This week at the World Economic Forum: June 6

Welcome to this week’s update from the World Economic Forum.

Closing Japan’s gender gap. If it becomes a place “where women shine”, Japan could boost its GDP by 13%. (Report)

The five biggest threats to our oceans. Ahead of World Oceans Day, a Global Agenda Council expert warns that the deep seas are in deep trouble.

On Forum:Blog

Modi has a single objective: double digit growth. Pranjal Sharma on how India’s new government is rebooting the economy. Also: Can India crowdsource its future?

Five ways Japan can let women get ahead. From targets to training, Saadia Zahidi on how to bridge the gender gap.

Innovation versus inequality. Sebastian Buckup gives three reasons why Thomas Piketty’s outlook is too pessimistic.

We’re killing the development of new drugs. The cost of creating a medicine doubles every nine years. We need a new funding model.

Spain is out of intensive care, but this is no time for complacency. Reforms are needed to keep its recovery in good shape.

Too much or not enough? America and China took very different macro-economic approaches to the financial crisis. What worked?

The World Economic Forum in the news

The United States has an infrastructure problem. Our Global Competitiveness Report leads the analysis. (FiveThirtyEight)

Changing the way we think about Africa. Growth is broad-based, risk is declining. Amina Mohammed, who took part in the World Economic Forum on Africa, gives her take on the continent’s future. (CNN)

Ten worst countries to be a woman. A depressing round-up of the problems women face around the world, drawing on the Global Gender Gap Report. (Marie Claire)

Japan looks for female business leaders. The Global Gender Gap Report features in coverage of a new careers website for women. (Bloomberg)

A health check on Canada’s banks. Canadian lenders are among the world’s most capitalized. (Bloomberg)

On our radar

Negative interest rates. Can they save the Euro and jumpstart the Eurozone economy? Are they really aimed at bank lending? Or are the real targets German disinflation and the exchange value of the Euro? Why now? And what does NIRP mean?

The cyborg era begins next week at the World Cup. The robotic exo-skeleton powering the opening kick on the world’s biggest sporting stage.

Something is disrupting the energy industry. It’s a 4.5 billion year old nuclear fusion reactor – the sun.

How plague kickstarted economic growth in Europe. The Black Death killed one in three Europeans, but brought big improvements for women, technology, and pay.

You are still far too big to teleport. “Beam me up, Scotty” may still be fiction, but Dutch scientists say they can now move quantum information across a small room.

The modern work space. A history.

Have something for our reading list? Drop me a line.

Coming up next week

On Forum:Blog next week – what makes European economies competitive, and a glimpse at the future of government.

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Author: Adrian Monck is Managing Director of Public Engagement at the World Economic Forum

Image: A scuba diver removes his equipment as he prepares to exit a cave near the Bay of Pigs, January 24, 2012. REUTERS/Pablo Sanchez