EU Should Protect Infrastructure After Nord Stream Sabotage, Parliament Head Says

CC BY-SA 4.0/Vuo/Nord Stream pipe in Kotka

A speculation on the issue of responsibility for the Nord Stream incident should be avoided and the EU member states need to focus on proper preparation to protect their regional infrastructure in case of contingencies, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said on Friday.

"Without speculating, I would say, without creating panic, we have to wait to see who the culprits were. But I also think that we need to be better prepared for activities such as these in our sees, not only in the Baltic Sea but also elsewhere. And for that we are going to be the ones who are waiting and asking for the results to be seen," Metsola said ahead of the informal EU summit on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Prague.

On September 26, a rapid gas pressure drop and leakage were registered on gas pipelines of the Russian-led Nord Stream network that runs under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany. According to Sweden, Germany and Denmark, the incidents could be a result of sabotage. The operator, Nord Stream AG, said it was impossible to estimate a time frame for repair work.

On September 30, the UN Security Council held an urgent meeting on Nord Stream pipelines. While all members of the council condemned the suspected sabotage as unacceptable, Russia later ended up rejected from partaking in the international investigation of the incident.

The Russian Prosecutor General's Office has been investigating the pipeline incidents as acts of international terrorism.

“The acts of sabotage against Nord Stream pipelines have shown how vulnerable our energy infrastructure is. For the first time in recent history, it has become a target,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament on Wednesday (5 October).

Four leaks were detected last week on the two Nord Stream pipelines that connect Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea.

An investigation is now underway, but Western countries say they are most likely the result of deliberate action with Sweden and Denmark having written a letter to the United Nations Security Council.

EU leaders are set to discuss the issue on Friday at an informal summit in Prague. European countries have already stepped up security measures to safeguard energy supplies in the North Sea and off the coast of Italy.

The incidents have prompted some countries to send in military to secure potentially vulnerable energy systems.

“To many in Brussels it came as a surprise that such ‘stress tests’ seem not to have been conducted more regularly, or that the EU’s executive was lacking the situation awareness to outright name their critical infrastructure across the bloc,” one EU official told EURACTIV under the condition of anonymity.

This would also be the consequence of the bloc for years “living in a garden of peace” and not being able to consider anticipate potential attacks could become reality, the EU official added.

The EU’s recently adopted military strategy, the Strategic Compass, for the first time made a veiled reference to the changed geopolitical situation in the EU’s neighbourhood affecting “the security of our citizens, our critical infrastructure and the integrity of our borders.”

However, it mostly refers to cyber threats

“We must also be able to swiftly and forcefully respond to cyberattacks, such as state-sponsored malicious cyber activities targeting critical infrastructure and ransomware attacks,” the Strategic Compass states.

EU’s five-point plan The EU’s executive is in the process of updating its 2008 critical infrastructure directive. Th revised directive will seek to cover 11 risk areas, including natural disasters, terrorist attacks, internal threats, and sabotage, but also public health emergencies like the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

The new law is slated to come into force in 2024, but von der Leyen stated that “we can and should already now be working on this basis.”

For that, the EU chief announced she will soon lay out a five-point plan covering different aspects of EU readiness.

Europe needs to be better prepared, she said, pointing to new legislation to strengthen the resilience of critical EU entities, due to be voted on in the European Parliament next week.

The bloc would also need to “stress test” its infrastructure, first those related to energy supply but also “other high-risk sectors” including offshore digital cables and electricity grids.

“We don’t have to wait till something happens but we need to make sure that we’re prepared and therefore we need those stress tests,” she said.

“We need to identify whether we have weak points and where these weak points are and, of course, we have to prepare our reaction to sudden disruptions. What are we doing then? Are all the information chains in place? Is everybody informed? Does this emergency scenario really work then in our Single Market?,” she told the European Parliament.

Alongside this, Europe should also increase its capacity to respond, including by supporting impacted areas with fuel and generators, through the civil protection mechanism.

The alleged sabotage of Nord Stream has also raised questions about how such infrastructure can be protected.

Von der Leyen highlighted the use of satellites in order to monitor the situation and emphasised the need to strengthen coordination with NATO.

“We have these satellites in place, we have the capacity to do the surveillance to detect potential threats, so this is also a matter of prevention and awareness,” she said.

NATO raises preparedness

NATO’s northern members and partners have already begun tightening security.

“All currently available information indicates that this is the result of deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage,” the North Atlantic Council said in a statement last week.

It also said it had committed “to prepare for, deter and defend against the coercive use of energy and other hybrid tactics by state and non-state actors.”

“Any deliberate attack against Allies’ critical infrastructure would be met with a united and determined response,” it added.

Sehari setelah serangan Thailand, kerabat yang trauma berpegangan pada mainan anak-anak yang terbunuh

Orang tua korban bereaksi saat mereka berkumpul di luar tempat penitipan anak yang menjadi lokasi penembakan massal, di kota Uthai Sawan, sekitar 500 km timur laut Bangkok, di provinsi Nong Bua Lam Phu, Thailand 7 Oktober 2022 REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

UTHAI SAPAN, Thailand - Menangis dan mencengkeram mainan, kerabat yang trauma berkumpul di sebuah pusat penitipan anak di Thailand di mana sehari sebelumnya seorang mantan polisi telah membunuh 34 orang, kebanyakan dari mereka anak-anak, dengan amukan pisau dan pistol yang membuat negara itu ngeri.

