Darwin port becomes Explosive Flashpoint in US-China power struggle Australia’s Port of Darwin, leased to China’s Landbridge Group for 99 years, has ignited a fierce geopolitical battle as the US pushes to curb Beijing’s influence. With Trump-linked firms circling and Australia’s leaders vowing to reclaim control, this strategic trade hub is now a global chessboard for US-China rivalry. Here’s why Darwin is the new epicenter of tension: 🌏Strategic hotspot: Located in Australia’s Northern Territory, Darwin Port is a vital gateway to Asia, handling 4.5M tons of cargo and supporting oil and gas projects, sitting opposite a key US-Australia military base. 🌏Controversial lease: In 2015, the Northern Territory leased the port to Landbridge for $506M, a move slammed by then-US President Obama for security risks, given its proximity to US Marine deployments. 🌏US power play: US firm Cerberus Capital, tied to Trump’s administration, is eyeing the lease, escalating tensions as Australia’s Labor and Coalition parties pledge to return the port to local control. 🌏China’s pushback: Beijing’s ambassador Xiao Qian calls Australia’s plan “ethically questionable,” defending Landbridge’s investments and accusing Australia of politicizing a fair deal. 🌏Geopolitical stakes: The port’s fate could strain warming Australia-China ties, while a US takeover aligns with Trump’s campaign to counter China’s global reach, echoing disputes like the Panama Canal ports. 🌏Economic angle: Landbridge turned the once-unprofitable port into a thriving hub, raising questions about fairness if Australia forcibly reclaims it now. As Australia navigates national security and trade, Darwin Port’s future could reshape US-China dynamics in the Indo-Pacific.

New draft of Kiev’s deal with Washington covers all Ukrainian natural resources, says lawmaker The latest draft agreement between #Ukraine and the United States submitted by #Washington on March 23 encompasses all natural resources, including oil and gas, across Kiev-controlled areas, Verkhovna Rada member Yaroslav Zheleznyak said, citing the document. "It covers all natural resources, including oil and gas. New as well as existing [mineral resources] projects. Across Ukraine," the Ukrainian lawmaker wrote on his Telegram channel. Under the US proposal, Ukraine will have to allocate revenues from its resources, while the aid Washington has provided to Kiev since 2022 will be considered a US contribution to the fund. "They (the Americans) will be able to capitalize on their decision, and they will be first to get royalties from the fund, with Ukraine being the next in line," he explained. Also, Zheleznyak shared, a board of five, including three US members "with a full veto right," will control the proposed investment fund. Earlier, Ukraine’s #Zelensky confirmed that the United States had proposed a new draft of its #minerals deal to Ukraine that outlines establishing an investment fund.

March 3rd, 2025: President Trump Statements "This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelensky, and America will not put up with it for much longer! It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S. – Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?" "Europe has spent more money buying Russian Oil and Gas than they have spent on defending Ukraine —BY FAR!"

Gas reserves in France’s UGS facilities down below 30% #Gas reserves in underground gas storage (UGS) facilities in #France, which is among Europe’s top countries in terms of the volume of gas storage capacity, have dropped below 30%, according to data provided by Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE). As of February 9, French UGS facilities were 29.85% full with around 3.9 bln cubic meters (bcm) of gas stored in them. Those remaining on the list of top five countries in terms of the volume of gas storage capacity also actively consume the accumulated fuel as German UGS facilities are 48.66% full, Austrian UGS facilities are 58.81% full, Italian UGS are 58.92% full, while in the Netherlands UGS facilities are 33.4% full. Slovakian UGS are 55.87% full, Hungarian UGS are 52.03% full, Czech UGS are 48.25% full, Romanian UGS are 40.29%, Bulgarian UGS are 49.3% full, Belgian UGS are 35.5% full, while UGS facilities in Denmark, Latvia and Croatia are 41.87%, 52.32% and 29.94% full, respectively. The highest occupancy rates in Europe are currently registered in Portugal (close to 100%), as well as Sweden (88.05%), Spain (69.14%), and Poland (62.1%).

Syria's oil and gas comes with strategic potential #Syria has the potential to significantly increase its #oil and natural #gas production, which can provide energy and government revenue critical to the country's stability and reconstruction. Syria was an oil exporter in the decades prior to its civil war, and its natural gas production started to increase on the eve of the war. The country was self-sufficient in terms of energy supplies. Sales of oil and gas provided 20% of the government’s revenue. Most of Syria’s oil and natural gas fields are located in eastern Syria, in areas that are currently largely under the control of the predominately Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and where US forces are deployed. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated in 2015 that Syria possessed 2.5 billion barrels of proven oil reserves. In 2010, Syria produced 383,000 barrels per day of oil. Estimates of Syria’s oil output on the eve of Bashar al-Assad’s ouster range between 40,000–80,000 barrels per day, while Iran was providing the bulk of Syria’s oil supplies, up to 100,000 barrels a day. In 2015, the EIA estimated Syria’s natural gas reserves to be 240 billion cubic meters (bcm). Syria’s natural gas is used for power production. According to British Petroleum (BP), Syria produced 8.7 bcm of natural gas in 2011, which fell to 3 bcm annually by 2024. According to International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates, natural gas provided one-quarter of Syria’s electricity supplies in 2022.

