Summer rolls on along French Riviera as balmy temperatures persist
It is late October on the French Riviera, but tourists are sunbathing in bikini, the terraces are full and the seawater is warm enough for swimming. On the beach in ...
Israel, Lebanon finalise maritime demarcation deal without mutual recognition
Israeli and Lebanese leaders finalised a U.S-brokered maritime demarcation on Thursday, bringing a measure of accommodation between the enemy states as they eye offshore energy exploration.
Leaders from Lebanon, ...
European gas prices: why have they been falling?
European benchmark gas prices have been steadily declining over the past few months to near their levels before war broke out in Ukraine.
Europe has been facing an energy supply ...
ECB to raise interest rates, likely to trim bank subsidies
The European Central Bank will raise interest rates again on Thursday and likely reel in a key subsidy to commercial banks, taking another big step in tightening policy to fight ...
Russia warns West: We can target your commercial satellites
A senior Russian foreign ministry official said that commercial satellites from the United States and its allies could become legitimate targets for Russia if they were involved in the war ...
Germany, Greece hopeful of an EU agreement to curb gas price spikes
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday he believed EU states could find a solution to contain speculative spikes in gas prices, while Greece urged EU energy ministers to reach ...
Turkey banks fuss over bond holdings that ease pre-election spending
Turkish bank executives raised concerns with authorities this week that a year of new rules forcing them to buy government bonds could ultimately destabilize the sector, even as it sharply ...
Chinese cities double down on curbs as Covid outbreaks widen
Chinese cities from Wuhan in central China to Xining in the northwest are doubling down on COVID-19 curbs, sealing up buildings, locking down districts and throwing millions into distress in ...
Islamic State claims Iran shrine attack, Iran vows response
The militant group Islamic State said it carried out an attack on a Shi’ite Muslim shrine in Iran on Wednesday which killed 15 people, escalating tensions in a country reeling ...
Ukrainians hold out in east, prepare battle for Kherson
Ukrainian troops are holding out against repeated attacks by Russian forces in two eastern towns while those at the southern front are poised to battle for the strategic Kherson region, ...
Saudi Aramco launches $1.5 bln fund, says energy transition plan flawed
Oil giant Saudi Aramco launched a $1.5 billion fund to support an inclusive global energy transition on Wednesday while Saudi officials said the switch from hydrocarbons could take decades, necessitating continued ...
Lebanon waives TotalEnergies’ share in gas exploration consortium
Lebanon’s caretaker cabinet on Wednesday approved a decision to waive TotalEnergies’ (TTEF.PA) 40 per cent stake in a consortium to explore the country’s maritime Bloc 9.
TotalEnergies was leading ...
Gulf economies need to boost production, exports -Bahrain finance minister
Bahrain’s finance minister said on Wednesday that the Gulf countries need to build their production and export capabilities in order to transform their economies, since the majority of their ...
Italy’s Meloni pledges arms for Ukraine, Berlusconi toes line
The only way to facilitate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is helping Kyiv to defend itself militarily, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told parliament on Wednesday.
“Peace can ...
Pentagon successfully flight tests hypersonic weapon components
The U.S. Navy and Army blasted off a rocket from a seaside launch pad in Virginia to test nearly a dozen hypersonic weapon experiments on Wednesday to help develop ...
Iran says 13 people killed in shrine attack, Raisi vows to respond
An attack on a Shi’ite Muslim shrine in the Iranian city of Shiraz killed 13 people on Wednesday, authorities said, and President Ebrahim Raisi vowed that the shooting by suspected ...
U.S. developing domestic uranium strategy -energy secretary
The United States is working on supplying its own uranium for existing and advanced nuclear reactors that could become commercial in the future to reduce dependency on Russia for the ...
U.S. sanctions target corruption, Russian operations in Moldova
The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on individuals and entities involved in what it described as Russia’s malign influence operations in Moldova as well as systemic corruption in ...
Serbian parliament appoints new government
The Serbian parliament appointed a new government on Wednesday whose main priorities will be investment in energy infrastructure and membership in the European Union.
The new Cabinet will be led ...
Nigeria loses compensation bid over Glencore bribery
Nigeria’s bid to claim compensation from a British subsidiary of mining and trading group Glencore GLEN.L over bribes paid to officials at Nigeria’s state oil company was ...
Blinken says China rejects status quo of Taiwan situation
China has decided the status quo of Taiwan’s situation is no longer acceptable and has begun to ratchet up pressure on the self-governing island, including holding out the possibility ...
Biden and Israel’s Herzog discuss Iran’s nuclear program
President Joe Biden and Israeli President Isaac Herzog held talks on Wednesday focused heavily on Iran, with the two leaders discussing Tehran’s nuclear program and what Washington says is ...
EU energy chief says gas price cap possible this winter if countries agree
The European Union could introduce a gas price cap this winter to limit excessive price spikes, but only if countries give Brussels a mandate to propose the measure, the bloc’...
Germany to legalise cannabis use for recreational purposes
Germany on Wednesday set out plans to legalise cannabis, in a move promised by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government that would make it one of the first countries in Europe ...