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☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Zelenskiy visits war crimes court in The Hague
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FIGHTING* Zelenskiy said Ukraine would launch a counteroffensive soon against occupying Russian forces. * Russian shelling killed 23 people in and near the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Wednesday, hitting a hypermarket, a railway station and residential buildings, the regional governor said. DIPLOMACY/POLITICS* Zelenskiy will have a meeting at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Thursday, the court said without giving further detail. * U.S. military aid for Ukraine includes for the first time the Hydra-70 short-range air-launched rocket, taken from U.S. excess stocks. * Zelenskiy said Russia did not appear to be interested in extending the agreement beyond May 18.

☆ UN says Taliban envoy can meet Pakistan, China ministers next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UNITED NATIONS, May 1 (Reuters) - A U.N. Security Council committee on Monday agreed to allow the Taliban administration's foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to travel to Pakistan from Afghanistan next week to meet with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and China, diplomats said. Muttaqi has long been subjected to a travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo under Security Council sanctions. According to a letter to the 15-member Security Council Taliban sanctions committee, Pakistan's U.N. mission requested an exemption for Muttaqi was to travel between May 6-9 "for a meeting with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and China." The Taliban seized power in August 2021 as U.S.-led forces withdrew after 20 years of war. The Security Council committee allowed Muttaqi to travel to Uzbekistan last month for a meeting of the foreign ministers of neighboring countries of Afghanistan to discuss urgent peace, security, and stability matters.

☆ China’s Ding Liren Wins Dramatic World Chess Championship, Replacing Magnus Carlsen
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Joshua Robinson | Andrew Beaton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ding Liren beat Ian Nepomniachtchi at the chess world championship. Photo: VLADISLAV VODNEV/REUTERSAfter three weeks and 18 contests, the chess world championship came down to the final minute of the tiebreaker on Sunday as China’s Ding Liren defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi in a wild conclusion in Astana, Kazakhstan. The pair played a speed-chess tiebreaker on Sunday to break a deadlock in their competition to replace Magnus Carlsen, who announced last year that he wouldn’t defend the crown he had won on five successive occasions. Ding, 30, had less than 60 seconds remaining on the clock as he pounced all over Nepomniachtchi in the fourth game of the tiebreaker, despite playing with the disadvantage of the black pieces.

☆ Chess-China's Ding Liren defies odds to become world champion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Alessandro Parodi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 30 (Reuters) - China's Ding Liren was crowned on Sunday as the 17th world chess champion in a tense match against Russian-born Ian Nepomniachtchi in Astana, Kazakhstan, in the last chapter of an odds-defying sequence of events. "One Ding to rule em all," fellow grandmaster Anish Giri wrote on Twitter in honour of the new champion. Ding's triumph means China holds both the men's and women's world titles, with current women's champion Ju Wenjun set to defend her title against compatriot Lei Tingjie in July. "The moment Ian resigned the game was a very emotional moment, I cannot control my feelings," the new world champion said in a press conference. Carlsen said he was not motivated to play shortly after Nepomniachtchi won the Candidates tournament, the prestigious qualifier to the match.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Kyiv says it retains Bakhmut 'road of life'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Local resident Nikolai Danko, 63, clears the rubble at the site of his house destroyed by recent shelling in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in the settlement of Panteleimonivka in the Donetsk region, Russian-controlled Ukraine, April 27, 2023. * Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy carries a pistol and would have fought to the death with his inner circle had the Russians stormed his Kyiv headquarters at the start of the war, he said in an interview shown on Saturday. * Two civilians died as a result of Ukrainian shelling on a village in Russia's Bryansk region on Saturday evening, Governor Alexander Bogomaz said. * Dividends of as much as $400 million to four Indian companies for their stakes in Russian oil assets are stuck due to problems in payments triggered by Western sanctions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, a government source said on Saturday. Compiled by Reuters editorsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ MotoGP cancels inaugural Kazakhstan race
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 26 (Reuters) - MotoGP has cancelled its first race in Kazakhstan due to the circuit not being ready and will not replace it on what is now a 20-round calendar, the sport said on Wednesday. Kazakhstan last September agreed a five year deal for the Sokol International Racetrack outside Almaty to stage MotoGP races. The inaugural race had been scheduled for July 9 as the ninth round. MotoGP is keen to expand its presence in Asia, with India also set to debut in September with a race at the Buddh International circuit near New Delhi. It also takes away a possible 37 points from the championship, with each race weekend now a double scoring opportunity thanks to a sprint race on every Saturday as well as the main Sunday event.

