Ketvirtadienį Latvijos parlamentas priėmė įstatymo dėl naftos produktų kainų augimo ribojimo pataisas, numatančias akcizo ir benzino akcizų sumažinimą.

Rusija ketvirtadienį pranešė, kad apsvarstys JAV vyriausybės kvietimą prezidentui Vladimirui Putinui gruodį dalyvauti Didžiojo dvidešimtuko (G20) viršūnių susitikime Jungtinėse Valstijose.

The satellite station is used in part to provide internet coverage to neighbouring Ukraine, the government says.

The BBC has spoken to residents in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky who say they are being "constantly shelled".

Consumers are feeling the pinch from the rising cost of protein.

Meta has unveiled audio-only smart glasses, with some questioning whether it is a response to the backlash over privacy.

BRUSSELS — EU officials warned Thursday that a U.S. plan to ban diesel exports for 90 days could have a significant impact on European markets and said the bloc was in talks with the Trump administration to wave it off the ban. “The European Union views with concern the report that the U.S. plans to ban diesel exports, including to the European Union,” Olof Gill, a spokesperson for the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, told reporters in response to a question for POLITICO. “Any disruption would risk negatively impacting both sides.” In this light, “high level contacts between the European Union and the U.S. administration are ongoing,” and the EU expects “close partners to consult each other before taking measures that affect shared markets,” he added. Gill declined to share details on the content of the diplomatic talks but said “there are strong voices — also there — that believe any proposed ban of this nature would be a very bad idea indeed.” The EU’s imports of U.S. diesel have increased in recent months, and the bloc currently imports some 57 percent of its diesel from America. Prices have shot up amid the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries. The planned ban, first reported by POLITICO, would last 90 days amid growing concerns from U.S. farmers over rising fuel prices. However, the move has drawn vociferous opposition from the U.S. oil sector, which has warned the ban would significantly tighten global supply. Trump’s energy secretary, Chris Wright, also opposes the ban. Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, a Commission spokesperson, added that Brussels was “monitoring the markets and security of supply very, very closely, together with our member states.” She said the EU was a “big U.S. diesel importer” and remains a “solid and attractive market to the United States.”

BRUSSELS — European authorities have downplayed threats that the United States could temporarily ban all exports of U.S. diesel, despite warnings that such a ban would have “very serious” consequences for the continent’s energy supply. On Wednesday POLITICO reported the White House was preparing a 90-day ban on exports of diesel, a move that would blow a huge hole in Europe’s supply of the fuel that’s used in heavy transport and industry. The ban puts U.S. President Donald Trump at odds with industry and some in his own circle, including Energy Secretary Chris Wright who opposes the ban. Last month, the U.S. supplied 420,000 barrels of diesel to EU member countries and the U.K., accounting for more than half of total imports that month, according to Kpler. Europe’s reliance on the U.S. for diesel has increased in recent months after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz sent imports from Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates plummeting. “Given the precarious situation that Europe currently finds itself in, any further restrictions on fuels available to the EU at this stage could quickly become very serious,” said a person in the industry who closely follows the market situation and was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive situation openly. “Diesel inventories in particular are under pressure, and the EU has become increasingly reliant on supplies from the U.S. as it’s had to diversify first from Russia and then from the Middle East. Beyond this, Europe currently has few limited, easy replacement options.” But European officials either downplayed the risk, said it was unlikely to happen, or weren’t even aware of the threat. Czech trade minister Karel Havlíček said he believed the ban “will not actually materialize, given the potential negative indirect impact on world markets. Therefore I welcome the latest statements of U.S. Energy Secretary Wright.” Wright on Wednesday said the “blunt tool of banning diesel exports definitely doesn’t work.” Havlíček added that direct U.S. diesel exports to the Czech Republic were “insignificant.” A German government spokesperson declined to comment on the specific U.S. threat of a ban on Wednesday, saying that Berlin was “doing everything it can to maintain security of supply, as it always has done in the past; this also applies to refineries that are operating at good capacity utilization.” Germany last month imported 30,000 barrels of diesel from the U.S., according to Kpler. This year U.S. imports have so far accounted for about 18% of Germany’s imports, according to industry association en2x. The United Kingdom, the biggest importer of American diesel in Europe at 108,000 barrels last month according to Kpler, had a similar official line to Germany. “Forecourts in the U.K. are being supplied with petrol and diesel as normal and we have a diverse and resilient supply,” a U.K. government spokesperson said. But one British lawmaker wasn’t so sanguine. “If the U.S. restricts our supply of diesel it would be a big concern for drivers,” said Bill Esterson, a U.K. Labour MP and chair of the House of Commons Energy Security and Net Zero Committee. “Prices are already sky high because of the war in Iran.” France, which imported 42,000 barrels last month, did not respond to a request for comment. The European Commission also declined to comment. Multiple other European officials, granted anonymity to discuss Trump’s threats openly, downplayed the threat. Since the war in Iran began, diesel imports from Qatar have completely dried up, according to the Kpler figures. Imports from Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates also fell to zero for a while, though they have picked up again in the last couple of months. Still, they are nowhere near U.S. levels. Aude Le Gentil and Nicholas Earl contributed reporting.

Tehran hints retaliation as Georgia and Azerbaijan suspend Iranian flights amid mounting US sanctions on airlines.

Rogue OpenAI agents accessed an Australian government health data website, obtaining non-public information.

Intelligence service cites ‘low but growing risk’ of troop movement into neighbouring country or attack on infrastructure

Central banks and state-directed capital; Europe and great power rivalry

🇺🇦 🇺🇳 Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "patient zero" for spreading war in the region with Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian president also asked world leaders to cut back on buying oil from Russia, in a bid to put pressure on Moscow to resolve the conflict swiftly.

🇺🇸 🇨🇳 As Donald #Trump welcomed his Chinese counterpart Xi #Jinping for a state visit on the tarmac of an airport near #Washington, the sound of a fighter jet during the military ceremony caught the US president off guard, prompting a series of startled facial expressions.

The result will determine which party gets the first opportunity to form a government, with the prime minister appointed by King Mohammed VI from the party that wins the most seats.

The developments follow a series of reported drone strikes in Tigray. Regional authorities say at least 14 people were killed and 22 injured in a strike on the town of Alamata on Tuesday, with the mayor accusing federal forces of targeting schools.