DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Alphabet set to report first-quarter results after market close
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Revenue: $78.59 billion, according to LSEG. : $7.72 billion, according to StreetAccount. Traffic acquisition costs (TAC): $12.74 billion, according to StreetAccount. Wall Street is expecting Alphabet to report a second straight quarter of year-over-year revenue growth in the low teens. CEO Sundar Pichai told employees in January that more job cuts were likely coming in 2024, though he didn't specify at the time which teams would be affected.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Prabhakar Raghavan, Raghavan, Liz Reid, Meta, Mark Zuckerberg's, Ruth Porat Organizations: Google, TAC, OpenAI, Microsoft, CNBC Locations: Brussels, Belgium, LSEG, StreetAccount

He was a model to me of artistic labor and discipline, even if those early paintings were painfully amateurish. IT WASN’T MY intention to start an essay about artistic beginnings with a story of artistic death. No one captured the massive cultural and economic disparities of my life in Delhi (and his in Lahore) like Toor. But quite unbeknown to me, Toor’s life in New York had opened up a new vein of material. Not everyone who sees a Michelangelo can go off and paint a Michelangelo.”THERE ARE SO many ways to begin.

Persons: Naipaul, Neil Shah, James Wood —, Zack, who’d, ”, Artemisia Gentileschi, Susanna, Elders ”, I’m, ” Gustave Flaubert, “, ” Zack, it’s, Bruce Chatwin, Paul Gauguin, Salman Rushdie, Somerset Maugham, Kathryn Bigelow, Philip Glass, Arundhati Roy, Booker, Joseph Conrad, Conrad, Jacques, ” Conrad, brimming, ’, ’ ”, Clarice Lispector, Benjamin Moser, ” Lispector, Maugham, eludes, Jan van Kessel, Elder, — Pieter Bruegel, —, Rebecca West —, “ Black Lamb, J.R, Hammond, Wells, Rebecca West ”, sloughed, Henrik Ibsen’s, Rosmersholm ”, Karan Mahajan, Salman Toor, what’s, ” Hemingway, Anoushka Shankar, Ravi Shankar, Harold Bloom, Ravi, Uday, René Daumal, Rasa ”, ” Anoushka, Norah Jones, Norah, I’ve, “ Raphael, Rachel Cusk, Italy ”, Perugino, Raphael, Cusk, J.M, Samuel Beckett, Gabriel García Márquez, Thomas Pynchon’s, James Joyce, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Marcel Proust’s, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Read, Emma Kehlbeck, Quinton Kamara Organizations: Amherst College, Elders, Fayerweather, ”, Google, Sunday Times, Somerset, Yugoslavia, The, “, . Locations: Delhi, ”, Massachusetts, Italian, Topeka, Kan, Amherst, New York, London, Patagonia, New Delhi, Torrens, Cambridge, Polish, Ukrainian, Brazil, Flemish, Victorian England, “ H.G, Fairfield, United States, “, East, Lahore, Europe, America, Texas, Side, Manhattan, India, Italy

He was a model to me of artistic labor and discipline, even if those early paintings were painfully amateurish. The painting followed me from Amherst to my first job in New York, and on to London and Delhi. IT WASN’T MY intention to start an essay about artistic beginnings with a story of artistic death. I’m especially moved by those first moments of validation by which an artist comes out to himself, as it were. It’s this, the inexorability of the correspondence between an artist and the world, that gives those first steps their magical quality.

☆ Here’s how the Israel-Iran conflict affects the oil market
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Oil prices spiked Friday to levels not seen since October in anticipation of just such an escalation but on Monday were subdued. “It is the most significant chokepoint in the global oil market,” Richard Bronze, co-founder and analyst at data firm Energy Aspects, told CNN. A renewed crackdown would, however, “create upward pressure on global prices” at an inopportune moment, Tagliapietra said. A tight oil marketDespite Iran’s barrage of drones and missiles, the conflict had a relatively muted impact on the global oil market Monday. Oil prices have already risen sharply since hitting a low in early February.

