Latest news with #geopolitical
Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
‘Moldova is worse than Ukraine': My clash with Russian sympathisers fighting the EU
Not all battles are fought with bullets. The Telegraph have travelled to Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, during a vital geopolitical crossroads on Europe's eastern flank. To its east is Ukraine, a country fighting for its very survival. To its west is Romania, a member of Nato and the European Union. Moldova is a member of neither and for many, that puts it in Putin's sights. The Telegraph has explored the dangers facing Moldova and the ramifications not only for Ukraine and Europe, but also for the wider West. If there were such a thing as a second Cold War, Chisinau would be on the front line. To hear more about this story, listen to our award-winning podcast, Ukraine: The Latest.
Bloomberg
14 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Battling Uncertainty From the C-Suite
Dr. Rebecca Homkes, lecturer at the London Business School and faculty at Duke Corporate Executive Education, discusses how business leaders look to mitigate risk during times of economic and geopolitical turmoil. Dr. Homkes speaks with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec on Bloomberg Businessweek Daily. (Source: Bloomberg)
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
China Threatens to Block $23B Port Deal Without Cosco Stake: Report
The Chinese government is reportedly threatening to nix the $23 billion port deal that has become a key front in its ongoing geopolitical tug-of-war with the U.S. Under the proposed sale, Hong Kong-based port operator CK Hutchison Holdings would hand ownership of more than 40 ports worldwide to a consortium including Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and BlackRock. More from Sourcing Journal But according to a Thursday report from the Wall Street Journal, China wants to block the acquisition if its leading ocean carrier, Cosco Shipping, is not included in the deal. The deal includes the ports of Balboa and Cristóbal in Panama, both of which sit on the opposite sides of the Panama Canal. China has had the deal under antitrust review since March, delaying the official approval of the sale. The Panamanian government also still needs to approve the acquisition. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is pushing for Cosco to be an equal partner and shareholder of the ports alongside both BlackRock and MSC, which is the world's largest container shipping company, the report said. Talks between the current parties in the deal are expected to continue through July 27, which is the end of the 145-day exclusive negotiation period. Cosco would not be able to be part of the talks until that period ends. While BlackRock, MSC and Hutchison are reportedly open to Cosco taking a stake in the deal, U.S. lawmakers don't share the same feeling. When the deal was first announced in March, it was seen as a major victory for the Trump administration, which has been seeking to rid the Panama Canal of any alleged Chinese influence. The president has claimed that the U.S. must 'take back' the canal as part of his protectionist, 'America First' rhetoric, so including a Chinese buyer in the sale of the Balboa and Cristóbal ports would further inflame the situation again. The U.S. congressional committee on China remains concerned as Cosco floats in the background of the mega ports deal. After the Wall Street Journal article published Thursday, Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) of the House Select Committee on China made his letter to a top Panamanian official public. The letter expresses alarm that CCP-directed entities could be included as part of a transaction involving port concessions managed by CK Hutchison, which Moolenaar said would pose a direct threat to the national security of both Panama and the U.S.
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
Shake The Telecom Market. Shape The Network
Consumer Using Smartphone As we cross midway through 2025, the unprecedented economic and competitive challenges in the business world of technology and telecommunications have rocked the boat in house and home for organizations and their consumers. From looming tariffs impacting every corner of the global business landscape to rubber-banding inflation in the U.S. and growing geopolitical tensions, consumer sentiment is impacted monthly, influencing every financial decision. While uncertainty and volatility persist for consumers in the U.S. market, coupled with rising distrust in technology and diluted authenticity, ambiguity continues to rise for business leaders on how to attract, retain and satisfy their customers amongst the madness. With the doom clock ticking for technology providers to address the hurdles ahead of this precarious market, how can organizations keep these threats out of the hands of the customers and communities powering them? How Consumers are Spending Time and Money In retrospect, today's ever-connected world truly began five years ago during the Covid-19 pandemic. What are considered norms today – especially related to digital connectivity around-the-clock – happened seemingly overnight and remains attached to our hips. While our doors, businesses and digital highways are open, the time consumers choose to spend alone and online still reigns supreme. According to a recent State of the Consumer 2025 report from McKinsey, 90% of the more than three hours of free time per week the average consumer has is spent independently, particularly online. While the U.S. market continues to fluctuate, we too must understand that it is largely driven by a sentiment of impatience. The same I-want-it-now mindset that blossomed during the 11 months we remained indoors is not only reshaping retail and e-commerce, but overall