https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/eu-storage-facilities-gas-injections-decrease-by-30

EU storage facilities' gas injections decrease by 30%

Data from the Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) association show that in September, the rate of gas injection into European underground gas storage facilities (UGS) decreased by about 30% to 0.25 percentage points per day.

According to information shared by Sputnik on Sunday, citing Ivan Timonin, an energy analyst with the Russian firm Vygon Consulting, European UGS are at 87.83% of their capacity, holding 95.3 billion cubic meters of gas, while the total capacity is estimated at 110 billion cubic meters.

The expert stated that the EU typically consumed around 250 billion cubic meters of gas throughout the fall and winter seasons. That being said, the present gas reserves would only provide 40% of the bloc's energy demand. The European Commission stated last summer that gas storage facilities account for 25–30% of the total gas consumed in Europe during the winter.

About 75 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) were supplied to European nations in 2021. Given the existing trends, Timonin continued, the amount of LNG supply is predicted to expand by 1.5 times to 120 million tonnes in 2022.

Gas injection average rates into the European UGS comprised 0.45 percentage points in May, 0.37 percentage points in June, 0.36 percentage points in July, and 0.37 percentage points in August.

Typically, mid-October is when Europe's heating season is expected to begin, albeit it was delayed until November the previous year. At the same time, Russian gas deliveries remain restricted since the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 offshore pipelines in the Baltic Sea were damaged by explosions earlier this week and made inoperable.

There is a general agreement across Sweeden, Denmark, Russia, and Germany that the Nord Stream explosions were an act of sabotage against the gas pipelines.

"We have established a report and the crime classification is gross sabotage," the Swedish police representative said on Tuesday, September 27.

In parallel, Ukraine continues to prohibit gas transit through the Sokhranivka entry point, making Sudzha the sole station still supplying Russian gas via Ukraine to Europe.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/art-culture/dream-discovery:-egyptian-professor-discovers-new-ancient-sa

Dream discovery: Egyptian professor discovers new ancient sarcophagus

An Egyptian sarcophagus that has laid peacefully for thousands of years has been discovered, emerging from beneath the sands in Cairo. Archaeologists are describing the event as a "dream discovery."

Discovered by Ola El Aguizy, an emeritus professor of the faculty of archaeology at Cairo University, there is now more information to look into regarding those who ruled Egypt after Tutankhamun.

The granite sarcophagus is covered in inscriptions dedicated to Ptah-em-wia, King Ramses II's head of treasury. Ramses II was Egypt's mightiest pharaoh.

Last year, Al Aguizy uncovered Ptah-em-wia's tomb, surface-level, now discovering his underground burial chamber with the sarcophagus.

In the tomb's courtyard at the center, the professor's team detected the top of an eight-meter-deep vertical shaft which suggested that there would be a passage to a burial chamber.

It took a week to remove the sand to get to the bottom of the shaft, using a bucket attached to a rope winch. After that, El Aguizy squeezed herself into the bucket and slowly descended down to the bottom.

The scene was captured by National Geographic, as they finalized the latest excavation season for a documentary series of eight parts: the Lost Treasures of Egypt, which will begin airing on October 2.

“The discovery of this sarcophagus in its original place in the burial shaft was very exciting because it is the sarcophagus of the owner of the tomb, which is not always the case. Sometimes the sarcophagus is for a different person of a later period, when the tomb was used in later periods. But this time it is not the case," Al Aguizy told The Observer.

Ptah-em-wia, according to the professor, has hieroglyphs that indicate that he was very close to the king, and that he had “a very important role in the administration of that time”.

“Saqqara is one of the most important cemeteries, for both royals and non-royals, throughout the millennia of Egyptian history. This Egyptian team has added yet another important chapter to the history of the site," said Peter De Manuelian, a professor of Egyptology at Harvard University. “I’m always pleased to see Egyptian archaeologists making these discoveries.

“There’s a long history of western archaeologists doing this work. So it’s great to see their own discoveries – and the fact that she’s a woman archaeologist, an Egyptian woman archaeologist, is even more welcome."