Persons: London CNN —, Brent, Israel —, Simone Tagliapietra, ” Richard Bronze, Tagliapietra, Joe Biden’s, WTI, Russia — Organizations: London CNN, West Texas Intermediate, CNN, International Energy Agency, Hamas, Organization of, Petroleum, United Arab Emirates, Traders Locations: Israel, Iran, Syria, Paris, Gaza, Tehran, Hormuz ‘, Hormuz, Brussels, China, Strait, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United States, Ukraine, Washington, Damascus, OPEC, Russia, Brazil, Guyana, Canada

☆ Google restricts election-related queries for its Gemini chatbot
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, speaks on artificial intelligence during a Bruegel think tank conference in Brussels, Belgium, on Jan. 20, 2020. Google announced it will restrict the types of election-related queries that users can ask its Gemini chatbot, adding it has already rolled out the changes in the U.S. and in India, where voters will head to the polls this spring. "Out of an abundance of caution on such an important topic, we have begun to roll out restrictions on the types of election-related queries for which Gemini will return responses," Google wrote in a blog post on Tuesday. "We take our responsibility for providing high-quality information for these types of queries seriously, and are continuously working to improve our protections." A Google spokesperson told CNBC that the changes are in line with the company's planned approach for elections.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Gemini, Google's DeepMind, Josh Becker, screenshotting, Pichai, Sissie Hsiao, Bard Organizations: Google, CNBC, Gemini, Mobile, Democratic, Microsoft, Amazon Locations: Brussels, Belgium, U.S, India, Barcelona, California

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Missiles and drones are flying in the Red Sea, disrupting one of the world's key trade arteries and a chokepoint for energy shipments headed for Europe. Last year, 12.9% of Europe's LNG went through the Red Sea from suppliers in the Middle East, mainly Qatar. That means “an extended shut-in of the Red Sea route from the Middle East poses a supply risk to Europe,” said Kaushal Ramesh, vice president at Rystad Energy. So far, there's been little to no impact on natural gas prices. Europe is getting a break because demand for natural gas is weak amid a sluggish economy.

Persons: Yemen's Houthi, it's, ”, Kaushal Ramesh, there's, ” Rystad's Ramesh, Simone Tagliapietra, Tagliapietra, Biden, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Jennifer Granholm, Eurogas, Tagliapeitra, Claudia Kemfert, ___ Daly Organizations: Missiles, Union, SEA, Italy's, Europe's, Rystad Energy, WHAT'S, Energy, Industry, German Institute of Economic Research, Leuphana University Locations: FRANKFURT, Germany, Red, Europe, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Mandab, Israel, U.S, Yemen, Africa, Suez, Qatar, China, Norway, Azerbaijan, Brussels, Iran, Hormuz, Persian, That's, ”, Asia, ” U.S, USA, EU, Washington

☆ Google CEO says more job cuts are needed in 2024 in order to reach ‘ambitious goals’
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, speaks on artificial intelligence during a Bruegel think tank conference in Brussels, Belgium, on Jan. 20, 2020. Google CEO Sundar Pichai is warning employees that more job cuts are coming this year as the company continues to shift investments toward areas like artificial intelligence. In a memo titled “2024 priorities and the year ahead” that staffers received Wednesday evening, Pichai said, “we have ambitious goals and will be investing in our big priorities this year.” In the memo, which was obtained by CNBC, Pichai said company leadership is gearing up to share its AI goals for the year this week and will publish its 2024 OKRs (objectives and key results). “The reality is that to create the capacity for this investment, we have to make tough choices,” Pichai wrote. For some teams that means eliminating roles, which includes “removing layers to simplify execution and drive velocity,” he added.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Pichai, ” Pichai Organizations: Google, ”, CNBC Locations: Brussels, Belgium

☆ Europe’s gas prices are a worry ahead of winter despite brimming stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But while gas shortages are unlikely in Europe this winter, the price of the fuel remains a worry. According to S&P Global, about one-fifth of global LNG supply travels through the channel on Iran’s south coast. In a less jittery market, neither incident may have had the effect it did, helping boost European gas prices by more than 40% over the course of a single week. High gas prices have presented a persistent economic headwind for Europe's biggest economy due to its reliance on energy-intensive industries. Together, these milestones should push European gas prices down to €30 ($32) per megawatt hour by the end of next year, Weatherburn added.

