North Asia

At least five people have been injured in two Russian attacks on railway infrastructure?in the southern Ukraine?, according to Ukrainian officials. Oleksiy Kulba, the Deputy Prime Minister, said that a?railway? worker was injured in a drone attack, which struck an empty passenger train early in the morning, in the Mykolaiv Region. He said that a second worker and two children were injured later by a Russian missile which 'hit an administrative building in a nearby railway station, Odesa region. The official who first announced the four injured victims of the missile attack later revised the figure to four without revealing...

The 'Russian flagged liquefied gas tanker Arctic Metagaz' is burning in the Mediterranean Sea, according to maritime security sources. Malta's Armed Forces said that the crew of the vessel had been found safe and sound in a lifeboat in Libya's search and rescue region. According to data from the MarineTraffic platform, the vessel under U.S. sanctions and UK sanctions sailed off the coast of Malta as recently as Monday. One of the sources claimed that Ukraine was suspected of committing the attack. However, no evidence was provided. Malta's military said that they received a distress call about the ship and...

* Eight countries boycott over Russian athletes' inclusion Travel disruptions caused by U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran De Sanctis: Concerns are 'overshadowing the Games' message By Giancarlo Navach MILAN, March '3 - Eight nations will boycott the Paralympics Opening Ceremony on Friday. This is in protest of the.inclusion of Russian athletes who compete.under.their national flag. More delegations may miss the event because travel disruptions are a result U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. Craig Spence, Chief Brand and Communications Officer at the International Paralympic Committee, said that the Czech Republic, Estonia Finland Latvia Lithuania Poland the Netherlands and Ukraine...

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed its concern about U.S. and Israeli?strikes on Iran. It has urged for an?immediate halt to the fighting and urged all parties to avoid escalation, and resume dialogue and negotiations. In a Saturday statement, the ministry stated that Iran's sovereignty and security, as well as its territorial integrity, should be respected. China's Embassy in Israel issued a warning to Chinese citizens living in Israel on Sunday. The notice advised them to leave the country for Egypt as soon as they could or move to safer areas. Israel and the United States launched an attack...

The 'Russian Ministry of Transport announced 'on Saturday, that Russian airlines?had halted flights to iran and Israel. Israel announced that it launched a preemptive strike against Iran on Sunday, pushing the Middle East back into a new military confrontation. This has further dimmed hopes for a diplomatic resolution to the long-running dispute between Tehran and the West over its nuclear program. According to the ministry, Russian airlines, working with the ministry, Rosaviatsiya, the aviation watchdog, and the ministry, have worked out alternate 'flight routes' in advance in order to ensure that flights into the Persian Gulf countries are safe. The...

The Russian emergency ministry reported that seven bodies were 'found' in Lake Baikal, a frozen lake in southeastern Siberia. A tour bus with eight Chinese tourists was thrown into the water after the ice cracked as they crossed it on Friday. Igor Kobzev, the regional governor of Irkutsk, said on Telegram that one of the Chinese tourists had escaped. The prosecutors' office in the region also confirmed the opening a criminal investigation. Rescuers used an underwater camera to inspect the scene, and diving operations are planned. In a?statement, it said: "The depth of the accident site is 18 metres (59...

The Kremlin stated on Monday that Cuba's fuel situation is critical. Cuba has?unveiled a plan that will protect essential services and?ration fuel. Cuba outlined its plans for navigating the crisis on Friday, as the communist government dug its heels to defy a U.S. attempt to cut off the?oil supplies to the Caribbean Island after declaring Cuba an "unusual and?extraordinary" threat to U.S. security. "The situation in Cuba has indeed become critical." We are aware of it. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, told reporters that the Kremlin maintains intensive contact with its Cuban friends via diplomatic channels and other means. Russia is...

The transport ministry reported that Russian airlines had to cancel some flights due to an outage in the Leonardo system, which was fixed. Aeroflot and other major Russian airlines had warned about possible disruptions to their schedules. In a statement, the transport ministry did not identify?the affected airlines or destinations? but said that officials would meet on Monday to "analyse what happened and minimize the impact on passengers." The Russian state-owned industrial conglomerate, Rostec,?said the problem with the Leonardo Booking System was caused by an "internal problem" at its provider, Sirena Travel. Aeroflot has been hit by a major cyberattack...

