Trump taps ex-Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce to join State department
Trump lauds Fox News contributor as ‘highly respected political analyst’ who ‘understood the power and importance of MAGA’ President-elect Trump announced Friday that former Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce is slated to join his State Department later this month. “It is my great honor to announce that Tammy Bruce will be joining our incredible Nominee for…
Oil from Russian tanker spill reaches Sevastopol
Oil from two ageing and damaged Russian tankers – one of which sank – was detected on Friday off the coast of Sevastopol, the largest city in Moscow-annexed Crimea. The Volgoneft-212 and the Volgoneft-239 were hit last month by a storm in the Kerch Strait, which links Crimea to the southern Russian Krasnodar region and…
Moldova PM warns of security crisis, denounces Russian gas cut-off
Moldova faces a security crisis after tens of thousands of residents in the breakaway enclave of Transdniestria were cut off from Russian gas supply, Prime Minister Dorin Recean said on Friday. Flows of Russian gas via Ukraine which supplied central and eastern Europe were halted at the end of 2024 as Kyiv rejected doing further…
Europe to lose up to 30% of gas import from Russia after Ukrainian transit stops
Without the Ukrainian route, Russia’s gas traffic to the EU will slump to 39 billion cubic meters per year, Alexey Bobrovsky, the director of the Institute for the Study of World Markets, predicts On the morning of January 1, the transit of Russian gas to Europe through Ukraine was completely stopped due to Kiev’s refusal…
Russia’s Gazprom says gas exports to Europe are stopped
Russia’s energy giant Gazprom said on Wednesday that gas exports via Ukraine to Europe had been halted from 08:00 Moscow time (0500 GMT) as the transit deal has expired. Ukraine said on Wednesday that the transit of Russian natural gas through its territory had been halted as of 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT), citing…
Russia says it will stop gas exports to Moldova from January 1
Russian energy giant Gazprom said on Saturday it would suspend gas exports to Moldova from 0500 GMT on Jan. 1 due to unpaid debt by Moldova, which is bracing for severe power cuts. It said the company reserved the right to take any action, including terminating the supply contract with Moldova. There were no immediate comments from…
Russian cargo ship sinks between Spain, Algeria — newspaper
According to the report, the cargo ship left St. Petersburg about two weeks ago and headed for the port of Vladivostok, where it was scheduled to arrive on January 22 The Russian Ursa Major cargo ship sank in international waters between Spain’s Murcia autonomous community and Algeria, the El Espanol newspaper reported. According to the newspaper, the…
More than 20 countries show interest in BRICS — Kremlin aide
Yury Ushakov noted that uncontrolled expansion of the association would break its backbone More than 20 states, in addition to the selected partner countries, are showing interest in a systemic dialogue with the BRICS group, Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov has told the media. “The doors of the association remain open to like-minded countries. At…
Putin holding talks with visiting Slovak PM, as Expiry of Gas Deal Looms
According to Putin’s press secretary, the meeting is being held one-on-one Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding a meeting with visiting Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. According to Putin’s press secretary, the meeting is being held one-on-one. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said earlier that Fico was expected to hold talks with Putin following Vladimir Zelesky’s…
Saudi Arabia says GCC residents can perform Umrah year-round
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has announced that residents of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) can now perform Umrah at any time of the year. Their Umrah can be organized in several different ways to ensure a seamless and smooth pilgrimage, the ministry said. Pilgrims can purchase an Umrah package on Saudi Arabia’s…
Oil spills into Kerch Strait after Russian tanker breaks apart in storm
A Russian oil tanker carrying thousands of tonnes of oil products split apart during a heavy storm on Sunday, spilling oil into the Kerch Strait, while another tanker was also in distress after sustaining damage, Russian officials said. The Russian Southern Transport Prosecutor’s Office will check the implementation of legislation in the field of maritime…
Syrian currency firms against US dollar after al-Assad’s fall
The Syrian pound has strengthened against the US dollar by at least 20 percent over the past two days amid an influx of Syrians from neighboring Lebanon and Jordan and an end to strict controls on trade in foreign currencies after the fall of the al-Assad government. Damascus currency traders cited exchange rates between 12,500 and…
Trudeau in Florida to meet Trump as tariff threats loom
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in Florida on Friday for a dinner with Donald Trump at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago estate, as the incoming US leader promised tariffs on Canadian imports. The unannounced meeting comes at the end of a week that has seen Canada as well as Mexico scramble to blunt the impact of Trump’s…