Weekend Box #132: Web Summit Untangled, France Counts On New Exam & More

Editor's Note

Welcome to The Weekend Box, Audley’s round-up of interesting or obscure political, business, and cultural news from around the world.

At the end of every busy week in Westminster, ministerial private offices ask their departments to submit papers to the ‘weekend box’ for Ministers and Secretaries of State to catch up with over the weekend. Similarly, we would like to send you into the weekend with a few stories to catch up with at your leisure.

So, let’s delve inside The Weekend Box.

Web Summit: Untangled

One of Europe’s biggest tech events kicked off on Monday, as 70,000 attendees descended on Lisbon, Portugal for the 2024 edition of the annual Web Summit.

One of our Audley teammates was among them, joining the (according to the organisers) 3,000+ startups, many of them in the AI space, who are hoping to attract investors to their businesses.

AI was also confirmed by the organisers to be top of the agenda for discussions at the event. The website cites an atmosphere of “great uncertainty” making it necessary for the tech world to come together in Lisbon and figure out, “Where to next?”

There was no atmosphere of “great uncertainty” at the event, however. This year saw the return of Big Tech partners Google and Meta, and appearances from high-profile speakers including Microsoft’s President Brad Smith, activist and whistleblower Chelsea Manning, and famed musician Pharell Williams.

Our teammate on the ground has informed us that CEO Paddy Cosgrave, whose actions have been closely watched after last year’s controversy, was interacting regularly with attendees through WhatsApp. Many enjoyed networking ‘after hours’ at side events in the evening, referred to collectively as the ‘Night Summit.’

In other news from the summit, the Italian city of Turin was crowned winner of this year’s European Capital of Innovation Award at the event on Wednesday, receiving €1m to “invest into its tech ecosystem.” Meanwhile, Japanese thermal insulation solution providers Thermalytica claimed KPMG’s Global Tech Innovator award, thanks to products like its “groundbreaking superinsulation aerogel” TIISA.

Alibaba’s President Kuo Zhang also introduced “the world’s first AI-powered B2B sourcing engine,” Accio; a combination B2B search engine, Wiki, and e-commerce platform targeted at SMEs, which the company hopes will “transform the global trade market.”

Image Credit: Web Summit. License. ?

A Guessing Game In Riyadh

The Audley team has also been in Riyadh this week, where leaders from across the Arab world have gathered for a key regional summit. The joint Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation meeting was convened to discuss ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, as Israel continues its military campaigns against Iranian-backed militant groups.?

The mood was one of anger and defiance, with scathing attacks launched at Israeli policy throughout the day. In the opening address, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) condemned the “massacre committed against Palestinian and Lebanese people” as “genocide,” in what is the harshest public criticism of Israel by a Saudi Official since the start of the war.

Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, said that “words cannot express the plight of the Palestinian people,” while Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati told the summit that his country was suffering an “unprecedented and existential” crisis.

The summit arrives as Donald Trump prepares for his upcoming second term in the White House, providing an opportunity for regional leaders to signal what they would like in terms of US engagement under Trump – likely a desire for dialogue, de-escalation, and holding Israel to account.

Whether they will get their wish is unclear. Trump is historically a staunch supporter of Israel, and angered the Muslim world by recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital during his first term. He also brokered the Abraham Accords in 2020, which saw multiple Arab nations establish full diplomatic relations with Israel.

However, Gulf leaders also have good relations with Trump, and will aim to use his fondness for deal-making and his campaign pledge to “stop wars” to secure an end to regional conflicts. In Saudi Arabia especially, a real sense of optimism has greeted Trump’s victory, with the country likely?well-placed to act as a mediator in potential US efforts to end the conflict.?

Image Credit: Trump White House Archives. License. ?

France Counts On New Exam

France’s new education minister Anne Genetet has announced “shock” measures to address declining maths skills among school leavers, by bringing forward plans to set a maths exam for all sixth formers during their penultimate year at school from 2026.

Mobilising a proposal previously advanced by the last prime minister, Gabriel Attal, the minister said she would initiate what she called “Act 2 of the shock of knowledge” - “le choc de savoirs." The exam will count towards the baccalaureate certificate, and would follow other measures earlier in pupils’ progression through school to address declining maths and French language in schools. These include the division of mathematics and French language classes at middle school (college) into ability streams, along with a new condition for admission to senior school (lycée) where pupils must pass “le brevet”, an exam already taken by 14- and 15 year olds but without the requirement to pass before entering lycee.