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/source-to-al-mayadeen:-lebanon-earned-all-its-maritime-borde

Source to Al Mayadeen: Lebanon earned all its maritime borders rights

"In the written proposal received by the Americans, Lebanon obtained all its demands," a Lebanese source concerned with the maritime borders' demarcation negotiations confirmed.

"Lebanon has not and will not give 'Israel' any security zone it previously demanded," the source noted.

This comes after Lebanon received the written proposal from the US mediator Amos Hochstein through US Ambassador Dorothy Shea regarding the demarcation of maritime borders.

In turn, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, stressed in a speech that "the importance of what is happening today is there being a written text from the mediating party that the President, Parliament Speaker, and the Prime Minister have received."

"We are before decisive days in the demarcation issue, and the position of the heads of the state will be clarified, as well as where things are headed," the Hezbollah chief underlined. "If the demarcation issue leads to a desired, good result, that will be due to unity, cooperation, and national solidarity," Nasrallah added.

Meanwhile, Israeli media said that "Nasrallah, succeeded in the battle of awareness that involved negotiations to demarcate the Lebanese southern maritime borders."

Sayyed Nasrallah "spoke this evening about negotiations with 'Israel' and did not utter a single threatening word; on the contrary, he expressed his hope that they would succeed and that everyone perceives Lebanon in its wisdom and unity,” writer and commentator on Middle East affairs in the Israeli newspaper Maariv, Jackie Houji, said through his account on Twitter.

"Has he become a moderate? No. He simply completed his mission successfully," he said.

For his part, writer and commentator on political affairs at Wallah!, Barak Rapid, said on his Twitter account: "A Western official source familiar with the negotiations between 'Israel' and Lebanon told me that the US envoy Amos Hochstein also handed 'Israel' the draft agreement on the maritime borders."

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/thousands-protest-for-welsh-independence-from-uk

Thousands protest for Welsh independence from UK

Sources reported on Saturday that thousands took on the streets of Cardiff in support of Welsh independence from the UK.

Demonstrators began to march at noon on Saturday in the capital of Wales, Cardiff, local sources reported. The protesters carried flags and banners that read "Independence".

Among the protesters included actor Julian Lewis Jones, who plays Boremund Baratheon in the hit HBO series "House of the Dragon", according to the Wales Online news portal.

Last July, a similar protest of 8,000 demonstrators took place in the city of Wrexham in the north of Wales.

In recent months, the situation in the UK is further drifting toward a full-blown crisis, especially since the energy crisis and the surging cost of living have been out of proportion lately.

On September 26, it was reported that the British pound plummeted to its lowest in 41 years against the US Dollar.

The plunge came after an announcement made the week prior by UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng of a new mini-budget, revealing huge tax cuts funded by a significant increase in borrowing.

UK PM Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng used the tax-slashing plans to propose radical tax cuts without suggesting how they would be paid for.

Brits expressed outrage at the idea that bankers will be allowed to put a hold on bonuses and company owners delay dividends until the new tax year, once the rate decreases.

Tory members urged new PM Liz Truss to kick Kwarteng to the curb as they viewed her new government formation as a situation in dire straits.

But Truss remained defensive of the mini-budget which caused her to lose public confidence, with a survey reporting on September 30 that more than half of Brittons think Liz Truss should resign.

Since former PM Boris Johnson had left office following a slew of scandals, expectations were set too high for Truss who can barely deal with important issues like inflation and the high costs of living.

Prior to her victory over finance minister Rishi Sunak, Truss had promised to “deliver a bold plan to cut taxes and grow our economy" amid predictions of a recession in the UK.

But it is clear now that the UK wants her out as Truss continues to struggle to address the real needs of the people.

>>17620735

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/7-bln-in-iranian-funds-could-be-freed-following-prisoner-rel

$7 bln in Iranian funds could be freed following prisoner release

Iran implemented the terms of a prisoner exchange with the US, according to a United Nations statement on Saturday, as it allowed an Iranian-American, Baqer Namazi, 85, to leave the country for medical treatment abroad as well as released his son, Siamak, 50, from detention.

Baqer Namazi, convicted of espionage in Iran, is a former UNICEF official who was imprisoned in February 2016 after having traveled to Iran to campaign for the release of his son Siamak, who had been arrested the previous October.

