Page 159 - Russia

Shipping costs for Russian crude skyrocket ahead of more sanctions by EU

The surge in costs reflects the challenges faced by suppliers of Russian crude ahead of the deadline when the EU, including some of the world's top tanker owners

Russia implements new law to broaden net for foreign agents in country

Russia on Thursday put into effect a new version of its foreign agents law that expands authorities' powers to consider anyone under foreign influence to be an agent of another country. Under previous versions of the law, officials had to show that an organization or individual had received financial or material assistance from overseas to be designated an agent. The new version of the law was signed in July by President Vladimir Putin. Foreign influence is considered to be the provision of support by a foreign source to a person or influencing a person including by coercion, persuasion or other means', according to a statement from the Duma, the lower house of parliament. The new law is the latest move in a long-running crackdown on opposition supporters, independent media and human rights activists. The law obliges organizations to publicly identify themselves as being foreign agents; media outlets designated as agents must run a lengthy statement to that effect with their storie

No Dutch prosecutors won't appeal sole acquittal in 2014 MH17 trial

The Dutch prosecutor's office said Thursday that it will not appeal the acquittal of a man charged in the shooting down of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet as it flew over eastern Ukraine in 2014, citing concerns over the stress it would place on the families of the 298 people killed in the tragedy. Earlier this month, a court in the Netherlands convicted three other men in absentia for supplying the Russian surface-to-air missile which was used to bring down Flight 17, killing everyone on board the Boeing 777. Oleg Pulatov, a Russian who was the only suspect represented by defense lawyers at the trial, was acquitted for lack of evidence. An appeal would be a great burden for the next of kin, because they would then remain in uncertainty about the outcome of the criminal case, the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service said in a statement. All of the men are believed to be in Russia, which does not extradite its own nationals. Through his lawyers, Pulatov maintained he was not ...

EU agrees on $60 per barrel price cap on Russian oil, say reports

Restrictions an attempt to squeeze Kremlin's crude oil revenues

Russia not bothered by oil price cap; will negotiate with partner nations

Russia on Thursday said it was not bothered at a possible price cap on its crude oil proposed by the West, saying Moscow will negotiate directly with its partners like India and China as the price should be decided between the producers and consumers, and "not someone who just decided to punish someone." Members of the G7 have agreed to impose a price cap on Russian oil in a bid to hit Moscow's ability to finance the war in Ukraine. Countries want to reach an agreement ahead of December 5, when Europe's embargo on Russian crude travelling by sea takes effect. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a press conference on European security issues that Moscow was not bothered about the price cap set to be imposed by the West on its oil exports. "We are not interested in what the price cap will be, we will negotiate with our partners directly, and the partners who continue to work with us will not look at these caps and will not give any guarantees to those who illegally introduce .

Pakistan asks Russia for 30-40% discount on crude oil; Moscow denies

A Pakistani delegation holding talks with their Russian counterparts has asked for a 30-40 per cent discount on crude oil, a demand turned down by Moscow which said it could not offer anything right now as all volumes were committed, according to a media report on Thursday. The delegation comprising State Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik, Secretary Petroleum Capt (retd) Muhammad Mahmood, joint secretary and officials of the Pakistan Embassy in Moscow asked for a discount during talks in Moscow on Wednesday, The News reported. The talks ended with no cogent conclusion but the Russian side promised to consider Pakistan's demand and to share its decision later on through diplomatic channels, the paper said, citing its sources. The paper said that Russia can offer crude at the rates it is providing to its large client countries, which are reliable and sound economies, at a suitable time. Right now all volumes are committed with big buyers, sources said. The Russian side asked ...

Elon Musk warned by EU official to keep Putin's propaganda off Twitter

Failing to take on fake or misleading content online could "lead to the very quick abuse" of Twitter, European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova, said

US, NATO directly involved in Ukraine conflict: Russian foreign minister

Russia's foreign minister on Thursday accused the West of becoming directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine by supplying it with weapons and training its soldiers. Sergey Lavrov also said that Russia's strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities and other key infrastructure that have left millions without power, heating and water were intended to weaken Ukraine's military potential and derail the shipments of Western weapons. You shouldn't say that the US and NATO aren't taking part in this war, you are directly participating in it, Lavrov said in a video call with reporters. And not just by providing weapons but also by training personnel. You are training their military on your territory, on the territories of Britain, Germany, Italy and other countries. He said that the barrage of Russian missile strikes was intended to knock out energy facilities that allow you to keep pumping deadly weapons into Ukraine in order to kill the Russians. The infrastructure that is targeted by thos

