Bayer's Monsanto must pay $185 million after state Supreme Court restores chemical leak verdict
A U.S. court has reinstated a $185 million verdict against Bayer’s Monsanto unit over chemical contamination at a Washington state school, reviving ...
The European Union plans to ban Russian LNG imports into the bloc a year earlier than envisaged as part of a 19th package of sanctions against Moscow, EU officials said on Friday, a change that follows pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump.
"Russia's war economy is sustained by the revenues from fossil fuels. We want to cut these revenues," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as she announced the proposal, which requires approval from EU governments.
"So we are banning imports of Russian LNG into European markets. It is time to turn off the tap," von der Leyen said.
Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, said on X that the aim was to "to speed up the phase-out of Russian liquefied natural gas (to be complete) by 1 Jan 2027".
The EU had previously planned a phase-out by 1 January, 2028, but Trump has repeatedly urged the bloc to end Russian energy purchases faster before he does anything further to pressure Moscow.
Sanctions in the EU need the unanimous approval of all 27 of its member states.
Beyond LNG, or liquefied natural gas, the proposed sanctions would also target more of Russia's shadow tanker fleet and cryptocurrency.
Von der Leyen and Kallas did not give full details of the new package, but officials said it would also target Russian and central Asian banks, Chinese refineries and special economic zones, a customs loophole used by Moscow to import dual-use goods for its military.
"We are now going after these who fuel Russia's war, who purchase oil in breach of sanctions," von der Leyen said.
"We target refineries, oil traders, petrochemical companies in third countries including China."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that any EU proposal to phase out Russian energy more quickly would not affect Russia and would not force it to change its position.
Trump presses Europe to shoulder more of the cost of supporting Ukraine's military and to do more to cut off Moscow’s energy revenues that fund its war, in his efforts to help end Russia's war in Ukraine.
The proposal risks compelling EU countries to cover any shortfalls in LNG supplies through purchases from the United States, increasing their energy dependency on the U.S. in an era when Washington is using trade tariffs as a policy tool.
One European official said advancing the ban on Russian LNG became a "priority" after von der Leyen spoke with Trump this week.
Russia's share in EU imports of LNG decreased to 14% in the second quarter of 2025 from 22% in the first quarter of 2021, according to Eurostat. Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and France import Russian LNG.
Gas piped via TurkStream goes to Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria.
Totalenergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne said last week that Russian gas was needed until the end of 2027, "then we can exit from that because we can source it from other places without impact on the price".
Nokia announced on Tuesday that chipmaker Nvidia will acquire a $1 billion stake in the company.
Reliable sources have confirmed to AnewZ that the United States has asked Azerbaijan to join a Stabilisation Force in Gaza, as part of a proposed international mission to secure the territory.
Centrist liberal party D66, led by 38-year-old Rob Jetten, has made sweeping gains in the Dutch election, emerging neck and neck with Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom Party (PVV) in early results — a stunning reversal just two years after D66 ranked sixth.
U.S. President Donald Trump agreed with President Xi Jinping to trim tariffs on China in exchange for Beijing cracking down on the illicit fentanyl trade, Trump said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that the most difficult situation on the front line remains the eastern city of Pokrovsk, where fighting continues to be most intense due to a strong concentration of Russian forces.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday warned that a prolonged government shutdown could cause severe disruptions to air travel during the busy Thanksgiving holiday period, urging Democrats to help pass legislation to reopen the government.
The U.S. State Department has ordered the departure of all non-emergency personnel and their family members from Mali, citing escalating security risks as al Qaeda-linked insurgents tighten a fuel blockade on the country.
U.S. President Donald Trump has set the refugee admissions ceiling for fiscal year 2026 at 7,500, the lowest in American history, according to a White House document published on Thursday (October 30). The move is part of a broader effort to reshape global refugee and asylum policies.
A U.S. court has reinstated a $185 million verdict against Bayer’s Monsanto unit over chemical contamination at a Washington state school, reviving a major case involving toxic substances.
Russia launched a large-scale overnight barrage of drones and missiles against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, killing six people — including a seven-year-old girl — and prompting nationwide power restrictions, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday.
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