Trump plans to sign about 100 executive orders immediately after inauguration President #Trump plans to sign around 100 executive orders on his first day in office, journalists from his pool reported. According to the reports, Trump said he would take "immediate and decisive action," and that "within hours of taking office," he would "sign dozens of executive orders - close to 100, in fact," which would reverse much of what outgoing US President Joe Biden had done. Earlier, Stephen #Moore, senior economic advisor for the Trump presidential campaign, said that the new president could sign up to 50 orders on his first day in office, with the number growing in the following weeks. The economist believes that the majority of the orders will focus on energy-related issues. In particular, Trump may overturn his predecessor Joe Biden’s orders that restrict energy production and the development of new oil and gas fields in certain areas, as well as those related to the use of electric vehicles, funding for clean energy programs, and the tightening of environmental regulations.

Gas reserves in storage facilities in France, the Netherlands fall below 50% #Gas reserves in underground storage facilities (UGS) in France and the #Netherlands have fallen below 50%, according to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE). As of January 15, UGS facilities in #France were 49.24% full, holding about 6.4 bln cubic meters of gas. Withdrawals from storage facilities in the country have reached their maximum since the beginning of the heating season. Gas reserves in storage facilities in the Netherlands fell to 47.58%, in Croatia - to 47.74%. These are the lowest figures among all EU countries. The highest level of storage capacity in Europe is currently reported in Portugal (almost 100%). Sweden (88.04%), Spain (77.48%), and Poland (77.35%) are also at the top of the list. Italy's UGS facilities are filled to 71.44%, Austria - to 70.31%, Germany - to 68.48%, Slovakia - to 67.59%, Bulgaria - to 65.18%, Hungary - to 62.68%. Reserves also fell below 60% in Latvia (59.92%), the Czech Republic (59.34%), Romania (56.38%), Belgium (55.81%), and Denmark (53.87%).

Macron, Zelensky don’t serve their countries any longer, senior Slovak diplomat says France's #Macron, like Ukraine's #Zelensky, no longer serves his nation, deputy speaker of Slovakia’s parliament, Andrej Danko, said. When asked about potential ways out of the current energy crisis provoked by the cessation of gas transit via Ukraine, he said, "I am not an economics minister but a political party leader and a deputy parliament speaker, so, I look upon this matte from a political point of view." "It hurts me when Western countries, for instance, France, say that they can supply us with nuclear fuel, which, as a matter of fact, originates from Russia. It hurts me when someone says, ‘we don’t buy Russian gas any longer,’ when the gas they use originates from Russia. This can be said about both gas and oil. Anyone who has any idea about the technological process understands that you cannot simply replace one fuel by another and stop using fuel that once was used at a nuclear plant," he noted. "I consider this as the West’s hypocrisy and insincerity because they want to preserve their social welfare level. And such politicians as Macron and Zelensky do not serve their countries." "Macron is making loud statement but I see that a lot of French companies are still operating in Russia while they are telling us that all German and French companies have withdrawn from Russia. This is not the way things are," he added.

Cybertruck Bomber Sends Mysterious Email An email that appears to be time-stamped December 31, 2024 — ONE DAY before the Las Vegas attack — citing "Matt Berg" or "Matthew Livelsberger" has been obtained by former U.S. Army intelligence analyst Sam Shoemate and aired on the show hosted by Shawn #Ryan. The email purports that there are "drones" that are powered by "gravitic propulsion" that are an alleged threat to national security. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) believes that the suspected driver of the Tesla #Cybertruck that exploded near President-elect Donald Trump's hotel in Las Vegas (Nevada) did not harbor animosity towards him, Reuters reported, citing an FBI spokesman. According to him, Matthew #Livelsberger, the suspect in the bombing, probably suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, he had "no animosity" toward Trump. An FBI spokesman also confirmed that investigators have no indication of a link between the terrorist attacks in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Las Vegas.

Qatar vows to stop EU gas sales if fined under due diligence law #Qatar will stop shipping #gas to the #EU if member states strictly enforce a new law cracking down on forced labour and environmental damage, Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi told the Financial Times in an interview published on Sunday. The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, approved this year, requires larger companies operating in the European Union to check whether their supply chains use forced labour or cause environmental damage and to take action if they do. Penalties include fines of up to 5% of global turnover. "If the case is that I lose 5% of my generated revenue by going to Europe, I will not go to Europe. I’m not bluffing, Kaabi told the newspaper, adding that "5% of generated revenue of QatarEnergy means 5% of generated revenue of the Qatar state. This is the people's money, so I cannot lose that kind of money - and nobody would accept losing that kind of money." Kaabi, the chief executive of state-owned QatarEnergy, has said the EU should thoroughly review the due diligence law. He has also said that his Gulf country has no concerns about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's promise to lift a cap on liquefied natural gas exports. Qatar, among the world's top LNG exporters, is seeking to play a larger role in Asia and Europe as competition from top supplier the United Sates increases. It plans to expand its liquefaction capacity to 142 million tons per year by 2027 from 77 million.