All posts tagged: Logistics

Keir Starmer’s leadership vacuum threatens to swallow him up – POLITICO

Keir Starmer’s leadership vacuum threatens to swallow him up – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Many of those who spoke to POLITICO described a lack of “curiosity” in the PM. “He just doesn’t ask questions, on policy, politics or apparently propriety either,” another former official said. Some ministers agree.  A current government official described Starmer’s approach to interrogating policies and other decisions as “hear no evil, see no evil.” The official added: “You can’t claim to be this meticulous lawyer, this micro-manager, this mandarin and then not care for stuff like this.” Boris Johnson vibes   One bizarre example of his passivity is that Starmer apparently does not even express a strong preference about how he wants to spend his own time. “He is so hands-off about his diary,” another former No. 10 official said. Referring to Jill Cuthbertson, a top aide who used to run Starmer’s diary, this person said: “It’s kind of like, ‘what has Jill put in my diary today,’ and then if it was something he didn’t enjoy doing, someone else would bear the brunt of it, but he’d never be involved in the front end of …

Spoofed Tankers Are Flooding the Strait of Hormuz. These Analysts Are Tracking Them

Spoofed Tankers Are Flooding the Strait of Hormuz. These Analysts Are Tracking Them

Published by skeptic

A month and a half into the war between Iran and the US and Israel, Michelle Wiese Bockmann has seen one constant: disappearing ships. This is not unusual in the Strait of Hormuz, says Bockmann, a senior maritime intelligence analyst at Windward AI who has been tracking shipping across the globe for 30 years. For nearly a decade now, “shadow fleets” engaged in shady practices—say, violating international sanctions by transporting crude oil from Iran—have periodically turned off their transponders. These devices typically broadcast ships’ names, locations, routes, and IMO (International Maritime Organization) numbers. Those unique, seven-digit IMO identifiers allow trackers like Bockmann to trace the ships throughout their floating lifetimes. Jamming and “spoofing” these transponder signals, either by interfering with their satellite signals or creating false ones to make the ships appear where or what they’re not, isn’t new. But the scale is. At one point last month, “well over half of the vessels in the strait had their signals jammed,” Bockmann says. Today, more than 800 vessels are in the Persian Gulf, according to …

Germany prepared to send minesweepers to the Strait of Hormuz – POLITICO

Germany prepared to send minesweepers to the Strait of Hormuz – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The minesweeping plan was first reported by Süddeutsche Zeitung. Merz reiterated his government’s position after meeting Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Berlin on Thursday. He stressed that Germany is “fundamentally ready” to help secure shipping routes, but only under strict conditions. Those include a stable ceasefire, a mandate within a system of collective security — “preferably” from the United Nations — and formal approval by both the federal government and the Bundestag. Merz underlined that Berlin remains “far away” from such a decision. The signal comes as a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran is in effect but has yet to fully stabilize the situation in the strait, where Iran blocked traffic and the U.S. responded by blocking Iranian vessels. U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed NATO allies to move quickly, demanding commitments “within days” following his meeting with alliance Secretary-General Mark Rutte in early April. However, allies have been leery of getting involved in any combat action in the war started by Trump without consulting them. Source link

Geht die Energiekrise trotz Waffenruhe im Iran weiter? – POLITICO

Geht die Energiekrise trotz Waffenruhe im Iran weiter? – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Die Waffenruhe im Iran bringt vorerst keine Entspannung an der Zapfsäule. Die Internationale Energieagentur warnt vor einer Krise, die Jahre andauern könnte. Während die Logistikkosten durch drohende iranische Zölle in der Straße von Hormuz massiv steigen könnten, wächst der Druck auf die Bundesregierung. In dieser Folge vertiefen Joana Lehner und Jürgen Klöckner die wirtschaftlichen und energiepolitischen Folgen der Krise. Finanzminister Lars Klingbeil hat zum Krisengipfel geladen, aber die Erwartungen sind gespalten. Im Policy Talk fordert Jürgen Kerner, Vize-Chef der IG Metall, ein Ende der „verkopften Bürokratie“ und warnt: Ohne einen wettbewerbsfähigen Industriestrompreis verliert Deutschland den Anschluss an China. Jürgen Kerner erklärt außerdem, warum Streiks trotz Krise ein legitimes Mittel bleiben und warum Lohnzurückhaltung allein keine Arbeitsplätze rettet. „Power & Policy“ zeigt jede Woche, wo und wie die Entscheidungen in der Wirtschaftspolitik fallen. ⁠Jürgen Klöckner⁠ und ⁠Joana Lehner⁠ von POLITICO sprechen mit Top-Entscheidern und liefern Off-the-Record-Einblicke aus der Redaktion und Machtzentren. Präzise Analysen, lange bevor Gesetze beschlossen sind. Der Podcast für alle in Wirtschaft und Politik, die einen Wissensvorsprung brauchen — immer donnerstags. Für Policy-Profis: Abonnieren …

IDF conduct in Lebanon plunges Israel-Europe relations to lower depths – POLITICO

