The Senate president said on Thursday ( Feb. 6 ) that the impeachment trial of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte will likely take place following the midterm elections in May and that a whole new group of lawmakers will likely decide the matter. Whether or not the trial moves forthContinue Reading
US President Donald Trump has said America ,” does get over”  , the Gaza Strip, while the Palestinians who live there should be relocated to Jordan or Egypt.
Energy is one of the most important but neglected factors in making this choice. Israel and Gaza both have substantial onshore natural gas reserves. Developing these sources could help asset Gaza’s restoration.
But Trump needs to move quickly to capitalise on this once-in-a-lifetime option. Soviet natural gas is being pushed out of Europe in a desperate attempt. New vendors are being sought out.  , This is going time.
This break it down. Israel’s big offshore fuel fields—Leviathan, Tamar, and Dalit—are now in operation and/or being explored by Chevron &, some other midsized Jewish oil firms.
On February 4, Azerbaijan’s state power company SOCAR , acquired a 10 % stake , in the Tamar oil field.  , Did they know tomorrow’s Gaza news was coming?
Three months Before the October 7, 2023 attacks,  , Hamas made a US-brokered deal , to enable growth of a possible major oil field off the coastline of Gaza.
Then three months after October 7, Israel , controversially granted exploration rights , to Eni ( Italy ), Dana Energy ( UK) &, Ratio Petroleum ( Israel ) to explore within Palestine’s maritime boundaries.
Key power developments in the area have been making significant progress while the conflict in Gaza has been raging.
The Qatar-Turkey pipelines was planned to transport gas from Qatar through Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria to Turkey and Europe. In 2009, Syria’s then-leader Bashar al-Assad rejected the project.
Then that Assad is gone?
Turkey’s energy minister has  , publicly stated , the plan could be revived if” Syria achieves its territorial integrity and stability”. Qatar wants to expand its trade options beyond Crude supplies to pipelines.
And now these fast-moving innovations:
>, Five days ago,  , Qatar’s Emir was the first head of state to attend Syria since Assad’s drop.
>, Monday Syria’s president, Ahmad al-Sharaa , was in Saudi Arabia , for his first established overseas trip.
>, Now al-Sharaa , was in Turkey , meeting with President Erdogan.
Hmmm…
Iran even has a program to , create a gas pipeline to Europe , via Iraq and Syria. Since 2016, there haven’t been any growth changes for the Persian Pipeline job. Given Syria’s fresh command and Iran’s fast-growing social isolation, that offer didn’t occur any time soon.
Since Muammar Gaddafi’s assassination in 2011 there has been a civil war or political crises in Libya.
However, things are improving. Two weeks ago a , big oil conference , was held in Tripoli with some Americans and Europeans in attendance. Now Libya’s Minister of Economy &, Trade , went people with plans , to maintain a restoration meeting ace.
With some of the nation’s largest reserves of oils, Libya is hoping to climb back into the game in a major way.
Why are all of these countries—Israel, Qatar, Libya, Syria and Turkey—moving swiftly to potentially grow their fuel supplies and/or network abilities?
Because Europe needs to replace Russian energy, and anyone who supplies that oil does have a significant amount of economic and political influence.
All of these people are aware of the urgency of a quick response before Russia steps in and the conflict in Ukraine is forgotten.
The US and EU want Russia out of Europe’s power supply network. The option? Many gas providers like as Israel, Qatar &, Libya. Now is the ideal time for all oil producers in the area to relocate.
How does moving Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and/or Jordan aid in the fuel supply to Europe?
1 ) It removes a vital social problem. The Israeli-Palestinian issue has long been a hindrance to local economic growth.
2 ) Personally, many Arab states told the US they were in favor of hammering Hamas. This issue is resolved by totally removing the Palestinians from Gaza. Plus: no terror attacks on reconstruction crews, no acts of terrorism in Israel ( inviting yet another Israeli response ), and no chance onshore gas facilities are sabotaged.
