Rubio: An attack on Exxon or Guyana would be a 'bad day for Venezuela'
Marco Rubio, U.S. secretary of state during a Thursday visit to Guyana’s capital, said that it would be "a bad day" if Venezuela attacked its neighbor Guyana and the U.S. energy giant ExxonMobil. Guyana and Venezuela have been locked in a longstanding dispute over which country holds the rights to the area of Esequibo, spanning 160,000 square kilometers (62,000 square miles), which is currently the subject of a case before the International Court of Justice.
Putin claims that rivalries in the Arctic are growing, but there is still room for cooperation
Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, said that although geopolitical rivalries in the Arctic are intensifying, cooperation is possible in the region, including between Moscow, and western states. Putin made a reference to the stated intention of U.S. president Donald Trump to acquire Greenland. He said that this had nothing whatsoever to do with Russia, but it was obvious that the U.S. will continue to advance its interests in Arctic. He said that the U.S. plans for Greenland are serious and have a long history.
Australia pours billions into missile procurement amidst global shortages
Australia's plans for developing its own missile component capability will likely be slowed by the Ukraine war and increased European defense spending, even though it is pushing ahead with a multi-billion dollar effort to purchase long-range attack missiles. Last year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese committed A$74 billion (46.68 billion dollars) for missile acquisition. This included A$21 billion towards the establishment of a Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise.
Equinor, Norway's largest oil company, scales back its climate ambitions due to wind change
Equinor, the Norwegian energy company, has weakened its plan for energy transition as it struggles with delivering on promises to invest in renewable energy technologies and low-carbon technology. It cited practical difficulties and shifts in political priorities. In 2022, the oil and gas producer laid out short and medium term steps to achieve net zero emission, including those from using its products, by 2050. In February, however, the company reneged…
Boeing, Apple and GE will join US business delegation to Vietnam next week list shows
A list of participants, including Boeing, Apple, and other top U.S. companies in tech, defence, and energy, will be joining a large mission to Vietnam, next week. This could be a sign of confidence, as Vietnam tries to avoid U.S. tariffs on trade. The US-ASEAN Business Council is an advocacy group that organizes the annual mission. This year, Vietnam is reviewing its tariffs on U.S. products, including liquefied gas, agricultural and high-tech goods, while U.S. president Donald Trump has threatened to impose additional tariffs on trading partner countries.
EU diplomats suggest that military aid to Ukraine be doubled this year
According to a document from the diplomatic service of the EU, seen on Friday, it is possible that this year's military aid for Ukraine could be doubled to 40 billion euro ($43 billion). In the paper, which is an updated version from an earlier proposal that outlined Ukraine's needs but did not specify a specific figure, it also states that each EU member country participating in this effort should contribute according to its economic weight. As the future of U.S.
Leader of the Greens says, "We'll See" on support for German lending bonanza
On Wednesday, the plans for Germany to increase state borrowing massively were questioned by a Greens co-leader who was non-committal on whether an agreement could be reached. Friedrich Merz, the election winner, is trying to push through debt reforms as well as a new infrastructure fund of 500 billion euros ($545 billion) in the upcoming parliament. These initiatives depend on the support of the Greens but could be derailed also by court rulings. Franziska Brantner…
Bloggers claim that Russian special forces attacked Ukrainian forces at Kursk via a gas pipeline
Pro-Russian bloggers claimed that Russian special forces snuck miles through a large gas pipeline near Sudzha to try to surprise Ukrainian troops as part of a massive offensive to eject Ukrainian soldier from the western Russian region Kursk. In August of last year, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers took over about 1,300 sq km of Russia's Kursk Region in an effort to gain bargaining power in future negotiations as well as to force Russia to withdraw its military forces from eastern Ukraine.
Naftogaz, Ukraine's gas producer, says that the Russian attack has damaged its production facilities.
Ukraine's Energy Minister said that Russian forces had targeted Ukraine's gas and energy infrastructure with their latest drones and missile attacks, which took place on Friday. Rescuers and engineers work to minimize the effects. "All necessary measures are taken to stabilise the power and gas supply," he said. In a press release, Naftogaz said that the attack had damaged its natural gas production plants. "Production installations that ensure gas production have been damaged. Naftogaz reported that there were no fatalities via Telegram.
The world must adhere to climate goals, despite what the US and UK envoys say
Britain's climate ambassador said that despite the United States pulling out, the world must continue to pursue the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions outlined in Paris Agreement. The UK is also moving forward with its goals. Last month, Donald Trump, the president of the United States, withdrew his country as the second largest emitter in the world from an agreement that seeks to limit global temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius. Rachel Kyte said in an interview during a trip to Pretoria, South Africa. "Around world, people have noticed that the U.S.
