Falklands oil: stand-off over sovereignty could mean lost opportunities

The ongoing dispute between the UK and Argentina over sovereignty of the Falkland Islands is hampering development of important oil and gas resources. The disagreement threatens both development and economic gain and, unless resolved, will lead to a significant lost opportunity. Argentina must look beyond the current dispute and approach the drilling operations as a boon for the economy.

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Financial services provision: customer service matters to lower income consumers

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Forecourt retailing: join the breakfast club

As commuting time across Europe creeps upwards, breakfast on the move is becoming increasingly common and forecourt retailers are in a prime position to profit. Concepts such as the Cereality cafe chain in the US, coupled with the adoption of stock rotation techniques to cater for different mealtimes, suggest the time is right for forecourt retailers to innovate with breakfast provision.

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Forecourts set to benefit from $724 billion contactless payment market

The potential value of the global contactless payments market is estimated at $724 billion. These payments are gaining momentum in the US and Asia-Pacific, and developments in Europe are imminent. Furthermore, the speed of the technology's development - from early trials in 2002 to full commercial launches in 2005 - shows the strength of the proposition to issuers, merchants and consumers alike.

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Fuel cells: EU and US to co-operate

An agreement between the European High Commission and the US Government's Department of Energy will push the development of hydrogen fuel cell power at a trans-Atlantic level. Paradoxically, the US may well rely upon coal-fired power stations to generate the energy needed to isolate environmentally friendly hydrogen in a fuel form.<BR />

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Fuel cells: Santa's little helpers

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G8 energy: all for none?

At the G8 summit in Russia, leaders once again demonstrated that these events are merely a meeting of minds, not a mechanism to create aligned policy. There was little unanimity on nuclear and it is clear that Russia, as a net exporter of gas, has different priorities.

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G8 leaders agree on temperature rise limit, but the necessary policies are still lacking

At the G8 summit in July, America and the other seven richest economies agreed to work towards the common goal of preventing the world's average temperature from rising more than 2C by collectively cutting their emissions by 80% by 2050. However, the various green policies required for the G8 to deliver on that commitment are clearly lacking.

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Gas turbines: a bust as big as the boom

The volatility of order volumes in the gas turbine market mirrors that of liberalized wholesale electricity prices. At present the US market is weakening, alongside overcapacity in Europe and a whole host of difficulties in emerging economies. As a result, the global turbine market bust cycle looks set to last until 2005 - or maybe even beyond.

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Gazprom/Petro-Canada: Baltic terminal project hints at global LNG potential

Russian gas giant Gazprom and Canadian major Petro-Canada are to proceed with construction of an LNG terminal on the Baltic Sea. Based on existing demand and infrastructure, the gas could be sold both on the North American as well as European markets. This brings arbitrage opportunities on top of long-term supply for the Canadian market, and marks a further step towards a truly global LNG market.

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