3 ) This did fast-track oil development. With US support, Gaza’s gas fields may be immediately developed without outdoor intervention. Without constantly being threatened by violence and/or civil warfare, pipes can be constructed.
4 ) Divide and conquer. Make no mistake: if the majority of the people of Gaza stays it, anything will be almost impossible to accomplish. Any remaining kinetic energy may be sucked up as they are divided up, some going to Egypt, and the others going to Jordan, especially as the fresh Gaza is rebuilt and promises of economic development are made clear.
5 ) According to Bloomberg, rebuilding Gaza may charge more than US$ 80 billion. Someone has to give for it and it won’t be American citizens. The obvious answer is revenue from normal oil.
None of this will be simple. There are still huge challenges. But they are addressable:
>, Dangle network transit fees and/or offtake partnerships with Jordan and Egypt to help negotiate Gaza’s people …
In order to aid in the country’s rapid reconstruction, Trump leans on Qatar to give additional transport costs for Syria.
>, Massive infrastructure projects may offer jobs for young males in the region, reducing turmoil. Untold riches will be brought to places where there hasn’t been genuine economic growth in years thanks to gas flowing continuous to Europe.
If this technique works, the benefits for Trump—and US international policy—could be great:
Would it be a stretch to see a Trump-brokered Saudi-Israel standardization? What about a broader Middle East authority that integrates Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Saudi, the UAE and Qatar into a local financial alliance?
Plus, this would switch Russia out of Europe’s energy structure for a generation – an huge earn for America. Selling gas to Europe , could , facilitate all of this.
Trump’s decision to remove Palestinians from Gaza may seem extreme. But when viewed through the lens of energy strategy, it makes more sense.
We’ll see if his administration can pull off one of the most nuanced foreign policy decisions in US history.
This article originally appeared on Resource Wars, and it has since been republished with permission. Read the original here.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s national oil company Petronas ‘ recognition of Sarawak government-owned Petros as the state’s gas aggregator excludes liquified natural gas ( LNG ), the government disclosed on Tuesday ( Feb 4).
In a parliamentary response, Azalina Othman Said, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department ( Law and Institutional Reform ), said that this is one of the terms of the agreement between Petronas and Sarawak regarding the east Malaysia state’s efforts to have more control over its oil and gas resources.
She added that the deal was reached at a Jan. 7 conference between Sarawak top Abang Johari Openg and excellent secretary Anwar Ibrahim.
Since July of last year, Petronas and Petros have been in discussions to overcome state disputes involving gas distribution rights.
Under Malaysia’s Petroleum Development Act ( PDA ) 1974, Petronas has exclusive control over exploration and distribution of the country’s oil and gas resources.
But in February 2024, Sarawak appointed Petros, or Petroleum Sarawak Berhad, as the state’s only oil aggregate under its Supply of Gas Ordinance 2016. Under Sarawak’s state laws, a oil aggregate procures natural oil for distribution or offer, and develops and maintains the country’s oil distribution system.
The northeast state accounts for about 90 % of Malaysia’s LNG imports, which has made a number of techniques to position itself as an economic superpower in Malaysia.
Malaysia was the nation’s fifth-largest supplier of LNG in 2023, according to the International Gas Union’s World LNG Report 2024.
Chong Chieng Jen, a member of Parliament who represents the Stampin district in Sarawak, posed a problem to Azalina.
He had inquired about the specifics of the terms of the agreement between Petronas and Sarawak regarding Sarawak’s right to the oil and gas that the condition extracts.
Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister of Malaysia, last month expressed confidence that the Petronas and Petros troubles had been resolved.
MANILA: A petition seeking the impeachment of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, the daughter of the country’s former president, received the required support on Wednesday ( Feb 5 ) of more than a third of lower-house lawmakers, paving the way for a trial in the Senate. House Secretary General ReginaldContinue Reading
Business columnist, BBC News
Getty ImagesAfter China responded to the US’s individual implementation of tariffs with steps of its own, the trade war between the world’s two largest economies has gotten worse.
Following President Donald Trump’s blanket 10 % tax on all Chinese goods into the US, Beijing has set out to target particular American items with retaliatory income, among other steps.
