Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Fri, Jan 16, 2026 01:21 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Peter Howson

Senior Lecturer in International Development, Northumbria University, Newcastle
Peter Howson is a Researcher in International Development at Northumbria, where he leads the MSc in International Development.

His teaching and research interests span political ecology, critical theory, gender, race and development, ‘green violence’, blockchain-based environmental management and geo-politics in the Global South. Most of Pete's teaching draws on his research interests and professional experience in the Asia-Pacific region.

Before joining Northumbria, Pete was a Lecturer in International Development at Nottingham Trent University. In 2016 he was a Post-doc Researcher at Colorado State University, looking at Palau’s National Marine Sanctuary. Before that, he was based at University of Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand. His PhD research explored the political ecology of climate finance in Indonesia.

Pete's current projects include analysis of the ‘blue belt’ network of marine protection measures in the UK Overseas Territories. Peter is also looking at how cryptocurrencies and carbon trading are coming together to make trees more valuable standing than cut down, and what impacts the practice is having on forest-dependent communities in Indonesia.

DeepSeek claims to have cured AI’s environmental headache. The Jevons paradox suggests it might make things worse

Feb 03, 2025 11:01 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

AI burns through a lot of resources. And thanks to a paradox first identified way back in the 1860s, even a more energy-efficient AI is likely to simply mean more energy is used in the long run. For most users, large...

Digital Currency Revolution

Bitcoin: China's crackdown isn't enough – only a global effort can stop crypto's monstrous energy demand

Jun 08, 2021 12:31 pm UTC| Digital Currency

Huge concrete data centres, permanently plugged into power plants and telephone exchanges, maintain much of online life. But the infrastructure behind internet-based cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, dogecoin and ethereum...

Blockchain Revolution Series

NFTs: why digital art has such a massive carbon footprint

Apr 04, 2021 10:00 am UTC| Technology

How much would you be willing to pay for a one-of-a-kind work of art? For some collectors, the limit lies somewhere in the region of hundreds of millions of dollars. What about a work of art that has no tangible form, and...

Digital Currency Revolution

Bitcoin isn't getting greener: four environmental myths about cryptocurrency debunked

Feb 20, 2021 12:38 pm UTC| Technology Digital Currency

The price of bitcoin has reached US$50,000 (36,095) another all-time high. Its hard to believe that 10,000 bitcoin would only buy a couple of pizzas ten years ago. Its even stranger to think that bitcoins are completely...

Economy

China Signals Willingness to Deepen Canada Ties as Leaders Seek Reset in Relations

China has expressed a willingness to deepen cooperation with Canada while working to eliminate what it describes as interference, signaling a potential reset in bilateral relations after years of strain. The message was...

Asian Currencies Trade Flat as Yen Weakens on Election Fears and Won Retreats After U.S. Support

Most Asian currencies traded near flat levels on Thursday as investors remained cautious amid mixed political and monetary signals from both the region and the United States. The Japanese yen hovered near 18-month lows,...

Bank of Japan Likely to Delay Rate Hike Until July as Economists Eye 1% by September

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is expected to hold off on raising interest rates until at least July, according to a majority of economists, as policymakers assess the impact of recent tightening on Japans fragile economic...

Trump Delays Tariffs on Critical Minerals, Seeks Global Supply Deals to Protect U.S. Security

U.S. President Donald Trump has decided, for now, not to impose tariffs on rare earths, lithium, and other critical minerals, choosing instead to pursue international negotiations aimed at securing stable supplies. The...

U.S. Oil Prices Slide After Trump Comments Ease Iran Supply Fears

U.S. oil prices declined sharply in early Asian trading on Thursday, falling by more than $1 per barrel as easing geopolitical tensions involving Iran reduced market fears of supply disruptions. The pullback came after...

Politics

U.S. Warns All Options Remain on Table as Iran Protests Dominate U.N. Security Council Debate

The United States has reiterated its strong support for the brave people of Iran amid ongoing anti-government protests, warning that all options remain on the table to halt what it describes as a violent crackdown by...

Iran Protests Expose Deep Divisions Among Exiled Opposition Groups

Mass protests in Iran have reignited global attention on the countrys political future, but they have also highlighted deep and long-standing divisions among Iranian opposition groups in exile. Despite a shared hostility...

Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza Kill Senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad Figures Amid Fragile Ceasefire

At least ten people were killed on Thursday in a series of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, including senior figures from Hamas and the militant group Islamic Jihad, according to Palestinian medical sources and...

U.S. Warns Cuba Not to Block Humanitarian Aid as Sanctions Pressure Mounts

The United States has warned Cuba not to interfere with a long-delayed shipment of humanitarian aid, as tensions between Washington and Havana continue to escalate under President Donald Trumps administration. A senior...

Maria Corina Machado Says She Presented Nobel Peace Prize Medal to Donald Trump

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said on Thursday that she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to U.S. President Donald Trump during a recent meeting, a gesture that quickly drew international attention...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

xAI Restricts Grok Image Editing After Sexualized AI Images Trigger Global Scrutiny

Elon Musks artificial intelligence company xAI announced new restrictions on its Grok AI chatbot after the platform generated sexualized and manipulated images that raised alarms among regulators worldwide. The move comes...

TSMC Set to Post Record Q4 Profit as AI Chip Demand Accelerates

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the worlds largest contract chipmaker and a critical supplier to Nvidia and Apple, is expected to deliver a record-breaking fourth-quarter profit, driven by surging global...

U.S. Lawmakers Raise Alarm Over Trump Approval of Nvidia AI Chip Sales to China

U.S. lawmakers and former national security officials are voicing strong concerns over President Donald Trumps decision to allow Nvidia to resume sales of its advanced H200 artificial intelligence chips to China, warning...

Taiwan Issues Arrest Warrant for OnePlus CEO Over Alleged Illegal Recruitment Activities

Title: Taiwanese prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for Pete Lau, the chief executive officer of Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus, accusing him of involvement in illegal business operations and recruitment...

Zhipu AI Launches GLM-Image Model Trained on Huawei Chips, Boosting China’s AI Self-Reliance Drive

Chinese artificial intelligence startup Zhipu AI has unveiled a new open-source image generation model, marking a significant milestone in Chinas push for technological self-reliance. The model, called GLM-Image, was...