DE | Germany sees massive dip in Russia exports, uptick in China imports, 13 June

Germany's exports to Russia have taken a nosedive since the invasion of Ukraine, the Federal Stastical Office, or Destatis, reported on Monday. At the the same time, however, imports into Germany from Russia were booming.
[...]
"The import surplus in foreign trade with Russia in April was €2.9 billion euros. In March, it had amounted to €3.4 billion," Destatis wrote. The German term "import surplus" is often called a "trade deficit" in English.
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Regarding the sharp increase in Chinese imports into [?!] Germany, this was largely due to the import of chemical products worth €4.4 billion, a six-fold increase on the previous year. Surging demand for raw materials used in pharmaceutical production, data processing equipment, and other electrical equipment also drove the rise in [GERMANY] imports.

May 10: Unstable Stablecoin: How Crypto's Crash Broke The Buck

archived pirate guideline UPDATE!

Germany will notably use less gas for producing electricity, replacing it with energy produced by coal plants. "That means, to be honest, more coal-fired power plants for a transitional period. That's bitter, but it's almost necessary in this situation to reduce gas consumption," Habeck, from the Greens, noted. Existing coal plants will be upgraded to temporarily compensate the decline of energy production from gas-fired plants.

"Due to the delayed return of gas compressor units from repair by Siemens ... and technical engines' malfunctions, only three gas compressor units can currently be used at the Portovaya compression station," Gazprom said.

Siemens Energy, which was spun off from former parent Siemens (SIEGn.DE) in 2020, said in a statement that it supplied so-called aeroderivative gas turbines for a compressor station for Nord Stream 1 in 2009. These were manufactured in Canada and needed to be regularly sent back for maintenance, Siemens Energy said, adding one of the turbines was currently being overhauled in Montreal.

"Due to the sanctions imposed by Canada, it is currently impossible for Siemens Energy to deliver overhauled gas turbines to the customer. Against this background we have informed the Canadian and German governments and are working on a viable solution," the company said.

#Ukraine is running out of #ammunition as prospects dim on the battlefield
"Hopes that Ukraine will be able to reverse #Russian gains are fading in the face of superior firepower"
"200 #Ukrainian soldiers are now being killed every day"[_link] #UkraineWar

— Venus Throw (@OneVenusThrow) June 11, 2022

Ukrainian finance minister Natalya Yaresko estimated the war is costing Ukraine $10 million dollars a day, earlier today. European finance ministers agreed to loan Ukraine €1.5 billion in addition to the €15 billion loan programme agreed by the EU and Ukraine last March, as the Ministry of Finance has estimated that the war has shrunk the country's economy by 20%.

However, Kiev is unwilling to scale back its military in response to its economic problems as it is now prepared to extend the bracket for the nation-wide call to military service towards female citizens in a bid to reinforce its national security services and deliver on its plans to mobilise and enlist 200,000 Ukrainians in its arm forces by the end of 2015.

not that old "Gold Coast", the NEW! one

YLE | Gold Coast Debates 2022, 12 June A/V, mostly EN (ironically), episodes 1- 5, in which FI President Sauli Niinistö and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg ruminate courses of mutual national security in the event Türkiye (FKA Turkey) vetoes either SE or FI application to enroll in NATO.

Not to be confused with either war-time "media" censorship enforced by unilateral EC directive, information service provider "content" labeling and censure d/b/a "demonitization", UN Declaration of Human Rights, UNGA, UNSC, ICC, ICJ jurisdiction and orders, or normatively legit US Foreign Agents Registration Act (1938, et seq.), because Reasons®:

Court finds Russian 'foreign agents' law violates human rights convention

The European Court of Human Rights sided with 73 Russian organizations impacted by the regulation, finding the law impedes the work of civil society groups and violates freedom of expression.
The controversial bill, which passed the Russian Parliament in the summer of 2012 with overwhelming support, is widely seen as a response to protests following Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency the same year. Initially, the bill applied to nongovernmental organizations that engaged in political activity and received financial support from abroad. Its reach has since been expanded to media outlets as well. The law requires such groups to declare in all of their communications and publications that they are "foreign agents," a Soviet-era term referring to Western spies. ...

supra a geopolitical power
archived HUAC (1938-1956) et seq., aesopian language, LQD: US Federal Law Eats World, vomits, Free Speech

EU launches legal action over UK's Northern Ireland Brexit bill

Two days after the U.K. presented controversial legislation allowing ministers to effectively ignore parts of the Northern Ireland protocol, the European Commission took aim at Britain's "illegal" proposal. Brussels' move -- described as "disappointing" by London -- could eventually see the two sides face each other in court.

