CategoryPolitics

Israel wants to help Europe become less dependent on Russian gas. The country is considering bringing additional gas to Europe through Egypt’s LNG terminal. There is also an agreement to lay a pipeline between Israel and Cyprus, Greece and Italy and a pipeline to Turkey is being considered.

Russian oligarchs and politicians can circumvent Western sanctions through fencing companies, including in the British Virgin Islands. This is according to research by the journalists consortium ICIJ. There are more than 11,000 mailbox companies and other screen constructions to Russia. It does so based on five past data breaches.

Ukrainian president Volodymir Zelensky has called on Cyprus and other countries of the European Union to close their ports to Russian ships. He did so in a video address to the Parliament of Cyprus.

One of the reasons why observers do not completely ignore an improvement in relations is that Turkey and Israel have a long history of cooperation. Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel, and did so in March 1949. While the initial Turkish rapprochement was inspired by the desire to gain favor in Washington and gain support for its NATO membership, Ankara and Tel Aviv...

IGFA, the Irish umbrella organisation for grain and feed, is putting pressure on the Dublin government to come across the bridge with financial support for pig farming. The organization speaks of an ‘unprecedented crisis that requires immediate action’.

For the first time since June last year, the joint UK-EU Committee to deal with Brexit will meet again soon, reports Politico. A preliminary deal may be made on one of the loose ends in the agreement on trade with Northern Ireland. That would be about medicine. The remaining points of conflict are expected to be put on hold until after the parliamentary elections in Northern Ireland on 5 May...

Paul Givan has resigned as Prime Minister of Northern Ireland after eight months. Reason: dissatisfaction with the agreements made in the Brexit deal on the border between his country and the rest of the United Kingdom. Givan’s resignation comes three months before elections that could potentially have major implications for the future of the entire island of Ireland.

Ursula von der Leyen is getting further and further in the narrow by ‘sms-gate’. The European Ombudsman is demanding that her messages to Pfizer boss Albert Bourla be made public.