Negotiation

Ukraine war: US$60 billion in US military aid a major morale boost but no certain path to victory

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 23, 2024

The bill is still subject to Senate approval and then needs to be signed into law by the US president, Joe Biden.

Key Points: 
  • The bill is still subject to Senate approval and then needs to be signed into law by the US president, Joe Biden.
  • But given the Senate’s previous approval of a similar measure and Biden’s vehemence of the need to support Ukraine, this should be a formality.
  • Together with the morale boost for troops, this means that improvements in the situation on the front are likely – even before new US supplies will arrive.

Political will

  • It is above all one of political will.
  • The months-long delay in the US Congress was primarily an issue of domestic political posturing in a presidential election year.
  • While their influence on funding decisions is much more limited, they could certainly create significant problems in Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations.

Economic capacity

  • There is some confidence that production capacity in the US and Europe, as well as in Ukraine, will significantly increase as of 2025.
  • But even in an optimistic scenario of sustained investments in the defence industrial base of the collective west and increasing Russian economic and logistical difficulties to sustain its defence sector, a gamechanging shift in the balance of power is unlikely in the near future.

Russia holds the initiative, for now

  • It also enjoys air superiority in light of depleted Ukrainian air defence systems, and has the operational momentum on the battlefield.
  • If anything, Russia will now double down on its current offensive pushes.
  • Given the continuing rhetoric of victory in Moscow and Kyiv, another forever-war might just have become more sustainable – for now.


Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU's Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.

Beyoncé and Dolly Parton’s versions of Jolene represent two sides of southern femininity

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 23, 2024

On her new album, Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé puts a new spin on Dolly Parton’s classic song, Jolene.

Key Points: 
  • On her new album, Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé puts a new spin on Dolly Parton’s classic song, Jolene.
  • Some people commenting online were vocal about not liking Beyoncé’s version, often citing its lack of vulnerability when compared to Parton’s version.
  • There are upwards of 80 covers of Jolene, but Beyoncé’s is a departure from the rest.
  • The Houston native’s Jolene is decidedly Black, and therein lies the crux of the different reactions towards the song.
  • It is important to examine the story Dolly Parton tells on Jolene because it, too, is rooted in her racial and gendered identity as much as Beyoncé’s Jolene is.

How is Beyoncé’s story the same but different?

  • Towards the end of the song, Beyoncé and her partner turn a corner and offer hope against the disruption that Jolene represents.
  • Beyoncé’s Jolene is introduced by Dolly Parton herself in a short interlude.
  • Parton makes a clear association between her experience with Jolene and Beyoncé’s experience with “Becky with the good hair” (or “hussy” as Parton says).
  • But the term has evolved to encompass racially ambiguous women with European or Asian features, lighter skin and loose curls or straight hair.
  • Why would we expect the song to be the same when these two women are far from?


Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.
Kadian Pow does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

A global plastics treaty is being negotiated in Ottawa this week – here’s the latest

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 23, 2024

To make matters worse, the global trade in plastic waste tends to push waste to parts of the world with the least capacity to manage it.

Key Points: 
  • To make matters worse, the global trade in plastic waste tends to push waste to parts of the world with the least capacity to manage it.
  • The global plastics treaty focuses on ending plastic pollution, not eliminating the use of plastics.

Divisive positions

  • Negotiators must make rapid and significant progress this week towards a comprehensive treaty.
  • There is a broad division between countries, ranging from “low-ambition” countries which have hindered progress to a high-ambition coalition (led by Rwanda and Norway).
  • Or will it be a weaker treaty, with voluntary and country-led measures that focus mainly on waste management and pollution prevention (the “downstream” stages)?

Voices in the room

  • There is ongoing dialogue regarding which voices are in attendance and influencing governments.
  • If industry has such a large presence, there is considerable work to be done to amplify the voices of civil rights groups, NGOs and evidence-based contributions from academics.