European stocks that would benefit from the end of Russia's conflict in Ukraine rose?on Friday, while defence stocks fell?after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that Ukrainian and Russian teams would have their first trilateral meetings with U.S. officials. During his meeting with U.S. president Donald Trump, Zelenskiy talked about security guarantees and a post-war recovery plan. Austrian 'bank Raiffeisen' gained 6%. Wizz Air and travel company Tui rose 9% and respectively 4%. Ukraine-exposed miner Ferrexpo surged 19%. Buzzi, Heidelberg Materials, and Rockwool were among the best-performing stocks in an index of European construction and materials stocks. All rally when the...

The heaviest winter storm to hit Asia in 60 years buried Russia's Far East under metres of snow on Tuesday. A winter blast blanketed Asia with snow, causing flights in Japan's Northwest to be grounded and affecting Shanghai. The cold snap disrupted travel across the region. Roads were closed in China and air travelers were stranded in Japan. Parts of?Russian Far East are now paralysed. Scientists have said that the weather is related to the waves of cold air from the Arctic which are simultaneously affecting Eastern Russia, Asia and Eastern Europe. Theodore Keeping said that the jet stream, which...

According to shipping ministry advisories, Greece warned its shipping fleet to take the most stringent security measures when sailing into Russian Black Sea ports following drone attacks this week on two Greek-operated oil tankers. Drones hit two oil tankers, including one chartered from U.S. oil giant Chevron as they approached the marine terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium on the Black Sea coast of Russia. Greek-operated tankers are among the largest in the world. They are crucial for trade along the Black Sea, where Bulgaria,?Georgia?, Romania?, Turkey?, and Russia?, who are at war with Ukraine?, which Moscow invaded?in February 2022?....

Four sources said that the U.S. government has filed court warrants for the seizure of dozens of more tankers connected to the Venezuelan trade. Washington is consolidating control over oil shipments into and out of this 'South American country. In recent weeks, the U.S. Coast Guard and military seized five vessels that either carried Venezuelan oil in international waters or had done so previously. The seizure was part of Washington’s campaign to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power, which culminated with U.S. troops capturing him on Jan. 3. The administration of Donald Trump has stated that it intends to...

Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's foreign minister, said in a statement issued after he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin?in Moscow on Wednesday that two ethnic -Hungarian prisoners of... war would be released by.... Russia. Szijjarto traveled to Moscow one day after Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orban had a telephone call with Putin. They discussed the Middle East situation, Ukraine and whether there was enough crude oil and gas available for Hungary. Orban's Government has made Russia's War on Ukraine a major topic in his election campaign for the 12th April parliamentary elections, increasing tensions between Budapest & Kyiv. Szijjarto stated?earlier Wednesday...

The differential between Urals crude and dated Brent has remained relatively unchanged, although buyers in Asia have increased their 'interest' in this grade due to Middle Eastern oil supply disruptions. They are still weighing the risks as well as the duration of the shortages. The disruption to the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, at the southern tip of Gulf, has led to a tightening of availability of Middle Eastern grades and increased freight rates. According to two traders and an industry source, Indian refiners are contacting Russian sellers about March and April deliveries. Chinese buyers also show...

Five traders said that concerns about Middle Eastern oil supply are causing buyers to be more interested in Russian oil. However, prices haven't yet responded. Analysts and traders said that disruptions to the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, at the southern tip of Gulf, have led to a tightening of Middle Eastern grades. Two traders and a source in the industry report that Indian refiners are contacting Russian suppliers about March and April deliveries. Sources claim that Indian refiners have begun consulting the government on the possibility of "additional Russian exports". Chinese buyers also show interest in...

The Kremlin announced that Vladimir Putin, Russian president, will meet with Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian foreign minister later on Wednesday to discuss Ukraine's "blackmailing of Slovakia and Hungary" over oil supplies. Kyiv said the Ukrainian branch Druzhba Oil Pipeline, which supplies Russian Oil?to Hungary & Slovakia, had been severely damaged by fire after a Russian attack on late January. It cannot be repaired quickly. Hungary and Slovakia both accuse Ukraine of deliberately delaying repairs out of political motives. Ukraine has been 'unhappy for a long time that they continue to buy Russian oil. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin will...

