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EU and operators agree on tariffs to make the gas corridor more competitive
The European Commission and the natural gas grid operators of Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine agreed on Friday to tariffs for the corridor that carries gas from Greece to Ukraine, in an effort to increase competition and diversify supply. The Greek gas grid operator DESFA announced in a press release that operators and EU executive have agreed on 'tariffs which will be implemented from October and are in line with EU rules. Greece, Bulgaria Romania and Hungary have agreed to develop the necessary infrastructure in order to realise the so-called Vertical gas Corridor, which would allow bidirectional gas transmission between the countries. Ukraine and Moldova will join in 2024. The report said that "the agreed trade approach introduces a new tariff which makes the Vertical Corridor an extremely competitive and strategic energy corridor for Southeastern Europe and Central Europe in a time of particular importance for?the continent’s energy security". DESFA announced that the five natural gas operators would offer for the first time daily, monthly and quarterly capacity?products beginning with?the 2026-2027 Gas Year (October 2026). The statement stated that "for the transitional period, until the full implementation of the new product, the operators shall submit a request for the national regulatory authorities to prolong?the availability?of existing products?until the end of October 2026 to?support Ukraine's supply security during the period of transition." (Reporting and editing by Angeliki Koutantou, Ivana Skularac)
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France shares the U.S. goal of reopening the Hormuz Strait with its foreign minister
Jean-Noel Barrot, France's Foreign Minister, said Friday that the U.S. Secretary of State Marco?Rubio?suggested Washington's goal was to destroy Iran’s ballistic capability and that Paris had the same objective of restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Barrot, speaking on the sidelines of the G7 in France, said: "I will not speak for Marco Rubio, but I will happily refer to his 'public statements,' which correspond to our conversations today about the stated U.S. objectives. These include the neutralization Iran's missile capabilities. Barrot responded that France shares the same goals as the U.S. regarding the Hormuz region and that an escort for tankers will be necessary once the height of the 'hostilities' in the.region has passed. (Reporting and writing by John Irish, Gianluca Nostro, Editing by Sudip K. Gupta).
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Europe's aviation agency boasts improved ties with FAA and Boeing
The European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) has'signaled improved relations with U.S. FAA' and said that Boeing is responding "in an appropriate manner" to regulatory oversight, indicating recent transatlantic tensions regarding aviation safety may have eased. The relationship between the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration has soured since fatal Boeing 737 MAX accidents in 2018 and 2019. These crashes were linked to flawed software, and poor oversight. This prompted EASA to look closer at Boeing designs. "Very transparently and honestly, I believe it has improved quite significantly." In an interview, EASA Executive Director Florian Guiillermet said that they now work as trusted partners. He said: "We're in a phase of trusting that the FAA will do?the correct things. I don't see any indication that they aren't doing their homework or that Boeing is not responding appropriately." He said that Boeing was responding appropriately to the FAA's actions, adding that his comments referred both to certification issues and production concerns. EASA is responsible for Airbus jets. It's also one of the major agencies that certify domestic planes. In January, the international system of mutual approval was put under pressure when U.S. president Donald Trump threatened to?decertify Canadian business jets? and impose additional tariffs until Canada approved certain U.S. models. Guillermet refused to comment directly on the dispute, but stated that the "overall certification system" should be free from interference. He said, "It's a job that must remain a job." (Reporting by Joanna Plucinska, Tim Hepher. Mark Potter edited the article.
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Iran-linked hacker claims breach of FBI Director's Personal Email; DOJ official confirms the break-in
Hackers with Iranian links have claimed that they were responsible for the breach of FBI Director Kash patel's inbox. They posted photos and his alleged resume on the internet. The hacker group Handala Hack Team posted on their website that Patel will now "find his name among the list" of successful hacked victims. The?hackers were unable to?authenticate the emails published by Hanadala. However, a sample of material that was uploaded and analyzed by appeared to show a?mixture of personal and professional correspondence dating from?2010 to 2019. An official from the Justice Department confirmed that Patel's email was compromised, but did not elaborate. The FBI didn't immediately respond to an?invitation for comment. The hackers did not respond immediately to messages. (Reporting and editing by Deepa Babyington, Raphael Satter)
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WTO is at a 'critical junction' and requires deep reforms, EU and CPTPP claim