Financing implementation

  • Without financial support, there is a significant risk that even well-intentioned measures could falter.
  • A well-structured financial framework could ensure transparency and accountability through a mixture of private and public finance or novel mechanisms such as plastic pollution fees.

Shifting away from waste management

  • There is a strong argument by the petrochemical and fossil fuel industry and some lower-ambition countries that the treaty should focus on waste management, improved collection, recycling and removal technologies.
  • But plastic production is so great that solutions to prevent or manage plastic waste and pollution cannot keep up, and will only reduce global plastic pollution by 7% in the long term.

Reuse as a potential early victory

  • Not to be confused with recycling or refill, reuse emphasises the repeated use of items in their current form, curtailing the demand for new plastic production for single-use products or packaging.
  • Reuse would be relatively agreeable for most countries, especially when compared to divisive measures such as caps on production or outright bans on certain items or materials.


Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 30,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.
Antaya March receives funding from the Flotilla Foundation and the United Nations Environment Programme. Cressida Bowyer receives funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Steve Fletcher receives funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Flotilla Foundation, the UK Government and the United Nations Environment Programme. He currently serves as the NERC Agenda Setting Fellow for Plastic Pollution.

China’s new world order: looking for clues from Xi’s recent meetings with foreign leaders

Retrieved on: 
Friday, April 19, 2024

This has also meant that Chinese foreign policy has become more personalised and that Xi’s own diplomatic engagements offer potentially important clues about its direction.

Key Points: 
  • This has also meant that Chinese foreign policy has become more personalised and that Xi’s own diplomatic engagements offer potentially important clues about its direction.
  • The international order is clearly in flux and a key driver of this change, by its own admission, has been China.
  • Read more:
    Xi and Biden spoke on the phone for 105 minutes: what does this say about their relationship?

The European dynamic

  • Engagements with Germany, however, also have a broader European, and especially EU dimension.
  • Germany now has its own moderately hawkish China strategy, aiming to reduce economic reliance on Beijing.
  • But Berlin is still considered softer than many other EU member states and therefore an important ally for Beijing within the EU and in EU-US deliberations on China policy.
  • From a German and European perspective, the Russian conduct in the war against Ukraine remains a key concern.

Scholz and Xi on diplomacy

  • These included sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the importance to explore diplomatic ways to end the war.
  • What is significant is Scholz’s statement that rather than western military support for Ukraine, diplomacy now takes centre-stage.
  • China’s approach to managing, and shaping, the fluidity of the international system relies predominantly on diplomacy, albeit with a significant coercive streak.


Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU's Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.

CV Holdings, Inc. Update and Financial Statements for Year Ended December 31, 2023

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 9, 2024

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had unrestricted cash of $2,536,509, as compared to $10,958,353 of unrestricted cash as of December 31, 2022.

Key Points: 
  • As of December 31, 2023, the Company had unrestricted cash of $2,536,509, as compared to $10,958,353 of unrestricted cash as of December 31, 2022.
  • The Company’s primary sources of cash flow consisted of interest earned on equipment finance contracts held by its principal business, Centra Funding, LLC (“Centra”).
  • Included in this press release are the audited consolidated balance sheets, statements of operations, and statements of cash flows of CV Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiary entities as of and for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.
  • This increase in operating income was offset, however, by a substantial increase in Centra’s cost of funds, reflected in interest on debt.

Carbon Revolution Announces Record Revenue Results for First Half 2024

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 9, 2024

GEELONG, Australia, April 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Carbon Revolution plc (Nasdaq: CREV) (the “Company”), a Tier 1 OEM supplier and the leading global manufacturer of lightweight advanced technology automotive carbon fiber wheels, today announced fiscal first half 2024 results for the period ending December 31, 2023 (unaudited). First half revenue was up 107% over the same period last year and second quarter revenue was also up 177% year over year. Net loss for the half was US$38.2 million compared to US$19.2 million a year ago with transactions costs comprising US$12.1 million for this half.