Gedung-gedung pemerintah mengibarkan bendera setengah tiang pada hari Jumat untuk meratapi para korban, 23 di antaranya anak-anak, dari pembantaian di Uthai Sawan, sebuah kota 500 km (310 mil) timur laut Bangkok, ibu kota negara yang sebagian besar beragama Buddha.

Setelah meninggalkan pusat penitipan anak, sebuah bangunan merah muda berlantai satu yang dikelilingi oleh halaman rumput dan pohon-pohon palem kecil, dipenuhi dengan orang mati, sekarat dan terluka, mantan perwira itu pulang dan menembak mati istri dan putranya sebelum mengarahkan senjatanya ke dirinya sendiri. .

Sebagian besar anak-anak, berusia antara dua dan lima tahun, ditebas sampai mati, sementara orang dewasa ditembak, kata polisi setelah korban tewas anak terburuk dalam pembantaian oleh satu pembunuh dalam sejarah baru-baru ini.

Bibi dari seorang anak laki-laki berusia tiga tahun yang meninggal dalam pembantaian itu memegang boneka anjing dan traktor mainan di pangkuannya saat dia menceritakan bagaimana dia bergegas ke tempat kejadian ketika berita itu pertama kali menyebar.

"Saya datang dan saya melihat dua mayat di depan sekolah dan saya langsung tahu bahwa anak saya sudah meninggal," kata Suwimon Sudfanpitak, 40, yang merawat keponakannya, Techin, saat orang tuanya bekerja di Bangkok.

Juga di antara yang tewas, adalah Kritsana Sola, seorang anak berusia dua tahun berpipi gemuk yang mencintai dinosaurus dan sepak bola dan dijuluki "kapten". Dia baru saja potong rambut dan dengan bangga memamerkannya, kata bibinya, Naliwan Duangket, 27.

Perdana Menteri Prayuth Chan-Ocha akan mengunjungi daerah itu pada hari Jumat. Raja Maha Vajiralongkorn dan Ratu Suthida juga dijadwalkan bertemu dengan keluarga korban, menurut pengumuman setempat.

Polisi mengidentifikasi penyerang sebagai Panya Khamrap, 34, mantan sersan polisi yang dibebaskan karena tuduhan narkoba dan sedang menghadapi persidangan atas tuduhan narkoba.

Panya had gone to the daycare centre to collect his child after attending court earlier in the day, police spokesperson Paisal Luesomboon told broadcaster ThaiPBS. When he did not find his child there, he began the killing spree.

"Dia mulai menembak, menebas, membunuh anak-anak," kata Paisal.

Chakkraphat Wichitvaidya, seorang pejabat polisi setempat, mengatakan kepada Reuters otopsi menunjukkan anak-anak telah disayat dengan pisau besar, kadang-kadang beberapa kali, dan orang dewasa ditembak.

Dia mengatakan polisi sedang menyelidiki motifnya, sambil mencurigai bahwa Panya mungkin dipicu oleh stres.

"Saya tidak tahu (mengapa dia melakukan ini), tetapi dia berada di bawah banyak tekanan," kata ibu Panya kepada Nation TV, mengutip utang putranya dan penggunaan narkoba.

AKU Memohon Belas Kasihan Kepadany

Foto-foto yang diambil di pusat penitipan anak oleh tim penyelamat dan dibagikan kepada Reuters menunjukkan tubuh kecil dari mereka yang tewas diletakkan di atas selimut. Kotak jus terbengkalai berserakan di lantai.

"Dia menuju ke arah saya dan saya memohon belas kasihan kepadanya, saya tidak tahu harus berbuat apa," kata seorang wanita yang putus asa kepada ThaiPBS, sambil menahan air mata.

"Dia tidak mengatakan apa-apa, dia menembak ke pintu ketika anak-anak sedang tidur," kata wanita lain, menjadi putus asa.

Penyerang memaksa masuk ke ruangan terkunci di mana anak-anak sedang tidur, kata Jidapa. Tiga anak laki-laki dan seorang perempuan yang selamat dari serangan itu dirawat di rumah sakit, kata polisi.

Ada sekitar 30 anak di pusat itu ketika serangan dimulai, yang lebih sedikit dari biasanya karena hujan lebat membuat banyak orang menjauh, kata pejabat distrik Jidapa Boonsom.

Di halaman Facebook Pusat Pengembangan Anak Mutahi Sawant, ratusan orang memposting belasungkawa di bawah posting terakhir pusat tersebut sebelum pembantaian, sebuah akun tentang kunjungan anak-anak ke kuil Buddha pada bulan September.

Pembantaian itu termasuk yang terburuk yang melibatkan anak-anak yang dibunuh oleh satu orang. Anders Breivik membunuh 69 orang, kebanyakan remaja, di sebuah kamp musim panas di Norwegia pada 2011, sementara korban tewas dalam kasus lain termasuk 20 anak di Sekolah Dasar Sandy Hook di Newtown Connecticut pada 2012, 16 di Dunblane di Skotlandia pada 1996 dan 19 di sebuah sekolah di Uvalde, Texas, tahun ini.

