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Kim Jong Un's slow train to China:
Yonhap reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Beijing by train from Pyongyang on Monday. The slow, but highly specialized form of transportation has been used by the leaders of this reclusive nation for decades. Experts say it is not known which bulletproof train he took, but he has in the past used bulletproof trains, which offer a more secure and comfortable environment for a large group, including security guards and food, as well as a place where agendas can be discussed before meetings. Kim, who became leader at the end of 2011, has traveled by train to China, Vietnam and Russia. What's inside the trains? Ahn Byung Min, a South Korean expert in North Korean transportation has stated that multiple trains are needed for security. Ahn explained that these trains each have between 10 and 15 carriages. Some of them are only used by the leader as a bedroom. Others carry medical staff or security guards. He added that they also have room for Kim's desk, communications equipment and a restaurant. They may even include several carriages to transport two armored Mercedes. In 2018, a video by North Korean state TV featured Kim with Chinese top officials in a train car with pink couches. The video showed a carriage that housed Kim's office. It had a desk, a chair and a map on the wall of China and Korea. State TV footage from 2020 showed Kim on a train, visiting a typhoon hit area. The carriage was decorated with flower-shaped lights and fabric chairs printed in zebra. In his 2002 book, "Orient Express", Russian official Konstantin Pulikovsky describes a journey of Kim Jong Il's father Kim Jong Un made to Moscow over a period of three weeks. According to the book, live lobsters and cases of Bordeaux wine and Beaujolais were also flown into that train from Paris. How does it cross borders? Ahn explained that when Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia in 2023 to meet with President Vladimir Putin at the summit, the wheel assemblies of the train had to be reconfigured because the rail gauges are different between the two countries. Kim Han-tae is a former South Korean train engineer and author of a book about North Korea's railroads. While China does not have such a requirement, a Chinese engine pulls the train after it crosses the border because a local train engineer knows the rails system and signals. According to media images, Kim's special train carriages were usually pulled by DF11Z engines, Chinese-made engines with the China Railway Corporation emblem, and at least three serial numbers. Ahn noticed that the serial numbers of the engines were either 0001 and 0002, indicating China provided him with engines reserved only for senior officials. When Kim traveled across China in 2019 to his summit with U.S. president Donald Trump in Vietnam his train was drawn by a locomotive red and yellow emblazoned China's railway logo. Ahn stated that the train could reach speeds up to 80 km/h (50mph) in China, as opposed to a maximum speed of 45 km/h (28mph) for North Korea. Who uses the trains? Kim Il Sung's, Kim's, grandfather, was the North Korean founding leader. He travelled regularly abroad by train during his reign, until his death in 1995. Kim Jong Il only used trains to travel to Russia three times. This included a 20,000 km journey to Moscow in 2001. The carriage from his mausoleum is displayed in his train. He was reported to have died of a heart attack late 2011, while riding on one of the trains. State propaganda has focused on the train as the main vehicle for the Kim family to travel long distances by train in order to meet North Koreans. State television in 2022 showed Kim Jong Un on what they called an "exhaustive tour by train" of North Korea, inspecting corn crops and promoting a "communist paradise". (Reporting and editing by Frances Kerry, Josh Smith, and Ju-min Park)
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Data shows that Russian LNG exports between January and August fell by 6.3%.
LSEG released preliminary data on Monday showing that Russia's exports in January-August of liquefied gas decreased by 6.3% compared to a year ago, to 19.3 millions metric tons. This was due to a steep decline caused by the Yamal LNG Project. U.S. sanctions against Ukraine have also slowed down LNG exports, particularly from Russia. The new Arctic LNG 2 facility has been effectively frozen due to the difficulties Moscow faces in finding buyers. Ship-tracking data provided by Kpler and LSEG revealed that China received its first LNG shipment from the sanctioned Russian Project last week. This was just days before a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. LSEG data show that in August, Russia's exports of LNG fell by 24.5% on an annual basis to 2.07 million tons. This is up 3% compared to July. In the period January-August, Russian LNG exports into Europe fell by 16.8% on an annual basis to 9.4 millions tons. In August, the decline was 38.5% on an annual basis. Novatek's Yamal Gas plant reduced total exports by 41% in August, compared to the previous year. This could be due to maintenance. The plant's deliveries were the lowest they have been since December 2023. Exports of Yamal LNG fell by 7.7% on an annual basis to 12 million tonnes since the start of the year. Sakhalin-2 (a Russian company with a focus on Asia) controlled by Gazprom increased its exports 6.6% year-on-year to 6.5 millions tons in the period January-August. (Reporting and Editing by David Goodman).