Key Points: 
  • First half revenue was up 107% over the same period last year and second quarter revenue was also up 177% year over year.
  • Net loss for the half was US$38.2 million compared to US$19.2 million a year ago with transactions costs comprising US$12.1 million for this half.
  • Carbon Revolution is an early-stage growth company that is reliant on new capital until it reaches profitability and positive free cashflow.
  • “Carbon Revolution reported half year revenue in the fiscal first half of 2024, up 107% year-over-year to US$26.1 million, driven by increased demand from the Corvette Z06 program, and the launches of the Range Rover Sport SV and Ford Mustang Dark Horse programs” said Jake Dingle, CEO of Carbon Revolution.

Trinity Biotech Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2023 Financial Results & Business Updates

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, April 4, 2024

DUBLIN, Ireland, April 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trinity Biotech plc (Nasdaq: TRIB), a commercial stage biotechnology company focused on diabetes management solutions and human diagnostics, including wearable biosensors, today announced results for the quarter ended December 31, 2023 and fiscal year 2023 and key business updates.

Key Points: 
  • DUBLIN, Ireland, April 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trinity Biotech plc (Nasdaq: TRIB), a commercial stage biotechnology company focused on diabetes management solutions and human diagnostics, including wearable biosensors, today announced results for the quarter ended December 31, 2023 and fiscal year 2023 and key business updates.
  • We expect to have fully executed this change by the end of 2024 and expect this will deliver significant annualised savings.
  • The assets and liabilities attributable to Fitzgerald Industries have been removed from our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2023.
  • Total revenues for Q4, 2023 were $13.4m which compares to $15.7m in Q4, 2022, a decrease of 14.6% and which were broken down as follows:

TMSH provides a corporate update for fiscal 2024

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 3, 2024

CHEYENNE, Wyo., April 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TransGlobal Assets Inc. (OTC: TMSH) is making significant strides in various sectors, particularly in the medical wellness, health, and pet industries.

Key Points: 
  • CHEYENNE, Wyo., April 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TransGlobal Assets Inc. (OTC: TMSH) is making significant strides in various sectors, particularly in the medical wellness, health, and pet industries.
  • Here is a corporate update for fiscal 2024.
  • This move could significantly expand CannaKing's reach and offerings, tapping into both recreational and medical cannabis markets under their banner.
  • The Better Pets brand's approval to sell their products in the Canadian market signifies a significant milestone for the company.

Applied Digital Issues $50 Million Unsecured Convertible Debenture to Advance HPC Data Center Project in Ellendale, North Dakota

Retrieved on: 
Monday, April 1, 2024

The convertible debenture bears no interest, has an original issue discount of five percent and has a term of 54 weeks.

Key Points: 
  • The convertible debenture bears no interest, has an original issue discount of five percent and has a term of 54 weeks.
  • The Investor has contractually agreed not to short the stock during the term of the note.
  • Concurrently, we continue negotiating our project-level financing to ensure timely project completion and fulfillment of our contractual obligations,” said Applied Digital CFO David Rench.
  • Northland Capital Markets acted as advisor and sole placement agent for the Company on the financing.

Trust Stamp Provides a Business Report and Financial Results for the Year Ended December 31, 2023

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Atlanta, GA, March 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trust Stamp (Nasdaq: IDAI), the Privacy-First Identity Company ™ providing AI-powered trust and identity services used globally across multiple sectors, announced financial results and provided a business update for year ended December 31, 2023.

Key Points: 
  • Atlanta, GA, March 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trust Stamp (Nasdaq: IDAI), the Privacy-First Identity Company ™ providing AI-powered trust and identity services used globally across multiple sectors, announced financial results and provided a business update for year ended December 31, 2023.
  • Trust Stamp Chief Executive Officer, Gareth N. Genner commented, “I am pleased to report our progress for the year ended December 31, 2023.
  • The relationship with our long-term customers remains very strong and we anticipate continued long-term growth in the revenue derived from those relationships.
  • This resulted in a basic and net loss per share of $1.07 for year ended December 31, 2023 compared to $2.55 for year ended December 31, 2022.