The World Trade Organization is at "a critical juncture", and it needs deep reforms, said the European Union on Friday. On Friday, the EU and CPTPP, which includes 12 countries including Australia, Japan Canada, Mexico, Malaysia, and Britain, met in Cameroon at the WTO Ministerial Conference. In a joint statement, they stated that "the WTO is at an important juncture amid?heightened tensions within the global trading system." Both groups of representatives agreed that "urgent reform" was needed for the WTO. The WTO said that they want to "enhance" cooperation among members who share similar views in order to improve the global trading system. They also plan to work together on areas of mutual interest, such as trade diversification and supply-chain resilience. Both expressed concern about "market distortion practices", "oversupply" and "economic coercion". In the past year, the United States imposed tariffs on the EU and CPTPP members. In response to concerns over China, the EU has recently called for a revision of the WTO’s Most Favored Nation Principle, which requires trading countries to treat each other equally. Maros Sefcovic, EU Trade Commissioner, recently said that the bloc should condition low-tariff market access for Chinese firms on the opening of the Chinese economy to European companies. Benjamin Dousa, Sweden's trade minister, said earlier that if the WTO negotiations in Yaounde fail to make progress the EU-CPTPP may look to expand their cooperation and forge agreements among willing members. (Reporting and editing by FriederikeHeine and Hugh Lawson, with Olivia Le Poidevin)
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WTO is at a 'critical junction' and requires deep reforms, EU and CPTPP claim
The World Trade Organisation is at a 'critical juncture' and needs a 'deep re-structuring, said the European Union and the parties to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership on Friday. On Friday, the EU and CPTPP, which includes 12 countries including Australia, Japan, Canada Mexico, Malaysia, and Britain, met in Cameroon at the WTO ministerial conference. In a joint statement, they stated that "the WTO is at a crucial juncture amid increased tensions in global trading." Both groups of representatives agreed that "urgent reform" was needed for the?WTO. They also said that they want to work together to cooperate in areas of mutual interest. Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin and Editing by Friederike Hne
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Rosatom and DP World, a joint venture between the UAE and Russia, plan to develop logistics in Russia
The Russian state-owned nuclear company Rosatom announced on Friday it had agreed to form a joint venture in logistics with the UAE-based port operator, DP 'World. Rosatom, a Russian company that builds nuclear plants in Russia and abroad, and owns transport assets there, will hold 51%, and DP World, 49%, according to DP World's spokesman. Rosatom will contribute its 92.4% share in the Russian container logistics group FESCO. DP World, on the other hand, will?provide cash based on FESCO's market value. The Federal Antimonopoly Service and the Government Commission on Foreign Assets must approve the deal. Rosatom stated that the partnership was in line with its strategy to become a global logistics provider and increase cargo flow, including through the Northern Sea Route - the Arctic transport corridor along Russia's north coast. DP World is one of the largest container port operators in the world. The deal will 'give Rosatom access to their global infrastructure. DP World - which is expected to help 'Russia find new cargo volumes, including on the Northern Sea Route. (Reporting and writing by Anastasiyalyrchikova, Editing by Louise Heavens).
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Kazakhstan claims that the attack on Ust-Luga did not impact its oil exports
Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry said on Friday that the attack on Russia’s major port in the Baltic, Ust-Luga, did not affect?Kazakhstan’s oil exports. It added?that flows were operating normally. The Ministry said that it continues to monitor the situation. Three processing units at the Ust-Luga Complex, each with a capacity of three million metric tonnes per year, refine stable condensate to light and heavy naphthas, jet fuel, ship fuel oils and gasoil. Kazakhstan exports part of its crude oil through Russian ports along the Baltic Sea. This includes Ust-Luga which was 'hit by a Ukrainian drone on March 25. Both Ust-Luga port and the nearby Primorsk Port were forced to suspend crude oil and oil-products loadings after this attack. When the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), its main hub for oil-exports, is disrupted, Kazakhstan will use Russian Baltic ports to find alternative routes. CPC transports oil to the Black Sea Terminal near Novorossiysk from western Kazakhstan, accounting for 80% of Kazakhstan’s?oil? exports. Drones struck CPC's equipment for exporting oil on the Russian Black Sea coast on?November 29. This led to a drop in oil exports through the pipeline. This prompted Kazakhstan's decision to divert 300,000.0 tons of crude oil in December.
Ship data indicates that a Russian-origin tanker headed for Cuba has arrived in Venezuelan waters
LSEG's ship monitoring data on Friday showed that a tanker?carrying about?200,000 barrels originally bound for Cuba, has arrived in Venezuelan water.
After being stuck in the Atlantic Ocean, the Hong Kong-flagged ship Sea Horse rerouted to Venezuela earlier this month after spending weeks there. This is a major blow for an oil-hungry?island which has experienced several blackouts during this month.
The Sea Horse's stranding at sea and its sudden change of course to Venezuela were not clear.
Cuban government oil imports are being blocked by the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump, who is increasingly restricting fuel supplies for Cuba's private sector. This includes its usual suppliers Venezuela, Mexico, and Russia.
The U.S. Blockade has worsened an energy crisis that has been affecting electricity generation in Cuba and fuel distribution, including cooking gas, jet fuel, gasoline and diesel.
The Sea Horse was positioned between El Palito (Venezuela) and Puerto Cabello (Venezuela) on Friday. According to LSEG, it has not discharged any cargo.
On Friday, another?Russian-origin shipment, aboard the U.S. sanctioned tanker Anatoly Kolodkin was en route to Cuba. The data also showed that the tanker could reach Cuban water by the weekend, if it doesn't reroute or slow its speed. The vessel left Russia's Primorsk Port with?about 650,000 barrels crude oil.
Two vessels from Mexico that were scheduled to deliver humanitarian aid, such as medicines and energy-related products, to Cuba, failed to arrive at Havana on Thursday. Mexico's Navy said that there has been no confirmation or communication of their arrival.
(source: Reuters)