This most recent tit-for-tat builds on the ongoing trade dispute between the countries, with tariffs having previously been imposed and threatened on a number of products since 2018.
A package may still be struck because Trump has stated he intends to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping. What might the impact remain if China launches its response as planned on February 10th?
Getty ImagesTrump’s tariffs have caused China to impose import taxes of its own on US coal and liquefied natural gas ( LNG ) of 10 %, as well as a 15 % sur crude oil.
Businesses wanting to buy fossil fuels from the US would have to pay the tax as a result of Beijing’s answer.
China is the world’s largest supplier of fuel, but it gets most of it from Indonesia, although Russia, Australia and Mongolia are also among its suppliers.
When it comes to the US, China has been increasing exports of LNG from the state, with levels almost double 2018 rates, according to Chinese customs information.
However, its overall trade in fossil fuels is reasonable, with US imports accounting for only 1.7 % of China’s full crude oil purchased from abroad in 2023. This suggests that China’s dependence on the US may be low, and the effects of the taxes might be low.
As the Kremlin tries to finance its war work, China may easily obtain more products from Russia, according to Rebecca Harding, a business analyst and chief executive of the Centre for Economic Security think container.
On the flipside, the US is the nation’s largest LNG supplier, and so has lots of other customers, especially the UK and the European Union.
As well as fuel, China has slapped a 10 % tariff on agricultural machinery, pick-up trucks, and some large cars.
However, China does not import a lot of US pick-ups and goods, therefore a 10 % tax on an already sizable number of exports would not be too harsh on consumers. It imports the majority of its cars from Europe and Japan.
China has increased opportunities in farm equipment in recent years to boost production, lower import dependence, and increase its food safety.
Therefore, it might be a new strategy to try to boost domestic market by imposing tariffs on agricultural technology.
Julian Evans-Pritchard, brain of China finance at firm Capital Economics, said all the price measures were “fairly reasonable, at least equivalent to US moves”.
He suggests that China’s targeted goods represent about$ 20bn ( £16bn ) worth of annual imports- around 12 % of China’s total imports from the US.
This is a significant improvement over the US’s US-targeted$ 450 billion in Chinese products.
However, he claimed that China had” clearly been calibrated to try to send a message to the US]and domestic audiences ] without causing too much damage.”
Additionally, the Chinese government has made some non-tariff announcements, one of which is an anti-monopoly research into US software giant Google.
It is questionable what the inspection will require, but for environment, Google’s search providers have been blocked in China since 2010.
The company continues to operate in the country by offering apps and games to Chinese markets through collaboration with local developers.
But China simply generates about 1 % of Google’s world income, which suggests if it cut ties fully with the land, it wouldn’t be much worse off.
Getty ImagesChina has listed PVH, the British business that operates Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, as its so-called “unreliable object” record and accused them of “discriminatory actions against Chinese companies.”
The record, which has different US companies on it, was created in 2020 by Beijing amid the heating up of business conflicts.
For Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, being on China’s record may make it harder to accomplish business in the country. They may experience restrictions, including charges, and having the work visa of their international staff revoked.
Officials will also go to companies of the companies to evaluate procedures, according to Andreas Schotter, teacher of global business at Western University in Ontario, Canada.
The US has its own “entity list,” which forbids a number of organizations from purchasing goods from US businesses without Washington’s approval.
” China is retaliating in the same way that President Trump accuses Chinese businesses.” This is all a result of US-China’s de-coupling, Prof. Schotter continued.
While tariffs have been imposed on businesses that import products from abroad, China has also imposed export controls on 25 rare metals.
For a lot of electrical products and military equipment, some metals are essential components.
China has mastered the art of producing almost 90 % of the world’s refined metals.
Wormwood, a scarce resource for the aerospace sector, is included in the restricted list.
While there are restrictions on exports, Mr Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics, said it was notable that the critical metals China imports from the US, which are used to make high-end chips, semiconductor machinery, pharmaceuticals and aerospace equipment were not targeted in any measures.
