1 Oct, 2022 14:12

Nord Stream explosions are a ‘tremendous opportunity’ – US

Washington can now step in as Europe’s top supplier of LNG, the Biden administration explained

The US views the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines as a “tremendous opportunity” to wean EU states off Russian energy, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Friday.

With winter approaching, Blinken said that the US wants the bloc to use less fuel.

Washington has for years been trying to convince EU leaders to swap Russian gas for its LNG.

The severity of the damage to the undersea conduits now means that the bloc is “indefinitely deprived” of Russian gas via this route, Russian energy operator Gazprom stated on Friday.

Speaking to reporters in Washington,Blinken boasted that the US is now “the leading supplier of [liquefied natural gas] to Europe.” In addition to shipping its own fuel to Europe, Blinken said that the US is working with European leaders to find ways to “decrease demand” and “speed up the transition to renewables."

“It’s a tremendous opportunity to once and for all remove the dependence on Russian energy and thus to take away from [Russian President] Vladimir Putin the weaponization of energy as a means of advancing his imperial designs,” Blinken declared.

The US likely stands to gain the most from the destruction of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, which were damaged by a series of explosions off the Danish island of Bornholm earlier this week. Washington has for years been trying to convince European leaders to swap Russian gas for its LNG, and the severity of the damage to the undersea conduits now means that Europe is “indefinitely deprived” of Russian gas via this route, Russian energy operator Gazprom stated on Friday.

In a speech on Friday, President Vladimir Putin blamed the explosions on “the Anglo-Saxons,”a Russian colloquialism for the US-UK transatlantic alliance.

“It’s obvious to everyone who benefits from it,”Putin explained. “Those who benefit are the ones who have done it.”

While the way is now open for the US to sell its more expensive LNG to Europe, the shortfall cannot be covered overnight. US exporters warned throughout the summer that they will not be able to ship enough gas to meet demand on the continent, and many of Europe’s import terminals are still under construction or in planning.

Meanwhile, energy bills are skyrocketing across Europe. In Germany, which faces the prospect of rapid “deindustrialization,”protesters took to the streets to demand the re-opening of Nord Stream 2 just days before the explosions. Food shortages have been predicted in Germany and firewood is in hot demand across the continent as citizens struggle to heat their homes.

“There’s a lot of hard work to do to make sure that countries and partners get through the winter,” Blinken said, suggesting, as EU leaders have also done, that Europe work to “reduce demand” for gas.

https://www.rt.com/news/563861-blinken-nord-stream-opportunity/

Blinken is the likely the most inept SOS of all time.

1 Oct, 2022 11:23

Russian gas exports to EU via TurkStream plunge – media

The Netherlands revoked the pipeline’s export license earlier this week

Russian gas flows to the EU via the TurkStream pipeline dropped by a quarter at the end of September compared to the end of August, the Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported on Saturday.

According to the report, which cited data from the association of Europe's transmission system operators, on September 29 about 32 million cubic meters of gas were supplied to the EU through the Strandzha 2-Malkoclar entry point on the Turkish-Bulgarian border. This is about 25% less than at the end of August, when the pipeline supplied about 43 million cubic meters of gas per day.

On Thursday, the Russian-owned operator of the TurkStream pipeline, South Stream Transport, said that the Netherlands had withdrawn its gas export license due to the latest EU sanctions package against Russia, which implies a ban on the export and provision of pipes for Russia’s use. Announcing their decision to revoke the license ahead of schedule, the Dutch authorities also referred to the ban on the supply of goods and provision of services, including technical assistance and maintenance of the pipeline in Russia’s exclusive economic zone and on its continental shelf.

European gas futures spiked on the news of the license withdrawal, jumping 10% on Friday to $2,087 per thousand cubic meters, or €205.995 per megawatt hour.

However, South Stream Transport later noted that the sanctions do not expressly impose restrictions on the transportation of gas via the pipeline. The company has already applied for a renewal of its export license.

Representatives of the operator said that the gas delivered to Europe via TurkStream supports the region’s energy security and that the pipeline is likely to be exempted from sanctions for this reason.

TurkStream is a two-string pipeline with capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year. It carries Russian gas across the Black Sea to Türkiye and from there to countries of southern and southeastern Europe. With Nord Stream 1 currently out of operation due to this week’s leakage, TurkStream is the only remaining gas transmission system that bring gas to Europe besides the transit line running through Ukraine.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that theTurkStream license withdrawal would not affect its operation and that gas supplies continue.

https://www.rt.com/business/563849-russian-gas-exports-turkey-drop/

1 Oct, 2022 06:25

World Bank makes prediction on Russian energy replacement

Scaling up alternative energy sources increases the risk of stagflation amid a global slowdown, the lender says

Despite accelerated efforts by Western states to wean their economies off Russian oil and gas,it may take years to replace them, the head of the World Bank has warned.

“Under current policies global energy production may take years to diversify away from Russia, prolonging thestagflation risk,”David Malpass said at a Stanford University conference on Thursday.

