https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/nasrallah:-if-lebanon-is-prevented-from-extracting-gas-war-i

Nasrallah: If Lebanon is prevented from extracting gas, war is better

One of the Resistance's many achievements in the July war is foiling the US plan for a "new Middle East," Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech on Wednesday.

"Another one of the July War's many achievements is creating an equation of deterrence between Lebanon and the Israeli enemy," Sayyed Nasrallah said. "All the Israelis realize that Benny Gantz's words about entering Lebanon are null and void."

"There was a US project to take control of the region through direct military intervention, but the resistance and Lebanon's resilience and the objectives of the July War dealt a heavy blow to the new Middle East project," the Resistance leader explained.

"There are new versions of the new Middle East project […] And US President Joe Biden's visit to the Middle East comes in this context," he revealed.

US is old, frail

"The United States today is different from the 2003 and 2006 United States… The image of the old, frail American President represents what America is today," Sayyed Nasrallah underlined.

Commenting on the goals of Biden's visit to West Asia, the Hezbollah chief stressed that Biden came to the region with two goals, "the first one of which is persuading the Gulf states to export more oil and gas," while the second goal is "enhancing Israel's security and emphasizing normalization."

"The Americans' first, decisive mission in the wake of the Russian-Ukrainian War is securing an alternative to the Russian gas for Europe […] and the United States is fighting Russia using the Ukrainian government, armed forces, and people, and it dragged all of the European countries [into the war]."

In light of Biden seeking to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and talks in Washington about the US working for Palestine, Sayyed Nasrallah underlined that "Biden has nothing whatsoever to offer the Palestinian people."

A golden opportunity

"The golden opportunity to extract oil and gas is right now, as in these two months… after that, the cost will be much higher," the leader stressed.

He then told the Lebanese leaders: "Do not allow the Americans to deceive you and waste your time, and if you do not ratify your rights by September, then the cost will be highly expensive."

"The resistance is the only force Lebanon has to obtain its right to its oil and gas […] the extraction of [the natural resources] provides Lebanon with billions of dollars without the need for any foreign debt, and this is the only path for salvaging the country," he underscored.

He also said the resistance did not see the American mediator as a mediator, "but rather as a party that serves the interests of Israel and pressures the Lebanese side." He added that what brought Amos Hochstein on his last visit to Lebanon were two issues, "the dire need for securing an alternative to Russian gas and the resistance's serious threats."

The Israeli occupation has a weak point, Sayyed Nasrallah explained: "its need for gas and oil in contrast with Lebanon's strong point, which is its ability to sabotage [the occupation's plans]. The resistance is the only strong point that you (the Lebanese officials) have in the demarcation negotiations. Use it."

"We neither agreed nor promised anyone that we would not take any steps and that we would wait for the negotiations. Whoever promised the Americans that is deceiving them," Sayyed Nasrallah explained. "The Resistance has the right to take any step of any gravity and at any time to pressure the Israeli enemy."

"We stand behind the [Lebanese] state in the demarcation, i.e., it is negotiating the maritime borders, not us. But we have made it clear that we would not stand idle."

The three drones were intentional

Commenting on the three UAVs sent on a recon mission over the Karish gas field, which were then shot down by the Israeli occupation, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah noted that the drones were launched after a clear answer from the United States that exhibited that it was stalling and trying to buy time.

Hezbollah, the chief said, meant to send three reconnaissance UAVs to be downed by the Israelis. "For the first time in the history of the Israeli entity, three drones were launched toward it simultaneously and toward one objective."

>>16730830

"The point of launching the drones was to send a message that we are serious and will escalate our actions gradually, and this message was understood by the Americans and the Israelis," the top leader stressed.

"The demarcation of the border is crucial. It is the only way to save Lebanon and its people, and we will not wage psychological warfare through it," Sayyed Nasrallah said. "If the only option was not helping Lebanon, pushing it toward its collapse, and preventing it from extracting gas, then the threat of war - even going to war, is far better."

"When things reach a dead-end, we will not only stand in the face of Karish… Mark these words: we will reach Karish, beyond Karish, and beyond, beyond Karish," he sternly underlined.

