#geopolitics

#geopolitics

Most managers of global companies came of age in an era where geopolitics did not have such a constraining role. These managers took for granted greater economic integration and strong institutional foundations that support it. They went to business school to learn about reading financial statements, analyzing investments, and selling to old and new customers. However, they had little-to-no training on navigating a world dominated by trade wars, national security concerns, shifts in the global balance of power, or technology decoupling.

There is a point during Tamara Stepanyan's My Armenian Phantoms when the documentary cuts to the final scene of the 1980 Soviet film, A Piece of Sky, in which the orphaned lead character, joyfully rides a horse and cart through the town that had long shunned him and the sex worker he married as social outcasts. A flock of birds are then framed gliding through the pristine blue sky above.

EUAU Summit Shows West now Taking Africa Quite Seriously

Well, if you can tell by his body language and the whole setup there, Trump gave him an out. Like, you know, Trump went and attacked that ABC reporter. MBS didn't have to say anything, he interrupted Trump, and he had a pre-canned answer that he wanted to get out there. There's no way he thought up and concocted that answer on the spot.

The European economy is somewhat different to the rest of the world. Europe is still struggling with an overall GDP recovery, much more susceptible to the uncertainty with their global trade. They are looking at 'geo-repatriation,' a portion of the digital sovereignty movement who is trying to get more technology from companies closer to home.

A survey of CIOs and tech leaders in Western Europe has found 61 percent want to increase their use of local cloud providers amid global geopolitical uncertainty. Around half (53 percent) said geopolitics would restrict their use of global providers in the future. Gartner surveyed 241 CIOs and IT leaders in Western Europe between May and July. It found that ongoing geopolitical tension was fueling concerns over digital sovereignty.

Softbank, the Japanese tech holding company run by legendary Masayoshi Son, sold 100% of its Nvidia Corp. ( NASDAQ: NVDA) shares, which yielded $5.8 billion. It is speculated that the money will be allocated to other tech investments, which Son may believe yield larger returns. Softbank holds equity positions in several artificial intelligence (AI) companies, led by OpenAI. It is also part of a huge U.S. AI infrastructure play known as Stargate.

Almost certainly woven for one of the Safavid kings, the 550-year-old textile retained a startling vibrancy; the leading artisans of the Islamic world had woven leaping birds and curling tendrils on 16 feet of rich red wool, dyed in pigments and carried thousands of miles across the Silk Road to the royal atelier in Qazvin, Northern Iran. And yet, it failed to make its reserve price,

Small, flat squares of silicon with maze-like patterns etched on their surface are now the backbone of pretty much every major industry. That means that trade barriers and disruptions in semiconductor production can have ripple effects across the world. That's exactly what's happening now, as a major European automotive chipmaker has found itself in the middle of a geopolitical firestorm between China and the West, which could upend car production.

This renewed focus has brought economic statecraft to the forefront, as governments increasingly deploy trade restrictions, foreign investment scrutiny, and sanctions as foreign policy tools to advance their agendas and exert influence. After decades of near-unwavering commitment to free trade and the rapid globalization of markets across the Western world, we are witnessing a protectionist turn, with U.S. tariff levels reaching heights not seen in nearly a century.

Celebrity news so often serves as a numbing distraction from depressing world events.

Prepare yourself for surprises winners are often unexpected, and the shortlist of nominees is not public. If the Norwegian Nobel Committee seeks to send a message, it can also be controversial. The committee has on several occasions sought to celebrate rights activists and shame oppressive regimes. With major conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and fears over a time of breakdown in international order, the committee's choice today could be interpreted as a pointed signal on key failings from world leaders.

Tile tracking tags can be a useful way to find your lost keys, wallet, or pets. But be careful: Researchers say the Bluetooth-enabled tags can broadcast unencrypted data that could allow a tech-savvy stalker-or the company itself- to spy on your movements. Not only that, but an attacker could use an anti-theft feature to spoof your Tile device and make it seem like you (or at least your belongings) were in a location you never visited.

Trade restrictions on advanced AI chips are reshaping the entire semiconductor industry in unprecedented ways. Where previously the design and performance of AI accelerators were primarily driven by physics, manufacturing yields, and customer demands, they are now controlled by US export restrictions. The US's Department of Commerce has set strict limits on how leading American technology companies, such as Nvidia and AMD, design AI chips, with restrictions on performance, memory bandwidth, and interconnect speeds.

I find them so alluring, almost like perfume bottles or snow globes, but so grotesque, she explains as we handle the etched and sculpted objects, which each have a precious drop of crude oil at their centre. They have these shiny, dazzling exteriors, but when you get close you see the death mulch inside. All presentations of power are fragile; they collapse once you get close enough.

Is the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) submarine power cable project dead in the water? The GSI project, which is worth 2 billion ($2.36 billion), seeks to build a subsea electric cable connecting Greece and Cyprus and later Israel. The aim is to integrate the Republic of Cyprus into the European electricity transmission system and bolster the energy security of EU member states Greece and Cyprus.

In July, the EU sanctioned an Indian refinery that refined Russian crude, ensuring it can't sell to Europe. Since then, US President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on India, half of it as punishment for buying Russian fuel. But as the EU and the US align their policies against Russia on secondary sanctions for its war in Ukraine, the Trump reportedly called on the bloc to impose up to 100% tariffs on India.

The trade deal von der Leyen signed with Donald Trump in July was an unequal bargain, decried by right and left as a humiliation for Europe. Russia escalated its attacks on Ukraine, while EU leaders were left wincing at the spectacle of Trump's red carpet welcome for Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Israel's war on Gaza continued relentlessly, killing more than 64,000 people and bringing famine to the strip,