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☆ European partners are helping businesses in Ukraine, IFC managing director says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailEuropean partners are helping businesses in Ukraine, IFC managing director saysMakhtar Diop, managing director at the International Finance Corporation, discusses how Ukraine's economy has been impacted by the war.

☆ Burkina Faso aware of the dangers of Wagner force -France
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Speaking to reporters alongside U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday, Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo alleged that Burkina Faso had hired the mercenaries. Burkina Faso has now entered into an arrangement to go along with Mali in employing the Wagner forces there," he said. Prime minister of Burkina Faso in the last 10 days has been in Moscow. Officials from Burkina Faso did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Burkina Faso has not said publicly that it would consider hiring Wagner mercenaries.

☆ UK tries to shore up energy supply with US deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN Business —Britain has agreed a new energy partnership with the United States that aims to end its reliance on Russia and lower soaring energy costs. He said the aim was to double the amount of liquified natural gas (LNG) the United States exports to Britain compared to 2021 levels. The initiative with the United Kingdom comes nine months after the United States agreed a deal with the European Union to increase LNG shipments to Europe. According to the US Energy Information Administration, the United States became the world’s largest exporter of LNG in the first half of this year. Under the new partnership, the United States will aim to export “at least” 9-10 billion cubic meters of LNG via UK terminals.

☆ U.S. and Asian allies impose new sanctions on North Korea after ICBM test
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

South Korea’s foreign ministry announced sanctions on seven other individuals, including a Singaporean and a Taiwanese, and eight entities. The latest sanctions follow a Nov. 18 ICBM test by North Korea, part of a record-breaking spate of more than 60 missile launches this year. There are also concerns that the country may be about to resume nuclear weapons testing, which has been suspended since 2017. Decades of U.S.-led sanctions have failed to halt North Korea’s increasingly sophisticated missile and nuclear weapon programs. “Targeting senior officials inside North Korea responsible for WMD and missile activities and working with South Korea and Japan are important, but it is an inadequate and symbolic response to 60+ missile tests, including 8 ICBM tests,” said Anthony Ruggiero, who headed North Korea sanctions efforts under former President Donald Trump.

☆ Biden to host French President Macron at his first state dinner
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Peter Nicholas | Peter Nicholas Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

White House executive chef Cris Comerford gave a media preview Wednesday of the state dinner for French President Emmanuel Macron. “You need France.”Then-President Trump hosted French President Macron at a state dinner in 2018. The state dinner may be the Biden administration’s way of apologizing for an unforced error of such magnitude, Fried said. “We owed the French one after that.”A dish is previewed for the Macron state dinner. The last state dinner at the White House was in 2019.

[1/5] Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks during a news conference to present her government's first budget in Rome, Italy, November 22, 2022. Meloni, a fiery conviction politician, has often spoken out against Italy's reliance on technocrats to solve its economic problems and lambasted alleged interference from "high international finance" and "Brussels bureaucrats". During the election campaign Meloni called in vain for her predecessor Mario Draghi to freeze the sale of a majority stake in ITA. PUSHBACKDeputy Economy and Finance Minister Maurizio Leo, an adviser to Meloni, had proposed splitting his ministry by hiving off the finance department responsible for tax matters. The head of the finance department, Fabrizia Lapecorella, has asked to move to another ministry, two sources said.

☆ Meals company Takeaway, grocery delivery firm Getir in European partnership
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

AMSTERDAM, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Meals delivery company Just Eat Takeaway (TKWY.AS) on Thursday announced a European partnership with online grocer Getir. Under the partnership, Takeaway said, Getir's groceries will be listed on Takeaway's platform and can be ordered via its smartphone app but will be delivered by Getir couriers. Amsterdam-based Takeaway is Europe's largest meals ordering and delivery company, while Istanbul-based Getir is the largest of several privately-held online grocery companies that deliver a small selection of common supermarket items within an hour. The partnership will be launched in Germany next week, the companies said, and expanded to Britain, Spain, Italy and France this year. Reporting by Toby Sterling Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Iran sets up meeting on U.N. nuclear inquiry as diplomatic clash looms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Francois Murphy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. The IAEA has said it will not yield to political pressure and its job is to account for all nuclear material. The E3 and the United States will hold talks in Paris on Monday to discuss Iran ahead of the board meeting, two diplomats said. Iran has recently installed hundreds more advanced centrifuges, machines that enrich uranium, at its underground plants at Natanz and Fordow. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, saying its nuclear technology is solely for civil purposes.

