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Regulator’s decision on Nord Stream 2 certification not related to politics — spokesperson

Susanne Ungrad stressed that the decision to suspend certification of the Nord Stream 2 AG was regulatory by nature

BERLIN, November 17. /TASS/. The decision of the Federal Network Agency of Germany (BNA) to suspend certification of the Nord Stream 2 AG as an independent operator is not related to politics, spokesperson of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy Susanne Ungrad said at the briefing on Wednesday.

"This act is regulatory by nature, which is explained by BNA tasks," she said. "This is not a political act," the spokesperson noted.

The German Federal Network Agency said on Tuesday that it suspends the process of Nord Stream 2 AG certification as the independent gas pipeline operator. The operator’s certification can only be considered in case the company has the corporate form under the German law. In other words, the regulator demands that Swiss-based Nord Stream 2 AG transfers the main capital related to the German segment of the pipeline to its German subsidiary.

Gold sets a new high rising above $4,700

By 8:04 a.m. Moscow time, gold accelerated gains to $4,701.9 per troy ounce, rising 2.32%

Kim Jong Un fires Deputy PM Yang Seung-ho at public ceremony

North Korean leader pointed out that some executives were "not ready for the streamlining and technical reconstruction of the industry in the country as a whole"

Billionaire Carlos Slim agrees to acquire Lukoil's Mexico assets

The deal is valued at $270 million, and Grupo Carso will also repay $330 million in debt

More than 100 cars involved in accident due to ice in Michigan — TV

The police noted that from 30 to 40 trucks were damaged in the accident

Newest AK-12 assault rifle developed based on combat experience analysis — Kalashnikov CEO

Alan Lushnikov added that the modernization had been preceded by extensive work

Czech Republic says cannot pay $1 billion for membership in Board of Peace for Gaza

Czech taxpayers do not have such money for these purposes," Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said

INTERVIEW: Denmark maniacally charged with confrontation with Moscow — Russian ambassador

Last year, the Danish government allowed the construction of Ukrainian plant FirePoint, which produces solid rocket fuel

Many merchant ships refuse to call at Odessa seaports — Ukrainian grain association

According to the UGA, the situation has deteriorated notably in recent days

About 60 countries invited to join Gaza Board of Peace — WSJ

According to the report, the majority of those invited responded in a "cautious" manner due to potential geopolitical risks

Severe geomagnetic storms strikes Earth

The sun exploded with a powerful X1.9 flare on the evening of January 18, launching a huge blob of solar material, known as a coronal mass ejection, towards the Earth

Russia stands ready to restore relations with all European countries — Putin

Russia has always been committed to such diplomatic approaches, the Russian leader said

Moldova to quit CIS after denouncing its key agreements — top diplomat

According to Mihai Popsoi, the government will complete the denunciation process by mid-February

INTERVIEW: Denmark one of main sponsors of Kiev regime — Russian ambassador

According to Vladimir Barbin, the prospect of a Russian victory is considered by the head of the Danish government Mette Frederiksen as a "catastrophe" for the West and the "rules-based order"

Train crash in Spain claims 40 lives — media

According the ABC newspaper, 31 people are still missing

Russian forces are 30 km from Slavyansk — DPR head

According to the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, fierce fighting continues near the settlements of Grishino and Beletskoye

MOL signs binding agreement with Gazprom Neft to acquire 56.15% in Serbian NIS

The parties expect to close the deal by March 31

Russian Finance Ministry ready to offer yuan-denominated bonds if market has desire

The Russian Finance Ministry completed earlier the debut offering of OFZ bonds denominated in yuan totaling about $3 bln

Madagascar seeks to join BRICS as partner country — president

Construction of first reactor of Akkuyu plant almost completed

Akkuyu is the first nuclear power plant in Turkey

Press review: Trump pressures Denmark as US business signals Arctic ties with Russia

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, January 16th

Ukraine kills 11 Russians, wounds more than 60 in week — envoy

The largest number of injured civilians during this period was recorded in the Belgorod, Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions

Russian troops liberate Novopavlovka, move closer to Druzhkovka

According to Igor Kimakovsky, an adviser to the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, it creates a number of tactical advantages

Sandu and her party impose false choice between CIS and EU on Moldova — opposition

"To break these relations is to hit thousands of fates", Marina Tauber, executive secretary of the Victory opposition bloc, said