IDF conduct in Lebanon plunges Israel-Europe relations to lower depths – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Sánchez also called for the European Union to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel and for Lebanon to be included in the ceasefire between Iran, the U.S. and Israel that was announced on Tuesday evening. His concerns are shared by some at the European Commission, too. Commissioner Hadja Lahbib wrote on X: “Today’s brutal attacks by [Israel] on [Lebanon], which have left more than 100 dead – with the toll still rising – and over 700 wounded, are an outrage.” And it’s not just Israel’s frequent detractors. Numerous European governments have tried to dissuade Israel from pursuing its ground operation in Lebanon. Even countries that didn’t sign up to joint statements, like stalwart Israeli ally Germany, have been critical of the Israeli government in recent weeks. Chancellor Friedrich Merz in March said “annexation measures” in the occupied West Bank would be a “big mistake.” Following the battlefield incidents, both Spain and Italy have talked up relations with Lebanon. While Tajani called up Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Robles met with Hani Chemaitelly, the Lebanese ambassador in Madrid. “The minister …

The inside story of how France clinched the EU’s new customs authority – POLITICO

The inside story of how France clinched the EU’s new customs authority – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The delegation toured the white tower that was to host the authority, visited the Flemish old town, and interrupted lessons at the European school, named after late Commission President Jacques Delors. At the end of the day, several guests acknowledged that being the first to declare was an advantage in itself. In reality, the behind-the-scenes lobbying had started far earlier, with France assuming the role of thought leader on how to cope with the exponential growth in e-commerce packages flooding into the EU from online retailers like China’s Shein and Temu. Paris sounded the alarm on unsafe products months before making waves with a unilateral move to impose its own handling fee on inbound parcels. An official in the European Parliament with direct knowledge of the vote said French officials had tested the waters on Lille’s chances during a visit to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport last May. “Most other candidates only really started in January, which was simply too late,” said the official, who was granted anonymity to speak freely on the day of …

Europe’s coming energy crunch – POLITICO

Europe’s coming energy crunch – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Markets are now grappling with a scenario long discussed in theory but rarely thought of as a legitimate possibility — the effective shutdown of the world’s most critical energy chokepoint,” said Ana Maria Jaller-Makarewicz, lead energy analyst for the Europe team at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. While the 1970s crises knocked out 7 percent of global supplies, she said, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz affects 20 percent.  U.S. President Donald Trump exits Air Force One on March 29 at Joint Air Base Andrews, Maryland. | Nathan Howard/Getty Images When the war first broke out, EU officials hoped the bloc would be spared from serious shortages thanks to its relatively low exposure to the Persian Gulf, which it relied on for just 6 percent of its crude oil and under 10 percent of its natural gas. The biggest risk articulated in countless ministerial and technical meetings was higher prices.  Europe’s security of supply was rarely questioned, with officials pointing to the continent’s diversified sources beyond the Persian Gulf: the U.S., …

France to spend €70M on fuel subsidies for farmers, trucks and fishermen in April – POLITICO

France to spend €70M on fuel subsidies for farmers, trucks and fishermen in April – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

PARIS — The French government will spend €70 million to subsidize the price of fuel for farmers, logistics companies and fishermen from April 1 until the end of the month. “We have built a response at the national level which is gradual, targeted, sector-specific and limited to the month of April,” Economy and Finance Minister Roland Lescure told reporters Friday evening, presenting the plan amid spiking energy prices caused by war in the Middle East. “My primary concern is, above all, to sustain growth while ensuring that every euro of public money is spent effectively,” said Lescure. Source link

US pressured France to disinvite South Africa from G7 summit, Pretoria alleges – POLITICO

US pressured France to disinvite South Africa from G7 summit, Pretoria alleges – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Earlier Thursday, an adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters in a briefing that Ramaphosa and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had not been extended invitations to the G7 summit. Trump and Zelenskyy have had a notably tense relationship, highlighted by a disastrous encounter in the Oval Office in February 2025.  But ties between the two appear to have improved over time, notably during a later encounter in Rome and then at a second Oval Office meeting.  The French president’s adviser denied Macron was tailoring invitations to keep Trump happy and said the invitation decisions came down to both priorities — Macron wants the G7 this year to tackle global imbalances and rising tensions between Washington and Beijing — and logistics. Zelenskyy has attended every G7 leaders’ summit in person since 2023, including last year’s in Canada. Trump left that event early, dashing Zelenskyy’s hope of securing a meeting with the U.S. president. “We’re not anti-Zelenskyy, nor anti-Ukraine but we have an agenda that we are trying to push forward,” the adviser told the press briefing. …

Berlin’s Indo-Pacific strategy blends arms deals and alliances – POLITICO

Berlin’s Indo-Pacific strategy blends arms deals and alliances – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Germany, according to Ernst, is still “relatively blank” in the region. What it can contribute militarily remains narrow: “A bit of maritime patrol, a frigate, mine clearance.” Pohlkamp said Germany’s role in Asia is still being built “in small doses” and is largely symbolic. But what matters is whether Berlin can turn occasional visits and deployments into something steadier and more predictable. The defense ministry insists that is the point of Pistorius’s trip. Ministry spokesperson Mitko Müller said Wednesday that Europe and the Indo-Pacific are “inseparably linked,” citing the rules-based order, sea lanes, international law and the role of the two regions in global supply and value chains.  The new P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft stands in front of a technical hangar at Nordholz airbase on Nov. 20, 2025. | Christian Butt/picture alliance via Getty Images The trip is meant to focus on the regional security situation, expanding strategic dialogue, current and possible military cooperation, joint exercises including future Indo-Pacific deployments, and industrial cooperation. That explains why industry is traveling with Pistorius.  Müller said executives from …