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A man arrested after crashing into the Russian consulate of Sydney
On Monday, a man drove his car through the gates of the Russian Consulate in Sydney, Australia. Police said that the suspect had been arrested and charged for offences such as destroying property and having a knife. On a video taken by an eyewitness, the police shouted: "Get out now!" A man was in a vehicle parked in the grounds of the consulate, in Sydney's suburb Woollahra. New South Wales Police reported that officers responded to an assistance request from the consulate. They tried to speak to a driver in a vehicle in front of the building who then accelerated into the front door. First, the consulate reported a vehicle parked in front of its building. The police were informed that the driver had entered the grounds and jumped over the fence before returning to the vehicle. The neighbour who saw the incident reported that the car forced its way through the gate after the driver had been instructed to get out. The policemen kept asking him to get out. He did not get out of his car. The neighbour, who declined to reveal his name, said that they had drawn their guns. It was quite dramatic for a Monday morning. On the grounds of the consulate, a white SUV with a broken window was later abandoned. A flatbed came to take it away. Police said that the 39-year old man was arrested, and then charged with charges such as using an offensive weapon in order to prevent police investigations, destruction of property, resisting officers, and possession of a blade in a public area. Two police officers suffered minor injuries. The man was denied bail. The person who answered the phone at the consulate refused to comment about the incident. Tim Enright, who was working on the roof of an adjacent building, saw a policeman taking pictures of a car that was parked close to the consulate at around 8 am. He then said that he heard sirens, and a helicopter was on the scene. The consulate briefly closed and then reopened. The Australian Federal Police stated that there was no imminent or current threat to the consulate, or the local community. Reporting by Kirstyn Needham in Sydney, writing by Alasdair pal, and editing by Kim Coghill; Tom Hogue; Saad Sayeed; Peter Graff
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Drone attacks on Russian energy sites
According to calculations, recent Ukrainian drone attacks have shut down facilities that account for at least 17% or 1.1 millions barrels per day of Russia's oil-processing capacity. The following is a list of recent attacks on energy sites in Russia. Russia is one of the largest energy producers in the world. SYZRAN REFINERY The Ukrainian military confirmed that there was an August fire at the Syzran Oil Refinery in the Samara Region. This refinery had a processing capability of 8.5 millions tonnes per year. On August 15, the military confirmed that they had hit the Syzran refinery. According to two sources in the industry, Syzran's oil refinery has suspended its production and crude intake. KRASNODAR REGION REFINERIES The Kyiv military reported multiple explosions, and an fire, at the Krasnodar refinery, located in southern Russia, which produces three million tonnes of light oils per year. Authorities reported on August 13 that a small fire started by debris from a drone destroyed was quickly put out at the Slavyansk refinery. No injuries were reported. The Afipsky oil refinery in Krasnodar region was also affected by a fire caused by drone debris on August 7. However, the extent of damage is not yet known. A drone attack caused debris to fall on the Ilsky oil refinery located in Krasnodar, Russia. UST-LUGA Russia's Ust-Luga Two industry sources said that the Baltic Sea Oil Export Terminal will be operating at 350,000 barrels a day, or half its normal capacity, in September due to damage caused by Ukrainian drone attacks on pipeline infrastructure. DRUZHBA PIPELINE Hungary and Slovakia The Druzhba pipeline, built by the Soviets, was cut off following the Ukrainian military attack on the Unecha oil Pumping station in Russia Bryansk Region . The Ukrainian military said that on 13 August, its drones had also struck the Unecha Pumping Station. A large fire and damage were reported. The crude flow through the Druzhba system was not affected. NOVOSHAKHSTINSK An industrial site, which houses an oil refinery in the southern Russian city of Novoshakhtinsk, was hit by a drone, causing a fire, according to authorities in August. VOLGOGRAD RIFINERY The Ukrainian military announced on August 14, that its drones hit a Russian refining plant in the Volgograd Region causing massive fires. Two sources with knowledge of the situation said that the Volgograd refinery was