step closer to opening after Finland’s safety regulator backed its operating license application. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

World’s First Nuclear Waste Repository Nears Operating Permit

The world’s first permanent underground repository for spent nuclear fuel moved a step closer to opening after Finland’s safety regulator backed its operating license application.

bloomberg.com

Japan's revised guidelines for permanent residency provide more detailed benchmarks for the first time and introduce higher income, pension and Japanese-language requirements www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08...

Current permanent residency applications to be judged using new income criteria

The income requirement the government introduced may be applied to applications submitted as early as April of this year.

japantimes.co.jp

This College Changed Grades Behind Professors’ Backs. Then Things Got Weirder. www.chronicle.com/article/this...

New #article from Lowine Hill et al: Gendered perceptions of resilience: Understanding of communities’ responses to disasters TL;DR: Strengthening social trust, cohesion, and inclusive governance is critical www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

New #article from Flores et al: Development Divides, Shared Disasters: Communication Outcomes During The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Philippines’ Typhoon Yolanda TL;DR: communication shaped by governance, preparedness, and vulnerability ijsshr.in/v9i7/81.php

New #article from Samantha Brooks et al: Communicating with diverse populations before, during and after Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) events: literature review TL;DR: challenges faced by at-risk groups during mass casualty management link.springer.com/article/10.1...

New #chapter from Zaid et al: Social Connectedness, Social Support, Social Capital, and Health TL;DR: strong social connections provide a sense of belonging, reduce feelings of isolation, and contribute to emotional stability. link.springer.com/rwe/10.1007/...

New #article from Raymond Lagonigro et al: Sustainable Accessibility to Social Infrastructure in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area: A Spatial Approach TL;DR: accessibility deficits persist among older adults, young children and people living alone onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Strong military, rich country: Japan's government is portraying its accelerating military buildup not only as a way to protect the country but as a route to greater prosperity, arguing that arms production can support economic growth. www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

Japan casts military buildup as path to economic prosperity

Japan's government is portraying its accelerating military buildup not only as ​a way to protect the country but as a route to greater prosperity, arguing in ‌its latest defence white paper that arms ...

reuters.com

Now, in a legal filing, the Trump administration is saying citizens should not be allowed to enforce environmental laws. theconversation.com/trump-admini...

Trump administration moves to block public from enforcing environmental protection laws

For decades, regular citizens and advocacy groups have filed suits that forced companies and the federal government to clean up the environment. Trump officials have moved to limit that power.

theconversation.com

Space bros wrecking the earth: FAA is proposing a new rule that would allow space companies to waive legal requirements meant to protect the environment www.jalopnik.com/2229165/faa-...

FAA Proposes Letting Space Companies Ignore Environmental Damage To The Planet They Launch From - Jalopnik

Humanity is dramatically increasing its presence in space, and that's putting strain on the legal framework around it.

jalopnik.com

Around ‌1,600 Danish military recruits on Monday began the country's new extended conscription, embarking on an 11-month service period as Denmark accelerates its defence build-up driven by Arctic security pressures and the war in Ukraine. www.reuters.com/world/denmar...

Denmark begins extended military conscription in response to Russia, Trump

Around ‌1,600 Danish military recruits on Monday began the country's new extended conscription, embarking on an 11-month service period as Denmark accelerates its defence build-up driven by Arctic sec...

reuters.com

Why is the US stabilizing the yen? By selling Treasuries, Japan could push down their price and raise borrowing costs for the U.S. government. Yield on U.S. Treasuries have climbed and the yields on 30-year U.S. bonds hit their highest level since 2007. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/b...

Here’s Why the US Is Helping Prop Up the Japanese Yen

The U.S. Treasury joined efforts in Tokyo to stem the yen’s slide against the dollar, highlighting the broader risks posed by turmoil in Japanese markets.

nytimes.com

New normal: Wildfires have forced around 60,000 people to evacuate parts of Washington state, destroying hundreds of buildings and leaving thousands without power. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Washington state wildfires cause 60,000 people to evacuate homes

Videos from Spokane - the second most populus city in Washington - show huge plumes of smoke and roaring fires close to nearby houses.

bbc.com

New #article from Harmawan et al: Co-Production in Response to COVID-19: A Case Study of Urban Village Community Resilience During the Pandemic in Indonesia TL;DR: villages as active co-producers involved in design, participatory planning, decision-making hrcak.srce.hr/349975

New #article from Moh Kyi et al: Exploring Determinants of Community Flood Resilience in Southeast Asia: A Systematic Review TL;DR: research should adopt longitudinal, gender-disaggregated, and country-comparative designs www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/23...

New #article from Bilgin et al: Disaster resilience and belief in recovery conviction among the elderly TL;DR: as older adults' disaster resilience increased, their recovery conviction tended to increase as well link.springer.com/article/10.1...

New #article from Danielle O'Hara: Understanding interest-based conflict in disaster recovery collaborations TL;DR: psychological interests anchored in the essential need for trust and respect, elements not addressed in the disaster recovery literature knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/aj...

New #article from Yanelba Elisa Abreu Rojas et al: Disaster Risk Perception in Informal Urban Settlements: A Case Study in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic TL;DR: low disaster risk perception constitutes a major barrier to climate adaptation in informal settlements www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/10...

New #article from Lee and Kakeya: Reassessing Early COVID-19 Strategies in East Asia: Insights From Japan and Korea TL;DR: excess mortality reached +7.6% in Japan and about +20% in Korea, 3x the Japanese level despite Korea’s much higher booster rate. jpmph.org/upload/pdf/j...

When thinking about disasters, we took often focus on the individual level (prepping, insurance) or the government level (protective infrastructure, hazards warnings). But we overlook the role of #socialcapital - the ties that bind us together www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4oY...

Studying recoveries after disasters showed a clear protective factor | Daniel Aldrich | TEDxBoston

YouTube video by TEDx Talks

youtube.com

Authoritarian tactics: Charging protestors in the US with conspiracy to impede or injure an officer, which can carry a sentence of up to six years in federal prison www.npr.org/2026/08/03/n...

The DOJ is increasingly charging ICE protesters with criminal conspiracy

The Justice Department is using federal conspiracy charges to sweep up ICE protesters. Some legal experts worry the agency is casting too wide a net to prosecute political activists who oppose the Tru...

npr.org

Local opposition sank a proposed data center near Kingsboro in Eastern North Carolina, where residents had raised alarms about the project's potential effects on water supplies, electricity use, and quality of life. www.yahoo.com/news/us/arti...

Data center firm drops North Carolina site after backlash, cites 'friendlier communities'

The project is "officially off the table for consideration from the board."

yahoo.com