Situasi saat keajdianpembunuhan 37 anak oleh mantan polisi Thailand

Hingga Jumat Siang 5 RT di Jakarta Barat Masih Terendam Banjir, Ketinggian Capai 50 Cm

Petugas BPBD DKI Jakarta mengevakuasi warga korban banjir, hari Kamis, 06/10/2022. (Instagam @bpbddkijakarta)

Sejumlah wilayah di Jakarta Barat masih terendam banjir akibat luapan air kali. Menurut data BPBD DKI Jakarta, pada hari Jumat, 07/10/2022, sekira pukul 12.00 WIB, banjir masih merendam 5 RT di Jakarta Barat.

Kepala BPBD DKI Jakarta, Isnawa Adji mengatakan, wilayah yang terendam yakni di Kembangan Utara sebanyak 1 RT dengan ketinggian air mencapai 40 Cm yang disebabkan oleh curah hukan yang tinggi dan luapan Kali Angke.

Kemudian, di wilayah Kebon Jeruk ada tiga RT yang masih terendam banjir, dengan ketinggian 40 cm, akibat curah hujan yang tinggi dan luapan Kali Pesanggrahan.

"Di Rawa Buaya ada 1 RT, dengan ketinggian 40-50 cm, genangan disebabkan curah hujan yang tinggi dan luapan Kali Pesanggrahan," katanya, Jumat (7/10/2022Kepala BPBD DKI Jakarta, Isnawa Adji mengatakan, wilayah yang terendam yakni di Kembangan Utara sebanyak 1 RT dengan ketinggian air mencapai 40 Cm yang disebabkan oleh curah hukan yang tinggi dan luapan Kali Angke.

Kemudian, di wilayah Kebon Jeruk ada tiga RT yang masih terendam banjir, dengan ketinggian 40 cm, akibat curah hujan yang tinggi dan luapan Kali Pesanggrahan.

"Di Rawa Buaya ada 1 RT, dengan ketinggian 40-50 cm, genangan disebabkan curah hujan yang tinggi dan luapan Kali Pesanggrahan," katanya, hari Jumat, 07/10/2022.

Isnawa memastikan, sudah tidak ada pengungsi di tempat-tempat pengungsian dalam banjir Jakarta ini.

"Mereka telah kembali ke rumah masing-masing," katanya.

Diberitakan sebelumnya, ratusan rumah dari 3 RT yang berada di Jalan H Briti, Kembangan Jakarta Barat, terendam banjir. Adapun ketiga RT tersebut yakni RT RT 002, RT 004 dan RT 005 di RW 009.

Lurah Kembangan Selatan, Danang Putra mengatakan, air mulai menggenangi wilayah tersebut sekira pukul 17.00 WIB.

"Jam 17.00 WIB mulai naik. Sekarang mulai tinggi lagi nih jam 9-an," kata Danang saat dikonfirmasi, hari Kamis malam, 06/10/2022.

Danang mencatat ada 50 orang mengungsi di tempat yang lebih aman. Sementara sisanya bertahan di lantai rumah mereka masing-masing.

"50 orang mengungsi di Musala Al Naimin dan 100 rumah tergenang," katanya.

Danang menyebut, selain karena intensitas hujan yang tinggi. Banjir juga disebabkan luapan dari Kali Pesanggrahan yang berada di belakang permukiman warga.

Dilaporkan, pada pukul 22.00 WIB tadi ketinggian air masih mencapai 80 Cm.

"Ketinggian sekarang mencapai 80 cm."

HUT Putin - Merkel meminta untuk tidak memperlakukan ancaman Rusia 'sebagai gertakan belaka' dan Kim Jon-un sebut Putin sedang Membangun 'Rusia Yang Kuat'

Angela Merkel
©Mikhail Metzel/TASS

Mantan Kanselir Jerman Angela Merkel pada Rabu menyerukan agar tidak memperlakukan ancaman yang dibuat selama invasi Rusia ke Ukraina sebagai "hanya gertakan" setelah beberapa pemimpin Eropa meremehkan peringatan Presiden Rusia Vladimir Putin tentang penggunaan senjata nuklir.

Merkel telah meyakinkan selama peringatan 77 tahun surat kabar Munich 'Suddeutsche Zeitung' bahwa lebih baik untuk memperlakukan ancaman dengan serius agar dapat dinasihati dengan baik jika kata-kata itu bukan "gertakan dari awal", seperti yang dilaporkan oleh Agensi Jerman DPA.

"Kita semua sangat disarankan untuk menganggap kata-kata itu dengan serius daripada mengklasifikasikannya sebagai gertakan sejak awal," kata Merkel.

Mantan pemimpin Jerman itu juga menekankan pada hari Kamis, bahwa mengatakan Eropa dapat mencapai perdamaian abadi hanya dengan keterlibatan Rusia. "Selama kita belum mencapai itu, Perang Dingin juga belum benar-benar berakhir," kata politisi veteran itu.

Merkel, 68, pensiun dari politik tahun lalu setelah 16 tahun berkuasa. Sejak itu, ia sebagian besar menarik diri dari kehidupan publik, meskipun ia kadang-kadang dibutuhkan sebagai pembicara.

Merkel, yang menjadi kanselir dari 2005 hingga 2021, membuat pernyataan itu pada upacara yang didedikasikan untuk peringatan 77 tahun surat kabar Suddeutsche Zeitung di Munich.