Russia says US to continue to build up nuclear potential in Europe, despite disagreements

"The question of the extent to which the US military presence in Europe will be replaced by EU forces is rather hypothetical", Director of the Department of European Affairs at the Russian Foreign Ministry Vladislav Maslennikov said

Magnetic storm on Earth reaches G4 level for first time since November 2025 — scientists

The Institute of Applied Geophysics uses a scale of five levels, where G5 is "extremely strong" and G1 is "weak"

Felt earthquake of magnitude 5 strikes off Northern Kuril Islands

The epicenter was located 107 km east of Severo-Kurilsk, at a depth of 47 km

Russian troops liberate two communities in Ukraine operation over past day — top brass

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted roughly 400 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Denmark sending large contingent of troops to western Greenland — TV

Chief of the Danish Army Command Peter H. Boysen is also expected to arrive in Greenland

Press review: Europe, US on brink of trade war as Russia ready to respond to UK plans

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, January 19th

Denmark chooses to skip World Economic Forum in Davos

The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting will be held on January 19-23

Dmitriev calls on EU 'not to provoke Daddy,' recall soldiers from Greenland

Russia’s president special Representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries said that the EU should return the soldiers sent to Greenland

China increases imports of Russian vodka by 19% in 2025

The cost of supplies increased by 47.5% to $2.2 million

'Black holes' of the Russian Navy

For the first time TASS publishes photos of Project 636.3 Varshavyanka submarines taken from a quadrocopter during sea trials in the Baltic Sea

Russian forces push Ukrainian army away from Dnieper river shore near Kherson — commander

The Ukrainian army is trying to hold its positions at the edge of the right bank of the Dnieper River and is secretly shelling the left bank of the Kherson Region while avoiding any active armed clashes

US forceful annexation of Greenland to be disasterous for NATO — China expert

Wang Yiwei believes that the most likely solution for Washington is to transform Greenland into United States’ overseas territory, which is not a member of NATO and which is not subject to Danish sovereignty

Kiev, Odessa, Kharkov hardest-hit by power supply outages in Ukraine

Reports of emergency power outages have been coming from Kiev and several Ukrainian regions since morning

Ukraine loses 50 heavy quadrocopters during day from actions of West battlegroup

Also, 33 UAV control points, a Starlink satellite communication station, four ammunition depots, and 10 ground-based robotic complexes of the Ukrainian army were identified and destroyed

Israel to give ‘unprecedented’ response if attacked — military

"The lessons of Operation ‘Rising Lion’ have been implemented", Chief of the General Staff of the IDF Eyal Zamir said

Israeli says hits southern Lebanon

It was a responce to "repeated violations by Hezbollah of the ceasefire agreement", military said

Non-oil and gas revenues of Russian budget up 12.6% in 2025

An increase in receipts of turnover-based revenues, including VAT, amounted to 7.1% year on year

Russia to do everything to safeguard Kaliningrad amid EU statements — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov stessed that Kaliningrad is an integral part of Russia

Putin orders to put Canpack, Rockwool assets in Russia under temporary new management

The decision took effect on December 31, 2025

Ukrainian army suffering heavy losses at Orekhov in Zaporozhye Region — governor

According to Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russian Armed Forces continue offensive in the area of four settlements in the Zaporozhye Region

Trump's Greenland grab offers EU path to ally with Russia — entrepreneur

According to Kim Dotcom, in this case US President Donald Trump would become a pariah and the US plan "to profit from the fall of the EU" would fail

PREVIEW: Lavrov to hold press conference on results of Russian diplomacy in 2025

Representatives of the Russian and foreign press will be able to ask questions

Western Europe prepares for war with Russia — Orban

In confirmation of this, the Hungarian prime minister said that recent meetings of the EU leaders "have turned into military councils" where the issue of "how to defeat Russia" is discussed

Ukraine kills almost 60 Russians, including three children, in January — envoy

According to Rodion Miroshnik, the number of Ukrainian attacks per day in January reached 520, which is twice as much as in January 2025

Gazprom, Hungary's MOL agree on terms of NIS deal — Serbian Energy Ministry

According to Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic-Handanovic, partners from the United Arab Emirates are expected to participate in the deal

Netanyahu rules out Turkish, Qatari military presence in Gaza

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Over 2,000 people protest in Zurich against Trump's participation in Davos Forum