Exports will decline sharply as a result of previous rounds of restrictions, which have been proven to be costly. Companies must now scramble to obtain licenses, a procedure that takes several weeks.
When it comes to the impact of the restrictions, it appears the US has a plan. Trump stated on Monday that he wanted Ukraine to provide more rare earth metals in exchange for$ 300 billion in support of Russia’s campaign.
Experts claim that China’s most recent reply to Trump’s taxes is a calculated change from its strategy in 2018, when Beijing imposed punitive tariffs after Washington fired the first shot.
A full-blown business battle ensued, hurting consumers and businesses in and beyond the country’s leading two economy, with its influence still lingering now.
This day, China has held off, although officials have warned that” related measures” will be taken to protect the country’s rights and interests.
Roberts from the Atlantic Council stated that Beijing is attempting to avoid a clear intensification with the US, especially given that it struggles with local monetary issues like poor consumer spending and concerns about local debt.
Imports and investment is only spur economic growth, according to Roberts, and I believe that this is a sign that China does not want this to increase further. They aren’t ready to engage in a cool conflict with the US at this time.
According to Olson of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, going down the WTO path and halting retribution is a “tactical shift” that allows China to determine how Trump’s tariffs affect Canada and Mexico.
According to researchers, it also leaves Beijing with some room to negotiate a deal with Trump while also preventing the worst US taxes.
Weeks before Trump took office, he had what he described as a “good, friendly” telephone contact with Xi, who the businessman-turned-president invited to his opening.
When asked if he could reach a deal with China over fair business practices, Trump said in an interview with Fox News on January 23 that he could do so. The US leader then followed up by saying he would “rather not” use tariffs against China, but called it ( tariffs ) a” tremendous power”.
Trump said in a statement to reporters at the Oval Office on February 3 that the proposed 10 % blanket tariffs on Chinese goods would only be” an opening salvo.”
” If we can’t create a bargain with China, then the taxes would be very, very substantial”, he said.
In light of this, watch carefully what Trump and Xi will be having in store for the upcoming meeting.
NEW DELHI: India does not want to offer any indication that it is mercantilist, the best official in the banking department said, after slashing buy duties on high-end motorcycles, amid US President Donald Trump’s moves on tariffs. Trump sparked a trade war by imposing massive taxes on Canada, Mexico, andContinue Reading
INVESTORS “FEEL JOLT” Taipei dropped more than 3 % on the first day of trading since China’s DeepSeek unveiled a less expensive artificial intelligence platform to compete with US tech giants, including device titan and market-heavyweight TSMC. Buyers may also experience the jitter as businesses adjust to a decision thatContinue Reading
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AFP/ Getty ImagesA Mongolian weightlifting fighter has been elevated to the highest position in a meeting held on Friday.
Hoshoryu, true name Sugarragchaa Byambasuren, became the 74th yokozuna, or grand hero, after winning a big event last month.
The boxer must not only achieve excellent having success, but also demonstrate good conduct, and have their qualifications evaluated by a panel of judges.
Hoshoryu’s brother Asashoryu, a previous yokozuna who was known as the poor boy of weightlifting, was forced to quit the game in 2010 after breaking a man’s head in a drunken fight outside a bar.
However, Hoshoryu has already indicated that he wants to follow a different way than his brother, whose wedding was held 22 years previously to the present.
” I want to work effectively as a yokozuna and would my best”, he said.
AFP/ Getty ImagesAround 3,500 fans watched the 25-year-old perform a number of festivals for his new name at the Meiji Shine in Tokyo.
He was handed a light cord buckle worn by yokozuna, which he put on for his ring-entering service.
He clapped his hands, stamped his foot, and sat in a small squat for a few days as the audience applauded.
” I practised a lot but I was still more frightened than I expected”, he said.
” I think I did it properly though”.
AFP/ Getty ImagesA yokozuna is expected to withdraw if their level of sumo falls, unlike various ranks, and cannot be demoted.