shut down following drone attacks. In February, a drone attack forced the refinery operated by Lukoil to stop operations for about a week. SARATOV REFINERY Ukraine reported that it had attacked an oil refinery located in Russia's Saratov Region by drone overnight on 10 August, causing an explosive fire and explosion. However, the extent of damage is unclear. Saratov refinery had to stop fuel production in February after a drone attack. SOCHI OIL DELIVERY A Ukrainian drone strike on August 3, caused two oil tanks at an oil depot to catch fire in Sochi, southern Russia. The blazes, however, were extinguished later, according to local authorities. NOVOKUIBYSHEVSK REFINERY The primary oil processing at the Russian Novokuibyshevsk Refinery, operated by Rosneft oil company, has been stopped since August 2, following an attack on a Ukrainian drone in the week prior, according to two industry sources. RYAZAN REFINERY According to three sources in the industry, a drone attack by Ukraine on 2 August halted about half of the refinery's capacity. The Ryazan oil refinery has been hit several times. The refinery was forced to stop operations in late January and February after drone strikes. Reporting and Editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Sharon Singleton
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Poland gauges interest for expansion of floating LNG terminal
Gaz-System, Poland's gas pipeline operator, said that the country is measuring interest in expanding a floating LNG terminal near Gdansk. More European companies are interested in supplying through Poland. Gaz-System will build a terminal that can regasify 6.1 billion cubic metres (bcm), or gas, per year. It dropped its plan to build a second floating regasification and storage unit (FSRU 2) in 2023 due to a lack of market interest. Gaz-System stated that the ban on Russian gas imports proposed in June by the European Commission opens up new opportunities for member countries and more European players have expressed interest in LNG supply via Poland. The company stated that "confirmation of the requirement for additional LNG regasification capacities would constitute the basis for initiating an open season procedure on this matter." Participants will be asked to declare their capacity and the markets to which they intend to ship gas. This year, Ukraine has received several LNG shipments through Poland. (Reporting by Marek Strzelecki; Editing by Susan Fenton)
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Caspian Pipeline Consortium reports that two of the three Black Sea oil moorings have been operational
Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which handles around 1.5% of the global oil, announced on Monday that it has brought back one of its Black Sea docking points after maintenance following an accident at another loading point last week. CPC, which is mainly carrying oil from Kazakhstan, has confirmed that mooring point SPM 1 and SPM 3 are currently operational. This latter has been under maintenance since August 15 Last Friday, the consortium announced that it had halted operations at SPM 2 after an oil spill occurred during a loading process. CPC operates with two moorings and uses the third one as a backup. CPC's shareholders, including U.S. giants Chevron, Exxon Mobil and others, have been in the spotlight on several occasions during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Due to storms, unplanned maintenance and oil spills the consortium had to close all of its moorings points except one several times by 2022. This severely reduced exports along this route. This year's operations were also disrupted by a Ukrainian Drone strike. (Reporting and editing by Mark Trevelyan; Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin)
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Ukraine will increase its gas imports Monday
The national gas transmission operator announced that Ukraine will increase its natural gas imports from 22 million cubic meters (mcm), which was the level on Sunday, to nearly 24 mcm by Monday. In recent weeks, Ukraine has imported about 22 mcm per day of gas. The country must store at least 13 billion cubic meters of gas underground for winter heating. Operator data indicated that Ukraine will increase its gas imports to Poland from 7,7 mcm Sunday, up to 10,4 mcm Monday. The country will also import gas in Hungary and Slovakia. Since Russian missile attacks this year, the domestic gas production in Ukraine has been severely reduced. In recent weeks, despite the efforts of U.S. president Donald Trump to resolve the conflict, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure for gas import and production. Rustem Umerov, a senior Ukrainian official in charge of security, announced on Monday that the top military and security officials will meet this week to talk about the energy sector. Umerov told Telegram that the focus was on gas, fuel, and electricity supplies. He also stressed the importance of implementing relevant agreements with partners and ensuring critical infrastructure is ready. (Reporting and editing by David Goodman, Joe Bavier, and Pavel Polityuk)