The demonstrators lit firecrackers and smoke bombs, one of them set fire to the US flag

Italian organization members face prosecution for recruiting Europeans into Kiev’s army

According to the official statement, the investigation targets representatives of Associazione Stur, which operates both in Italy and Ukraine

Syrian army establishes control over city with prison for Islamic State militants

The SDF said earlier that it had lost control over the al-Shaddadi prison after clashes with Damascus-affiliated groups that attacked the facility

Merz calls Russia 'European country,' hopes to achieve balance in relations

The Chancellor said his comment was not because he was in the east of Germany

Colombian mercenary advises against joining Ukrainian army

According to Russia’s security agencies, at least 750 Colombian mercenaries fighting for Ukraine have been killed since the start of the special military operation

Moldovan government already abandoned basic CIS principles — MP

State Duma deputy Alyona Arshinova said that Moldova under Maia Sandu became a vassal of Brussels

Hungarian Foreign Ministry will support MOL in buying NIS shares from Gazprom

The integrated, coordinated work of the Slovak, Hungarian, and Serbian oil markets could provide Central Europe with an unprecedented level of energy security, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto noted

In 2026, AI to use energy commensurate with Russia’s energy consumption

Researchers estimate that by 2028, some AI tasks will consume to 165-326 terawatt-hours per year, or more than all the electricity currently used by the data centers in the United States

Turkey to support Syria’s counter-terrorism effort, help protect its unity — Erdogan

The Turkish leader noted that the Syrian military’s operation against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) coalition "is deserving of respect"

Price of Russia’s pipeline gas imports to China increases by 17.1% in 2025

Russia ranks first among the countries exporting this energy to China

Trump’s plans on Greenland may deal irreparable damage to US-Europe ties — WP

According to the article, US president's "bid to buy or seize Greenland" and "to unleash a trade war" with Europe has "sparked the greatest transatlantic crisis in generations"

NATO is 'now done' — Tucker Carlson on Greenland

According to him, "the whole illusion has shattered in the past four days"

EU, UK hold ‘no cards’ on Greenland — Russian presidential envoy

Donald Trump announced earlier that Washington would begin to impose import tariffs of 10% on the UK, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, France, and Sweden, which will remain in place until the parties reach agreement on the full transfer of Greenland to the US

US dollar share in global reserves drop to its lowest in twenty years

The analysts noted that gold now accounts for more global FX reserves than Euro, Yen and Pound combined

Death toll from train crash in Spain up to 41 — media

It is not yet known what caused the accident

Russia, Belarus to clean Druzhba pipeline without assistance from Poland

The spokesman for Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said that Russian oil supplies will resume "no later than mid-June"

Trump plans to sign Board of Peace charter in Davos — Bloomberg

In line with the charter, Donald Trump will become the institution’s first chairman, and will personally decide on inviting new members

China boosts beer exports to Russia by almost 40% in 2025

In value terms, beer exports increased by 46.7% during the reporting period to $44.06 million

Iconic fashion designer Valentino dies at age of 93 — media

Valentino Garavani was known for dressing celebs for more than 50 years

Israel decides not to open Rafah checkpoint on Gaza-Egypt border — media

Commenting on this decision, a high-ranking Israeli official told Ynet that the initial deal between Israel and the United States did not mention that Turkish and Qatari representatives would be included on the Board of Peace that is designed to administer the enclave

Trump to get nowhere with Greenland through pressure — Danish foreign minister

"We are living in 2026, you can trade with people, but you don't trade people," Lars Loekke Rasmussen said

OpenAI to present its first device in 2026 — Axios

Chief Global Affairs Officer of the company Chris Lehane gave no details what the device would be

FACTBOX: What we know about Gaza Board of Peace

As of now, invitations have reportedly been received by heads of state and government of nearly 60 countries

Denmark fails to eliminate 'Russian threat' to Greenland, Trump claims

According to the US president, now it is time, and it will be done

Russian businessman says it would be cheaper for EU to pay Russia for Greenland's security

Oleg Deripaska urged European nations to reconsider their options for allocating funds, proposing that a resolution to the Ukraine conflict could be achieved at a fraction of the cost - around 150 billion euros

Moscow Aviation Institute develops autonomous UAV navigation system to detect people

The algorithms, cameras and sensors allow drones to navigate in space, while the built-in neural network analyzes the video stream and detects people