The proposal has met strong opposition from teaching unions, who say they lack the resources to administer it and believe it will stigmatise already disadvantaged pupils from poorer backgrounds. They have already gone on strike against the original plans.

Proposals to fix declining numeracy or literacy and prepare young people better for adult life are increasingly common. Former UK prime minister Rishi Sunak proposed compulsory maths until 18 for all school pupils in England last year, but also faced opposition, including from teachers who said it would be impossible without more teachers. He failed to make it happen before leaving office. However, ideas to better contextualise maths for real life continue to be proposed, such as the AQA’s pilot scheme to test maths in real-life situations like comparing phone packages or calculating rent rises pegged to inflation.

Image Credit: Pexels. License.?

A New Hope??

A few weeks ago, Wired magazine wrote a feature on the ‘private city’ of Próspera in Honduras. Próspera emerged as a low-tax, low-regulatory ideal pedalled by Silicon Valley billionaires. The city has become a hub for advanced medical treatment, focusing on gene therapy and life extension technologies. Medtech startups have used Próspera's flexible regulations to accelerate clinical trials and longevity research, making it a home for medical tourism.?

It is now facing closure as the Honduran government seeks to?repeal its status as an autonomous hub. But the concept of a low-regulatory medical hub is catching on elsewhere.??

In Hainan, China, the Boao Hope Lecheng Pilot Zone is gaining traction. Established by the central government with the aim of becoming a leading medical tourism hub internationally, Boao Hope is encouraging various life sciences and healthcare sectors, including novel treatments, rehabilitation, medical cosmetology, and anti-aging.?

Unlike the rest of China, medical treatments within this zone don’t require prior approval from Chinese authorities. Instead, they follow a peer-approval model, allowing institutions to use pharmaceuticals and medical devices from countries where they are already approved, bypassing usual regulatory delays. Boao Hope uses its legal autonomy to keep tariffs low and waiving visa requirements for medical tourists.??

This novel model appears to be proving successful: the zone now hosts 29 hospitals and hundreds of thousands of medical tourists each year. As ever with China, it is difficult for western observers to independently verify the success of Boao Hope, but there are examples of its model helping to speed up drug approval in mainland China for new Alzheimer's drugs .??

We might rankle at China’s methods, but given medtech and healthcare will become ever more critical in an aging society, this model has its merits – and it’s a reminder of China’s attempts to be globally competitive in key markets of the future.?

Image Credit: Pexels. License.?

Lights To Stop Bites?

An Australian-led study suggests that LED lights on the underside of surfboards or kayaks could effectively deter great white shark attacks. Conducted in Mossel Bay, South Africa, researchers at Macquarie University fitted seal-shaped decoys with LED lights and towed them behind boats to observe shark responses. They found that the lights disrupted the sharks' ability to see silhouettes, making the decoys appear less like prey.

Dr. Laura Ryan, the study’s lead researcher, explained that great white sharks have poor eyesight and rely on a silhouette of a dark object against sunlight to locate potential prey. By altering this to a light object on a dark background, the sharks were less likely to recognise it as prey. When the decoy’s underside was covered with horizontal LED stripes, it created a less seal-like shape, further reducing shark attacks. However, other lighting configurations, such as strobe lights or longitudinal stripes, did not have the same effect and some even encouraged some sharks to attack.

The team noted that LEDs could offer a non-invasive alternative to nets or drones, aligning with conservation goals. As great white sharks are the main species involved in fatal attacks on surfers and swimmers, reducing shark interactions could significantly enhance water safety.

While results were promising for great whites, researchers emphasise the need for further testing with bull sharks and tiger sharks, as these species differ in hunting behaviour.

Image Credit: Pranav Bhatt. License. ?

And that's it for this week. I hope you found something of interest that you might want to delve into further. If so, please get in touch at [email protected]

For now, that’s The Weekend Box officially closed.?

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How will the White House prepare for Donald Trump's return to office? Click here ?to listen to the latest episode of Audley’s global affairs podcast The DipTel with Stewart McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association.?