Madrid, Spain | Xinhua | The Spanish government rejects the plan announced Wednesday by the European Commission to cut gas consumption by 15 percent in the coming months in view of the possibility that Russia will cut gas supplies to Europe, Teresa Ribera, minister for ecological transition, has said. “Whatever happens, …
Read More »Russia fines Google 369 mln USD for not removing banned info
Moscow, Russia | Xinhua | A court in Moscow ruled on Monday to fine Google LLC 21.077 billion rubles (about 369 million U.S. dollars) for repeated failure to delete content prohibited in Russia. The administrative fine amounts to one tenth of the revenue of Google and its affiliated companies registered with …
Read More »EU to ban Russian gold imports in new sanctions package
Brussels, Belgium | Xinhua | The European Commission on Friday adopted a proposal for a seventh package of measures that will ban the importation of Russian gold. The proposal is part of a new set of measures that are intended to improve the implementation and effectiveness of the EU’s six earlier …
Read More »Middle East is not someone’s backyard: China spokesperson
Beijing, China | Xinhua | The people of the Middle East are the masters of the region, and the Middle East is not someone’s backyard, let alone a so-called “vacuum,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Friday. Wang made the remarks at a routine press briefing when asked to comment …
Read More »Iran rejects U.S. claim of sending drones to Russia as “baseless”
Tehran, Iran | Xinhua | Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Friday rejected a recent U.S. claim that Iran is providing Russia with drones for use in Ukraine as “baseless” and politically motivated. Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, according to a press …
Read More »Russia sees progress of quadripartite talks on grain exports
Moscow, Russia | Xinhua | Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations have reached consensus on some issues regarding grain exports and the negotiation will continue, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday. There was a substantive discussion during the talks in Turkey’s Istanbul on Wednesday and some elements of possible agreements …
Read More »Russia legalizes special economic measures to support military operations abroad
Moscow, Russia | Xinhua | Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Thursday allowing the government to take special economic measures to support the armed forces during their counter-terrorism and other operations abroad. The Russian government is authorized to provide all necessary assistance to the armed forces, including “temporarily reactivating …
Read More »Iran dismisses U.S. “lies” over Iran’s involvement in Ukraine war
Tehran, Iran | Xinhua | Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday rejected a U.S. official’s claims as “lies” about Iran’s alleged involvement in the Ukraine conflict. The ministry’s spokesman Nasser Kanaani tweeted that “apparently, lying and cheating are contagious among U.S. politicians who resort to fabrication for evil ends.” Jake Sullivan, Biden’s …
Read More »Ukraine, Russia make some progress at talks on grain exports: Zelensky
Kiev, Ukraine | Xinhua | Ukraine and Russia have made some progress at the talks on grain exports in Istanbul that also involved representatives of Turkey and the United Nations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday. “The Ukrainian delegation informed me that there is some progress. We will agree on …
Read More »Brazilian president unveils deal to import Russian diesel
Sao Paulo, Brazil | Xinhua | Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday announced his government has reached a deal to begin importing diesel fuel from Russia as part of measures to lower fuel prices at home. “It is settled. In 60 days diesel can start to arrive in Brazil from Russia,” …
Read More »