The top leader vowed that "if Lebanon is prevented from saving itself by extracting its gas and oil, no one will be able to extract or sell gas and oil, regardless of the consequences."

He concluded his speech by telling the Lebanese people: "O' Lebanese people, we have reached the end of the line, and we are not awaiting a consensus… we will not give up on the state."

>> kek! Best movie ever. What makes a good movie? Great actors. The war is real. Read between the lines. Compare.

>>16730810

Looks like an hourglass at the far left

>>16730821

>>16730875

A bonus kitten you say?

>>16730912

Yup! As in they are good hunters >Hunters become hunted! And we've got a bonus one. Seems like we caught an additional one, which was not expected.

>>16730911

https://www.albawaba.com/node/secrets-exposure-what-does-russia-know-about-911-beirut-port-blast-and-hariri-assassination

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/economics/euro-falls-to-under-1-for-first-time-since-2002

Euro falls to under $1 for first time since 2002

For the first time since December 2002, the euro dropped below the symbolic $1.00 mark on Wednesday as a result of a deteriorating prognosis for the economy of the eurozone and the potential for a total interruption of the Russian gas supply.

After official statistics revealed a spike in US inflation in June, which fueled hopes for a further tightening of interest rates by the US Federal Reserve, the euro plunged to $0.9998. The dollar gains in appeal to investors as borrowing costs rise on the other side of the Atlantic.

The dollar increased in value relative to the yen from 136.86 to 137.55 yen. The dollar index, which measures the strength of the dollar against a basket of currencies from six of the biggest trading partners of the United States, increased by 0.29 percent to 108.43 points.

From 8.6 percent in May to 9.1 percent in June, the rate of inflation in the US was the highest since November 1981. Analysts had predicted a rise of just 8.8 percent.

Eurozone faces mounting recession risk: Bloomberg

The risk of a eurozone recession is increasing, according to economists polled by Bloomberg on Tuesday, in light of surging energy and food prices and a declining European economy.

The likelihood of a significant contraction has risen to 45%, up from 30% in the previous survey and 20% prior to the start of the war in Ukraine, which resulted in sanctions against Moscow and a reduction in Russian energy flows, primarily to Germany.

“We assume a recession based on the already implemented oil embargo and the effect of higher input prices on industry,” Erik-Jan van Harn, a strategist at Rabobank, said as quoted by Bloomberg.

“The German economy is already slowing down and the trend is clearly downward,” the expert stressed.

The rising cost of living in Europe is putting a strain on businesses and consumers, who had only recently begun to return to pre-pandemic levels of spending and production capacity.

At the same time, reduced Russian natural gas shipments threaten winter energy supplies.

Analysts continue to expect Eurozone inflation to peak in the current quarter. Inflation forecasts have been raised from the previous poll, but price growth is still expected to slow to the European Central Bank's target of 2% in 2024.

It is worth noting that trading data reported on Tuesday that the euro fell to parity with the dollar, before settling at $1.0005, the lowest point ever recorded since December 2002.

Since the start of this year, the euro recorded a loss of 12% of its value against the dollar. Markets did not anticipate such a rapid fall in July, labeling the direction of EU/USD as bearish and predicting it could fall below the $1.0000 mark in the near term.

>> Bye bye Euro.

>>16730830

>>16730821

>>16730937

This is Israel's reply to last night's Nasrallah speech.

>>16730949

Unfortunately, not everyone. There are still plenty brainwashed and blind happy sheep.

>>16730998

Very dasting!

>>16731011

Love the ears

>>16731014

God bless you.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/economics/gas-prices-in-europe-increased-6x-year-on-year-in-june:-comm

Gas prices in Europe Increased 6x year-on-year in June: Commissioner

At the end of June, gas prices in Europe increased six times year-on-year and are still rising, European Commissioner for the Economy Paolo Gentiloni pointed out on Thursday.

During a briefing, Gentiloni indicated that "Commodity prices are showing signs of easing lately, in the face of global weakness; however, gas is an exception. Interruptions in Russian gas supply and concerns of the further cuts pushed the European benchmark gas again."