☆ U.S. shares with European banks ways Russia is evading sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. on Sunday said it shared information with European bankers, government officials and business leaders to clamp down on Russia's tactics to try to skirt Western sanctions. Brian Nelson, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, held briefings last week in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Italy to promote more effective policing of sanctions imposed over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Treasury said in a statement. Nelson shared details on some of the most critical military goods that Russia is trying to acquire, including optical devices, electronics and manufacturing equipment, the Treasury said. Other warnings signs include frequent or last-minute changes of end-users or payees, or redirection of goods to third countries that have limited or no restrictions on re-exports to Russia, the department said. Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Premarket stocks: Is Big Oil running out of gas?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Oil and gas stocks have been on a two-year tear, ripping ahead as natural gas prices surged due to supply chain kinks, a strong economy, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. What’s happening: Brutally high oil and gas prices were the talk of the town last year and one of the largest contributing factors to sky-high inflation. That’s bad news for automobile drivers, but ended up being great for the energy industry as oil prices and energy stocks are closely interlinked. Blackstone is feeling the commercial real estate slumpThe ongoing commercial real estate slowdown has a new victim: Blackstone. Profits from the sale of commercial real estate assets fell 54% to $4.4 billion, down from $9.5 billion last year.

☆ Bangladesh to pay Russia $300 million in Chinese yuan for a nuclear plant loan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bangladesh will pay Russia $318 million worth of yuan for a loan payment on a nuclear power plant. Russia, whose state-owned Rosatom is building the nuclear plant, had initially insisted on payment in rubles and refused yuan due to concern over potential conversion losses, according to Bloomberg. But a representative for Rosatom confirmed to the Washington Post that the loan payment will be made in yuan. The payment is partial reimbursement for a $12 billion loan the South Asian country previously received from Moscow, and will help fund a nuclear power plant near the capital city of Dhaka. Bangladesh's yuan payment is the latest example of de-dollarization.

☆ Rybakina retires with lower back injury in Stuttgart
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 21 (Reuters) - Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina suffered an injury setback ahead of the French Open after she retired with a lower back issue in her last 16 match against Beatriz Haddad Maia at the Stuttgart Open on Thursday. After play resumed, Haddad Maia won another game before Rybakina decided to retire trailing 6-1 3-1. Last week, Rybakina helped Kazakhstan advance to the Billie Jean King Cup finals for the second time after defeating Poland 3-1 in their qualifier. The French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year, will be held from May 28 to June 11. Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter RutherfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Exclusive: Kazakhstan has ramped up oil exports bypassing Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Pavel MikheyevMOSCOW, April 21 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan ramped up oil exports bypassing Russia in the first quarter of 2023 as it seeks to reduce its dependency on its vast neighbour, data from industry sources and Refinitiv showed. While Kazakh oil exports through the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus are relatively small, they have risen sharply since Moscow began what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine in February last year. Last year, Kazakhstan's oil exports via routes other than Russia reached 1.8 million tonnes (36,000 barrels per day), up by 638,000 tonnes from 2021. The main, and most profitable, route for oil exports from Kazakhstan remains the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which supplies the global market via a Russian Black Sea terminal. Supplies via CPC dipped 1% last year to 51.99 million tonnes, but they still represented more than 80% of total oil exports from Kazakhstan.

☆ Chess-World championship contender faces purported leak of his preparation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 20 (Reuters) - Chess grandmasters and other players said a secret online account has been found of world championship contender Ding Liren's preparation as he trails by a point in his match in Astana, Kazakhstan, against Russian-born Ian Nepomniachtchi. The first player to gain 7.5 points will win the match and a prize of 2 million euros ($2.19 million). Ding would have used a burner account on the website Lichess.org to prepare for the match with his trainers, several players said. The account, created on Feb. 14, features new opening ideas which Ding unveiled in the match. "Ding has to deal with the fallout of his 'anonymous' pre-match training games being discovered online," chess publication Chess24 reported.

☆ Ray Dalio says fewer countries want to hold the dollar as China trade grows and Russia sanctions expose new risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Global central banks are less willing to hold the dollar, billionaire investor Ray Dalio said. One reason is that China's share of global trade is rising while the US share is falling. Another is that Western sanctions against Russia have exposed new risks for holding dollar assets. But, with China increasing the yuan's use in global trade, the future necessity for the greenback may be ebbing. Those sanctions "increased the perceived risk that those debt assets can be frozen in the way that they've been frozen for Russia," Dalio said.