☆ U.S. cautioned Germany against a Chinese controlling stake in Hamburg port
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Lewis Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Cargo ship 'Cosco Shipping Gemini' of Chinese shipping company 'Cosco' is loaded at the container terminal 'Tollerort' in the port in Hamburg, Germany, October 25, 2022. REUTERS/Fabian BimmerMUNSTER, Germany, Nov 2 (Reuters) - The United States cautioned Germany against allowing China to obtain a controlling stake in a Hamburg port terminal, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Wednesday, in a deal that has been seen as a gauge of how far Germany is willing to toughen its stance on its top trading partner. By pushing the stake under 25%, the deal no longer officially requires Cabinet approval, which would have been hard to muster from the Greens and liberal-run ministries. The document points to "considerable risks that arise when elements of the European transport infrastructure are influenced and controlled by China - while China itself does not allow Germany to participate in Chinese ports." Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Munster, Germany; writing by Daphne Psaledakis in Washington; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. 'strongly suggested' there be no controlling interest by China in Hamburg port terminal
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Cargo ship 'Cosco Shipping Gemini' of Chinese shipping company 'Cosco' is loaded at the container terminal 'Tollerort' in the port in Hamburg, Germany, October 25, 2022. REUTERS/Fabian BimmerMUNSTER, Germany, Nov 2 (Reuters) - The United States “strongly suggested” that there be no controlling interest by China in a Hamburg port terminal, a senior U.S. State Department official said, adding that the final deal was adjusted in the end with a smaller share for Beijing. “The embassy was very clear that we strongly suggested that there’d be no controlling interest by China, and as you see when they adjusted the deal, there isn’t," a second senior State Department official said. The document points to "considerable risks that arise when elements of the European transport infrastructure are influenced and controlled by China - while China itself does not allow Germany to participate in Chinese ports." Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Munster, Germany Writing by Daphne Psaledakis in Washington; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterEven before leaks were found, supplies via Nord Stream 1 had been halted as a result of a dispute over Western sanctions on Russia, while the newly-built Nord Stream 2 pipeline had not started commercial deliveries. An E.ON spokesperson said Nord Stream 1's operating company was responsible for operational issues, including insurance. "Nord Stream AG remains in close contact with relevant authorities about the recent incident. U.S. President Joe Biden has said damage to Nord Stream was a deliberate act of sabotage. If there was any Russian involvement it could also mean the Nord Stream 1 damage being designated as an act of war, something that is typically excluded by insurance policies.

☆ Europe's space agency is turning to Elon Musk's SpaceX after anti-Russian sanctions left it scrambling for rockets
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets will be used in two launches by the European Space Agency. The agency's boss has previously warned that the rest of the world's space tech is falling behind SpaceX. "In response to EU sanctions against our enterprises, Roscosmos is suspending cooperation with European partners in organizing space launches," it announced at the time. The ESA's choice of SpaceX rockets comes soon after a payment dispute over Musk's Starlink service in Ukraine, which has provided key internet access during the war while normal infrastructure has been offline. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider on the ESA's use of Falcon 9 rockets.

Amid resistance from France, Spain and Italy had previously broached the idea of building an underwater pipeline between the two countries. Iberdrola, which is building Europe's largest green hydrogen plant in Puertollano in central Spain, declined to comment on the pipeline announcement. Cepsa CEO Maarten Wetselsaar told Reuters the agreement put Spain at the heart of Europe's plan to diversify away from Russian energy. As for natural gas, Spain has six terminals allowing it to bring in liquefied natural gas and convert it into its gaseous form, and three storage facilities, while Portugal has one. The United States and Nigeria are among key suppliers of LNG to Spain, which also receives piped gas from Algeria.