Persons: Asia —, Soeren, ”, Jack Sharples, Heikki Saukkomaa, Simone Tagliapietra, Bill Weatherburn, Stefan Sauer, Weatherburn, “ Organizations: London CNN, European Union, International Energy Agency, EU, Getty, “, Oxford Institute of Energy Studies, CNN, Hamas, P, Chevron, Egyptian, Steam, ”, Capital Economics, Qatar, Energy Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Europe, North America, Asia, Norway, Hungary, Austria, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Germany, Israel, Gaza, Hormuz, Jordan, Egypt, Cairo, Estonia, Australia, AFP, “, ” Europe, France, Italy, Lubmin, Pomerania, United States, Qatar

☆ Green Steel Is Coming. Europe Is Leading the Charge Thanks to New Carbon Taxes.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Yusuf Khan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

The need for conversion to low-carbon steel production is greater in Europe, where 57% of steel is produced in coal-fired blast furnaces. Swedish-based startup H2 Green Steel has signed deals to supply low-carbon steel to IKEA, Mercedes-Benz , BMW and Scania. Customers of H2 Green Steel have been willing to support the project based on their own green targets and their end-customers’ willingness to pay a green premium, he said. H2 Green Steel said it would charge a €150 premium, while Swedish steelmaker SSAB expects to charge double that. Research from the Rocky Mountain Institute suggests the IRA will encourage green steel investments that would, by 2030, produce about eight million tons of low-carbon steel, or nearly 10% of U.S. steel demand.

Persons: fabian strauch, ”, Colin Richardson, incentivizing, CBAM, Nicola Davidson, Davidson, Henrik Henriksson, Mikael Sjoberg, ” Henriksson, Gunnar Güthenke, SSAB, Europe ”, Simone Tagliapietra, Paul Lim, ” Lim, Yusuf Khan Organizations: Leadership Group, Industry, Argus Media, Rocky Mountain Institute, U.S ., Business, International Energy Agency, Investments, Steel, IKEA, Mercedes, Benz, BMW, Scania, H2, Bloomberg, Research, Europe, Bruegel, U.S Locations: Europe, U.S, Brussels, London, European, Lakes , Texas, Pacific, China, Asia

☆ A pipeline in the Baltic Sea has been shut down. Authorities suspect sabotage
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Gasgrid, Finland’s gas transmission operator, said Sunday that it had temporarily shut the 95-mile-long Balticconnector pipeline, running under the Baltic Sea, over a suspected leak. Moreover, Finland can still source gas via its LNG terminal, and Estonia is still connected to the European gas grid via Lithuania. An ‘alarm bell’Gasgrid and its Estonian counterpart Elering “noticed an unusual drop in pressure in the Balticconnector offshore gas pipeline” on Sunday morning, Gasgrid said Tuesday. “It is reasonable to suspect that the cause of the incident was damage to the offshore gas pipeline,” the company said in a statement. “The European [gas] market remains very tight, and any news is having an impact,” said Sharples at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.

Persons: Gasgrid, Sauli Niinistö, Jens Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, Jack Sharples, Elering “, Kaja Kallas, Simone Tagliapietra, ”, Sharples, — James Frater, Sharon Braithwaite Organizations: London CNN, NATO, Finnish Border Guard, European Union, CNN, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, Estonian, Estonia’s, Authorities, Germany —, EU, Chevron Locations: Finland, Estonia, Baltic, Brussels, Lithuania, Latvia, Europe, United Kingdom, Germany, Nord, Norway, Algeria, Israel

The Tamar field, located 15 miles off Israel’s southern coast, meets 70% of Israel’s energy needs for power generation, according to the US energy company. A prolonged shutdown could lead to a drop in Israeli gas exports to its neighbors, Egypt and Jordan, as well as squeeze an already tight global gas market. For now, Chevron (CVX) continues to supply its customers in Israel and the region with gas from the larger Leviathan platform. Goldman Sachs analysts think the Tamar shutdown has “contributed” to the rally in European gas prices. However, all in all, the consequences for the global gas market would be “very limited,” he added, because Israel isn’t a major supplier.

Persons: Sally Jones, ” Jones, Chevron, “, Tamar, —, Wood Mackenzie, Goldman Sachs, Simone Tagliapietra, Marc Israel Sellem, Chevron’s Wheatstone, Tagliapietra, Israel, ”, Israel isn’t, Jordan, Israel’s, Martijn Murphy, Luo, ” Murphy Organizations: New York CNN, Chevron, Israel’s Ministry of Energy, Hamas, CNN, Rystad Energy, International Energy Agency Locations: London, New York, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Europe, Ukraine, Baltic, Australia, Finland, Estonia, Tamar

☆ Oil price spikes on Israel war. Here’s what a wider conflict might mean
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London CNN —Global oil prices climbed 4% Monday over fears that the unprecedented weekend attack on Israel by Hamas could escalate into a regional conflict embroiling oil-producing nations. The [attack] itself has no effect on the oil market directly,” Homayoun Falakshahi, a senior oil analyst at data provider Kpler, told CNN. Tighter oil sanctions? Should Washington decide to tighten the sanctions screw once more, “current flows to the global oil market might be compromised,” he added. “That would be a complete game-changer for the oil market,” Falakshahi said.