☆ U.S. finishes Billie Jean King Cup qualifying unbeaten
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Each best-of-five series consists of two singles matches on the first day, then the reverse singles matches followed by a doubles match on the second day. The doubles match pitting Juvan and Zidansek against Irina Bara and Monica Niculescu was suspended at 3-3 in the first set. Jule Niemeier posted a three-set win over Beatriz Haddad Maia, and then Anna-Lena Friedsam lost only one game in defeating Laura Pigossi. Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina handed Poland's Magda Linette her second loss in two days to clinch the 3-1 series win in Astana, Kazakhstan. After Fernandez's three-set win over Ysaline Bonaventure, Belgium's Greet Minnen again knotted the match with a three-set win over Katherine Sebov.

☆ Slovenia stage comeback to beat Romania in delayed BJK Cup qualifier
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Tennis - Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers - Slovenia v Romania - Sport Park Bonifika, Koper, Slovenia - April 14, 2023 Slovenia's Tamara Zidansek reacts during her singles match against Romania's Jaqueline Cristian REUTERS/Borut ZivulovicApril 16 (Reuters) - Slovenia pulled off a remarkable comeback to beat Romania and reach the Billie Jean King Cup finals in a qualifying tie that was held over to Sunday because of rain. The deciding doubles rubber in Koper saw home pair Kaja Juvan and Tamara Zidansek come from a set down to beat Romanian duo Irina Maria Bara and Monica Niculescu 4-6 6-2 6-4. Slovenia joined eight other nations who qualified for the 12-nation final that will be contested in November. Romania looked in complete control after winning both of Friday's singles rubbers, but Slovenia hit back on Saturday. Zidansek beat Ana Bogdan 3-6 7-6(4) 7-5 and Juvan overcame Jaqueline Cristian in straight sets to take it to a decider.

☆ Kazakhstan through to Billie Jean King Cup finals, France ease past Britain
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Tennis - Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers - Kazakhstan v Poland - National Tennis Centre - Beeline Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan - April 15, 2023 Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina celebrates with teammates after winning her singles match against Poland's Magda Linette REUTERS/Pavel MikheyevApril 15 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan advanced to the Billie Jean King Cup finals for the second time after defeating Poland 3-1 in their qualifier on Saturday while France brushed aside last year's semi-finalists Britain. Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina had helped Kazakhstan build a 2-0 lead on Friday and the world number seven had no trouble dispatching Magda Linette 6-4 6-2 to give her side an unassailable lead in Astana. The best-of-five qualifiers featured two singles matches on Friday and two reverse singles plus a doubles rubber on Saturday. Poland, without injured world number one Iga Swiatek, finally got on the board as Weronika Falkowska and Alicja Rosolska won 6-4 6-4 in what was essentially a dead rubber. Garcia got the double break and the world number five served out the set to secure France's place in the Finals.

☆ EU will issue fresh wave of sanctions to stop Russia reinventing their war machine, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"We have to make sure they don't find ways around our sanctions," McGuinness said. McGuinness was also asked whether the EU will look to penalize countries that aid Russia in evading sanctions with new legislation. The U.S. Treasury Department last year published a list of countries helping Russia circumvent sanctions, which included Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. "We're changing our legislation to look at individuals who are involved in sanctions intervention," McGuinness said. Some countries, including Estonia and France, have called on the EU to sanction Moldovan and Georgian oligarchs allegedly working to help Russia destabilize Ukraine.

☆ Inside the Online Market for Overseas Abortion Pills
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Allison Mccann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +17 min

A selection of abortion pill kits available online from overseas sellers. A chart of the estimated number of abortion pills provided outside the U.S. health care system from July through December 2022. For most patients, the cost of the service remains the most important factor in deciding where to get pills online. A chart showing the minimum, average and maximum cost of abortion pills from overseas providers: Aid Access, Las Libres and for-profit online sellers. A chart showing the minimum, average and maximum delivery speeds of abortion pills from overseas providers: Aid Access, Las Libres and for-profit online sellers.

WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - Senior officials from the United States, Europe and Britain met on Thursday with financial institutions to brief them on efforts by Russia to evade Western sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine, a senior U.S. Treasury official told reporters. The firms - from the United States, Britain and Europe - assured the officials that they were working hard to avert Russian efforts to evade sanctions and export controls, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Washington on Wednesday imposed sanctions on over 120 targets, including entities linked to Russian state-held energy company Rosatom and firms based in partner nations like Turkey in a sign of stepped-up enforcement. Treasury's top sanctions official, Undersecretary Brian Nelson, will visit Switzerland next week to discuss further moves to crack down on sanctions evasion, with additional stops in Italy, Austria and Germany, Reuters reported last week. Elizabeth Rosenberg, Treasury's assistant secretary for terrorist financing and financial crime, will travel separately to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

