Zelensky Blames Russia for Gas Price Turmoil in 'Strike at Europeans' – Newstrends
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Zelensky Blames Russia for Gas Price Turmoil in ‘Strike at Europeans’

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2 years ago

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is accusing Russia’s state-run energy company of attempting to “shackle” European countries and punishing them with high gas prices for backing Ukraine against Moscow’s invasion.

Zelensky, in a speech Thursday, called for European countries to end their dependence on Russian energy. Zelensky’s remarks come as Russia’s Gazprom cut the flow of natural gas to Europe twice this week, a move critics say was a politically calculated move by the Kremlin.

A key benchmark for European gas futures prices rose above 120 Euros per megawatt hour on Thursday, a 32 percent increase from last month, according to Trading Economics.

Gazprom said on Tuesday it would have to cut the amount of natural gas planned to flow through the Nord Stream pipeline to Europe from 167 million cubic meters per day to 100 million. Gazprom planned the reduction on what it called a “failure by Germany’s Siemens to return gas compressor units (GCUs) in due time after their repair,” among other reasons.

Gazprom said a day later that it would shut down another Siemens gas turbine at its Portovaya compressor station, reducing the supplies through the pipeline to 67 million cubic meters per day.

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“I believe that it is not a coincidence that the situation with gas in Europe has worsened today—the price has jumped again,” Zelensky said Thursday. “Russia has done this on purpose, restricting supplies to harm Europe, to strike at Europeans.”

Zelensky added that, “Gazprom is simply pulling on the gas chain in which they have been trying to shackle Europe for a long time.” He said the situation is “another argument in favor of the fact that Europe must now switch to life without Russian gas. There should be no such dependence.”

In response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Union countered with economic sanctions against Russia. However, the EU has remained dependent on Russian natural gas.

The EU imported 155 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia in 2021, according to the International Energy Agency, accounting for around 45 percent of EU gas imports and close to 40 percent of its total gas consumption.

Germany’s Economy Minister Robert Habeck on Wednesday said during a press conference that the reduction in gas supply volumes was politically motivated, dismissing the official explanation that the problems were technical.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday told reporters there was “nothing deliberate” about the actions taken by Gazprom to reduce gas supplies to Europe, according to Russian state-owned news agency TASS.

“There is nothing deliberate there, this is a problem that is not connected with us,” Peskov said, chalking up the reduction in capacity to the problems with turbines.

Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller on Thursday also said there is “there is no way to solve the problem occurred at the Portovaya compressor station,” according to TASS.

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American man arrested for beating tourist to death at Ireland hotel

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1 day ago

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November 14, 2024

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American man arrested for beating tourist to death at Ireland hotel

A 30 year old American man whose name was not given by security officials, has been arrested for beating up a 60 year old tourist to death at the Ballyfin Demesne hotel in Laois, Ireland.

The Irish police force commonly known as ‘Garda Síochána’ announced that the incident occurred in the late hours of Tuesday, November 12.

Ballyfin Demesne hotel, is a popular luxury five-star hotel located in Laois, Ireland and special guests such as Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, George Clooney e.t.c had made use of the hotel in times past.

The victim was discovered unconscious in the late hours of Tuesday, November 12 and was then rushed to the hospital were he died due to severe beating inflicted on him by the culprit.

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Independent local councilor James Kelly stated that nearby communities were ‘stunned’ upon learning about the incident at the renowned hotel.

He said, “There would be a lot of staff from the area and they’re totally shocked by what has happened here.

“It’s something we didn’t think we’d be waking up to this morning.”

The police also noted that a senior officer has been assigned to lead the investigation and an incident room has been set up at Portlaoise Garda Station, Ireland.

Furthermore, a family liaison officer will  be designated to assist the family of the deceased.

 

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International

FBI raids home of crypto platform Polymarket CEO, after accurate prediction of Trump win

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2 days ago

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November 14, 2024

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FBI raids home of crypto platform Polymarket CEO, after accurate prediction of Trump win

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday carried out a raid at the home of Shayne Coplan, CEO of cryptocurrency prediction outlet Polymarket.

Authorities seized Mr Coplan’s phone during the raid, according to New York Post which first reported the incident.

Mr Coplan, 26, has been running the famous platform for bets throughout the 2024 presidential election in the United States.

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It wasn’t immediately clear why the search was conducted, but Polymarket promptly said it might be due to its activities during the election. Users on the platform had correctly predicted Donald Trump was going to defeat Kamala Harris. The company paid out a substantial amount to winners following the election.

“This is obvious political retribution by the outgoing administration against Polymarket for providing a market that correctly called the 2024 presidential election,” a spokesperson for Polymarket said in a statement from its headquarters in New York.  “Polymarket is a fully transparent prediction market that helps everyday people better understand the events that matter most to them, including elections.”

It was unclear whether or not the FBI would be filing charges after the raid.

 

FBI raids home of crypto platform Polymarket CEO, after accurate prediction of Trump win

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International

Two dead, buildings destroyed in American factory explosion

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2 days ago

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November 13, 2024

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Two dead, buildings destroyed in American factory explosion

Two employees of Givaudan sense colour, a factory known for making colourings for beverages, located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States (US) were killed in an explosion that took place at the company’s facility.

The factory reported that the incident which took place on Tuesday, November 12 in the afternoon have also destroyed buildings around the company.

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Louisville Mayor, Craig Greenberg stated that firefighters managed to rescue and evacuate numerous individuals from the site, including some who sustained life-threatening injuries.

He also confirmed that all employees present at the plant during the explosion have been accounted for.

Earlier reports indicated that at least 11 workers were hospitalized.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

 

Two dead, buildings destroyed in American factory explosion

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