Persons: Brent, Israel, ” Homayoun, ”, Jon, “, Benjamin Netanyahu, Oded, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Simone Tagliapietra, Bruegel, —, Tehran —, ” Falakshahi, “ it’s, Tobias Borck, Borck, Artemis Moshtaghian Organizations: London CNN —, Global, CNN, National, United Nations, Hamas, Washington, United Arab, Royal United Services Institute for Defence, Security Locations: Israel, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, Washington, United States, Palestine, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Brussels, Ukraine, Hong Kong, China, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Gulf, Hormuz, Lebanese, Tehran, Shebaa Farms, Lebanon, “

☆ Putin's plan for winning the war in Ukraine could be starting to become reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Vladimir Putin has long bet that Western support for Ukraine will begin to weaken. The US Congress is in turmoil over Republican Party opposition to Ukraine aid. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesman, said the turmoil was a sign of things to come — that Western support for Ukraine would begin to collapse. AdvertisementAdvertisement"The combination could produce a tipping point at which the gradual erosion of Western support for Ukraine spills into an abrupt reduction or collapse," he wrote. The Belgian think tank Bruegel in June found popular support for Ukraine in the EU was holding firm despite a slight dip.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, —, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin's, Peskov, Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kent Nishimura, Putin, Sergey Shoigu, George Beebe Organizations: Republican Party, Service, Kremlin, —, GOP, Pentagon, Ukraine, Germany, House, Los Angeles Times, Getty, The New York Times, Quincy Institute, Chicago Council of Global Affairs Locations: Ukraine, Slovakia, Germany, Russia, Europe, Belgian

"The UK has been one of the real leaders in climate diplomacy and in their own emissions reductions," Ireland’s climate minister Eamon Ryan told Reuters. But according to the Climate Change Committee’s June 2023 progress report to parliament, to hit mid-way climate targets, Britain must quadruple its annual emissions reductions outside the electricity supply sector by 2030. He said he was changing the policy because previous governments had moved too quickly to set net zero targets, without securing the support of the public. Delaying net zero transition investments could prove politically popular, analysts observed, if an election was on the horizon. But "this framing only works if you think climate policy is a burden", said Bob Ward, a climate policy researcher at the London School of Economics and Political Science, adding that avoiding short-term costs was likely to lead to a greater bill for taxpayers down the road.

Persons: Eamon Ryan, Rishi Sunak, Bob Ward, Britain's, Simone Tagliapietra, Sunak’s, Philip Dunne, Susanna Twidale, Gloria Dickie, Kate Abnett, Elizabeth Piper, Ed Osmond, Alison Williams Organizations: Reuters, United Nations, London School of Economics, Political, Global, Thomson Locations: Britain, Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Netherlands, Brussels, U.S, London

☆ EU to investigate 'flood' of Chinese electric cars, weighing tariffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"Global markets are now flooded with cheaper electric cars. It is also unusual in that it is brought by the European Commission itself, rather than in response to an industry complaint. GRINDING GEARSThe influx of cheaper Chinese electric vehicles has already prompted some European carmakers to take action. At the same time Von der Leyen stressed the importance of electric vehicles to the EU's ambitious environmental objectives. The founder of Nio warned in April that Chinese EV makers should brace for the possibility that foreign governments would impose protectionist policies.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, BYD, EVs, Nio, Mercedes Benz, Stellantis, France's, Tesla, VDA, Von der Leyen, Simone Tagliapietra, Kingsmill Bond, Foo Yun Chee, Philip Blenkinsop, Kim Miyoung, Brenda Goh, Anne Marie Roantree, Nick Carey, Kate Abnett, Gabriela Baczynska, Louise Heavens Organizations: EU, Investigation, European EV, European Commission, European Union, Renault, BMW, HK, China Passenger Car Association, Dynamics, Volvo, EV, VW, France's Renault, Japan, Rocky Mountain Institute, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Brussels, China, Moscow, Ukraine, Germany, France, Europe, U.S