The European Union has pledged to abandon Russian natural gas and cut oil imports as part of sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine conflict. The move, aimed at hitting Russia’s economy, has instead provoked an increase in global food and fuel prices.

The World Bank president’s remarks come amid a global energy crunch, with soaring food and fertilizer prices and rising interest rates, and at a time when emerging economies are experiencing currency depreciation and capital outflows.

Malpass noted that these shockwaves have hit development, adding to problems such as debt sustainability and limited fiscal budgets in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Combined with the impact of energy supply cuts in the EU, theseoverlapping crises could be “catastrophic”, Malpass fears.

He noted that many countries have been forced to revive coal power plants due to limited and expensive natural gas, and are suspending plans to phase out dirty fuels.

“Coal-fired power plants are seeing their closures postponed across the world and coal mining has accelerated,” he said.

According to the World Bank, these colliding crises create a pressing danger for developing countries, raising the risk of a global recession.

https://www.rt.com/business/563728-world-bank-prediction-russian-energy-replacement/

EU shouts WWG1WGA as they all participate in the destruction of their countries

30 Sep, 2022 23:17

West African country’s junta ousted in coup

Special forces in Burkina Faso staged a second military coup in a year

A faction of the Burkina Faso military claimed power in Ouagadougou on Friday, in thesecond coup d’etat in the West African country this year. Captain Ibrahim Traore has replaced Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba at the head of the military junta, citing his failure to deal with an Islamist militant insurgency.

“Faced with the deteriorating situation, we tried several times to get Damiba to refocus the transition on the security question,” Traore said in a statement he read on national television on Friday evening, announcing the takeover. Damiba had rejected the officers’ proposals and continued with policies that had led to the fall of the previous government, he added.

“Damiba’s actions gradually convinced us that his ambitions were diverting away from what we set out to do. We decided this day to remove Damiba,” Traore said.

The new junta pledged to maintain all of Burkina Faso’s commitments and urged the civilian population “to go about their business in peace.” However, the country’s borders have been closed indefinitely and all political and civil society activities suspended.

Traore’s announcement came after several hours of gunfire in Ouagadougou, and a claim by government spokesman Lionel Bilgo that negotiations were underway to resolve an “internal crisis.”

“The enemy attacking our country only wants division between Burkinabes,” Bilgo said.

Damiba – who was educated in France– led the January 24 coup that ousted President Roch Marc Christian Kabore. At the time, he promised a two-year process to transition the country back to democracy.

Some Burkinabe activists hailed the coup. “People were expecting a real change,”Francois Beogo from the Movement for the Refounding of Burkina Faso, told AP, adding that Damiba had “shown his limits” during his nine months in power.

Burkina Faso has a population of about 20 million and is landlocked between Mali and Niger in the north, and Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire in the south. Along with its northern neighbors, it has been affected by the insurgency of militants allied with either Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), which has reportedly ramped up this year.

France, the former colonial power in the area, sent an expeditionary force known as ‘Operation Barkhane’ to fight the Islamist terrorists, without much progress. It was recently scaled back and renamed Task Force Takuba, after Mali ordered all French troops out andaccused Paris of actually helping the terrorists.

https://www.rt.com/news/563841-burkina-faso-military-coup/

1 Oct, 2022 12:43

Germany reacts to Ukraine’s NATO membership bid

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says that the bloc must not be dragged into war with Russia

Germany will do everything to avoid NATO becoming a direct party in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said. Her remarks came after Kiev requested to become an official member of the US-led military bloc.

“We have made it clear from day one that we have a responsibility to ensure that the war does not spread to other countries, that NATO does not itself become a party in the war. And that remains true today,” Baerbock told the broadcaster ARD on Friday evening.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure that other countries and NATO are not drawn into this war,” she added.

The minister reiterated, however, that Berlin will continue to “support Ukraine, including by [sending] heavy weapons, in its right to self-defense.”

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said the decision on Ukraine’s membership would ultimately be made jointly by all NATO members. “Germany will not do it alone,” she stated.

Ukraine formally applied to join NATO on Friday. President Vladimir Zelensky argued that Kiev and the bloc’s members are already “de facto allies” and asked for accelerated admission.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the bloc supports Ukraine’s right to choose its alliances, but the issue of its membership will be decided by a consensus of all 30 existing member states.

https://www.rt.com/news/563859-germany-ukraine-nat-bid/

Dish Network Ditches ESPN, Leaving Sports Fans High and Dry

Chris Queen

Disputes between television providers and networks are nothing new. They happen all the time, but rarely does one of these disputes leave so many viewers high and dry as the current spat between Dish Network and Disney, the corporate parent of ESPN.

Dish Network is in the midst of a contract dispute with Disney, which takes Disney-owned channels like ESPN, Disney Channel, Freeform, and even ABC out of the hands of Dish subscribers, as well as subscribers to Sling TV, the streaming service that Dish owns.

