Source: Bloomberg By Mirette Magdy Egypt and Israel are discussing new routes to transport natural gas to the Arab country, which would allow the companies developing Israel’s largest natural gas reservoirs to export volumes beyond a $15 billion deal signed last year. The two countries are considering an “additional connection” to the system of pipelines… Continue reading EGYPT AND ISRAEL SEEK NEW GAS ROUTES TO BOLSTER ENERGY TRADE

Source: RFE Two armies of Russia’s Southern Military District on July 24 began a large-scale military exercise in the region ahead of a scheduled NATO exercise in Georgia, TASS reported, citing the district’s press service. District commander Colonel General Aleksandr Dvornikov is leading the command-and-staff exercise involving the 49th and 58th armies. The officer said… Continue reading RUSSIA STARTS LARGE-SCALE MILITARY EXERCISE AHEAD OF NATO DRILLS IN GEORGIA

Source: Cyprus-mail The Council of Ministers is expected issue exploitation licences for the Aphrodite field, Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis said on Sunday. “Regarding the agreements with Total and Eni, we are currently working on the legal details and they are expected to be brought before the Council of Ministers in the coming days for the… Continue reading FIRST EXPLOITATION LICENCES SET TO BE ISSUED FOR CYPRUS EEZ

By Zak Doffman Source: Forbes Red faces in Moscow this weekend, with the news that hackers have successfully targeted FSB—Russia’s Federal Security Service. The hackers managed to steal 7.5 terabytes of data from a major contractor, exposing secret FSB projects to de-anonymize Tor browsing, scrape social media, and help the state split its internet off… Continue reading RUSSIA’S SECRET INTELLIGENCE AGENCY HACKED: “LARGEST DATA BREACH IN ITS HISTORY”

Source: Al Monitor By Omar Sattar As Iraq exports most of its crude oil production, the Iraqi government is trying to diversify its oil export outlets in a bid to avoid any damage that could result from the tense security situation in the Gulf region. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said in a press… Continue reading IRAQ PLANS TO LAUNCH PIPELINES TO EXPORT OIL THROUGH JORDAN AND SYRIA

Source: Bloomberg By Editorial Board For the past few years, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has railed ever more belligerently against the U.S., Europe and NATO, Washington’s foreign-policy establishment has argued for patience. Erdogan’s fusillades, mostly intended for domestic consumption, were thought to be a small inconvenience — certainly not enough for the West… Continue reading TURKEY HAS ABANDONED THE WEST. GOOD RIDDANCE

Source: FT By Aime Williams Donald Trump has formally expelled Turkey from the US-led F-35 fighter jet programme after Ankara took delivery of a Russian air defence system over American objections. Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile system comes despite repeated US warnings that it would allow the Kremlin to gather intelligence… Continue reading TRUMP FORMALLY EXPELS TURKEY FROM F-35 PROGRAMME