Russian gas exports to Europe via Yamal pipeline rise despite warning
Russian natural gas deliveries to Germany through the Yamal-Europe pipeline have increased in the early hours of Wednesday, data from German network operator Gascade showed.
Flows at the Mallnow metering point on the German-Polish border stood at an hourly volume of 12,268,936 kilowatt hours (kWh) on Wednesday morning, up from just over 10,000,000 kWh on Monday and Tuesday.
The pipeline is one of the major routes for Russian gas exports to Europe and traverses Belarus.
The flows have not been interrupted after the Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko again warned Minsk could suspend the transit of natural gas across its territory to Europe in response to new Western sanctions, boosting spot gas prices.
Nominations for Wednesday's volumes at the Velke Kapusany metering point on the Slovakia-Ukraine border, another major route to Europe, were for 952,375.8 megawatt hours (MWh) or 89.8 million cubic metres, similar to levels seen in December so far.
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Monkeypox outbreak: UK health experts warn gay, bisexual men against the virus
Are gay and bisexual communities more vulnerable to the new monkeypox virus? The new virus - now spreading across Europe and also reported in the United States - has already alarmed health experts. Now, the United Kingdom Health Security Agency has said recent confirmed cases are predominantly from those who are gay or bisexual or are men who have sex with men. The UKHSA is contacting potential close contacts of the infected patients.
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China’s Xi urges BRICS countries to strengthen cooperation
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday said the BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – need to strengthen political trust and security cooperation and help stabilise international relations at a time of global turbulence. China has instead blamed the conflict on the aggressive policies of the US and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) in eastern Europe.
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WHO clears China’s CanSino Covid vaccine for emergency use
The World Health Organisation on Thursday granted an emergency use authorisation for Chinese manufacturer CanSinBIO's Convidecia Covid-19 vaccine , the third Chinese vaccine to be granted such clearance. “The vaccine meets WHO standards for protection against Covid-19 and... the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh risks,” the UN health agency said in a statement. It was found to have 64% efficacy against symptomatic disease and 92% against severe Covid-19, the statement said.
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China accuses US of ‘interference’ after top official meets the Dalai Lama
Beijing on Thursday criticised the meeting of a senior American diplomat and the 14th Dalai Lama, calling it a violation of Washington's commitment to the position that Tibet is a part of China. Explicitly referring to the Dalai Lama as a “separatist”, the Chinese foreign ministry said the US also interfered in its “internal affairs” by appointing a special official for Tibetan affairs.
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'Forgive me…': Russian solider to wife of Ukraine civilian he murdered
'I acknowledge my blame… I ask you to forgive me' - the words of a 21-year-old Russian soldier on trial for war crimes in Ukraine, specifically the killing of an unarmed 62-year-old civilian in the northeast Ukrainian village of Chupakhivka on February 28. A tank commander, Vadim Shishimarin, is the first Russian soldier to stand trial for war crimes in Ukraine and pleaded guilty Wednesday.