Ambassador to Washington: Philippines-US defense arrangements will remain intact
Manila's ambassador in the United States, who spoke on Monday, said that existing defence agreements between the Philippines and United States would remain intact under Donald Trump. Jose Manuel Romualdez, a reporter at a forum for foreign media in Manila, said that Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Philippine president, is willing to travel if Trump can meet him. This could happen in the northern spring. Romualdez responded that "all of this will remain" when asked about U.S. support for security in the Philippines.
Overnight, Russian drones attack Ukraine's Kyiv Region and energy sector
Authorities said that Russia launched an overnight drone attack on Ukraine, which targeted primarily the Kyiv area and energy facilities to the east. In recent weeks, Russia increased drone attacks with every attack on Ukraine. On Sunday, the number of drones reached a record of 267 for three years of war. The air force reported that Ukraine's air defences destroyed 110 of the 177 drones fired by Russia during the overnight attack. The statement made reference to Ukraine using electronic warfare to redirect Russian Drones.
Sources say China's Norinco sweetens its bid for Congo copper mining as the deal stalls.
China North Industries Corp., also known as Norinco has offered to increase the Congo government stake in its bid to purchase copper and cobalt assets from Chemaf SA to help smooth the way to a deal. The $1.4 billion offer made by China's defence and industrial giant, in June, stalled when Congo state miner Gecamines put forward its own unsolicited proposal for the Chemaf asset. This exacerbated a standoff that was already complicated by U.S. officials who were lobbying against China’s grip on central Africa’s mineral-rich Copperbelt.
In the shadow of tariffs, Europe's markets can benefit from a ceasefire in Ukraine
The markets have bet that a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine will ease the pressure on energy and euro prices, and also reduce the impact of increased U.S. tensions. Meanwhile, expectations about defence spending has already sent stocks in this sector soaring. Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, arrived in Saudi Arabia Monday to discuss with Russian officials. President Donald Trump ordered U.S. officials last week to start talks about ending the war. The talks are not expected to include either Ukraine or European nations.
KNDS to buy German defence equipment manufacturer Alstom
The companies announced on Wednesday that Alstom, a French train manufacturer, has agreed to sell the Gorlitz plant located in Germany to KNDS (a German defence equipment maker). In a joint press release, KNDS said that it will begin using the plant in this year to manufacture assemblies for the Leopard 2 Battle Tank, the Puma Infantry Fighting Vehicle and variants of Boxer Wheeled Armoured Vehicle. Depending on the progress of the project, the production of double-decker trams and trains by Alstom in Gorlitz may continue…
Russell: China's impact on US energy trade is minimal at first.
China responded to the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump with its own measures, effectively killing off trade between the United States in crude oil and liquefied gas as well as coal. China, which is the largest importer of these three commodities in the world, imposed import duties on Tuesday of 15% for U.S. coal and LNG, and 10% for crude oil and farm machinery. Beijing made its move after the Trump Administration imposed an extra 10% tariff on all Chinese imports into the United States.
French and Benelux stocks: Factors to watch
Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or even individual stocks. The European Union leaders decided on Monday that they would do more to strengthen their defences and capabilities against Russia and other potential threats. They will increase their spending and close gaps in their military capability. EUROPEAN UNION/UNITED NATIONS: After a meeting on Monday with other EU leaders, German Chancellor Olaf…
Saudi Arabian STC wants a seat on Telefonica's board
STC Group will apply for a seat in Telefonica's Board, the U.S. regulator of markets was informed by the Saudi Arabian company six days after Telefonica unexpectedly replaced the chief executive. STC informed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday that it owned 9.97% in Telefonica and planned to "engage in discussions with issuers to seek a seat on the board". A request for a comment from Telefonica regarding its American Depositary Receipts in the U.S. was not immediately responded to.
Ukraine looks for investment in Davos to recover from the recession as Trump calls for peace
While U.S. president Donald Trump called for an end to the three-year war and Ukraine's President discussed peacekeeping forces, Ukrainian officials courted private investors to help rebuild their country this week. Oleksiy Sbolev is the first deputy minister of economy. He described a $500-billion reconstruction project that would bring both financial and strategic dividends to Western Investors, while Kyiv intensifies its privatisation plans in order to attract foreign investment.
Trump's complaint about the trade deficit with EU and what could come next
Donald Trump, President of the United StatesTrump has pledged to reduce a long-standing trade deficit between the United States and the European Union. He says he will do this by imposing tariffs, or forcing the EU to buy more U.S. gas and oil. In a memo entitled "America First Trade Policy", issued by Trump on his first day in the White House, he directed the Commerce and Treasury Departments and the U.S. Trade Rep to investigate the goods trade deficit and recommend measures before April.