Many wrestlers can keep the rank at any one time, but Hoshoryu will stand out after Terunofuji, the 34-year-old grand champion, made the announcement earlier this month.
His interview, for the first time in more than 30 decades, leaves the game with no great champion.
Sumo has been dominated by Peoples for the past 25 times.
Six of the seven athletes who were promoted to yokozuna have been from the Asian nation since the turn of the century.
Japan’s only new champion during that period, Kisenosato, held the rank for less than two years.
” Peoples do so well because their regional wrestling type, Bokh, is quite comparable”, Rob Ó Néill, chairman of the British Sumo Federation, told the BBC.
In Bokh, combatants rely on foot washes, which are legitimate in sumo but were unusual until the influx of Mongolian fighters turned specialist.
” It was like a kickboxer fighting a boxer”, Mr Ó Néill said.
Although the Chinese soldiers have improved their ability to defend these maneuvers, they are a fundamental component of Mongolian fighting idea in a way that they are not in Japan.
Sumo is a very classic game that requires practice.
The Mongolians ‘ success is also attained by their early wrestling training.
” They’re also absolutely huge people”, Mr Ó Néill added.
Unlike additional combat sports, expert weightlifting does not have weight classes.
To be a professional, soldiers must eat, sleep and educate with one another in a type of education house called a solid.
The Japan Sumo Association has approved about 40 horses, and there are now about 40.
” It’s their entire way of life from when they join to when they retire”, Rob said.
Franchises serving chanko, a type of dish eaten in large amounts by the athletes, are often opened by previous fighters near stables.
Since Japan is the only nation with a professional sumo wrestler, the majority of the fighters are self-taught. Each can simply teach one foreign wrestler.
The success of the men’s aspiring Sumo World Championships, which fields competition from nearly 90 countries, is invited to join a firm.
PUBLISHED: 30 Jan 2025 at 05: 09
National authorities chief Pol Gen Kittharath Punpetch has defended the treatment of imprisoned Uyghurs in Bangkok, arguing that claims would have been made in media reports decades ago if their care had been weak.
Sen Angkhana Neelapaijit’s request that authorities allow a Senate committee to attend the imprisoned Uyghurs was the subject of Pol Gen Kittharath’s response on Wednesday after being questioned about their existing conditions.
As of now, 43 are incarcerated at the Immigration Bureau ( IB ) headquarters in Soi Suan Phlu in Yannawa district. Five more people are currently incarcerated and facing criminal charges.
Sen Angkhana, director of the Senate committee on social growth, public participation, individual rights and consumer safety, on Wednesday expressed concerns shared by human rights organisations that the Uyghur group may face danger if they are sent back to China.
Despite the government’s denunciation, some studies have surfaced that such actions are taking place.
She said that amid discussion, the Prayut Chan-o-cha state returned 109 Rohingya people held at immigration detention facilities across Thailand in 2013 to China at Beijing’s demand, and their death remained unknown.
The commission had tried to visit the prisoners, without achievement. They had been informed that a Uyghur was on a hunger strike while another individual passed away last month. Another patient is in a clinic and is reportedly sick.
The committee is concerned that the prisoners may not have had food for a while, especially the one who is holding a hunger strike. The International Red Cross should explore the prisoners and offer assistance on repatriation, according to the council.
In reply, Pol Gen Kittharath said on Wednesday that since for things fall under his control, they should be brought up with IB key Pol Lt Gen Panumart Boonyalak immediately.
He claimed that the IB was even willing to improve confinement services, including ensuring proper nutrition and providing training.
” They have been detained for 10 years. The data would have been released a long time ago if they hadn’t been taken care of properly, he said.
He claimed that the Royal Thai Police had not received any instructions or instructions from the government regarding their potential resettlement to China.
According to Pol Gen. Kittharath, the Immigration Act requires that immigrants who enter the country illegally file their cases.
Detention treatments may also adhere to the rule of law and human rights principles.
He reaffirmed that appropriate measures are in place to safeguard and uphold inmates ‘ right.
Angkhana: Visit fast