Dia mengatakan Perang Dingin akan berlangsung sampai perdamaian abadi dicapai dengan bantuan Rusia, menurut layanan berita DPA.

Mantan kanselir itu mengatakan peristiwa di Ukraina adalah "titik balik" dan memperingatkan bahwa pernyataan Presiden Rusia Vladimir Putin perlu ditanggapi dengan sangat serius.

Kim Jong Un mengatakan Putin sedang membangun "Rusia yang kuat"

Pemimpin Korea Utara Kim Jong-un mengucapkan selamat kepada Presiden Rusia Vladimir Putin pada hari ulang tahunnya, menekankan pencapaiannya dalam "membangun Rusia yang kuat" dan mengungkapkan harapan untuk pengembangan hubungan bilateral, Kantor Berita Pusat Korea (KCNA) melaporkan pada hari Jumat.

Kamerad Kim Jong-un mencatat bahwa Presiden Rusia telah "membuat pencapaian sinyal dalam mencapai target strategis besar untuk membangun Rusia yang kuat melalui aktivitas energik Anda, dengan memikul tanggung jawab berat kepala negara selama bertahun-tahun," dan bahwa ia "menikmati tinggi rasa hormat dan dukungan dari masyarakat luas."

File - Presiden Rusia Vladimir Putin (kanan) dan pemimpin Korea Utara Kim Jong Un (kanan)/Kremlin/dpa
©Provided by News 360

"Hari ini, Rusia dengan andal membela martabat negara dan kepentingan fundamentalnya dari tantangan dan ancaman AS dan pasukan bawahannya. Realitas seperti itu tidak terpikirkan tanpa kepemimpinan dan kemauan kuat Anda yang terhormat," pesan Kim Jong-un dalam ucapan selamatnya.

Pemimpin Korea Utara itu mengungkapkan harapan bahwa hubungan pribadi kedua pemimpin "akan memainkan peran yang lebih besar dalam mengkonsolidasikan dan mengembangkan persahabatan DPRK-Rusia secara terus-menerus."

Pada 7 Oktober, Putin merayakan ulang tahunnya yang ke-70. Sebelumnya juru bicara Kremlin Dmitry Peskov melaporkan bahwa pada hari ulang tahunnya Presiden akan berada di St. Petersburg, di mana pertemuan informal para pemimpin CIS akan berlangsung. Presiden juga akan melakukan beberapa panggilan telepon internasional

Ulang Tahun ke-70 Putin 7 Oktober

Vladimir Putin berlibur di Siberia pada hari ulang tahunnya di 2019.kremlin.ru

Ulang Tahun ke-70 Putin 7 Oktober 2022, Semua Media Barat Mengulas, namun tujuannya Untuk membangun Opini Presiden Rusia itu lemah.

Presiden Rusia Vladimir Putin, lahir pada 7 Oktober 1952, menjadi presiden Rusia pada tahun 2000. Pemberitaan bombastis dari Media Barat tentang Vladimir Putin di hari ulang tahunnya mengalir secara serentak dengan tujuan membangun opini negatif kepada Putin. Sebaliknya Media Rusia, tidak satupun yang mempublikasikan perayaan ulang tahun Putin.

Ramzan Kadyrov Menjanjikan Acara Besar di Chechnya

Beberapa hari sebelumnya, pemimpin Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov telah menjanjikan “acara besar,” termasuk pacuan kuda dan upacara pembukaan pusat pelatihan judo yang dinamai Putin, seorang penggemar seni bela diri yang terkenal

“Rakyat Rusia sangat beruntung memiliki presiden seperti itu,” kata Kadyrov Selasa dalam sebuah posting di aplikasi perpesanan Telegram. “Merayakan ulang tahun ke 70 presiden kami, kami menunjukkan kepada seluruh dunia betapa kami menghargainya.”

Dan di St. Petersburg, kampung halaman Putin, seorang seniman lokal akan memamerkan karya "Putin dengan Anak Anjing" pada hari Jumat - lukisan berukuran dua kali dua meter yang menunjukkan Putin menggendong seekor anjing muda.

“Putin dengan Anak Anjing” oleh artis Alexei Sergienko.twitter.com/Kremlinpool_RIA

“Saya menggambarkan Vladimir Putin sebagai pahlawan cerita manusia sederhana,” kata seniman Alexei Sergienko Kamis dalam sebuah wawancara dengan outlet media lokal Spbdnevnik.

Tetapi acara di Chechnya dan karya seni di St. Petersburg jauh lebih sederhana daripada perayaan ulang tahun Putin di tahun-tahun sebelumnya, ketika presiden dianugerahi anjing, anak harimau — dan bahkan kalender yang menampilkan mahasiswi berbikini.

Salah satu cara yang disukai Putin untuk menghabiskan hari ulang tahunnya di masa lalu adalah dalam pertemuan dengan para pemimpin asing, seringkali di luar negeri.

Pada 2013, Putin menghadiri KTT Kerjasama Ekonomi Asia-Pasifik tahunan di Bali, ulang tahun bersama Presiden China Xi Jinping dan Perdana Menteri Jepang Shinzo Abe.