☆ Russia's e-conscription overhaul underlines scramble for military manpower
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

It is going to be much more difficult to dodge," said Artyom, who asked for his surname to be withheld. The new law appeared part of a renewed push to generate more manpower for Russia’s military in Ukraine, where analysts say a much-anticipated winter offensive appears to have fizzled out without meaningful gains for Moscow. On March 30, British Defence Intelligence said that Russia planned to recruit an additional 400,000 professional soldiers, echoing Russian media reports. Mike Kofman, an expert in the Russian military at the U.S.-based CNA think-tank, has said that only a small proportion of Russia's troops in Ukraine are capable of offensive operations. Meanwhile, a physical recruitment drive is being rolled out across Russia.

☆ Increasing Export Restrictions on Critical Minerals Threaten Energy Transition, OECD Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Yusuf Khan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Rising export restrictions on lithium, cobalt and other raw materials critical to the energy transition threaten to slow the move to a greener economy, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In a new report, the OECD said that over the last decade, export restrictions on critical minerals—usually in the form of taxes—have increased more than fivefold. Now roughly 10% of the global value of critical raw material exports face at least one export restriction measure. These countries hold some of the largest reserves of critical raw materials and account for a significant share of their global production. Despite the additional export controls, demand for these critical materials is increasing as is trade in them, said the OECD.

☆ Exclusive: Russia starts fuel supplies to Iran by rail -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, April 11 (Reuters) - Russia started fuel exports to Iran by rail this year for the first time after traditional buyers shunned trade with Moscow, according to three industry sources and exports data. Russia and Iran, both under Western sanctions, are forging closer ties in order to support their economies and to undermine Western sanctions which both Moscow and Tehran cast as unjustified. Iran has been under Western sanctions for years with limited access to global markets. However the rail exports face bottlenecks along the route, the sources said. "We expect fuel supplies to Iran to rise this year, but we already see several issues with logistics due to rail congestion.

☆ Kazakhstan takes oil majors to arbitration over costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ASTANA, April 11 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan has started arbitration proceedings against companies developing its giant Kashagan and Karachaganak oilfields over $13 billion and $3.5 billion, respectively, in deducted costs, Energy Minister Almasadam Satkaliyev said on Tuesday. "I can only say these lawsuits have been filed in the interest of the people of Kazakhstan," Satkaliyev told reporters, refusing to provide any further details about the claims. The offshore Kashagan field, one of the biggest discoveries in recent decades, is being developed by Eni (ENI.MI), Shell (SHEL.L), TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), ExxonMobil (XOM.N), KazMunayGas (KMGZ.KZ), Inpex (1605.T) and CNPC (CNPC.UL). Both projects are covered by production sharing agreements stipulating that companies can deduct certain costs from income before splitting it with the government. Kashagan and Karachaganak are the second- and third-biggest producers of oil respectively in the Central Asian nation whose economy relies heavily on energy exports.

☆ Djokovic recovers from stuttering start to reach Monte Carlo round three
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters - Monte-Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France - April 11, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning his second round match against Russia's Ivan Gakhov REUTERS/Eric GaillardApril 11 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic briefly ran into a spot of bother as he fought his way into the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters with a 7-6(5) 6-2 victory against Russian qualifier Ivan Gakhov on Tuesday. The world number one, who had not played since early March when he reached the final in Dubai after being forced to skip Indian Wells and Miami because of his COVID unvaccinated status, struggled to find his range on the Monte Carlo clay before prevailing on a sunlit centre court. Djokovic was then business like in the second set, leaving no chance of a comeback for his opponent, who suddenly felt the court was too big for him. The double French Open champion, who suffered an opening-round exit here last year, will next face Lorenzo Musetti or the 16th seed's Italian compatriot Luca Nardi. Spain's Nadal, who triumphed a record 11 times at the Monte Carlo Country Club, is absent after failing to recover from a hip injury that has kept him away from the courts since the Australian Open.

☆ Saudi Arabia-Led Oil Cuts Run Into Gusher of Alternative Supplies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Joe Wallace | Anna Hirtenstein | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nigeria remains vulnerable to outages despite its recent increase in oil production. A burst of supply from a grab bag of smaller oil-producing countries threatens to undermine efforts by Saudi Arabia and its allies to keep prices high. Iran, Guyana, Norway, Kazakhstan, Brazil and Nigeria have pumped more oil since the fall, boosting the world’s supplies even as some of the biggest producers throttled back. Nigeria in particular has seen output bounce, with help from armed guards protecting barges in the vast creeks and waterways of the oil-rich Niger Delta.

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