☆ Digital euro package should be focus of next EU Commission - McGuinness
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Julia Payne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The draft law is an attempt to preserve public money by creating a digital euro that is cash-like and usable offline. The ECB is due to decide in October whether to push ahead with a digital euro, which aims to tackle a shortage of European payment service providers. We need a digital version of this," McGuinness said, adding the EU was duty-bound to look into it. "Not to have a digital form of public money at some time in the future would leave a black hole in our system." Non-profit group Positive Money Europe sees the digital euro as a crucial tool to ensure a "safe and accessible" form of public money.

Persons: Bruegel, Mairead McGuinness, it’s, McGuinness, Julia Payne, Nick Macfie Organizations: European Central Bank, ECB, EU, Europe, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS

☆ EU's Digital Services Act will present the biggest threat to Twitter, think tank says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailEU's Digital Services Act will present the biggest threat to Twitter, think tank saysJ. Scott Marcus, senior fellow at Bruegel, discusses how the European Union's Digital Services Act could affect Big Tech.

Persons: Scott Marcus, Bruegel Organizations: EU's, Twitter, Union's Digital, Big Tech

☆ Analysis: A year on, Europe less fearful of U.S. green subsidies push
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Jan Strupczewski | Thomson Reuters | Jan Is The Acting Bureau Chief In Brussels. He Has Been Covering European Union Policy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Solar panels are seen atop a hops plantation in the Bavarian Holledau region in Au, Germany, June 19, 2023. And already, those subsidies are flowing: German conglomerate Thyssenkrupp (TKAG.DE) will invest around 3 billion euros ($3.27 billion) in a proposed green steel plant in Duisburg, Germany, including over 2 billion euros in state subsidies given EU approval in late July. But it noted the U.S. model also had uncertainty built in because a change of administration could end IRA subsidies. The complexity of EU financing through the recovery fund means it is available only to bigger companies, leaving smaller firms struggling to benefit. ($1 = 0.9184 euros)Reporting by Jan Strupczewski; editing by Mark John and Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Louisa, Joe Biden's, Biden, Niclas Poitiers, Jan Strupczewski, Mark John, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, United States, Union, Biden, EU, Zero Industry, European Commission, Sovereignty Fund, Ukraine, Russian, EV, Zero, Thomson Locations: Bavarian, Au, Germany, EU, BRUSSELS, United, Europe, Ukraine, Brussels, United States, Duisburg, U.S, France, China

Poland's government, which faces October elections, is even suing Brussels over climate policies. Britain has already quickly gone from being a leader on the world stage to looking quite weak on green policies, he said. CITIZENS, BUSINESSESEurope's green policies are still more credible than U.S. ones, given see-sawing between electoral cycles in the United States, some analysts said. Rows over green policies have propelled right-wing populist parties to second place in both Dutch and German polls. "Otherwise citizens might start to feel that climate policy is always financially overwhelming and bad, and that sentiment is then exploited by populists."

Persons: Timm Reichert, Virginijus Sinkevicius, Sinkevicius, Anna Moskwa, Nathalie Tocci, Mats Engström, GREEN, Bob Ward, Ward, Rishi Sunak, Rob Jetten, Nina Scheer, Simone Tagliapietra, Tagliapietra, Kate Abnett, Sarah Marsh, Gloria Dickie, Anthony Deutsch, Angelo Amante, Pawel, Susanna Twidale, William James, Alexnder Smith Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Reuters, European People's Party, European Council, Foreign, United States, Grantham Research, London School of Economics, Political, Climate, Energy, Democrats, Thomson Locations: Gruenberg, Germany, EU, BERLIN, BRUSSELS, Netherlands, Brussels, Europe, United States, Grantham, India, China, Britain, Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Rome, Warsaw

Pressure gauges, pipes and valves are pictured at an "Dashava" underground gas storage facility near Striy, Ukraine May 28, 2015. The bloc is expected to reach a target of filling its storage facilities to 90% full by Nov. 1. "EP Commodities transports natural gas to Ukraine and uses Ukrainian gas storage facilities," Miroslav Hasko, chairman at EPH's EP Commodities, said. EU countries' gas storage facilities were 87% full on Aug. 7, according to transparency platform GIE. "We consider gas storage in Ukraine as one of the interesting business opportunities that we are currently considering," SPP told Reuters.

