“The main installations have been completed, the shut-off valves have been installed, so we can assume that the project will be completed by the end of 2019,” said project spokesman Jens Müller. Source: The Local Deutschland
Trade Cooperation
Austria has mulled over the possibility of new sanctions against Russia due to the detention of three Ukrainian Navy vessels that sailed toward the Kerch Strait in what Moscow has described as an unequivocal provocation committed in violation of international law. At a secret meeting of the Political and Security Committee in Brussels on Tuesday, French and German diplomats spoke out against stepping up existing EU sanctions against Russia in light of the growing rift between Moscow and Kiev over the Kerch Strait incident. Source: Sputnik
Kosovo Prime Minister says taxes on imports from Serbia and Bosnia will rise from 10 to 100 per cent immediately – a day after Serbia hailed the failure of its bid to join Interpol. Source: Balkan Insight
Russia may launch settlements with Iran in national currencies in order to continue bilateral cooperation despite the US sanctions against Tehran, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said in an interview with the Anadolu news agency on Sunday. Source: TASS
Tehran has expressed hope that the Iran nuclear deal can be saved despite the US pulling out of the agreement. Iran’s statement came during a visit of the British foreign minister to Iran. Source: Deutsche Welle
China said it will continue pursuing negotiations with Canada on a free-trade deal after assurances that a recently settled North American trade agreement would not stop Ottawa from signing deals with other countries. Source: South China Morning Post
The nation’s lawmaking body approved the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership on Monday, following Australia’s ratification on October 31. Source: South China Morning Post
Greek battleships have encircled Kastellorizo, the island at the centre of a territorial dispute with Turkey, and several uninhabited islets to shield Greek territory against Turkish attempts to survey for hydrocarbons, according to Greek media. Source Ahval
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced that he had asked the prefect to take legal action. Jérémie Bréaud the LR mayor of Bron, a town in the metropolis of Lyon (Rhône), is targeted by death threats. “We’re going to behead you , ” was tagged in Chassieu, a neighboring town, with the identity of the chosen one. “Fuck la mumu” , we can also read, in reference to the municipal police. The whole thing is accompanied by insults. Source Actu17
A man was arrested with a drone and two blocks of explosives but also detonators, near Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle), during a customs check. He now sleeps in prison. What intentions did this man have? Aged 22, this inhabitant of the metropolitan area of Montpellier (Hérault) was arrested on October 7 during a customs check at the Gye tollgate, on the A31 motorway, near Nancy, reports Midi Libre. Source Actu17
Following the act in France, Swedish teachers are now emphasizing the importance of freedom of expression in teaching. At the same time, there is some concern that similar acts may occur here as well.
– It is not a question of, but when, says teacher Olof Linton. Source SVT Nyheter
Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has written to the European Union asking it to consider suspending the EU’s customs union agreement with Turkey, the Greek state news agency ANA reported on Tuesday.
Dendias wrote to the European commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, asking him to look at the measure in response to Turkey’s repeated violations of the agreement, the agency said. Source Aljazeera
Military expert and professor of strategic studies, Admiral Ferdinando Sanfelice di Monteforte, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip “Erdoğan is losing consensus internally and is putting the economy in crisis.
The Admiral also claimed that the S-400 missile defensive system is not competitive.
Is Greece calling for an arms embargo and suspension of the EU-Turkey customs union? There is no doubt that “in the absence of an agreement, measures of this kind will have to be taken”. Source Greekcitytimes
- European governments have been reviewing the role of Chinese companies in building their networks following pressure from the United States.
- Sweden’s security service called China “one of the biggest threats” against the country.
- Sweden is home to Ericsson, one of Europe’s leading telecoms equipment suppliers. Source CBC
Russia has authorised its defence ministry to open an office in Serbia, a government document showed, as Moscow pushes to expand military ties with its traditional Balkan ally even as Belgrade seeks to join the European Union. Source Reuters
It was 9:30 p.m. this Monday evening when the firefighters were called to go to the Champ-de-Mars district in Albertville, for a burnt car, reports France Bleu .
On their arrival, the firefighters were the target of around thirty assailants. The latter have graveled them. The flames could have spread to a building, so there was an urgent need to intervene without delay. The police were notified and dispersed the perpetrators of this assault. Source actu17
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reiterated his criticisms against French President Emmanuel Macron for using what he called an anti-Islam rhetoric that includes the creation of “French Islam” to cover up his failures in running his country. Source Hurriyet daily news
- Missile bases have been upgraded and equipped with the most advanced hypersonic missile the DF-17, according to one military source
- Build-up of forces comes as the PLA continues with a series of exercises designed to keep up the pressure on the island Source South China Morning Post
The US State Department on Oct. 20 widened the scope of sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline and warned companies involved in the final installation that they face sanctions if they do not wind down activities within 30 days. Source Spglobal
Whether or not S&P Global Ratings downgrades Italian debt this week is a coin toss, according to Deutsche Bank AG.
“We think it’s a 50-50 call as both an unchanged outlook as well as a downgrade could be justified,” wrote Ioannis Sokos, a strategist at Deutsche, citing S&P’s outlook criteria from April. Source Bloomberg
Gazprom supplied 2.3 bln cubic meters of natural gas to China over the Power of Siberia gas pipeline in January – August 2020 after the deliveries started in December 2019. Daily gas deliveries from Russia to China over the Power of Siberia gas pipeline were above contractual commitments for the first time on Monday, Gazprom said. Source Tass
Investors queued up to buy Italy’s new three-year bond on Tuesday, even though they will get nothing back until early 2024.
The sale of Rome’s first benchmark government bond with a zero coupon, meaning it offers no interest payments, is the latest sign of red-hot demand for riskier eurozone debt, as investors bet that the European Central Bank will scale up its asset-purchasing programme. Source FT
- Central bank is developing its own e-yuan as it seeks to hasten the transformation of China’s economy
- Digital currency being used for transactions ranging from bill payments to government services in pilot tests Source South China Morning Post
Denmark gave the green light Thursday to the Russia-led Nord Stream 2 consortium to operate its Baltic Sea gas pipeline in Danish waters, the country’s energy agency announced.
“Nord Stream 2 AG has been granted an operations permit for the Nord Stream 2 pipelines on the Danish continental shelf,” the energy agency said via a statement. “The permit has been granted on a number of conditions to ensure a safe operation of the pipelines.” Source Deutsche Welle
he Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) raised 487.5 million euros on Wednesday through the auction of 26-week treasury bills at a uniform yield of -0.10%. Source Ekathimerini
About 40,000 workers in the airline industry are facing layoffs on Thursday unless Congress comes up with another aid package Source ABC
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts notified the Florida unemployment department Tuesday of impeding layoffs across the theme park’s properties that includes nearly 10% of its employees across the state. Source Click Orlando
U.S. and European oil majors’ commitment to moving away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy threatens oil supplies and prices, Russia’s state-run oil giant Rosneft has said, according to the Financial Times. Source Moscow Times
Royal Dutch Shell announced on Wednesday plans to cut up to 9,000 jobs, or over 10% of its workforce, as part of a major overhaul to shift the oil and gas giant to low-carbon energy.
Shell, which had 83,000 employees at the end of 2019, said that the reorganization will lead to annual savings of $2 billion to $2.5 billion by 2022. Source Shell