It is worth noting that in 2018, the father was granted medical leave and commenced serving his sentence under house arrest.

IRNA news agency said that "With the finalization of negotiations between Iran and the United States to release the prisoners of both countries, $7 billion of Iran's blocked resources will be released."

Several billion dollars in Iranian funds have been seized in a number of countries, including China, South Korea, and Japan. These funds were seized after the US reimposed harsh sanctions against Iran in 2018 after the US unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 JCPOA agreement.

Tehran has accused Seoul of keeping $7 billion in its funds "hostage," and has repeatedly demanded that it be released.

In recent negotiations regarding the renewal of the JCPOA agreement, Iran had consistently demanded the easing of sanctions against its people, as well as assurances that the US will not, once again, withdraw from a resurrected deal.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-official:-uk-and-us-navy-capable-of-conducting-nord-strea

US official: UK and US navy capable of conducting Nord Stream attack

The US and the UK may be behind the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipeline explosions, said Douglas Macgregor, former advisor to US Defense Secretary in the administration of former US President Donald Trump, in an interview with Andrew Napolitano, host of the Judging Freedom podcast.

"You have to look at who are the state actors that have the capability to do this. And that means the [UK’s] Royal Navy and the United States’ Navy <…I think that’s pretty clear," Macgregor said.

Macgregor further noted the significance of the publication by Poland’s former FM and current member of the European Parliament, Radoslaw Sikorski, who thanked the United States for damaging the Nord Stream 1 and 2 via his Twitter page.

Ex-Pentagon advisor argued the absurdness of the rhetoric that Russia was behind the attack, saying that "The Russians did not do this," while also adding that Germany’s involvement in the incident was also "extremely unlikely."

Investigation into Nord Stream sabotage

Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said at a UN Security Council meeting that Moscow wants a thorough investigation into an act of sabotage against the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines.

"Russia calls for a thorough investigation to find out the real cause of what happened," he noted. "We hope that you (Western members of the UNSC) will refrain from engaging in Russophobic verbal games that defy common sense, similar to those that you used in relation to Ukrainian strikes on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant," Nebenzya said.

"It is absolutely clear to us that ordinary terrorists aren’t capable of carrying out sabotage activities of this complexity and scale. We view actions aimed at damaging the gas pipelines as a deliberate act of sabotage against Russia’s crucial energy facility," the envoy stressed.

"We will certainly establish all those involved in this act of sabotage. Any international investigation into what happened can claim impartiality only if Russia takes part in it," Nebenzya added.

Western countries see the sabotage that caused gas leaks from the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines as retaliation for Russia's actions in Ukraine, according to Nebenzya.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iran:-about-45000-people-foreign-intelligence-services-behin

Iran: About 45,000 people, foreign intelligence services behind riots

A spokesperson for the Iranian Parliament's presiding board, Nizamuddin Mousavi, stated that the Minister of Interior submitted a report on recent developments in the investigation into Mahsa Amini's death.

On September 23, the Iranian Minister of Interior Ahmad Vahidi confirmed that "reports, evidence, and medical examinations confirm that Amini was not beaten."

Mousavi said that "there are individuals linked to foreign organizations, intelligence services, and terrorist groups that had a hand in fomenting the recent riots." He pointed out that "estimates indicate that some 45,000 people formed networks across the country, some of whom have been arrested."

Iranian Security Minister Ismail Khatib said earlier today that "the Revolutionary Guard, intelligence services, security forces, and the police are determined to respond firmly to the infringements of agents and separatists," adding that "terrorist groups that are linked to global arrogance should know that they will meet the consequences of their own actions."

Addressing the US, the UK, and Saudi Arabia who are all supportive of the riots, the commander of the IRGC, Brigadier General Hossein Salami, said, “You will be defeated” and warned, "We will not flatter anyone. If you attack a police headquarters, we will burn your land. And if you attack our revolution, we will take revenge and continue to pursue the path of Hajj Qassem Soleimani."