The dispute affects 10 million subscribers and puts sports fans in particular in a bind on a busy college football Saturday. Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic points out that there’s an unprecedented wrinkle this time.

“What makes this particular dustup between a content provider and distributor noteworthy is it may be the first time the trend of moving material off of cable and onto a streaming service, like ESPN + and Disney +, has been cited as one of the reasons,” Kaplan writes.

Disney’s streaming services aren’t bringing in money. The company reports losses of $1 billion over the past quarter between ESPN+, Disney+, and Hulu. Disney is asking for more money from cable providers as well as other stipulations, and Dish doesn’t want to bite.

“We don’t think this is fair and that is why we are fighting hard for a fair rate to ensure you get the best possible value from Dish,” a statement from Dish reads.

“After months of negotiating in good faith, Dish has declined to reach a fair, market-based agreement with us for continued distribution of our networks,” said Disney in its statement. “The rates and terms we are seeking reflect the marketplace and have been the foundation for numerous successful deals with pay TV providers of all types and sizes across the country.”

In the meantime, Dish customers who want to watch football games — and other sporting events — on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN News, ESPN Deportes, ACC Network, SEC Network, and the Longhorn Network get the shaft.

My aunt and uncle in Washington state were among them. They were eager to watch tonight’s University of Georgia football game against the University of Missouri, and Dish Network left them scrambling to find an alternative.

“I hope everyone that has Dish network goes thru the trouble to cancel their subscription,” my uncle wrote on Facebook. “They have taken ESPN and all Channels owned by Disney off. Months ago they took the Mariners off now I cannot watch game day or the Georgia game. The only way these big companies will listen is if we quit giving them our money. So done with cable.”

My aunt wrote that today was “going to be a heck of a day” if they couldn’t access the UGA game. They wound up signing up for Hulu to be able to watch tonight’s game.

Baseball fans who rely on Dish will also miss ESPN’s breathless coverage of everything Aaron Judge does.

Here’s hoping Dish Network and Disney can work out their differences quickly. Otherwise, millions of sports fans could be finding new providers.

https://pjmedia.com/culture/chris-queen/2022/10/01/dish-network-ditches-espn-leaving-sports-fans-high-and-dry-n1633845

Newsom Angry at Oil Companies for Obeying the Laws He Passed to Deliberately Raise Gas Prices

Rick Moran

There is no state in the U.S. that penalizes people more for driving a gasoline-consuming car than California. It’s a feature, not a bug. The Democrats and the greens have formed an alliance to make drilling for oil, refining it, and transporting gasoline a byzantine process of rules and regulations in order to put as many roadblocks as possible to prevent the efficient transport of gas.

It’s all for our own good, of course.

Naturally, when supplies get a little tight, the price goes up. In the last few weeks, the refineries in California have been undergoing maintenance. But demand has skyrocketed, which has caused the price of gasoline to rise more than a dollar over the last month.

KTLA:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is lashing out at oil companies who he says are “fleecing” Californians with gasoline prices that are rising disproportionately in the Golden State.

“The fact is, they’re ripping you off. Their record profits are coming at your expense,” Newsom said in a scathing video posted to Twitter Friday in which the governor called for a new windfall tax on oil companies.

Newsom said the windfall tax would “ensure these profits go directly back to help millions of Californians who are paying for this oil company extortion.”

“The degree of diversions from the national prices has never happened before, and oil companies provide no explanation,” Newsom said. “We’re not going to stand by while greedy oil companies fleece Californians.”

In fact, Newsom knows well the reason for the price rise. He has given the refineries permission to sell “winter gas,” which is dirtier than “summer gas.” He’s fully aware that the refineries have plenty of “winter gas” but until now have been unable to sell it because of his idiotic environmental rules.

Associated Press:

Oil industry representatives said it is state regulations that cause higher prices in California than the rest of the country. The summer blend of gasoline that refineries are required by law to produce in the hotter months costs more money to make but is designed to limit pollutants like smog. Most refineries can’t switch to the winter blend until November.

Switching from the summer to winter blend would likely save consumers 15 to 20 cents per gallon, said Doug Shupe, a spokesman for the Southern California Automobile Club, an affiliate of AAA. Gas prices in Los Angeles are close to breaking a record of $6.46 set in June, he said.

“If these prices go up to $7 a gallon, a 15-cent drop is not really going to mean much to drivers,” Shupe said.

It’s amazing to watch politicians lie to gullible people about what’s causing their pain. We see Joe Biden blaming inflation on Russia, the oil companies, food processors, and a host of other bad guys — anyone but Biden and Newsom.

It would be amusing if it weren’t so serious.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/rick-moran/2022/10/01/newsom-angry-at-oil-companies-for-obeying-the-laws-he-passed-to-deliberately-raise-gas-prices-n1633826

>>17615896

Its broken at this point, liberalism is getting more facists, conservatives are embracing more ideas of freedom. I don’t see the left can ever come back from the destruction they are responsible for. They cannot remake their lying radical image. Its time to have one party that believes in a combination of both for balance. The two party rule was always a lie