5 best news for March
The Czech Republic will receive oil from 20 countries
From 2025, the Czech Republic will start receiving oil from 20 countries and will get rid of dependence on Russia, which is still its main supplier, writes the Czech publication Novinky. This should happen thanks to the expansion of the Transalpine Oil Pipeline (TAL) announced in 2023.
The TAL pipeline starts in Trieste (Italy), where the seaport is located, and leads to Austria and Germany. The Czech Republic is connected to it by the IKL pipeline (Ingolstadt – Kralupy – Litvinov), which starts in the south of Germany.
“Increasing supplies [by the TAL pipeline] will fully cover all domestic consumption. We will no longer need Russian oil,” CEO of Czech pipeline operator Mero Jaroslav Pantucek said in comments to Hospodářské noviny.
“After the commissioning of the new capacities of the TAL oil pipeline in 2025, I expect that most of the supply will be provided by the countries that already supply oil to this oil pipeline. These are mainly Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the USA, and Iraq. But in total there are about twenty of these countries. I do not I think that Russia’s dominance will be replaced by another dominant player. Countries with a lower share will increase, and it will depend on the market situation,” said Jirzhi Tylecek, an analyst at the international investment company XTB.
The Czech Republic is one of the three countries of the European Union that still imports Russian oil (the other two are Hungary and Slovakia). They carry out imports through the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline, which is not yet subject to the European embargo. In 2023, the share of Russian oil in Czech imports was 58% (4.3 million tons out of total imports of 7.4 million tons). The second largest supplier was Azerbaijan (26.5%), the third – Kazakhstan (approximately 10%).
Baker Hughes beats forecast profit on international demand
Oil company Baker Hughes beat analysts’ forecasts for first-quarter earnings thanks to rising international drilling demand and an increase in its dividend, Reuters reports.
Brent crude prices rose an average of nearly 10% in the quarter, prompting oil companies to drill more, creating demand for oilfield services and equipment offered by Baker Hughes and rivals.
The number of international rigs, an indicator of future production, rose 5.4% to an average of 965 at the end of the first quarter from a year earlier, according to data from Baker Hughes.
Total revenue from the international segment rose to $2.79 billion in the quarter, compared to $2.59 billion a year earlier.
Earlier in the day, the company announced that it had received an order for the supply of equipment for the third phase of the gas network expansion project of the oil giant Aramco in Saudi Arabia.
Baker Hughes is ending a quarter in which the results of its three leading oilfield services companies improved on the back of strong international activity.
Space Cleaner: another step has been taken to clean the Earth’s orbit of debris
Japanese private company Astroscale develops satellite decommissioning and active debris removal services to reduce the hazardous accumulation of debris in space. This was reported on the website of the Astroscale company.
“The image was acquired by Astroscale-Japan’s Active Debris Removal Commercial Demonstration Satellite (ADRAS-J) from several hundred meters away from space debris. The unprecedented image marks a crucial step toward understanding and solving the problems associated with space debris, contributing to progress towards a safer and more sustainable space environment,” the statement said.
The object in the photo, which is drifting in space, turned out to be the first stage of the Japanese N-2A rocket. This 2009 rocket launched the GOSAT satellite into orbit, leaving behind a piece of space debris 11 meters long and weighing about 3 tons.
The ADRAS-J satellite weighing 150 kilograms was launched into Earth orbit on February 18, 2024. The main task of the probe is to safely approach the object and study it. After the ADRAS-J mission receives additional images of space debris, the company will develop a program to remove it. According to preliminary plans, a satellite with a robotic “hand” will pull debris from orbit so that it burns up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Ukrainian startup Traidy is developing an AI application for the stock market
Traidy, a startup created by Ukrainians, has developed an artificial intelligence-based platform that allows users to invest more efficiently in the American securities market.
Introducing AI to the stock market is nothing new. Companies are exploring different ways to use technology to improve sales strategies. However, Traidy’s approach is distinguished by its use of large language models (LLMs), popularized by ChatGPT, to interpret social interactions and market data. Traditional brokerage platforms, while effective, often lack a deep understanding of market dynamics, which can lead to missed opportunities or misinterpretation of data.
“During the pandemic, we have seen significant changes in the stock market landscape, largely due to the growth of social platforms such as WallStreetBets. This movement not only strengthened the role of retail investors, but also filled the market with a flow of trading signals and information,” says Oleksandr Bashynskyi, CEO of Traidy. “Following this flow of data is a difficult task for any individual investor. This is where Traidy comes to the rescue. Our AI-powered platform is designed to analyze and interpret this large body of information, making it manageable and usable for our users. We don’t just make it easy to invest in the stock market; our goal is to provide investors with the tools they need to navigate the noise of social platforms, financial news and statistics.”
To realize this mission, the startup is raising a $2 million seed round of investment led by Three Sigma Ventures and a group of angel investors. “This capital will be used for technological improvements and expansion of our market presence. Our goal is not just to create another brokerage platform, but to become an innovator in how people interact with the stock market. We want to demystify the market and make it accessible and understandable for everyone,” adds Bashynskyi.
A flashlight with MagSafe has been created for the iPhone
Chinese startup WUBEN has introduced a new accessory for the iPhone – a flashlight with MagSafe support. It is made of titanium and magnesium and is equipped with very bright LEDs.
The brightness of the MagSafe flashlight is 300 lumens. This is 5 times more than the built-in iPhone flashlight. The user can take the accessory on a hike, for a walk with the dog in the dark or night photo shoots. The novelty supports temperature changes. There are only three modes: warm light, white, and cold. Brightness and tone can be adjusted using the rotating bezel on the right side.
The flashlight can rotate 360 degrees and function as a stand. A battery with a capacity of 320 mAh is installed inside. autonomy in 2-lumen mode is 50 hours, at maximum brightness the accessory will last no more than half an hour. The gadget is charged using a USB-C cable.
The device can be compatible not only with the iPhone but also with other smartphones. Magnets also allow you to attach the flashlight to the laptop to create the best lighting during video calls. The gadget will not take up much space – its thickness is only 6 mm.
The MagSafe flashlight from WUBEN costs $69 as part of the Kickstarter pre-order. It is planned to enter the international market in July 2024.