Putin berada di KTT Kerjasama Ekonomi Asia-Pasifik (APEC) tahunan di Bali untuk ulang tahunnya pada tahun 2013. kremlin.ru

Dia juga merayakan dengan teman-teman lamanya dan politisi Eropa Silvio Berlusconi dan Gerhard Schroeder.

Putin akan bertemu dengan rekan-rekan CIS-nya di hari ulang tahunnya

Sebuah pertemuan yang direncanakan pada hari Jumat dengan para pemimpin dari Persemakmuran Negara-Negara Merdeka (CIS) yang didominasi Moskow—sebuah pengelompokan negara-negara pasca-Soviet—kemungkinan tidak akan dilakukan.

Sebelumnya, juru bicara Kremlin Dmitry Peskov mengatakan bahwa pembicaraan pada 7 Oktober akan menjadi tahap penting dalam persiapan KTT CIS yang dijadwalkan minggu depan di Astana. Pada 12-14 Oktober, ibu kota Kazakhstan, yang memimpin Persemakmuran pada 2022, akan menjadi tuan rumah KTT CIS, Konferensi tentang Langkah-langkah Interaksi dan Membangun Kepercayaan di Asia, serta pertemuan para kepala negara Asia Tengah-Rusia.

Putin telah berulang kali menekankan bahwa pembentukan CIS dibenarkan, integrasi negara-negara diperdalam baik dalam keamanan maupun ekonomi.

Menurut Presiden Rusia, secara umum, hubungan yang telah dipertahankan sejak zaman Uni Soviet memainkan peran positif, banyak proyek telah dikembangkan di tingkat yang baru. Dia yakin bahwa selama lebih dari 30 tahun CIS telah berjalan jauh, memantapkan dirinya sebagai asosiasi integrasi regional kelas berat di mana negara-negara anggota berusaha membangun hubungan berdasarkan prinsip bertetangga yang baik, kemitraan, saling menguntungkan, dan mempertimbangkan kepentingan satu sama lain.

kremlin.ru

Sekretaris Eksekutif CIS Sergey Lebedev sebelumnya memperkirakan bahwa KTT Astana akan membahas masalah kerja sama ekonomi, termasuk dalam konteks sanksi Barat. Lebedev menarik perhatian pada fakta bahwa karena sanksi yang dijatuhkan terutama terhadap Rusia dan Belarusia, negara-negara Persemakmuran lainnya juga menderita, sehingga penting bagi kepala negara untuk membahas masalah-masalah mendesak dan menemukan cara terbaik untuk menyelesaikannya demi kepentingan masing-masing negara CIS.

KTT untuk ulang tahun Presiden

Peskov menyatakan keyakinannya bahwa pada pertemuan di St. Petersburg para pemimpin negara-negara CIS akan memanfaatkan untuk memberi selamat kepada rekan Rusia mereka pada hari jadinya. Namun, juru bicara Kremlin mencatat bahwa secara formal protokol KTT tidak menyiratkan "nada liburan." Menurut perkiraan Peskov, hari kerja Putin akan sibuk. Agendanya mencakup sejumlah panggilan telepon internasional, khususnya komunikasi dengan Presiden Turki Tayyip Erdogan.

Presiden Rusia sangat jarang mengambil hari libur pada hari ulang tahunnya sendiri dan paling sering menghabiskannya di tempat kerja.

Beberapa kali, KTT internasional besar yang dihadiri Putin diadakan pada 7 Oktober. Misalnya, Putin merayakan ulang tahun ke-50 pada 2002 di Chisinau pada KTT CIS, pada 2013 ia menerima ucapan selamat dari para pemimpin negara-negara Kerjasama Ekonomi Asia-Pasifik. di pulau Bali Indonesia pada KTT APEC.

Dari waktu ke waktu, jadwal kerja Putin membawanya ke negara asalnya St. Petersburg pada hari ulang tahunnya, di mana Presiden tidak hanya menerima ucapan selamat, tetapi juga mengadakan pertemuan bisnis dan negosiasi.

Rmb China Menggantikan Dolar AS sebagai Mata Uang Asing yang Paling Banyak Diperdagangkan di Bursa Efek Moskow

©Flickr / Chris

Lebih dari tujuh bulan setelah Barat bergerak untuk mengisolasi Rusia dari ekonomi global dengan sanksi ekonomi yang merusak, de-dolarisasi ekonomi Rusia telah begitu menyeluruh sehingga renminbi (rmb) atau mata uang Yuan China sekarang menjadi mata uang asing terbesar di Bursa Moskow, bursa saham terbesar.

Data dari Moscow Exchange Group menunjukkan bahwa 64.900 rmb-rubel transaksi dilakukan di Moscow Exchange (MOEX) pada hari Senin, dengan total $ 1,17 miliar. Sebagai perbandingan, nilai tukar dolar-rubel AS mencapai $1,12 miliar pada hari yang sama. Tren terus berlanjut sepanjang minggu, tampaknya menutup nasib dolar di Moskow yang diprediksi oleh Sberbank (Bank terbesar di Rusia, Eropa Tengah dan Timur, salah satu lembaga keuangan internasional terkemuka) bulan lalu.

Melampaui satu hari pertama kali terjadi pada 18 Agustus, tetapi perkembangan minggu ini menunjukkan tren yang lebih permanen.

