World
Ministers agree to extend gas saving policy through 2024
With no end in sight to president Putin’s war on Ukraine, European energy ministers have agreed to extend for a second year voluntary measures to keep natural gas demand across the EU to at least 15% below pre-invasion levels, and discussed ways to end lingering dependence on Russian gas.
European energy ministers have agreed to extend for a second year voluntary measures to keep natural gas demand across to at least 15% below where they stood when Russia supplied some two-fifths of the bloc’s needs, while the EU executive said the bloc is ready to stop ongoing imports through war-torn Ukraine.
Belgian energy minister Tinne Van der Straeten – who chaired an EU Council summit in Brussels on Monday (4 March) that included a discussion of ensuring reserves are filled in time for the next winter – said the emergency measures had “clearly worked” with gas demand across the 27-member bloc having fallen by 18%.
Governments ushered in a range of measures to encourage lower consumption, ranging from awareness raising campaigns to concrete restrictions on the use of air conditioning and obligatory reduction in the temperature of public buildings and swimming pools. Soaring prices also helped dampen demand, especially in heavy industry.
Despite EU gas storage still being 62% full as a particularly mild winter draws to a close, ministers agreed that global gas markets remained tight and vulnerable to unexpected shocks. “Considering the persistent risks…strengthening both preparedness and security of supply will remain crucial,” Van der Straeten said.
However, despite efforts to diversify supply – the EU’s new centralised purchasing platform was overwhelmed last month with bids to deliver gas between April 2024 and October 2029 – Russia remains a significant supplier ahead of the divorce date of 2027 set out in the RePowerEU plan, rushed out in the wake of the invasion.
Speaking after the ministerial summit, EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson acknowledged that Russian gas still accounted for 15% of EU imports last year, or nearly 43 billion cubic metres. Norway is by far the largest supplier, followed now by the US liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Despite the ongoing military conflict, some 14 billion cubic metres of Russian gas was piped through Ukraine to south eastern Europe last year, but the transit agreement between Russia’s Gazprom and Ukrainian pipeline operator Naftogaz is due to expire in December.
But Simson said it was time to end such imports, and that EU efforts to diversify supply routes over the past two years mean any shortfall could be absorbed by the European market.
“The EU has no interest in prolonging the trilateral agreement with Russia, and the focus should now be on supporting Ukraine…and best use its gas infrastructure and storage…integrating it further into the EU energy market,” Simson said, although she acknowledged some member states had voiced concerns about the greater expense of alternative options.
The bulk of ongoing Russian gas imports are now in the form of LNG, with 18bcm last year. Ministers discussed a call from Lithuania for “urgent legal actions” to end the import of Russian LNG to Europe.
Van der Straeten told reporters that an EU-level ban on imports would mean adding gas to the list of Russian products already subject to sanctions, and that this would require unanimous support by all 27 member states. It was clear from the intervention by one member state, whom the Belgian minister did not name, that unanimity “would not be a given”.
new video loaded: W.H.O. Chief Visits Ebola-Struck Region: ‘It’s Time to Move Fast’
transcript
transcript
W.H.O. Chief Visits Ebola-Struck Region: ‘It’s Time to Move Fast’
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, told The New York Times on a flight to the Democratic Republic of Congo that swift international support was necessary to contain the Ebola virus, which is spreading rapidly there.
-
“Of course there are different scenarios, but it’s in our hands. We move fast, we will catch up. If we don’t, it will be a very serious problem. So it’s time to really move fast.” A dire warning from the World Health Organization chief as we approach Ituri, the province at the center of Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak. More than 1,000 suspected Ebola cases and over 200 suspected deaths have been reported here. With no vaccines and no treatment for the virus species fueling the outbreak, containment is where immediate efforts should focus, health officials say. It’s not easy. Testing capacity is still very low. Protective supplies are short. Both the facilities for isolation and the region’s overall health care infrastructure are insufficient. “We cannot tell them what the problem is, Ebola is one but there are many problems and we have to listen to them.” It’s not the first Ebola outbreak for Congo, and as a glimmer of hope, officials say at least one health care worker was discharged earlier this week after recovering. But international commitments to fund their response aren’t enough. Only one-third of the needed funds have been delivered, the W.H.O. chief says. “Do you think the world is moving fast enough right now?” “It’s starting to understand now, but I still don’t think it’s enough.”
By Bethlehem Feleke, Michael Anthony Adams and Alisa Shodiyev Kaff
May 30, 2026
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Russia and the Taliban government in Afghanistan have signed a military cooperation pact, cementing an alliance that further solidifies Moscow’s influence in Central Asia, according to reports.
