Geopolitics: Energy price surge in Europe
Friday, September 09, 2022 | 290 Views |
Bargaining chip: Russia intermittently switches off the Nord Stream pipeline citing repairs PIC: UPSTREAM ONLINE
This week started with an announcement by Russia that it will cut off gas supplies to Europe indefinitely and the unfortunate, sad truth is that Africa will feel the ultimate pinch of this.
Let’s give this context: the economic sanctions imposed by European nations are deemed punitive by Russia which has now closed the taps on the Nord Stream 1 which is the main gas pipeline to Europe. Unfortunately, this is occurring at the beginning of winter and thereby puts Europe in a position of duress to either give in or fight further while finding remedies for their people. This is the biggest energy crisis that Europe has faced for decades when already this supply was volatile even before the war began.
That sounds like good news. But the report also warns that this may simply be because our digital economy is still young, not because we are safe. As more people shop, bank and pay online, criminals will follow.We Batswana do not need a report to tell us that danger is real. Many of us have heard of or fallen victim to KYC scams. A caller impersonates your bank or mobile money provider. They say they need to “verify” your account. They ask...