Rusia sebagian besar telah terputus dari pertukaran dengan lembaga keuangan Barat sejak Maret, ketika AS dan sekutu NATO-nya memberlakukan sanksi sebagai tanggapan atas operasi khusus Rusia di Ukraina. Sistem pembayaran global seperti Mastercard dan Visa telah ditarik, dan layanan transfer bank SWIFT yang berbasis di Brussels telah mengeluarkan sebagian besar bank Rusia terbesar dari jaringannya. Selain itu, banyak perusahaan Amerika telah mengakhiri operasinya di Rusia, seperti Starbucks, Nike, dan Slack.

Kemitraan Moskow yang berkembang dengan China, yang meluas dari bidang ekonomi hingga militer dan politik, telah memberi Rusia mekanisme dukungan yang penting.

Kedua negara membuka alternatif SWIFT mereka sendiri, System for Transfer of Financial Messages (SPFS) Rusia dan Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) China, masing-masing pada 2014 dan 2015. CIPS terutama ditujukan untuk meningkatkan kehadiran global RMB dan diharapkan dapat memainkan peran yang lebih besar karena blok-blok ekonomi berbasis Pasifik menjadi lebih menonjol di tahun-tahun mendatang.

Inisiatif lain dengan tujuan yang sama adalah kesepakatan Gazprom bulan lalu dengan China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) untuk melakukan setengah pembayaran gas mereka dalam rubel dan setengah dalam rmb, dan tawaran diskon China kepada perusahaan India jika mereka menyelesaikan transaksi Rusia mereka dalam rmb bukannya dolar. Kedua proposal menjadi berita di bulan lalu.

China juga menjadi pembeli utama ekspor energi Rusia, yang juga mendapat sanksi dari Barat. Kontrak baru untuk minyak dan gas alam Rusia telah ditandatangani sejak Februari, dan China telah membeli begitu banyak gas Rusia yang murah sehingga sekarang menjual sebagian besar di pasar internasional dengan harga lebih tinggi dalam upaya untuk menutup beberapa kerugian ekonomi yang disebabkan oleh penguncian terkait COVID-19 tahun ini.

Secara keseluruhan, Rusia telah menjadi pasar terbesar ketiga untuk pembayaran rmb secara global, menurut data dari SWIFT tentang transaksi yang masih memungkinkan dengan entitas Rusia.

Pada bulan Juni, Iran mengusulkan agar Organisasi Kerjasama Shanghai (SCO), sebuah blok Eurasia yang mencakup Rusia, Cina, India, dan setengah lusin negara lainnya, menggunakan satu mata uang untuk perdagangan intra-blok. Teheran tidak menyarankan mata uang mana yang akan digunakan.

Democrats’ bill would pull US troops from Saudi, UAE in Retaliation for OPEC Oil Cuts

Saudi Arabia's Dhahran oil plants
©AHMAD EL ITANI - AFP

For years, Democrats pressured the former Trump administration to stop supporting the Saudi-led war in Yemen. However, when Joe Biden became president, he introduced only moderate changes to US policy. Now, refusing to cooperate with the US’ proxy war against Russia could be what gets US troops withdrawn.

A trio of House Democrats have introduced legislation that would remove the United States military from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in response to a drastic cut in oil production by OPEC+, to which both nations belong.

“This decision is a turning point in our relationship with our Gulf partners,” Reps. Tom Malinowski of New Jersey, Susan Wild of Pennsylvania and Sean Casten of Illinois said in a statement announcing the bill on Wednesday.

The lawmakers added that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi’s support for the output reduction amounted to “a hostile act against the United States and a clear signal that they have chosen to side with Russia in its war against Ukraine.”

House Democrats have introduced a bill to withdraw US air defense systems from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in retaliation for production cuts by the OPEC+ petroleum cartel, of which both nations are a part. The defensive systems are deployed to protect the two nations from missile strikes by the Yemeni Houthi movement, which is fighting an eight-year-long war against a joint Saudi-led coalition.

"Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s drastic cut in oil production, despite President Biden’s overtures to both countries in recent months, is a hostile act against the United States and a clear signal that they have chosen to side with Russia in its war against Ukraine," read a Wednesday statement by US Reps. Tom Molinowski (D-NJ), Sean Casten (D-IL), and Susan Wild (D-PA).

"Both countries have long relied on an American military presence in the Gulf to protect their security and oil fields. We see no reason why American troops and contractors should continue to provide this service to countries that are actively working against us. If Saudi Arabia and the UAE want to help [Russia President Vladimir] Putin, they should look to him for their defense."

Ironically, the US has threatened Riyadh with sanctions if it were to buy S-400 air defense systems from Russia.

They claimed that "by significantly boosting global oil prices, OPEC’s decision appears designed to increase Russia’s oil export revenues, enabling Putin to continue his war crimes in Ukraine, and undercutting Western sanctions."

Copy-Paste Bill

The bill is titled the “Strained Partnership Act,” and is a near-exact copy of a bill introduced in March 2020 by Republicans that targeted Saudi Arabia, except that it also includes air defenses deployed in the UAE. That bill was motivated by a perception that Riyadh’s decisions on oil production are hostile to the US if they don’t take US policy needs into consideration.