On the same note, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence announced on September 30 the arrest of more than 250 people in connection to the protests that ensued following the death of Mahsa Amini, including 9 foreigners. It is reported that "foreign citizens from Germany, Poland, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and others were arrested on the scenes and behind the scenes of the riots."

>> Interesting numbers

>>17620795

Kek

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/libya:-more-mass-graves-exposed-as-nato-backed-war-nears-12

Libya: More mass graves exposed as NATO-backed war nears 12-year mark

According to the missing persons authority in Libya, a "mass grave" was discovered in Sirte, a coastal Libyan city, located on the grounds of a former school.

"DNA samples have been taken for analysis in coordination with the office of forensic medicine," by exhumation teams that were able to retrieve "42 unidentified bodies," according to a statement released on Sunday by the official authority.

Since the 2011 West-led war on Libya, the country has been split between the two parties, with the rival sides of the conflict concluding their latest round of talks a month ago without reaching a deal to try and agree on the rules for the country's elections.

The two opposing governments have held two separate bases, one in Tripoli with the recognition of the United Nations and the other in the central city of Sirte.

After the NATO-backed insurgency in Libya that was accompanied by a direct hostile intervention by the alliance, Libya has been a battlefield for global powers, which led to different regions of the country falling under the control of various factions and militants due to the lack of any stable and central governance of the war-torn country.

In its turn, Sirte was held by IS terrorists following the war, between the years 2015-2016 until the city was taken over by the government in Tripoli, knowing that the area witnessed mass executions and mass graves, some of which have been revealed in the past few years, while many others are yet to be discovered.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/truce-in-yemen-expired-no-extension-announced

Truce in Yemen expired, no extension announced

The head of the Sanaa negotiating delegation, Mohammad Abd Al-Salam, pointed out that reports of some biased media outlets about an agreement to extend the UN-brokered humanitarian and military truce are false.

Abd Al-Salam said the negotiating delegation explained on Saturday its position and the demands of the Yemeni people regarding the extension of the truce in an issued statement.

The Yemeni diplomat's remarks came in parallel with the expiration of the UN-brokered humanitarian and military truce that stipulates ceasing all offensive military operations in Yemen and across its borders.

UN proposal to extend truce does not establish peace in Yemen: Sanaa

Earlier, the Supreme Political Council of Yemen, headed by Mahdi Al-Mashat, met to discuss the latest developments regarding the ongoing negotiations on the armistice.

The Council stressed not to allow the armistice to turn into a goal knowing that it was just a means to reach a final agreement, denouncing the reluctance of the United Nations and its submission of a proposal that does not meet the demands of the Yemeni people and does not lay any foundation for the peace process.

The Council affirmed that it will take the necessary measures to preserve the supreme national interest and the sacrifices of the Yemeni people who will not be deceived by false promises, underscoring that they can extract their rights that are being looted by the aggression and its mercenaries.

The Supreme Political Council called for vigilance and full readiness to deal with any situation as a result of the obstructions practiced by the coalition of aggression, holding it accountable for both disrupting the peace process and rejecting the legitimate rights of the steadfast Yemeni people against all conspiracies.

Saudi aggression responsible for impasse: Sanaa

It is noteworthy that on Saturday, the Sanaa negotiating delegation pointed out that "its acceptance of the first and second extensions of the armistice was in the hope that there would be the slightest sense of responsibility or understanding on the part of the countries of the Saudi-led coalition of aggression and their mercenaries."

"During the six months of the armistice, we did not see any seriousness in prioritizing the humanitarian issue, and since the start of the truce, despite delays, we were keen on not missing any opportunity that could lead to peace," the delegation indicated in a statement.

The Sanaa negotiating delegation held the Saudi-led coalition of aggression "responsible for the negotiations reaching a dead end due to their intransigence."

"After the coalition of aggression played all its cards, it had no other choice but to target the livelihood of the Yemeni people, as it is the easiest way to bring the people to their knees," the statement considered.

The delegation stressed in its statement that after the member states of the Saudi-led coalition lost all their bets, their only weapon has become putting pressure on the economy and maintaining the siege on Yemen.

