Articles

Russia-Ukraine War Boosts Hopes for East Mediterranean Energy

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has given a new boost to long-running efforts of Eastern Mediterranean states to tap into regional gas reserves amid concerns over energy security in Europe, experts have said. On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid travelled to Athens to meet with his Greek and Cypriot counterparts, …

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Putin’s Roubles-for-Gas Scheme could Split Europe

Russia’s latest gambit in the Ukraine conflict is to open a currency war with the West. Vladimir Putin’s declaration that Russia will only accept roubles as payment for natural gas bought by ‘unfriendly’ countries is the latest salvo in the long-running attack by Russia and China on the petrodollar system. …

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Climate Change Worsens China’s Food Security Problem

A recent study carried out by researchers at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research found that increased global temperatures caused by the emission of greenhouse gases could lead to a two-fold increase in crop pests and disease in China by the end of the century. They warn that this …

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How Dependent is Germany on Russian Gas?

Russia has warned it may shut off its main Nord Stream gas pipeline to Germany after Berlin halted approval of a second line across the Baltic Sea in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The comment, from Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, reflects escalating tensions that have already sent …

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The Olympics’ Climate Problem

The 2022 Winter Olympic games are coming to an end this weekend in China. The games have been surrounded by huge amounts of controversy, from diplomatic boycotts over human rights concerns to complaints over a Taiwanese athlete wearing a uniform with China written on it. One large area of controversy …

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Ukraine at the Crossroads of a European Energy Crisis

Ukraine, likely named after the Slavic word for “borderland,” has long been a crossroads for peoples, civilisations, trade — and military invasions. As Russia amasses its troops at the Russia-Ukraine border, energy is the latest resource to become weaponised. Russia supplies about 40 per cent of the European Union’s natural …

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