Ukrainian Olympian auctioning medals to help war effort against Russia

One of Ukraine's most decorated Olympians is auctioning his medals two golds and a bronze in hopes of raising a six-figure donation to contribute to the war effort in his native land. My Olympic medals won't matter if Ukraine can't stand for this fight for freedom and independence, two-time canoe champion Yuri Cheban told The Associated Press in an email exchange Wednesday. Cheban won Olympic gold in the 200 meters in 2012 and 2016 and a bronze in the 500 meters in 2008. SCP Auctions, which is conducting the sale, expects the gold medals to fetch in the neighborhood of $75,000 each, an impressive estimate buoyed by the relative scarcity of available recent medals, and also their meaning. Cheban will give the proceeds to the Olympic Circle charity fund, a collection started by athletes and targeted toward helping the city of Mykolaiv, which isn't far from the recently liberated city of Kherson and also close to Cheban's home, the Black Sea port city of Odessa. I think a lot of peo

S Korea scrambles jets after China, Russia planes enter air defence zone

Wagner Group may get terror tag

Russian, Chinese bombers fly joint patrols over Pacific to show close ties

Russian and Chinese strategic bombers on Wednesday flew a joint patrol over the western Pacific in a show of increasingly close defense ties between the two countries. The Russian Defence Ministry said that the Tu-95 bombers of the Russian air force and the Chinese H-6K bombers flew over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea during an eight-hour mission. As part of the drills, the Russian bombers for the first time landed in China and the Chinese bombers flew to an air base in Russia, the ministry said in a statement. It noted that the joint patrols weren't directed against any other country. The exercise follows a series of joint drills intended to showcase a growing military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing as they both face tensions with the United States. In September, Beijing sent more than 2,000 troops along with more than 300 military vehicles, 21 combat aircraft and three warships to take part in a sweeping joint exercise with Russia. The maneuvers marked the firs

Ukraine's 'surrender hotline' for Russian soldiers gets 100 enquiries a day

According to officials in Kiev, through the "I Want To Live" scheme, Russian troops can choose to surrender on the helpline

Climate change: Buried in ice for 48,500 yrs, 'zombie virus' resurrects

European researchers examined ancient samples and characterized 13 new pathogens, what they termed "zombie viruses"

India's finished steel imports from Russia hit 4-year high in April-October

India's finished steel imports from Russia during April-October rose to their highest in at least four years, government data showed

Iran govt signs $300 million MoU for car exports to Russia: Report

Iran has signed a Memorandum of Understanding valued at $300 million with Russia for car exports to the country, semi-official Fars news agency reported

Russian army chief in Syria meets Kurdish commander amid threats by Turkey

The chief of Russian forces in Syria has met with a Kurdish commander over threats by Turkey to launch a new incursion into northern Syria, a Kurdish spokesman and an Arab TV station said Monday. Siamand Ali, a spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, confirmed to The Associated Press that Lt. Gen. Alexander Chaiko met Sunday with Kurdish commander Mazloum Abdi in northeast Syria, adding that he has no details about what they discussed. Chaiko's trip to the northeast came days after Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to order a land invasion of northern Syria targeting Kurdish groups following the Nov. 3, explosion in Istanbul that killed six people and wounded dozens. Russia has called for de-escalation along the Turkey-Syria border. Turkey has launched a barrage of airstrikes on suspected militant targets in northern Syria and Iraq over the past week, in retaliation for the Istanbul bombing that Ankara blames on the Kurdish groups. The groups have denied

Global oil mkt signals short-term weakness ahead of EU ban on Russian oil

The global oil market is signaling a potential shift, as traders and analysts worry about reduced crude demand and an oversupplied market in the coming months

Ukraine works to restore water, power after Russian strikes Kherson

Ukrainian authorities endeavoured on Saturday to restore electricity and water services after recent pummelling by Russian military strikes that vastly damaged infrastructure, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying millions have seen their power restored since blackouts swept the war-battered country days earlier. Skirmishes continued in the east and residents from the southern city of Kherson headed north and west to flee after punishing, deadly bombardments by Russian forces in recent days. The strikes have been seen as attempts at Russian retribution against Ukraine's beleaguered but defiant people after Ukrainian troops over two week ago liberated the city that had been in Russian hands for many months. The key task of today, as well as other days of this week, is energy," Zelenskyy said in his nightly televised address late Friday. From Wednesday to today we have managed to halve the number of people whose electricity is cut off, to stabilize the system. He said, however,

Russia drafts decree banning sale of oil to price-cap participants

It would essentially ban any reference to a price cap in contracts for Russian crude oil or products, and prohibit loadings destined for any countries that adopt the restrictions

EU diplomats suspend talks on capping Russian oil prices as divisions stick

Poland and the Baltic nations are outraged at a proposal to cap Russian oil prices at $65 per barrel limit, as the level is above the rates Moscow sells crude now