Part 1

>>17620854

"The countries of aggression do not desire peace as much as they want to keep their lands away from the repercussions of the war and direct targeting," the statement added. The delegation "had no special agenda other than the interest of the Yemeni people and the human and legal rights of the citizens of Yemen."

We restrained ourselves against the coalition's violations

"We exercised restraint in light of the other party's breaches of the armistice to give more time to deliberations and international efforts," the delegation's statement read.

"The National Committee for Prisoners' Affairs participated in intensive meetings with the United Nations in accordance with a previous agreement stipulating the release of select prisoners. However, the delegation was surprised by their sole focus on the release of Saudi prisoners and some leaders without caring about the rest of the prisoners. This was a violation of the agreement's stipulations," the statement explained.

In the same context, the head of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen, Mahdi Al-Mashat, affirmed Wednesday during a meeting with UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg that "the payment of salaries to all public sector employees is essential for the continuation of the armistice" and warned that Yemen would not agree to an extension in the event that such demand is not met.

He went on to say that "if Yemenis accept the armistice in its current form, that will mean accepting the continuation of aggression and blockade on our dear Yemeni people."

This came after Grundberg arrived in Yemen to discuss the extension of the truce with the Supreme Political Council leadership.

It is noteworthy that on August 2, Grundberg said the warring parties agreed on extending the truce for an extra two months per the same conditions with the aim of maintaining negotiations and reaching a comprehensive truce as soon as possible.

The truce that was in effect in Yemen since last April 2, which was also extended on June 2 and then on August 2, stipulated the suspension of military offensives by land, sea, and air in Yemen and across its borders, in addition to facilitating the entry of ships carrying fuel to Al-Hudaydah ports in western Yemen.

Part 2 - End

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/truss-may-be-removed-by-christmas-as-leadership-in-crisis

Truss may be removed by Christmas as leadership in crisis

It has not been a month since British Prime Minister Liz Truss assumed her role, and Tories are boiling over her government's tax-slashing bonanza which has been leaving British markets in crisis, in addition to sinking the Sterling to record lows. Negative opinion polls complement the depressing scene.

Arriving at her first Tory conference as PM - the 2022 Conservative Party Conference which will be held between 2 to 5 October - Truss faces criticisms that may lead to her removal by Christmas, according to The Independent. Almost two dozen Tory MPs have made clear they won't be attending the event.

Tory MPs are warning that Truss has only days to backtrack on the £45 billion of unfunded tax cuts in her "mini-budget" as part of the Growth Plan announced on September 23 by Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng. This plan led to a plunge in the British pound and negative ratings to the PM.

“She needs to reverse Kwarteng’s abolition of the 45p additional rate of income tax and she needs to stop talking about benefit cuts, because it’s electoral suicide. Her position is precarious. There was no justification for the measures they’ve announced, which went way beyond what she promised in the summer. There are no organized conspiracies I’ve heard of but mainstream opinion right across the party is angry, and unless something changes soon people will be having discussions when we get back to the Commons next week,” a former Tory minister told The Independent.

Another Tory MP said: “I think the 45p decision is untenable and I can’t see it getting through parliament. When the government is then talking about leaning into a squeeze on spending – and particularly welfare – it’s an extremely bad optic.”

Truss' move is Downing Street's biggest tax giveaway in 50 years, and it will give much leverage to Britain's wealthy, and it will be paid out of additional borrowing.

According to some British media outlets, so far, there are letters of no confidence being sent to the 1922 Committee already.

Liz Truss is “quite possibly the last ever Tory prime minister”, said former MP Philip Oppenheim. “Nothing in last week’s mini-Budget indicates that our new leaders have the slightest grasp of our long-term structural problems or the solutions, beyond a half-digested, two-dimensional version of Thatcherism."

The British pound has plummeted to its lowest rate against the US dollar since 1971. Last week, the sterling extended its losses to more than 4%, reaching $1.0327, before rising back to $1.05.

People in the UK are criticizing the Royal Family for cashing in on the death of Queen Elizabeth II as they are charging up to nearly 30 pounds for people to see her Windsor Castle grave amid the economic crisis.

https://english.almayadeen.net/videos

>> Paying 30 pounds to see the old vampire's grave. Mega kek!