consumer behaviors tenfold. Technology has made it tradition to find quick solutions and affordable joy physically, mentally and financially regardless of the complexities or risks at stake, and the 55% of people choosing these routes versus traditional means, according to a recent Accenture Life Trends survey, are more likely to grow as the platforms and capabilities delivering them evolve. Even amongst this migration, more than 60% of consumers are changing their spending habits due to economic uncertainties, per McKinsey, with over half planning to cut back on nonessential spending, purchase fewer items or switch to lower priced brands and products – including our new age essentials like Internet and streaming services. How Service Providers are Responding and Peacocking While spending and overall sentiment continues to trend downward, today's consumer is even more mindful and strategic, and organizations understand the power they hold. Peering down from the provider's perspective, major streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu have recently implemented price hikes to their services, making customers re-evaluate their expenses. Additional tactics like password sharing cracked downs are also impacting subscriber numbers across the board, further compounded by factors like consumer content fatigue and plaguing competition. Competitive intensity driven by the influx of promotions, bundles and discounts from streaming services and Internet providers alike are fruitful today. The industry is hungry for another growth spurt, even if that means wiping their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs to get approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to absorb smaller players surrounding them. However, reviewing the latest strategic approaches from legacy corporations like Comcast demonstrate that there are bolder strategies possible to retain customers and market share backed by real innovation, disruption, and value. In late June, the organization launched an all-new everyday pricing, part of the company's broader convergence strategy to give their customers simple, predictable pricing for up to five years on their fastest Internet services that includes a line of cellular service, Xfinity Mobile, free for a year. Prices for these packages claim to be more affordable than other major providers on the market, and according to a recent Prosper Insights & Analytics survey, pricing and value is the standout driver (30%) for consumers looking to switch their service provider. Prosper - Reasons For Planning To Switch Mobile Phone Service Providers 'With the overwhelming challenges our customers and communities face, if nothing else we have an immense responsibility to be even more transparent to those who rely on our services,' said Christine Whitaker, president of Comcast's Central Division, adding the operator's decision to transform their approaches is driven by 'the growing complexities of today's market, evolving consumer habits and trust.' Optimism, community, and overall business outlook sharply declines when organizations lose their grip on trust from their stakeholders and customers. The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer Global Report shows that despite the impact of globalization, economic pressures and the techno ecosystem on job security, consumer sentiment and innovation, telecommunications remains one of the top industry sectors trusted globally. Smarter, Savvier Network Capabilities Defining the Next Generation The concept of convergence is not new; we are in fact living in the future of integrated services where Comcast claims to have been leading the charge for thinking beyond today's boundaries and how its capabilities will be the digital lifestyle enabler for innovations yet to come. On the backs of fierce competition, consumer, and economic concerns, building seamless infrastructure for affordable and unrivaled Internet, entertainment and mobile connectivity for homes and businesses is still a top priority – and nearly impossible to conduct manually anymore. Last year, Comcast launched a network virtualization initiative called Janus, making the organization one of the first operators in the world to virtualize and disaggregate the core of its transport network. 'It has essentially supercharged our self-detecting and self-healing network backed by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning,' said Lissette Martinez, Vice President of Field Sales & Operations, Comcast Central Division. For communities especially prone to severe weather amongst the growing storm intensity across the U.S., this approach aims 'to help customers have a seamless, end-to-end connectivity experience and never even know if their services get disrupted.' The integration of AI in technology, particularly for telecoms, has become a central tool to delivering superior customer experiences across every touchpoint. The convergence of high-tech like edge computing and AI is expected to fundamentally change how connectivity is delivered. It is not just about faster processing but creating intelligent and responsive networks that can adapt real-time to user needs and environmental conditions. For businesses to anticipate the mostly unpredictable needs of consumers often takes first having the ability to look within years ahead. Creating meaningful value through purposeful innovation requires organizations to get closer to their customers and truly rewire their approaches. As technology grows, evolves, and innovates itself, as do organizations as they continue to enable new capabilities to stay ahead of anticipated trends. And with a telecom market and its customers in search of growth and stability, the best upgrades and value-adds one could hope for are ones you can't see; you just notice that everything is working that much more seamlessly.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New energy realities could extend coal's role in global energy markets