Army Spc. Timothy Jones operates a Patriot missile battery in Southwest Asia, Feb. 8, 2010. The Defense Department announced Oct. 11, 2019, that it will deploy two Patriot missile batteries to Saudi Arabia. ©Tech. Sgt. Michelle Larche

“Saudi Arabia has shown indifference, if not malintent, for American energy producers during its feud with Russia. These are not the actions of a supposed ally or friend, and they will not be tolerated,” said US Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-SD). “US troops are deployed to other countries to serve our national interests, not theirs. With friends like this, who needs enemies?”

OPEC-US Negotiations

OPEC Secretary-General Haitham Al Ghais said the group’s Wednesday decision to reduce its collective petroleum output by 2 million barrels per day beginning in November was based on bringing “security [and] stability to the energy markets.” Many members have failed to meet production quotas for the last several months, although Saudi Arabia is not one of them, and according to OilPrice.com, the production cuts could see Riyadh reduce output by 500,000 barrels per day by itself.

At the time, Russia and OPEC were locked in a dispute about oil prices, with Riyadh wanting to slash global petroleum output to keep prices high as COVID-19 lockdowns spread around the globe, bringing the world economy to a halt. Russia, the world’s largest oil exporter, wanted lower oil prices, but had agreed to coordinate output with OPEC under the OPEC+ umbrella.

US President Joe Biden previously made a failed bid in July to convince the Saudi monarchy to increase oil production and bring down oil prices. The Western boycott of Russian energy exports has helped push crude oil prices higher, helping to arrest economic growth in Western nations already battling record-high inflation.

The White House has expressed similar feelings about OPEC’s move, saying in a statement that Biden was “disappointed by the shortsighted decision by OPEC+ to cut production quotas while the global economy is dealing with the continued negative impact of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.”

Biden hasn’t commented on the bill, but did mention the Department of Energy would release another 10 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve next month to compensate for the reduction.

People inspect the site of airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition on a workshop, in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. The coalition fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen accelerated airstrikes on the capital and elsewhere in the conflict-stricken country in recent weeks, as government forces advanced in the west coast and the key province of Marib, officials said Sunday. ©AP Photo / Hani Mohammed

What of the War?

When Biden was on the campaign trail, he pledged to end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, which by United Nations estimates has killed more than 377,000 people since 2015. However, after taking office in 2021, Biden only limited US weapons sales to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi on a case-by-case basis, and even deployed new air defense systems to both countries, including Patriot and THAAD systems. The Saudi-led alliance has been fighting to restore the Yemeni government to power since it was overthrown by the Houthi movement in 2015. The Zaidi Shiite group came to power on a wave of popular fury over a proposed federalization plan they said would amplify poverty in the country’s poorest regions, and over the government’s slashing of fuel subsidies.

The Saudi-led alliance has been fighting to restore the Yemeni government to power since it was overthrown by the Houthi movement in 2015. The Zaidi Shiite group came to power on a wave of popular fury over a proposed federalization plan they said would amplify poverty in the country’s poorest regions, and over the government’s slashing of fuel subsidies. Worldwide fury at the civilian deaths caused by the Saudi-Emirati bombing campaign helped push Congressional Democrats to pass measures demanding the US end its support for the war, but then-US President Donald Trump refused to take action, saying Saudi Arabia was an essential US ally against Iran.

As the ceasefire called in April showed signs of imminent collapse on Monday, the Houthis warned foreign oil companies about the possibility of new strikes on Saudi and Emirati soil.

The bill would remove all US military forces and equipment, including high-tech missile defense systems, from the two Gulf countries.

The troops and the equipment would be relocated to other areas in the Middle East “with the priority mission of protecting United States Armed Forces.”

There are about 5,000 US military personnel in Saudi Arabia and UAE.

The Democratic bill resembles legislation introduced in March 2020 by Republican Sens. Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota that also called for the removal of US forces from Saudi Arabia amid a dispute over oil prices.

“(A)s the United States and the rest of the world are battling the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kingdom continues to reject its leadership role in serving as a stabilizing force for global energy markets,” Sullivan said at the time. “This is unacceptable, particularly because the Kingdom’s actions are directly and negatively impacting the American citizens I am honored to represent. If Saudi Arabia refuses to change course when we’ve requested that it do so, the United States must seriously reconsider the level of American support — including military support — for such partnerships that fail to support us in turn.”

Federal agents - In Hunter Biden probe, agents see evidence of tax, gun-purchase crimes

Federal agents see chargeable tax, gun-purchase case against Hunter Biden

Hunter Biden, the son of President Biden, speaks to guests during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 18 in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Federal agents investigating President Biden’s son Hunter have gathered what they believe is sufficient evidence to charge him with tax crimes and a false statement related to a gun purchase, according to people familiar with the case. The next step is for the U.S. Attorney in Delaware, a Trump administration holdover, to decide on whether to file such charges, these people said.

The investigation into Hunter Biden began in 2018, and became a central focus for then-president Donald Trump during his unsuccessful 2020 reelection effort. Initially, the investigation centered around Hunter Biden’s finances related to overseas business ties and consulting work.

Over time, investigators with multiple agencies focused closely on whether he did not report all of his income, and whether he lied on gun purchase paperwork in 2018, according to the people familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing case.

Agents determined months ago they had assembled a viable criminal case against the younger Biden. But it is ultimately up to prosecutors at the Justice Department, not agents, to decide whether to file charges in cases where prosecutors believe the evidence is strong enough to lead to a likely conviction at trial.