☆ Putin's nuclear threats are pushing people like Trump and Elon Musk to press for a Ukraine peace deal. A nuclear expert warns that's 'dangerous.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Growing fear of nuclear war has prompted calls for an immediate settlement to end the war in Ukraine. But abandoning support for Ukraine now could spur Russia and others to make more nuclear threats. "Just giving in at this point would actually be dangerous," nuclear expert Pavel Podvig told Insider. In discussions with Insider, Podvig said that Russia could decide to use nuclear weapons if its hold over Crimea were threatened. Instead of capitulation, dressed up in a universal desire for peace, he argued, "You could in effect show – demonstrate in practice — that nuclear weapons are not a useful instrument of terror and compellence."

☆ France says Iranian drone transfers to Russia would violate U.N. nuclear deal resolution
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary France ties alleged Iranian drones to nuclear deal resolutionU.N. Security Council resolution has restrictions until 2023Iran denies supplying drones to RussiaPARIS, Oct 13 (Reuters) - France's foreign ministry said on Thursday that any transfer of Iranian drones to Russia would be a violation of the United Nations Security Council resolution that endorsed the 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"Such a supply of Iranian drones to Russia would also violate United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231." Resolution 2231 endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six powers - Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States - that limited Tehran’s uranium enrichment activity, making it harder for Iran to develop nuclear arms while lifting international sanctions. Efforts to revive the nuclear deal have stalled and ties between Iran and the West are increasingly strained as Iranians keep up anti-government protests despite an increasingly deadly state crackdown. Legendre said Paris was coordinating with its European partners on how to respond to the potential transfer of Iranian drones to Russia.

☆ Nord Stream gas 'sabotage': who's being blamed and why?
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-30 | by ( Joanna Plucinska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Russia's foreign ministry said on Thursday it was "unthinkable" that an investigation into ruptures on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines would proceed without Moscow's participation. President Vladimir Putin said on Friday the United States and its allies blew up Nord Stream. U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday damage to Nord Stream was a deliberate act of sabotage. Map of Nord Stream pipelines and locations of reported leaksWHY SABOTAGE A PIPELINE? "They already succeeded in stopping Nord Stream 2.

A gas leak from Nord stream 1 is seen in the Swedish economic zone in the Baltic Sea in this picture taken from the Swedish Coast Guard aircraft on September 28, 2022. The European Union is investigating the cause of the leaks in the Gazprom-led (GAZP.MM) Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines under the Baltic Sea and has said it suspects sabotage. "The attack on strategic infrastructure means that the strategic infrastructure in the entire EU has to be protected," the EU official in Brussels said. Russia had halted deliveries via Nord Stream 1, saying Western sanctions had hampered operations. Nord Stream 2 had not started commercial operations.

☆ Russia set to annex Ukraine territory; West warns of new sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe Russian-installed administrations of the four provinces have formally asked Putin to incorporate them into Russia, which Russian officials have suggested is a formality. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would need to keep fighting until it had taken control of all of Donetsk. Russia has announced it will mobilise some 300,000 reservists to bolster its forces in Ukraine. On the ground, Ukraine and Russian forces are engaged in heavy fighting in the four disputed provinces. The Nord Stream 1 pipeline, once the main route for Russian gas to Germany, was already shut but cannot now be easily reopened.

Swedish Coast Guard/Handout via TT News Agency/via REUTERSBRUSSELS, Sept 29 (Reuters) - EU leaders will discuss next week what the bloc has denounced as sabotage on the subsea Nord Stream gas pipelines, an EU official said on Thursday, adding that the incident had changed the nature of the conflict in Ukraine fundamentally. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"The attack on strategic infrastructure means that the strategic infrastructure in the entire EU has to be protected," an EU official in Brussels said. The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were not supplying gas to Europe when the leaks were first detected on Monday but still had gas in them. Russia had halted deliveries via Nord Stream 1, saying Western sanctions had hampered operations. Nord Stream 2 had not started commercial operations.

