Workers check vehicle frames on the production line for electric vehicle maker Zeekr at its factory on May 29, 2025 in Ningbo, China. Kevin Frayer | Getty Images News | Getty Images The fallout from the Iran war is likely to expedite the shift away from fossil fuels and make countries think differently about the role renewables can play in shoring up energy security, analysts told CNBC. The Middle...
Workers check vehicle frames on the production line for electric vehicle maker Zeekr at its factory on May 29, 2025 in Ningbo, China. Kevin Frayer | Getty Images News | Getty Images The fallout from the Iran war is likely to expedite the shift away from fossil fuels and make countries think differently about the role renewables can play in shoring up energy security, analysts told CNBC. The Middle East crisis has severely disrupted oil exports through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, which typically carries about a fifth of the world's oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) and represents a key choke point for fertilizer trade . It has shone a light on the extent to which the world remains deeply reliant on fragile fossil fuel trade routes, while surging oil and gas prices have rattled energy markets and triggered widespread inflation fears . Asia's reliance on imported energy means it now sits at the forefront of the global fossil fuel crisis , but supply disruptions are also hitting hard in Europe and Africa, where countries are responding to rising fuel costs and a considerable threat to food security. The head of the International Energy Agency said the energy transition was moving "very strongly" before the Iran war began — but the fallout from the resulting energy shock means countries will likely direct even more investment toward clean energy sources. Ten years ago, solar was a romantic story — but now solar is a business. Fatih Birol IEA Executive Director "I expect one of the responses to this crisis will be [an] acceleration of renewables. Not only because they are helping to reduce the emissions but also, they are [a] homegrown domestic energy source," IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said at the National Press Club in Australia's capital on Monday. Clean energy sources dominated new power installations last year, for example, with renewables accounting for 85% of all new global power capacity, Birol said, citing solar as a primary driver of this...
Veronique D/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction I believe that Pfizer ( PFE ) is one of the companies that I’ve covered the most here on Seeking Alpha , as I believe that it has some of the best value around the market. Since my last analysis, the company has remained fairly stable, which is overall good considering what has been happening around the globe, and with the latest developme...
Veronique D/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction I believe that Pfizer ( PFE ) is one of the companies that I’ve covered the most here on Seeking Alpha , as I believe that it has some of the best value around the market. Since my last analysis, the company has remained fairly stable, which is overall good considering what has been happening around the globe, and with the latest developments, I will dive into why I believe the company is still a great bargain. Current Dynamics I’ll first start with the recent regulatory and clinical wins, mainly in Oncology, which I believe will be one of the best opportunities for Pfizer following its acquisition of Seagen. BRAFTOVI received its full approval for the first-line treatment of adult patients with BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer in late February. BRAFTOVI is currently the only approved drug for this particular case. The BRAFTOVI regimen showed a 51% reduction in the risk of death and an impressive doubling of median overall survival to 30.3 months. It is important to understand this market, as the BRAF V600E mutation happens in around 10% of metastatic colorectal cancer patients, so this is rather niche, but the ensuing pricing will be substantial as it is set to become the clear standard. Later on, Pfizer announced a positive topline result from the Phase 2 FOURLIGHT-1 study , which evaluated atirmociclib, PFE’s next-generation CDK4 inhibitor. The trial revealed a 40% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death for second-line metastatic breast cancer. PFE is now focused on the ongoing Phase 3 trial for the drug in the first-line setting. It is important to grasp that over 90% of patients had progressed on a prior CDK4/6 inhibitor within the previous three months, and this second-line setting is known to be hard to treat. Meaning that atirmociclib could offer an advantage over switching to another CDK4/6 inhibitor like Verzenio or Kisqali. Furthermore, atirmociclib’s Phase 3 in the fi...
Alibaba Group Holding (NYSE:BABA) has introduced the XuanTie C950 RISC-V AI chip, developed by its Damo Academy. The new processor is built for AI inference and cloud workloads and is positioned to compete with chips from Nvidia, Huawei, Arm, and Intel. The XuanTie C950 is linked to Alibaba’s T-Head unit, which is preparing for mass production and is being discussed as a potential separate listing...
Alibaba Group Holding (NYSE:BABA) has introduced the XuanTie C950 RISC-V AI chip, developed by its Damo Academy. The new processor is built for AI inference and cloud workloads and is positioned to compete with chips from Nvidia, Huawei, Arm, and Intel. The XuanTie C950 is linked to Alibaba’s T-Head unit, which is preparing for mass production and is being discussed as a potential separate listing. Alibaba Group Holding, trading at $125.48, is adding a new angle to its AI story with...
In an interview with BBC Newsnight, five survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuses spoke about how pervasive the disgraced financier's wrongdoing was and what justice could look like.
In an interview with BBC Newsnight, five survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuses spoke about how pervasive the disgraced financier's wrongdoing was and what justice could look like.
A man in China has dug up a yam that looks exactly like a human hand, shocking many people online. The man, who lives in Jieyang, in southern China’s Guangdong province, unearthed the oddly shaped vegetable on his farm. It looks so much like a hand that it seems to even have nails and skin texture. Chinese yams often grow into various shapes, as their appearance is greatly affected by external fac...