Given the intense political interest in a criminal probe involving the son of a sitting president, Attorney General Merrick Garland has made clear that the U.S. Attorney in Delaware, David C. Weiss, who was nominated by Trump in late 2017, is supervising the case.

Garland has vowed there will be no political or otherwise improper interference in the Hunter Biden case, and has not moved to push Weiss to make a decision, the people familiar with the matter said. It is not uncommon for Justice Department investigations to take years to finish.

A spokeswoman for Weiss declined to comment, as did spokespeople for the Justice Department, and the FBI and the IRS, the two primary investigative agencies.

Asked about the case, Chris Clark, a lawyer for Hunter Biden, accused investigators of leaking information. “It is a federal felony for a federal agent to leak information about a Grand Jury investigation such as this one,” Clark said in a written statement.

"Any agent you cite as a source in your article apparently has committed such a felony. We expect the Department of Justice will diligently investigate and prosecute such bad actors. As is proper and legally required, we believe the prosecutors in this case are diligently and thoroughly weighing not just evidence provided by agents, but also all the other witnesses in this case, including witnesses for the defense. That is the job of the prosecutors. They should not be pressured, rushed, or criticized for doing their job.”

Inside Hunter Biden's multi-million-dollar deals with a Chinese energy company

Any charging decision involving the Biden case is especially fraught because Trump and his allies have made accusations of corruption in Hunter Biden’s business dealings a key line of attack against Democrats, both before and after the 2020 presidential race. At the height of the election campaign, Trump allies revealed that a Delaware computer shop owner had turned over to the FBI a laptop that had apparently belonged to Hunter Biden. Trump and others argued the data on the laptop showed evidence of unethical and possible illegal business deals; Joe Biden and his supporters denounced the efforts as a smear.

In March, The Washington Post reported that two computer security experts had reviewed thousands of the emails purportedly from Hunter Biden’s computer and found they were authentic communications, based on cryptographic signatures from Google and other technology companies. It could not be determined for this article whether the laptop and its contents were useful in the Justice Department investigation.

The Biden probe has proceeded with relatively little fanfare in recent months amid the much larger and more public Justice Department and FBI investigation into whether Trump mishandled classified material at Mar-a-Lago — and a separate federal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Trump and his allies have sharply criticized federal law enforcement over both those cases.

Questions about the younger Biden’s foreign business ventures have long dogged his father’s political life. Trump and his GOP allies specifically cite as ethical conflicts Hunter Biden’s past work for a Ukrainian gas company while his father was vice president, as well as his China-related business affairs. In a July 2019 phone call, Trump urged Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate both Joe and Hunter Biden — part of a pressure campaign that led to the first of Trump’s two impeachment trials in Congress.

In December 2020 federal agents sought to interview the younger Biden, leading him to publicly acknowledge that he was under investigation. “I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors,” Hunter Biden said in a statement at that time.

Clark, Hunter Biden’s lawyer, said in his statement Thursday that he has “had no contact whatsoever with any federal investigative agent. Therefore, a rendition of the case from such an ‘agent’ is inherently biased, one-sided, and inaccurate. It is regrettable that law enforcement agents appear to be violating the law to prejudice a case against a person who is a target simply because of his family name.

Republicans have pressed the Biden administration to appoint a special counsel to take over the investigation into the president’s son, arguing the step was needed to ensure public confidence in the probe’s outcome. Under Justice Department regulations, any special counsel would still answer to the attorney general, however. Garland chose not to make such an appointment, instead keeping the case with Weiss, whose previous career as a federal prosecutor stretches back decades and includes violent crime and white-collar cases.

In the early days of the Biden administration, a Justice Department official said removing Weiss as U.S. Attorney as he was overseeing the Hunter Biden case would likely spark significant political backlash.

Biden will ask Trump's U.S. attorneys to step down, with a few exceptions

In April, after White House chief of staff Ron Klain said Biden “is confident that his son didn’t break the law,” Garland was asked at a Senate hearing about how the Justice Department is handling the case.

Weiss “is in charge of that investigation. There will not be interference of any political or improper kind,” Garland answered. “We put the investigation in the hands of a Trump appointee from the previous administration.”

The primary focus of the tax investigation has been whether Hunter Biden did not declare income related to his various business ventures, including overseas. The gun paperwork part of the investigation stems from 2018, a time period in which Hunter Biden, by his own account, was smoking crack cocaine.

In October of that year, Biden purchased a handgun, filling out a federal form in which he allegedly answered “no” to the question whether he was “an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?”

From the archives: How Ukraine put Trump and Biden on a collision course According to a book Hunter Biden later wrote about his struggles with substance abuse, he was using drugs heavily that year.

Prosecutions for false statements on gun-purchase forms are relatively rare, but they do happen. In the fiscal year that Hunter Biden purchased that handgun, Justice Department records show prosecutors received 478 referrals for lying on the forms. Of those, charges were filed in 298 cases, or about 60 percent of the time.

Federal agents refer to such cases as “lying and buying.” Historically, prosecutors have significant discretion to decide which ones are worth federal resources.

“A prosecutor can say they have bigger fish to catch, or they can decide to seek a deal,” said Joseph G. Green, a retired agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “As agents, we would always include as many charges as we could, but it’s ultimately up to the prosecutor to decide which ones they will bring.”