The Strait of Hormuz is the Gulf's main shipping chokepoint, and it is no longer just about oil?and?gas. According to the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), the region is a major producer of aluminum, with over 8% global production last year. Smelters from Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates ship over 5 million metric tonnes of metal through the Hormuz Strait every year. Bauxite, alumina and other materials are transported the opposite way in order to feed the smelters. These plants have not yet been targeted directly in the increasing hostilities. Qatar Aluminium, owned jointly by Norsk Hydro...

Sources in the industry said that Russia was unable to take advantage of this week's spike in global crude oil prices because a combination of?days?of Ukrainian drone attacks, and harsh winter storms?have severely curtailed their?capacity?to export. Three trade sources and Russian and Ukrainian officials confirmed that the Sheskharis Oil Terminal in Novorossiysk Port, Russia, suspended oil loadings Monday following a drone attack by Ukraine which damaged and destroyed dozens of buildings and set a fuel depot ablaze. Crude oil benchmarks rose 8% on Monday, the third consecutive session of gains, as?the U.S. - Israel conflict with Iran intensifies, disrupting fuel...

The Strait of Hormuz is not only a shipping chokepoint in the Gulf, but also carries oil and gas. According to the International Aluminium Institute, this region was also a major?producer, with over 8% global output in 2017. Smelters from Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia ship over 5 million metric tonnes of metal through the Hormuz Strait every year. The smelters are fed by a huge amount of alumina and bauxite. These plants have not yet been targeted directly in the increasing hostilities. Qatar Aluminium, owned jointly by Norsk Hydro of Norway and QatarEnergy in Qatar, is already facing closure...

ExPro, a Kyiv based analyst, said that Ukraine increased its electricity imports in February by 41% compared to January. This was due to Russian attacks against the Ukrainian power sector. Russia has increased its strikes against Ukraine's energy industry, targeting both power plants as well as substations. This forced Kyiv to cut off power supplies for businesses and import more power from the EU. ExPro stated in a report that a "majority" of the imported power came from Hungary. The supply from Hungary grew 54% from January to February. Ukraine imported electricity also from?Slovakia, which accounted for 18% of its...

Zsolt Hernadi, executive chairman of MOL, told ATV that the company received a total of 35,000 tons?of?Ukrainian?crude via the Druzhba pipeline at Ukraine's request?after a fire and a hit near the pipeline. "The pipeline suffered 'no damage.' All the more so because a fire started after the (Russian) attack, and then they began to pump Ukrainian crude from other storages into the pipeline. Hernadi stated that after the fire started, the Ukrainian colleagues asked us to take control of the oil in order to prevent further damage and a fire. "And we bought (took over)?35,000 tonnes of Ukrainian crude that?arrived...

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, said that Ukraine would complete all technical work required to begin negotiations on all issues for its European Union accession within a few days. Zelenskiy urged the EU partners to set a date for Ukraine's accession to the EU. He said that this would be an important guarantee to the future security of the country as Kyiv negotiates to end the conflict with Moscow. "We are prepared, but not every leader of the European Union is... "I?mean not everyone is prepared to give Ukraine this chance," Zelenskiy said in a WhatsApp chat with reporters....

Calculations showed that the average daily natural gas supplies from Russia's energy giant Gazprom to Europe through TurkStream, an undersea pipeline, fell by 2.3% in comparison to a year ago to 54.5 millions cubic metres in February. After Ukraine decided not to renew a 'five-year agreement with Moscow, which expired in January 2025, the only remaining transit route for Russian?gas into Europe is through Turkey. The calculations based on data from the European Gas Transmission Group Entsog revealed that total Russian gas supplies to Europe via TurkStream were 1.52 billion cubic meters last month. This is down from 1.56 billion...

Three industry sources said that the Druzhba Pipeline exported some Ukrainian oil, and much larger volumes of Russian crude before it was damaged by a Russian strike a month earlier. The strike 'has caused a halt to supply', they added. Since January 27, oil shipments from Russia to Hungary and Slovakia via the pipeline they operate have been suspended. Kyiv claims that Russia attacked pumping stations in western Ukraine. This sparked a dispute within the European Union and Hungary's efforts to block any new sanctions against Russia. It was not previously known that the Druzhba Pipeline is used to export...