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.

Russia says its forces downed 5 ATACMS missiles that Ukraine fired into Bryansk Region #Ukrainian forces launched #ATACMS missiles toward Russia’s #Bryansk Region overnight, but air defenses shot down five of them and damaged another one, the Russian Defense Ministry said. "At 3:25 a.m. this morning the enemy struck a site on the territory of the Bryansk Region with six ballistic missiles. According to confirmed data, US-made ATACMS tactical missiles were used. As a result of an anti-missile battle, five missiles were shot down and one was damaged by crews of S-400 and Pantsir missile defense systems," the ministry said. According to the ministry, the missiles fell on the technical territory of a military site in the Bryansk Region, causing a fire, which was extinguished. "There are no casualties or damage," the ministry stated.

Jury Awards $12.6 Million to Woman Fired for Not Receiving COVID Vaccine A woman fired by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan over a #COVID-19 vaccination has been awarded more than $12 million in damages. A jury on Nov. 8 awarded Lisa Domski, a former employee of the company, $10 million in punitive damages. Jurors also awarded $1 million in non-economic damages, $1.375 million in front pay damages, and $315,000 in back pay damages. Jurors said that Blue Cross Blue Shield illegally discriminated against Domski when the company denied her request for an exemption and illegally terminated her over the lack of COVID-19 vaccination. “Clearly, the religious accommodation process was meant to stamp out religious beliefs of employees and promote COVID-19 vaccination within the company,” Noah S. Hurwitz, an attorney representing Domski, said. In a statement responding to the ruling, Blue Cross Blue Shield said: “While Blue Cross respects the jury process and thanks the individual jurors for their service, we are disappointed in the verdict. Blue Cross is reviewing its legal options and will determine its path forward in the coming days.”

[BREAKING] #CENTCOM attacked Houthis in Yemen #Yemen: The Saudi Al-Hadth channel reported that the US attacked the #Houthis' air defense base in the #Hodiedah area. Initial reports say heavy damage was cause to the targets.

Houthis claim to have downed another MQ9 Reaper drone The Houthis are uploading a document that they claim is the downing of an American MQ9 Reaper tank tonight in the skies of Yemen. If the report is authentic, this is the fifth drone of this model that the Houthis have dropped on the Americans (damage of approximately 150 million dollars cumulatively).

President Trump called out the double standard regarding gag orders in his NY criminal trial, slammed Joe Biden's inflation numbers and his mismanagement of Israel. "This is ELECTION INTERFERENCE. It all comes out of Washington... It's to damage Crooked Joe Biden's political opponent, who happens to be me. We're leading BIG in the polls and the American people get it. It's a SCAM!"

Approximate flight route of missiles that struck Ukraine's energy infrastructure today. Apparently, the Burshtyn, Dobrotvorskaya, Krivorozhskaya and Pridneprovskaya thermal power plants came under attack. The enemy also claimed damage to four of its thermal power plants. The strikes were reportedly carried out by Kalibr and Kh-101 cruise missiles, aeroballistic Kinzhals, and Geran-2 kamikaze drones.

Yemen’s Houthis Announce Attacks On Three American, Israeli Vessels The #Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen announced on April 24 that they had targeted two United States ships in the Gulf of #Aden and an Israeli ship in the Indian Ocean. “In support of the Palestinian people in Gaza, and in response to the American-British aggression against our country , our naval forces carried out a military operation targeting the American ship MAERSK YORKTOWN in the Gulf of Aden, with a number of suitable naval missiles, and the hit was accurate,” Houthi military spokesman Brigade General Yahya Sarea said in a statement. “We also carried out other two military operations using bomb-laden drones, one of which targeted an American warship in the Gulf of Aden, with a number of drones, and the other operation targeted the Israeli ship MSC VERACRUZ in the Indian Ocean with a number of drones. Both operations achieved their goals successfully,” he added without specifying the date of those attacks. The spokesman went on to warn that the Houthis “will continue to prevent Israeli ships or any ship heading to #Israel from transiting the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean until the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people in Gaza is stopped and the siege is lifted,”, vowing that the group would take more actions in the coming days. Earlier in the day, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a detachment of the Royal Navy, reported an explosion near a ship in the Gulf of Aden, which it said caused no damage or casualties. The U.S. Central Command (#CENTCOM) said on April 25 that an allied vessel successfully engaged one anti-ship ballistic missile that was launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen over the Gulf of Aden a day earlier.

Possible reasons why the Houthis have reduced the intensity of attacks on ships in the Red Sea The intensity of Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has decreased slightly. The last large vessel attacked was the tanker MADO, transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG), which was not seriously damaged and continued on its way. Last week, the Financial Times reported on secret negotiations between Washington and Tehran. According to him, the United States is trying to influence the Yemeni Houthis not only militarily, but also diplomatically. In January, the White House held secret talks with Iran to persuade the Islamic Republic to influence Yemeni rebels to stop attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Iran did not deny the fact of the meeting, but emphasized that the negotiations were about something completely different. Islamic Republic authorities claim that "resistance groups in the region do not receive instructions" from Tehran. However, the facts suggest that the Iranians still have considerable influence over their proxy forces. The American administration, for its part, allegedly agreed to lift a number of sanctions from Iran, which will allow the release of $10 billion. This is the price to pay for stopping the Houthi attacks. Whether this information is a hoax with the aim of discrediting the Ansar Allah movement or, conversely, to raise its status, will become clear in the coming days. It is important to monitor the Houthis' actions over time. Since October 2023, they have carried out more than 100 attacks in the Red Sea and surrounding waters, affecting 15 merchant ships, including four American ones.

#Container vessel receives damage after attack off #Yemeni coast A container vessel was attacked southeast of the Yemeni port city of Aden, Reuters reported, citing Ambrey, a UK-based maritime security company. According to the news agency, one of the containers aboard the vessel and the crew’s room were damaged. The attack was followed by a fire. No information about casualties is immediately available. Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, #UKMTO, reported that another ship had been attacked off the Yemeni coast, 91 nautical miles southeast of Aden.