"By end June it was trading at 140 euro per megawatt\hour more than 6 times the price one year earlier. But this price continues to rise after our cut of date, reaching 173 euro per megawatt\hour on July the 12," he noted.

The European Commissioner also warned that a complete halt in gas supplies from Russia would bring the European economy to "negative territory".

"This scenario [halt in Russian gas supplies] would bring our economy into negative territory, which is, with this carry-over impact, quite substantial, of course," he said.

In mid-June, Russia's energy giant Gazprom significantly cut gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline due to technical issues at the Portovaya compressor station, where only three gas compressor units were functioning after Germany's Siemens delayed maintenance works.

Moscow repeatedly warned that further delays in the maintenance could lead to a total halt of gas flows through the pipeline network to Europe.

Earlier in the day, the pipeline's operator, Nord Stream AG, announced it would stop the deliveries for regular annual maintenance, including testing of mechanical components and automation systems.

Maintenance is expected to take place between July 11 and 21. Some countries, including Germany and Austria, have expressed fears that the supplies may decline or halt even after the work is completed.

Introduction of Gas Price Caps Not Expected in Near Future - EU Commissioner

In a similar context, Gentiloni said that the European Union will not introduce price caps on Russian gas in the near future as it is an extraordinary measure.

"This will not be a proposal that we will decide in the coming days and in the current situation. This is a possible evolution in case of the deteriorating scenarios," he mentioned.

It is noteworthy that since 2021, energy prices in Europe have been surging as part of a global trend. After the beginning of the war in Ukraine and the adoption of several packages of sanctions against Russia by the West, the situation with energy prices has considerably worsened.

Russia's Gazprom has also significantly reduced its Nord Stream 1 gas supplies due to delays in maintenance work on turbines by German and Canadian companies, forcing EU countries to tap into winter gas reserves and consider returning to coal production.

It is noteworthy that the European Parliament had backed EU regulations designating nuclear and gas energy as environmentally sustainable economic activities, claiming that private investment in gas and nuclear projects may play a role in the green transition process.

>> You ain't seen nothing yet. It's going to get much worse.This is just the start.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/rajapaksa-flees-to-maldives-sri-lanka-declares-state-of-emer

Rajapaksa flees to Maldives, Sri Lanka declares state of emergency

Just hours after Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country to the Maldives in a military aircraft, Colombo announced an indefinite nationwide state of emergency on Wednesday, according to the Prime Minister's office.

This comes a day after Rajapaksa's first attempt to leave the country before airport staff foiled his plan and forced him to retreat.

"Since the President is out of the country, an emergency has been declared to deal with the situation in the country," Dinouk Colombage, spokesman for the Prime Minister and current acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, told AFP.

In addition, police revealed that they were imposing an indefinite curfew across the Western Province to contain growing protests, as requested by Wickremesinghe.

Thousands of protesters stormed the prime minister's office, at which police threw tear gas to disperse them, as reported by AFP. The protesters demanded that Wickremesinghe resign along with Rajapaksa.

"There are ongoing protests outside the Prime Minister's office in Colombo and we need the curfew to contain the situation," a senior police officer told AFP. The police contended that they were following orders to suppress the demonstrators due to their role in the dysfunction of the state.

According to the Adaderana news portal, the Prime Minister also ordered arresting protesters who behave "inappropriately" as well as their vehicles.

On Saturday, thousands of men and women stormed Rajapaksa's residence, which drove him out to escape to a military base, later fleeing the country on Wednesday, the day he previously promised to resign on.

In April, all 24 ministers of Sri Lanka's cabinet resigned from their posts amid protests and clashes in the capital, Colombo.

Sri Lanka has been facing a severe shortage of fuel, medicine, food, as well as record inflation rates.

>>16731091

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-pours-600m-into-the-pacific-to-counter-chinas-influence

US pours $600M into the Pacific to "counter China's influence"

The 51st Pacific Islands Forum continues on Wednesday, July 13 in Suva, the capital of Fiji. While the islands seek to address their climate emergency, US Vice President Kamala Harris announces in an unprecedented move a fund of $600 million to the islands in order "to counter the Chinese influence in the region."