The deal, finalized Wednesday at an international security forum in Russia, followed a meeting between Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob.
The Taliban Defense Ministry announced on X that Yaqoob had traveled to Russia to attend the conference.
Yaqoob is the Taliban’s former military chief and the son of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar.
AL QAEDA REMAINS MOST DANGEROUS TERRORIST GROUP 24 YEARS AFTER 9/11, EXPERT WARNS
Russia and the Taliban government in Afghanistan have signed a new military-technical cooperation pact, cementing an alliance that solidifies Moscow’s influence in Central Asia. (Photo by Elke Scholiers / Getty Images)
Omar had formed a close alliance with Osama bin Laden and provided a safe haven from which al Qaeda planned the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
As of Thursday, neither Russia nor the Afghan side had shared the further details of the new military agreement.
“Afghanistan and Russia have long and historical relations. In this direction, we want to move further. We have expanded bilateral relations,” Yaqoob said at the meeting.
The pact follows statements from a senior Russian security official who noted that Moscow has established a “full-fledged partnership” with Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban and is encouraging other countries in the region to expand cooperation with Kabul, Reuters reported.
The Taliban had regained power in August 2021, after overthrowing the U.S.-backed Afghan government run by President Ashraf Ghani.
In 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the possibility of dropping Russia’s classification of the Taliban as a terrorist organization.
FORMER AFGHAN TRANSLATOR WARNS OF STARVATION, HUMANITARIAN CRISIS: ‘BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED IN 2001’
In 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the possibility of dropping Russia’s classification of the Taliban as a terrorist organization. (Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo/AP, File)
In 2024, he called the Taliban “allies in the fight against terrorism” and Russia became the first country to formally recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
“After several years of vacillation, Russia has become the first country in the world to officially recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan,” Nikita Smagin, an expert on Iranian foreign and domestic policies, Islamism and Russia’s policy in the Middle East, said in a report from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“It’s more of a symbolic gesture than something driven by trade or economic considerations,” Smagin added, describing how when Taliban militants entered the Afghan capital in August 2021, “Russia was already deemed eligible for special treatment.”
“Its diplomatic mission was immediately provided with security, and Russian Ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov became the first foreign diplomat to meet with the new rulers of Afghanistan,” he explained.
On Wednesday, Shoigu also called for Western countries to unfreeze sanctioned Afghan assets.
AFGHANISTAN’S ONLY WOMEN-LED RADIO STATION TO RESUME OPERATIONS AFTER TALIBAN LIFTS SUSPENSION
Russia has become the first country in the world to officially recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan. (Photo by Elke Scholiers / Getty Images)
“We are convinced that Western countries should unfreeze blocked Afghan assets, fully recognize their responsibility for their 20-year presence in Afghanistan, and bear the burden of the country’s post-conflict reconstruction,” Shoigu said, according to reports.
“Moscow needs to take steps that will restore its image as an influential power that holds the initiative, and recognition of the Taliban regime serves precisely that purpose,” Smagin added.
“The status of the first country to establish official diplomatic relations with the Taliban government should ensure Russia has a leading role in discussions of regional security issues.”
The recognition of the Taliban, he said, was an attempt by Russia to “prove itself as a leading global force that is not afraid to break established norms and set precedents for other countries.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Moscow continues to emphasize the need to work directly with Kabul as it faces severe, ongoing security threats from various rival Islamist militant groups operating throughout Central Asia and the Middle East, Reuters said.
Shoigu also said Moscow was building a “pragmatic dialogue” with the Taliban that included security, trade, culture and humanitarian support, the outlet reported May 14.
Paris Saint-Germain won back-to-back Champions League titles after a 4–3 penalty shootout victory over Arsenal in Budapest. Following a 1–1 draw through extra time, Gabriel Magalhães missed the decisive spot kick to hand PSG the trophy.
-
Missouri5 minutes agoRobbie O’Connor, Carmelo Musacchia power Northeastern past Missouri State at Lawrence Regional | Whole Hog Sports
-
Montana8 minutes ago
Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for May 30, 2026
-
Nebraska13 minutes agoOle Miss baseball vs. Nebraska in NCAA Tournament suspended by weather until Sunday
-
Nevada20 minutes agoThe Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada names Warren Kay to board of directors
-
New Hampshire23 minutes agoLet’s Talk Nature: The Value of Conserved Land
-
New Jersey28 minutes agoSimon Nemec’s contract demand could ruin any return for New Jersey Devils
-
New Mexico35 minutes agoLand prices soar along High Road to Taos, spurring concerns of cultural loss
-
North Carolina37 minutes ago
NC Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 Day results for May 30, 2026
