Ukraine closes schools to save gas as Russia keeps pipelines closed

Ukraine has told all schools and higher education institutions to close in an effort to save gas, after its Russian supplier refused to deliver more fuel.

Hague tribunal rejects Beijing’s claim to South China Sea

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague on Tuesday ruled that China has no legal basis to claim “historic rights” to islands in the South China Sea and had violated the Philippines' sovereign rights.

Ukraine Making sense of sanctions

Visa bans, freezing assets, boycotts: There is no lack of suggestions of how to tone down Russian aggression. But what good would sanctions do? Politicians are growing increasingly skeptical. DW takes a look. 

The European Union has said it is halting visa talks with Russia following an emergency summit of the bloc's leaders where they discussed ways to punish Russia for its recent exploits on the Crimean Peninsula. If Russia continues to reject negotiations, further measures are to be taken, which could entail economic sanctions.

Russia temporarily cuts gas price by one third to help Ukraine

Russia will provide gas to Ukraine at a price of $ 268.5 dollars per thousand cubic meters which is lower by one third of the previous price which was $ 400 per thousand cubic meters, said Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday after a meeting of the Russian- Ukrainian Interstate Commission.

The agreement was signed between Russia’s "Gazprom" and "Natftogaz Ukraine" in the presence of President Putin and President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych.

Ukraine’s unused gas in 2013 may cause fines of almost ten billion dollars.

MOSCOW, October 20 (Itar-Tass) - Ukraine’s incomplete receipt of gas in 2013 may cause fines of almost ten billion dollars, the National Energy Security Foundation said, analysing the current situation in Ukraine’s gas market.
The Foundation’s Director General Alexei Grivach says “Naftogaz once again breaches the “take and pay” term and will receive from Gazprom a new invoice in early 2013.”
“We doubt, within the year Naftogaz will be able to buy from Gazprom over 17-18 billion cubic metres. While it is obliged to buy 41.6 billion. As the average contracted price is 410 dollars per one thousand cubic metres, the unused amount will cost close to ten billion dollars.”

Besides, the Foundation says the claims about high prices for gas, referring t gas on reverse gas from Europe, are not quite correct.

Nabucco project fails, placed by Trans Adriatic Pipeline project

The Nabucco pipeline to be built to carry natural gas to Shah II sea field in Azerbaijan was failed for the consortium preferred Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), using another route

VIENNA / ANKARA (AA) - The Nabucco pipeline to be built to carry natural gas to Shah II sea field in Azerbaijan was failed for the consortium preferred Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), using another route.

The Nabucco project faced a removal possibility after Austria's gas and oil company OMV announced its detachment to the project and stated they approved TAP for its being "more economic".

Azerbaijani natural gas would have been carried through Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria to Europe within the scope of Nabucco project, where Turkey was a member. However, consortium active in Shah II sea field in Azerbaijan showed TAP as an alternative to Nabucco, which would carry the gas in a shorter route through Turkey to Italy. It was announced that Azerbaijan, Turkey, Switzerland, Norway and Germany were partners of the project. 

Government of Greece and TAP sign host government agreement / Endgültiges Aus für Nabucco - Konsortium entscheidet für TAP

The Greek Government (the Ministry of Energy, Environment and Climate Change – MEECC) and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project have today signed the Host Government Agreement (HGA) in Athens, agreed in principle last week.

The HGA sets out the framework by which the project will be realized and operated on Greek territory. This includes processes related to land easement and acquisition, the implementation of technical, safety, environmental and social standards and permitting.

TAP will be one of the largest sources of foreign direct investment in Greece, and is estimated to cost approximately Euro 1.5 bn for the Greek section. During construction, TAP is anticipated to create some 2,000 direct, and up to 10,000 indirect, new jobs across a number of industries including manufacturing and utilities, transport, communications and financial and business services. The project already collaborates with a number of Greek businesses and experts, and will seek to expand such cooperation in line with its commitment to Local Content.

Arctic Council Signs Oil Spill Response Deal ..... decision on the EU status has been deferred because of Canada’s concern....

KIRUNA, May 15 (RIA Novosti)

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 – Foreign ministers from the Arctic Council’s member states have signed a legally binding agreement on preventing and responding to oil spills in the Arctic to protect the region’s waters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday. The treaty is “an effective tool protecting the Arctic environment at a time of active exploration of the opening Arctic deposits, and shows the firm responsibility of the Arctic states for the situation in the region,” Lavrov said at the opening of the council’s ministerial session in Sweden’s northernmost city of Kiruna. Lavrov said he “welcomed” the decision to expand the council by granting the so-called observer status to new states. China, Italy and four other Asian countries - India, Japan, South Korea and Singapore - gained observer status on the Council at a meeting on Wednesday. The Council also said it “positively” viewed the idea of granting the European Union observer status. However, a decision on the EU status has been deferred because of Canada’s concern over an EU ban on import of seal products, which came into effect in August.

Gazprom and partners begin South Stream 7/12/12

Russia’s state-owned gas major Gazprom and its partners are beginning construction of the $16bn South Stream pipeline that will run under the Black Sea to Europe and rival the Nabucco project.
­The symbolic first welding of the pipeline takes place in the city of Anapa in Southern Russia on Friday. Among those present at the ceremony are Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bulgaria’s Regional Development and Public Works Minister Liliyana Pavlova as well as representatives of Italy's ENI, France's EDF and Germany's BASF.

Keen to make an impression: Japan-US military drills begin amid Asian island row

Japan has launched naval drills with the US in spite of heightened tensions with China over a territorial dispute. The exercise was initially planned to simulate an island re-occupation, but was scrapped for naval operations to avoid agitating China.
The 11-day drills are aimed at boosting the defense of Japan’s southwestern island territories and will involve more than 37,000 Japanese personnel and 10,000 US forces, along with an aircraft carrier.
Operation Keen Sword was originally planned to incorporate a mission to simulate the retaking of an island. Although neither the US nor Japan specified if the mission was aimed at the disputed archipelago “it was widely perceived they had in mind the Senkaku Islands,” said Japanese newspaper Kyodo.