Wood Mackenzie new Horizons report shows how energy security concerns, unprecedented power demand, and technological advances could extend coal's life and reshape the global energy transition Global coal demand could remain stronger for longer, with coal-fired power generation potentially staying dominant through 2030, well beyond current projections for peak coal, according to a new Horizons report from Wood Mackenzie. The report titled 'Staying power: How new energy realities risk extending coal's sunset' suggests that a confluence of factors, from a rapidly electrifying global economy to energy security priorities rising from geopolitical and cost shocks to Asia's young and evolving coal fleet, could extend coal's role as a vital power source well into the next decade and beyond. 'Extending coal's prominence through 2030 would fundamentally alter the global energy transition timeline. We're talking about delaying the phase-out of the world's most carbon-intensive fuel source during a critical decade for climate action,' said Anthony Knutson, global head, thermal coal markets at Wood Mackenzie. 'While the long-term trajectory towards renewables remains intact, the path is proving far more complex than many anticipated as countries grapple with energy security and affordability concerns.' In Wood Mackenzie's base-case Energy Transition Outlook, coal-fired power generation is projected to decline by nearly 70% between 2025 and 2050. This decline is driven by decreasing renewable energy costs, advancements in battery storage technology, a resurgence in nuclear energy, and an increase in natural gas capacity. However, Wood Mackenzie's latest Horizons report highlights the potential for coal to remain demand to be stickier than expected. A 'high coal demand' case that offers a significantly different perspective: coal generation could average 32% higher than the base case through 2050. Under the high coal demand case, output from global coal fleets is optimized to help meet steep and rapid load growth expectations, leading to significantly less renewable and gas energy deployment. This equates to 2,100 gigawatts (GW) less global wind, solar, energy storage, and natural gas capacity between 2025 and 2050. Without carbon capture and storage investment, unabated emissions from the coal sector would increase by two billion tonnes compared to the base case scenario. Total global coal electricity generation, unabated, terawatt hours (TWh) Source: Wood Mackenzie Investment headwinds and shifting market forces The latest Horizons report notes that a higher coal demand case will expose investment gaps in replacement coal supply, potentially raising prices by 2030. 'Private equity and sovereign wealth funds will be needed to fund greenfield and brownfield mine expansions,' said Knutson. 'We expect most Western financial institutions to continue limiting thermal coal investments, with the strongest impact on supply growth from 2025-2030 and longer-term market implications if supply replacement momentum is not maintained.' According to the report, lack of commensurate investment is the largest risk facing coal markets now. Wood Mackenzie expects higher coal prices to erode the fuel's core cost advantage if demand increases without a supply response. 'While we understand coal demand may remain resilient in coming years, eventually supply constraints will emerge, and this could accelerate price increases globally and erode future demand,' said Knutson. Reimagined coal power offers potential pathways The potential for carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) offers a pathway to extend coal's operational life in a decarbonising world. 'CCUS could theoretically transform coal's environmental profile by capturing carbon dioxide emissions before they enter the atmosphere, but the economics remain challenging without substantial policy support and capital investment,' said David Brown, director, energy transition practice at Wood Mackenzie. 'Higher coal utilisation rates would improve the investment case, but we're still years away from cost-competitive deployment at scale, particularly in Asia, where carbon storage costs are likely to limit widespread adoption,' he added. As governments and asset owners reposition for a low-carbon future, technologies that reduce the carbon intensity of coal must be prioritised. Without innovation in areas like CCUS, co-firing and flexible, load-following coal capacity to work in concert with renewables, a high coal demand scenario becomes increasingly difficult to justify. Where CCUS is deployed, pairing it with gas-fired generation may offer a more efficient path, given the lower CO₂ capture requirements per unit of electricity produced. A new paradigm for global energy planning While increased coal consumption represents neither an inevitable outcome nor an optimal scenario, current market trends indicate a significant transformation in global energy priorities. As nations develop comprehensive energy planning strategies, they are increasingly prioritizing energy sovereignty and domestic resource control to support their long-term objectives. This shift reflects countries' efforts to accelerate electrification initiatives that are both cost-effective and dependable for their populations, while maintaining greater autonomy in their energy planning decisions. 'Despite potential higher coal demand, we have the tools to phase it out,' Brown concluded. 'Without urgent actions, the world faces a growing risk of drifting towards a 3°C pathway. Our high coal demand case is not a forecast, but it's a warning of what inaction could bring, and a reminder of what can still be prevented.'Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