Russia intends to call a United Nations Security Council meeting over damage to the gas pipelines, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Telegram. In the Baltic Sea, gas was still bubbling from the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, the Swedish Coast Guard said in an email. "There are good teams in place to handle pipeline accidents, there are emergency pipe inventories and experts for onshore and offshore," Jens Schumann, managing director of gas pipeline grid company Gasunie Deutschland, said. European gas prices rose following news of the leaks. The new Nord Stream 2 pipeline had yet to enter commercial operations.

"Any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response," Borrell said. A statement issued by Russia's embassy in Denmark said that any sabotage on Nord Stream's pipelines was an attack on both Russia's and Europe's energy security. Map of Nord Stream pipelines and locations of reported leaksGAS FLOWSOperator Nord Stream has called the damage "unprecedented", while Gazprom (GAZP.MM), the Russian-controlled company with a monopoly on its gas exports by pipeline, declined to comment. Russia reduced gas supplies to Europe via Nord Stream 1 before suspending flows altogether in August, blaming Western sanctions for causing technical difficulties. The new Nord Stream 2 pipeline had yet to enter commercial operations.

Gas bubbles from the Nord Stream 2 leak reaching surface of the Baltic Sea in the area shows disturbance of well over one kilometre diameter near Bornholm, Denmark, September 27, 2022. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he discussed the "sabotage" of the pipelines at a meeting with Danish Defence Minister Morten Bødskov in Brussels. "We addressed the protection of critical infrastructure in NATO countries," the chief of the Western military alliance that also includes most EU countries said on Twitter. The EU, meanwhile, issued a strong warning to anybody attempting to attack the energy backbones of the 27-nation bloc. Borrell announced the bloc would step up the protection of its energy infrastructure following the incidents.

☆ UN Security Council to meet Friday on damage to Nord Stream gas pipelines
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council will convene on Friday at the request of Russia to discuss damage to two Russian gas pipelines to Europe that has caused gas to spew into the Baltic Sea. The French U.N. mission, which holds the presidency of the 15-member council for September, said the meeting would address the Nord Stream pipelines that Russia and European partners spent billions of dollars building. The Nord Stream 1 pipeline, once the main route for Russian gas to Germany, was already shut but cannot now be easily reopened. The new Nord Stream 2 pipeline had yet to enter commercial operations. It remains far from clear who might be behind the attack, if one is proven, on the Nord Stream pipelines.

A senior Ukrainian official called the incident a Russian attack to destabilise Europe, without giving proof. Neither pipeline was pumping gas to Europe at the time the leaks were found, but the incidents will scupper any remaining expectations that Europe could receive fuel via Nord Stream 1 before winter. Operator Nord Stream said the damage was "unprecedented". CUTTING SUPPLIESRussia reduced gas supplies to Europe via Nord Stream 1 before suspending flows altogether in August, blaming Western sanctions for causing technical difficulties. The new Nord Stream 2 pipeline had yet to enter commercial operations.

But it remained far from clear who might be behind any foul play, if proven, on the Nord Stream pipelines that Russia and European partners spent billions of dollars building. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterPoland's prime minister blamed sabotage for the leaks, without citing evidence. Russia, which slashed gas deliveries to Europe after the West imposed sanctions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, also said sabotage was a possibility and that the leaks undermined the continent's energy security. CUTTING SUPPLIESRussia reduced gas supplies to Europe via Nord Stream 1 before suspending flows altogether in August, blaming Western sanctions for causing technical difficulties. The Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) said two leaks on Nord Stream 1, one in the Swedish economic zone and another in the Danish zone, were northeast of Denmark's Bornholm.

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