EU may influence Trump on Greenland by threatening to remove US bases — The Economist

According to the magazine, it will be extremely difficult for Washington to project its military power into Africa and the Middle East without access to European military bases

China keeps annual base rate for coming month flat at 3%

It also left the rate unchanged for five-year loans at 3.5%

Trump intends to build his own system of international relations — Belarusian MP

"Belarus has always been faithful to the principles of such diplomacy", Vadim Gigin said

Death toll from fires in Chile rises to 19

The fire destroyed at least 325 houses

Putin takes traditional icy plunge to mark Orthodox Epiphany — Kremlin

"Epiphany is a great holiday for the President, as for all Orthodox believers who work in the Kremlin," Dmitry Peskov stressed

Turkey rejects reports about release of Islamic State militants in Syria

It also urged to "ignore similar unfounded claims" in the future

Putin receives US invitation to join Board of Peace on Gaza — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow is currently studying all the details of this proposal

NORAD says its planes to arrive in Greenland soon

"This activity has been coordinated with the Kingdom of Denmark", North American Joint Aerospace Defense Command noted

Gazprom Neft confirms signing letter of intent with MOL to sell stake in Serbia's NIS

The Hungarian holding noted that the deal could be closed by March 31, but will require approval from the US OFAC and Serbian authorities

Zelensky not to be ousted as Ukraine becomes ‘black hole’ of corruption under him

According to the former officer of Ukraine’s SBU Security Service Vasily Prozorov, "a huge number of individuals and legal entities from the European Union and the United States of America earn money in Ukraine"

London’s threats to stop Russian ships amount to return to piracy — ambassador

Andrey Kelin noted that Western countries have long relied on double standards in attempts to "spite Russia," but their disregard of international law has now reached "unprecedented levels"

Trump seeks to maintain warm relations with Putin — FT

According to the report, the US leader's invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to join the Gaza Board of Peace illustrates that

Morocco accepts Trump's invitation to Board of Peace on Gaza

The Kingdom will ratify the founding charter of organization

Ukraine leaves more than 800,000 subscribers without power last week — envoy

Rodion Miroshnik said that the most widespread power outages were recorded in the Zaporozhye Region, where about 314,900 subscribers were left without electricity

Trump confirms Putin invited to join his Board of Peace on Gaza — Reuters

Earlier, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that Moscow was studying the proposal

US push for peace in Ukraine aimed at 'resetting' relations with Russia — Politico

The expert believes that if Russia decides that negotiations on Ukraine are no longer possible, "the fighting will continue — no matter what"

Restoration of Ukraine's power grid to take 3-4 years — Energy Industry Research Center

A state of emergency is currently in effect in Ukraine’s energy sector

Kremlin agrees that Trump will go down in history if he annexes Greenland

According to Dmitry Peskov, by resolving the issue of Greenland's accession, the US leader will go down not only in US history, but in world history as well

American says ‘Chosen Company’ mercenaries executed Russian POWs

Benjamin Reed said that the war crimes of Chosen Company were recorded by military medic Caspar Grosse, among others

East battlegroup artillery destroys Ukraine’s strongholds in forest belts of Zaporozhye

It is noted that the strike weakened Ukraine’s defense in this area and deprived the enemy of prepared lines to hold positions

Macron to opt out of Trump’s Board of Peace over UN fears — Bloomberg

According to the report, the French leader believes that the new organization’s charter goes beyond the Gaza Strip issue

Russia offers safe haven for people trying to escape Western liberal ideals

Under the document, such foreign nationals will have the right to apply for temporary residence in Russia "outside the quota approved by the Russian government and without providing documents confirming their knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history and basic laws"

Gazprom records second intensive gas withdrawal from Ukrainian USG this week

According to Gas Infrastructure Europe, as of January 17, Ukrainian UGS facilities were 22.32% full

No one will help Ukraine after conflict except Russia, Belarus — Lukashenko

The Belarusian leader urged Ukrainians to recognize that the issue is not merely about territorial gains

Ukraine fires 210,000 ammunition rounds on Donetsk People’s Republic since February 2022

According to the Department for documenting Ukraine’s war crimes of the administration of the head and government of the DPR, 5,520 civilians, including 159 children, were killed during the period

Germany might raise rent for US military bases over tariffs — newspaper

According to the newspaper’s sources in Berlin, Germany is not considering the closure of US military bases on its territory