The Commission is launching two new lawsuits against the U.K., accusing it of failing to meet two obligations under the [NI] protocol, a crucial and long-negotiated part of the BREXIT divorce deal [EU Withdrawal Agreement as opposed to UK Withdrawal Bill]

"Let it be no doubt: There is no legal nor political justification whatsoever for unilaterally changing an international agreement," [EC VP Maroš Šefčovič] said. "Opening the door to unilaterally changing an international agreement is a breach of international law as well. So let's call a spade a spade. This is illegal."

The EU executive will also resume an infringement process [?!] launched against the U.K. last year [2021?!], which had been put on hold to create room for talks with London on how to make the operation of the protocol less burdensome on businesses and citizens in Northern Ireland.

"Ukraine has clearly demonstrated its aspiration and determination to live up to European values and standards," President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said.

The Commission on Friday also proposed making Moldova an EU membership candidate. The EU's executive said that this was premised on the understanding that the country would carry out reforms.

Von der Leyen said that Moldova  "is on a real pro-reform, anti-corruption and European path," adding, "It still has a long way to go. But we believe it has the potential to live up to the criteria."

The country shares a long stretch of border with Ukraine.

"What we must do to end the war is clear. Put pressure on Russia, maintain European unity, continue to support Ukraine and try to ensure that Vladimir Putin's aggressive plans do not succeed."

Fiala also emphasised the need for solidarity across the bloc to deal with the influx of Ukrainian refugees, of which the Czech Republic has received over 350,000. In cooperation with the European Commission, the presidency will focus on the allocation of sufficient funding to the relevant member states, organisations and civil society actors who tackling the crisis.

Moreover, the Czech Presidency hopes to organise an EU-Ukraine summit in October 2022, personally attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, depending on the security situation in the country at the time.
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Prague has confirmed its full support of the EU's Fit for 55 and REPowerEU legislative packages, including all measures needed to end Europe's dependency on Russian energy imports by 2027.

"Last but not least, the Czech Presidency will focus on the role of nuclear energy in ensuring EU energy security and meeting the EU's climate goals," the official document, presented on 15 June, writes.

The European Commission is expected to publish its opinion on Ukraine's candidate status on Friday (17 June), which leaves EU leaders roughly a week to study the document before they are to decide on the matter at a crucial EU summit on 23-24 June.
[...]
Macron also stressed the EU would need to prepare for these upcoming enlargements "by modernising its structures and procedures."

"[President] Zelenskyy knows that it is a way forward, not just a step," said  Italy's [Grandpa] Draghi.

It was not immediately clear, however, what conditions would be attached to Ukraine's EU candidacy bid, but it is likely that the bloc might request strict requirements on rule of law, institutional reforms, as well as the fight against corruption, before agreeing to formally launch accession talks.

The aspiration to belong to the European Union has for many years been an important priority for Ukraine, its governments and citizens. It has been an underlying motive for democratic changes over the past decade and a driver of a number of key reforms founded on European values. The decision in late 2013, of the then-President not to sign, the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, which symbolised for many Ukrainians a path towards the European Union, led to large-scale protests against the authorities.

Subsequently < wipes tears> , the Russian Federation moved against Ukraine, not accepting the independent choice of the Ukrainian people. While losing control over part of its territory and suffering human and economic losses because of the conflict in the eastern part of the country, Ukraine continued throughout the years as a resilient democracy moving closer to the European Union and gradually aligning with the acquis. ...

Sincerely commend EU leaders' decision at #EUCO to grant 🇺🇦 a candidate status. It's a unique and historical moment in 🇺🇦-🇪🇺 relations. Grateful to @CharlesMichel, @vonderleyen and EU leaders for support. Ukraine's future is within the EU. #EmbraceUkraine https://t.co/o6dJVmTQrn

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 23, 2022