The fund is intended to open two new embassies, one in Tonga and one in Kiribati. It will also assist the Forum Fisheries Agency by allocating them $60 million. Harris added that a special presidential envoy to the Pacific Islands will be appointed and that the Peace Corps in the Pacific will be relaunched.

Harris made her virtual address via zoom to the forum, usually reserved for Pacific countries, Australia and New Zealand. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations also spoke via zoom. During Harris' address, two Chinese defense attaches were escorted out of the forum by the police, causing minor disturbances.

China has had a long trade partnership and strategic relationship with the region's islands. Over the last 40 years, China and countries of the pacific islands have kept ongoing exchanges and cooperation in more than 20 areas, including trade, investment, ocean affairs, environmental protection, disaster prevention and mitigation, poverty alleviation, health care, education, tourism, culture, sports and at the sub-national level.

For the region's islands, China has provided economic and technical assistance without any political strings attached, implemented more than 100 aid projects, delivered more than 200 batches of in-kind assistance, and trained about 10,000 talents in various fields. China has dispatched 600 medical staff to the pacific islands, benefiting more than 260,000 local residents.

Therefore, Harris's offer is clearly an attempt to undermine China's regional efforts. The US, which had so far never appointed a US regional envoy until the summit occurred, had suddenly become heavily involved in the Pacific's affairs.

On April 19th this year, China announced that it signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands, intended to deploy security forces in the Pacific island nation, as well as for the Chinese navy, which has been rapidly growing its fleet as well as spreading its reach far from China’s shores, to use its ports.

In 2021, the US, UK, and Australia to form the AUKUS alliance. The alliance was based on enhancing Australia's nuclear capabilities through advanced technology and nuclear submarines in order to increase the Western alliance's military strength in the South Pacific.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/nato-eu-to-deepen-relation-ukraine-not-the-focus

NATO, EU to deepen relation, Ukraine not the focus

Since 2021, NATO and EU leaders continue to work on a joint agreement that was set to be signed, but no such signature has been reported or relevant contents have been disclosed until today. Today, July 13th, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that EU leaders and NATO have agreed to work on a new agreement to deepen their cooperation.

"Now, [European Commission President Ursula] Von der Leyen and [European Council President Charles] Michel and I have agreed that we should look into the third declaration [on NATO-EU cooperation]. I’m not able to tell you exactly when we will be able to have the third declaration, but it is something which is now supported by both two EU presidents and me, so we will start to work on that as soon as possible," Stoltenberg said during a session of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs.

During the meeting, Stoltenberg also stated that while NATO remained focused on assisting Ukraine with weapons, it is not focused on its accession to the alliance.

"The main focus now on Ukraine is to provide support to help Ukraine to prevail as an independent and sovereign nation, and that's the main focus. The focus is not on membership now," he said.

Earlier on June 29th, NATO leaders in Madrid labeled Russia a threat to their security during the summit, with alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg saying that NATO will “state clearly that Russia poses a direct threat to our security,” as the alliance seeks to upgrade its defense response, by strengthening its eastern flank, given the ongoing war in Ukraine.

In parallel, the EU has been enforcing sanctions on Russia since the beginning of its operation in Ukraine. Lately in this respect were the sanctions on Kaliningrad. However, earlier today July 13, the European Union and Russia reached an agreement on the transit of goods to Kaliningrad, according to the Russian newspaper Izvestia, citing high-ranking Russian sources, who added that Brussels provided a document that "completely satisfied" Moscow.

The same source said, as quoted by the newspaper, that "this document says that it is impossible to restrict the transit of goods between the subjects of the Russian Federation. That is, all goods going to the region will be withdrawn as an exception from the sanctions lists. We are talking about both railway and road transit."

The EU and Lithuania have been coordinating the final document for several weeks, according to the source.

Prior to that, on May 30th, the US-led alliance's deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoana told AFP NATO is no longer bound by past commitments to hold back from deploying its forces in eastern Europe.

Speaking in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, Geoana claimed that Moscow has "voided of any content" of the NATO-Russia Founding Act, through its war with Ukraine and halting dialogue with the alliance.

>> Wot??? Where did the Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine hype go to?