Persons: Gleb Garanich, Miroslav Hasko, Naftotgaz, Martin Pich, Bruegel, Jan Lopatka, Marek Strzelelcki, Pavel Polityuk, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Traders, Gas, Reuters, Commodities, Naftogaz, Thomson Locations: Striy, Ukraine, PRAGUE, WARSAW, Czech, Slovakia, Russia, Hungary, Poland, Kyiv

During Greece's peak power demand this year, also on July 24, solar photovoltaics covered 3.5GW of the total 10.35GW demand, grid operator IPTO said. Even in cooler and less sunny western countries such as Belgium, solar energy has covered more than 100% of the extra energy needed during midday spikes in power demand. Analysts say a second factor has helped to keep Europe's energy systems running this summer: overall, power demand has been relatively low. That has been the case since Europe's energy crisis last year, when Russia cut gas deliveries to Europe. "The only reason why this has been bearable is the low power demand environment that we're currently in," Refinitiv's Gerl said.

Persons: Nicolas Economou, Kristian Ruby, Electrica, Nathalie Gerl, IPTO, Spain's, Refinitiv's Gerl, Simone Tagliapietra, Kate Abnett, Susanna Twidale, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Analysts, Energy, European Commission, SolarPower, Thomson Locations: Rhodes, Greece, Europe, BRUSSELS, LONDON, Spain, Ukraine, Catania, Etna, Sicily, Athens, Belgium, Russia

☆ 'Gratitude' spat: NATO and Ukraine's clash over aid reveals a strained power dynamic
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

This culminated with the Ukrainian leader, Volodomyr Zelenskyy, saying Tuesday that the absence of a timeline for his country to join NATO was "absurd." Even if some members were very keen to follow Ukraine's request, the United States in particular isn't supportive of immediate membership for Kyiv at this time. But I promise you, the United States is doing everything we can to get you what you need as rapidly as we can get it to you." watch nowThe 31 members of NATO did not commit to a date for when Ukraine can join the group. However, Valtonen disregarded claims that Ukraine has not shown gratitude, arguing that aid should not be seen as charity.

Persons: Volodomyr Zelenskyy, Joe Biden, Sean Gallup, Jacob Kirkegaard, Jake Sullivan, Ben Wallace, Rishi Sunak, Maria Demertzis, Zelenskyy, Biden, we're, Elina Valtonen, Valtonen Organizations: Getty, NATO, CNBC, Kyiv, German Marshall Fund of, Diplomat, . Defense, Reuters, European Union, Financial Times, Twitter Locations: Ukraine, Vilnius, Lithuania, Kyiv, United States, U.S, Washington, China, British, Russia, Finland

☆ Erdogan's push for Turkey's EU membership is being met with surprise and skepticism
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Erdogan surprised many on Monday by linking Sweden's bid to join NATO with his country's accession to the EU. "I was quite surprised he linked this," Maria Demertzis, senior fellow at the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel, told CNBC Tuesday. The EU deemed that Turkey was putting forward a lot of political reforms that actually moved it "further away" from the bloc. One of the policy changes that infuriated the EU was a 2017 referendum that gave Erdogan more executive powers. "He needs money," an EU official, who did not want to be named due to the sensitive nature of the topic told CNBC Tuesday, regarding why Erdogan brought up this issue again now.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, aren't, Erdogan, Maria Demertzis, Erdogan's Organizations: European Union, NATO, EU, CNBC Locations: Turkish, Turkey, Sweden, Brussels, Ankara

☆ Greece’s reform labours are only half complete
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Greece’s large current account deficit and domestic corruption undermine its attraction as an investment destination. The issue, rather, is whether Greece will be able to attract investment in the quantities needed for it to fulfil its potential. What’s more, investment is still only 14% of national income, even though this measure expanded during Mitsotakis’ first term as prime minister. Well-designed tax and benefit reforms could even reduce the country’s unemployment rate, which is currently 12%, thereby increasing its productive potential. All this would provide a buffer if Greece or the world economy is hit by further shocks in coming years.

Persons: Hercules, Mitsotakis, Bruegel, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Union, International Monetary Fund, Bank of, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Twitter, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Greece, Mitsotakis ’, Bank of Greece, Mitsotakis

Search resuls for: "Bruegel"

25 mentions found