A man in China has dug up a yam that looks exactly like a human hand, shocking many people online. The man, who lives in Jieyang, in southern China’s Guangdong province, unearthed the oddly shaped vegetable on his farm. It looks so much like a hand that it seems to even have nails and skin texture. Chinese yams often grow into various shapes, as their appearance is greatly affected by external factors such as the soil and random rocks. However, it is rare for such a vegetable to grow so vividly...
Regulator for England lacks powers to deal with what the public accounts committee calls an ‘out-of-control plague’ The Environment Agency is too weak to tackle an “out-of-control plague” of waste dumping, a powerful group of MPs has said. The public accounts committee (PAC) said the EA had gaps in its powers and intelligence gathering which meant it was not set up to deal effectively with the ris...
Regulator for England lacks powers to deal with what the public accounts committee calls an ‘out-of-control plague’ The Environment Agency is too weak to tackle an “out-of-control plague” of waste dumping, a powerful group of MPs has said. The public accounts committee (PAC) said the EA had gaps in its powers and intelligence gathering which meant it was not set up to deal effectively with the rise in waste dumping. Continue reading...
Researchers believe rock samples taken from the Apollo missions gave scientists a misleading impression How magnetic is the moon? Analysis of rock samples from the Apollo missions suggested that the moon had an extremely strong magnetic field in its early history – even stronger than Earth’s. But no one could figure out how such a small planetary body could have such a strong field. Now a fresh st...
Researchers believe rock samples taken from the Apollo missions gave scientists a misleading impression How magnetic is the moon? Analysis of rock samples from the Apollo missions suggested that the moon had an extremely strong magnetic field in its early history – even stronger than Earth’s. But no one could figure out how such a small planetary body could have such a strong field. Now a fresh study has cracked the mystery. Continue reading...
Life and freedom are integral to the Iranian spirit. Even amid these dark days, I have hope that the conflict could liberate my people What is a writer’s responsibility? I feel that it has always been to give voice to those who have been silenced and to keep people alive through recreating them in our imagination, time and time again. This is what I have in mind as the Iranian people live through ...
Life and freedom are integral to the Iranian spirit. Even amid these dark days, I have hope that the conflict could liberate my people What is a writer’s responsibility? I feel that it has always been to give voice to those who have been silenced and to keep people alive through recreating them in our imagination, time and time again. This is what I have in mind as the Iranian people live through their worst period of suffering in 47 years. Thousands are dead. Friends in Tehran hide in their homes, not able to go out for explosions and acid rain . Worst of all, they know that it is not just foreign bombs that threaten their lives. Their own government continues to patrol the streets with guns, beating people, arresting them, killing them. As told to Lucy Pasha-Robinson. Azar Nafisi is an Iranian-American writer and the author of Reading Lolita in Tehran, Read Dangerously, and other works Continue reading...
Rooted in tradition yet delivered with a modern spin, these plant-based dishes are simple, comforting and flavourful Tempeh, which is originally from Java, has gained popularity in British supermarkets and kitchens in recent years, especially among vegetarians and vegans, as a natural, fermented source of protein that’s been praised by nutritionists and scientists alike. Indonesian tempeh, which h...
Rooted in tradition yet delivered with a modern spin, these plant-based dishes are simple, comforting and flavourful Tempeh, which is originally from Java, has gained popularity in British supermarkets and kitchens in recent years, especially among vegetarians and vegans, as a natural, fermented source of protein that’s been praised by nutritionists and scientists alike. Indonesian tempeh, which has a nutty, mushroomy flavour, absorbs spices beautifully and creates comforting, deeply layered dishes that are rooted in Indonesia’s plant-based traditions. Today’s recipes are pretty simple to make and feature familiar ingredients, yet are also full of bold flavours. Continue reading...
Monday's relief rally in response to a delay to U.S. strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure offers an opportunity for investors to rotate into defensive assets, according to UBS analysts. UBS says it remains "positive" on equities overall but the bank has now issued a downgrade on European and Indian equities, both of which it now rates as "neutral." Instead, investors should "use the bounce to ...
Monday's relief rally in response to a delay to U.S. strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure offers an opportunity for investors to rotate into defensive assets, according to UBS analysts. UBS says it remains "positive" on equities overall but the bank has now issued a downgrade on European and Indian equities, both of which it now rates as "neutral." Instead, investors should "use the bounce to diversify excess exposure to at-risk equity markets, in favor of structural growth and defensive markets," UBS wrote in a note published Tuesday morning. UBS analysts said European equities are pro-cyclical and particularly sensitive to higher oil and gas prices, owing to the bloc's lack of energy self-sufficiency. Higher energy prices could also undermine a recovery in manufacturing, it added. The analysts also see a particular vulnerability to energy price shocks in India, which is a significant importer of foreign oil, liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas from the Middle East. "Higher energy prices look set to widen the current account deficit, add to fiscal pressures, and slow growth," they wrote. Swiss stocks show resilience By contrast, UBS said Swiss equities offer less exposure to energy disruptions at an attractive valuation point after falling more than 10% since the start of the conflict. Outside of equities, UBS said investors should use the recent gold sell-off to gain exposure to the yellow precious metal. "Over the medium term, we would still expect gold to rally substantially if geopolitical uncertainty remains high while interest rate expectations come down," wrote UBS. "We continue to view gold as an effective long-term portfolio hedge and forecast higher prices ahead." Other analysts have also flagged potential contagion risks around underlying exposures to the Iran war. Last week, MSCI published a note highlighting emerging Asian markets as the most vulnerable to oil-supply disruption through the strait .