Author: Steven Sahiounie

The price of July futures at the TTF hub in the Netherlands rose to $1,216 per 1,000 cubic meters, or 112.9 euro per MWh The price of gas in Europe surpassed $1,200 per 1,000 cubic meters on London’s ICE on Wednesday for the first time since May 12, following the news about an additional reduction in gas supplies via Nord Stream and the shutdown of another Siemens gas turbine engine. The price of July futures at the TTF hub in the Netherlands rose to $1,216 per 1,000 cubic meters, or 112.9 euro per MWh. Gazprom announced earlier on Wednesday it…

According to Maria Zakharova, neither the North-Atlantic Alliance, nor the NATO secretary general “has pity for Ukraine or its people, since they are talking about a price” that has to be paid to stabilize the situation The North Atlantic Treaty Organization cannot succeed in pushing its efforts to prevent further tensions with Russia as long as it keeps exacerbating the situation in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Wednesday. When asked to comment on NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s statement that the alliance…

Washington would support a possible security alliance between the UK, Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic States, the US envoy to NATO says The US Permanent Representative to NATO, Julianne Smith, said on Tuesday that Washington would “want to support” the idea of a new security alliance, which could reportedly include Ukraine, the UK, Poland, the Baltic States, and possibly Turkey. Last month, Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper reported that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had floated the idea of a so-called “European Commonwealth” to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to Kiev in early April. According to the paper’s sources, Johnson sees the…

The delegations of the guarantor countries, Turkey, Russia, and Iran, have begun talks within the framework of the 18th round of the Astana talks in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The Syrian delegation to the Astana talks, headed by Deputy Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Ayman Sousan met Wednesday with the UN delegation headed by Robert Dann, the Chief of Political Affairs in the office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria and head of the UN delegation to the Astana meetings in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 18th International Meeting on Syria in the Astana format.…

As Xi Jinping explained, Beijing was taking an independent position on the Ukrainian issue, “taking into account the facts and historical realities” In a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin China’s leader Xi Jinping expressed his readiness to help settle the Ukrainian crisis, China’s central television said on Wednesday. “All parties concerned must take a responsible stance, thus promoting the correct settlement of the crisis in Ukraine,” the broadcaster quotes Xi as saying. “China is prepared to keep playing its constructive role.” As Xi explained, Beijing was taking an independent position on the Ukrainian issue, “taking into account the…

Brussels is seeking new sources of energy to reduce its reliance on Russia Egypt, Israel, and the European Union have signed a deal to boost shipments of liquified natural gas (LNG) to EU member states, Sky News Arabia reported on Wednesday. Brussels hopes the agreement will help it to reduce energy dependence on Russia. “The deal will see Israel sending more gas via Egypt, which has facilities to liquify it for export by sea,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said at a joint news conference alongside the Egyptian and Israeli energy ministers. In 2021, the EU imported some 40%…

On June 15, two Turkish airstrikes targeted the so-called People’s Council in the northern Iraqi town of Snuny that is located just ten kilometers away from the border with Syria. The airstrikes, which were allegedly carried out by a combat drone, claimed the life of 12-year-old Saleh Shifan Khidr Naso from the Yazdi minority. Iraqi sources said that the total number of victims from the airstrikes was four. However, this is yet to be confirmed. Snuny is a part of the Sinjar district, the heartland of Yazidis who were the victims of genocide by ISIS terrorists in 2014. The Kurdistan…

UK PM Boris Johnson earlier announced that the government had introduced a bill that would amend the Northern Ireland Protocol – a provision in the Brexit agreement with the EU, which allowed the UK to prevent a hard border from being placed between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, but was devised only as a temporarily solution. The European Commission has launched legal proceedings against the UK in response to its plans to unilaterally change the Northern Ireland Protocol, a special amendment to the Brexit agreement that governs border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Vice-President of the European…

Russian special presidential envoy for Syria condemns the Israeli attacks waged on Syrian territories as “unacceptable”. The Syrian settlement process remains a top priority for Russia despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russian special presidential envoy for Syria Alexander Lavretyev said at the beginning of the Astana format talks on Wednesday. “Many now, you have probably heard, say that in connection with the special military operation, Russia’s attention to Syria has weakened,” Lavrentyev said. “A number of European countries want to see the development of the situation in Syria according to their patterns. I want to say that the Syrian…

North Korea may have spent as much as $642 million on its nuclear program last year, according to anti-nuclear activists, as the impoverished country appears ready to test a new weapon despite battling a COVID-19 outbreak and economic crisis. There is no confirmed data on North Korea’s nuclear spending, or the size of its arsenal. Since 2006 it has conducted at least six nuclear tests, and appears to be preparing to resume testing for the first time since 2017. In a report on global nuclear weapons spending released on Tuesday, the Geneva-based International Campaign to Abolish nuclear weapons said its…