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Since the Ukraine War, Russia has been increasing its energy ties to China
China has increased its purchases of Russian gas and oil since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine 2022. Moscow and Beijing declared a partnership "without limits" just days before war broke out. When Presidents Vladimir Putin & Xi Jinping met in China on February 2, the energy relationship between both countries was expected to be a major topic. The energy relations between the two countries are based on the following facts: Gazprom, the Russian energy giant, supplies natural gas to China via a 3,000 km pipeline (1.865 miles) called Power of Siberia, under a $400 billion, 30-year deal signed at the end of 2019 Exports in 2024 will be around 31 billion cubic meters. The supply is expected to reach the 38 bcm planned capacity this year. China agreed in February 2022 to purchase up to 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year by 2026-2027, via a pipeline that will run from Sakhalin Island to the Far East of Russia. Russia's annual gas exports to China still represent a tiny fraction of its record 177 billion cubic meters (bcm) to Europe. Russian gas is now only 18% of European imports. This is down from 45% by 2021. Oil imports to the EU from Russia are also down from 30% in that period to just 3%. The European Union intends to completely phase out Russian energy in 2027. Russia and China continue to discuss a new Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline that can deliver 50 billion cubic meters of gas annually from Russia to China through Mongolia. Gazprom started a feasibility study in 2020 for the pipeline, but now the project is more urgent as Russia looks to China as a replacement to Europe as the country's major gas consumer. Last year, Russia's exports of liquefied gas to China increased by 3.3%. They reached 8.3 million tons. After Australia and Qatar Russia was the third largest LNG supplier to China. China is the world's biggest buyer of seaborne gas. Since late 2022, China has ignored most of the sanctions imposed on Russian crude by Western nations. Due to its close proximity, China, the world's largest oil importer, and a major Russian oil buyer, primarily purchases East Siberia – Pacific Ocean (ESPO), crude oil exported from the Russian Far East Port of Kozmino. China's crude imports from Russia increased by 1% to a new record in 2024, compared with 2023. Purchases from Saudi Arabia fell 9%. According to China's General Administration of Customs (GAC), the volume of Russian oil - including seaborne and pipeline supplies - was 108.5 million tons last year, which is equivalent to 2,17 million barrels a day. China can also get Russian oil through the Skovorodino - Mohe pipeline spur on the 4,070-km (2.540-miles) ESPO pipe, bypassing all vessel and cargo restrictions. The pipeline has the capacity to ship 30 million metric tonnes annually. Russia is seeking to increase its oil exports via Kazakhstan to China by 2.5 million tonnes per year. (Reporting and editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Sharon Singleton and Vladimir Soldatkin)
Greece and Germany bust cocaine smuggling rings across Europe
Police said that Greek and German officers had dismantled an illegal ring smuggling drugs hidden in trucks coming from Spain to Greece and other European nations.
In a police statement, they said that two suspected members of this gang had been arrested in Greece last week and three others in Germany. In Spain and Germany, more suspected gang members are still at large.
The statement stated that the estimated profit for the gang is over 5 million euros (5,85 million dollars).
Members hid the drugs in trucks that transported goods internationally, or they used trucks to legally enter Spain to obtain the drugs. The statement said that the vehicles were registered in Bulgaria primarily for Greek companies, and the drivers were Greeks and Bulgarians.
During raids conducted in Greece and Germany, more than 300 kg cocaine were confiscated. Police officials confirmed that the two countries joined together following an investigation launched by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
In recent years, Greece has intensified its fight against drugs trafficking as Europe has grown to be a major market for cocaine.
(source: Reuters)