The Kremlin press service said earlier that the two leaders would discuss "pressing issues related to the further development of Russian-Belarusian relations of strategic partnership and alliance, as well as integration within the Union State" | The Kremlin press service said earlier that the two leaders would discuss 💬 "pressing issues related to the further development of Russian-Belarusian relations of strategic partnership and alliance, as well as integration within the Union State." ● Putin has repeatedly highlighted special relations between Russia and Belarus. He pointed out that Minsk was Moscow’s "strategic partner and closest ally." ● The two countries are working on 28 Union State programs, particularly aimed at harmonizing their macroeconomic policies and integrating payment systems. The parties also agreed to create single gas, oil and energy markets. ● The leaders have recently discussed the development of economic relations, the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons to Belarus and the international situation.

■ Putin warns of Poland’s intentions in Ukraine and Belarus (07/21/23)

US companies are hesitant to unload the oil over concerns of retaliation from Iran in the Persian Gulf | US federal prosecutors are struggling to sell off a shipment of stolen Iranian oil being carried by a Greek tanker off the coast of Texas, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. ● The US Justice Department seized the Greek tanker Suez Rajan in April under the pretext of sanctions enforcement and forced the ship to head for Texas instead of China. The Suez Rajan is carrying 800,000 barrels of stolen oil and is currently off the coast of Galveston. ● According to the Journal, the US can’t sell the oil because the companies that would unload the oil are worried about Iranian retaliation in the Persian Gulf. “Companies with any exposure whatsoever in the Persian Gulf are literally afraid to do it,” a Houston-based energy executive involved in the matter told the paper. ● The US has a history of seizing tankers and stealing Iranian cargo. In 2021, the Biden administration sold off two million barrels of Iranian oil taken from a tanker that was seized off the coast of the UAE. During the Trump administration, the US seized ships carrying Iranian gas bound for Venezuela and discharged some of the cargo in New York.

Efforts by countries to replace the US dollar in international trade will reach a new high when BRICS nations discuss the feasibility of introducing a common currency at a summit in South Africa later this year, Chinese experts said, noting that the move can be a fresh blow against the dollar's hegemony. | The BRICS group of nations will discuss the issue, which is likely be on the agenda of a meeting of the nations' heads of state in Johannesburg on August 22, Bloomberg reported recently, citing the foreign minister of South Africa. ● The BRICS group of nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - accounts for one-third of global economic output, and their combined output is larger than the Group of Seven economies by some measures. ● Experts said the desire for a currency that offers better accessibility and fairer treatment in international trade is the main objective for BRICS nations. They pointed out that the US dollar, used as a tool for the US to exercise international hegemony, has caused great uncertainty for the recovery of the world economy.

■ Thoughts on the BRICs Currency (Sasha Latypova)

William Van Wagenen | The Taliban has not once, but twice eradicated Afghanistan's poppy cultivation, the world's largest source of heroin. Despite western accusations, it has never been The Taliban behind the Afghan drug industry, but only ever the US and its allies, with billions in profits breezily laundered through the global financial system. | In the aftermath of the chaotic US and UK withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir warned in the Washington Post of the dangers of “ignoring one important consequence of the Taliban takeover: the coming boom in Afghanistan’s narcotics trade.” Mir then boldly predicted that, “in the next few years, a flood of drugs from Afghanistan may become a bigger threat than terrorism.” This projection of an international drug trade boom seemed plausible, considering the longstanding accusations that the Taliban funded their two-decade insurgency against the occupying forces by controlling opium production. In fact, it was believed that 95 percent of heroin used in Britain originated from Afghan opium. ● [W]estern displeasure towards the Taliban's efforts to dismantle the global heroin trade may seem perplexing at first glance. However, a closer examination of events in Afghanistan reveals a different perspective. Under the guise of the “War on Terror,” the 2001 US and UK invasion was driven in part by the desire to restore the heroin trade, which the Taliban had abruptly terminated just a year earlier. The western powers sought to reestablish the lucrative flow of billions of dollars that the heroin trade provided to their financial systems. In fact, “For 20 years, America essentially ran a narco-state in Afghanistan.”

■ Opium poppy harvest in Afghanistan at record high in 2014
■ Record levels of Heroin enters world market from Afghanistan
■ NATO helping boost Afghan heroin production: Russia
■ Over 20 Tons of [CIA's] Heroin Seized in Afghanistan
■ Connecting the Dots: Afghan Heroin, NATO, Azerbaijan Hub & Cargo Business
■ Afghan drugs: Opium price rises by 133%
■ Afghan opium poppy cultivation jumps

Hundreds of billions of dollars in Russian assets were trapped abroad in 2022 after the Ukrainian crisis escalated into a full-blown NATO-Russia proxy war. Earlier this year, reports in US business media indicated that the US and its allies were having trouble locating a substantial chunk of these funds. | Belgium plans to collect 3 billion euros a year in windfall profits from Russian assets frozen in the country’s coffers to give to Ukraine for “reconstruction” purposes, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced Friday. A day earlier, De Croo explained that Belgium was “very involved” in the issue because upwards of 90 percent of the Russian assets frozen in the EU’s jurisdiction are trapped in Belgian banks. The European Commission estimated in May that the bloc has frozen over 200 billion euros in assets belonging to Russia’s Central Bank, plus 24.1 billion owned by Russian companies, tycoons and other individuals. ● ‘Robbery’ in Broad Daylight | Asked to comment on Brussels’ plans, Christopher C Black, an international criminal and human rights lawyer with over 20 years’ experience under his belt, said that if realized, they would constitute “theft twice over” - first by seizing the money in the first place, and then preventing Russia from collecting its due interest. 💬 “The crime of theft becomes compounded with insult by giving the money to Kiev to finance the war against Russia, and if the money is so transferred by EU government order, it will be [an] act of war – since a nation supplying financial support to another nation to carry on a war can be considered under international law as a party to the war,” Black explained.

UKRAINE - BlackRock & JP Morgan set up a brand new ‘Reconstruction bank’.

As the British tax payer guarantees another £3 billion for reconstruction in Ukraine, the rest of the country is being carved up by the real winners!

In the spoils of war the banker always wins 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3L5jIIwEgh

— Bernie's Tweets (@BernieSpofforth) June 21, 2023

Zelensky announces alliance with BlackRock for reconstruction of Ukraine (December 28, 2022)

Maria Zakharova (Мария Захарова)(Russian MFA) | Zelensky: "Held a meeting on the spiritual independence of Ukraine - we continue the corresponding work, and there will be new steps." | How revealing these words are! In fact, this was the true task of the Kiev regime in power - to destroy the spiritual (not only cultural, historical, economic, humanitarian, etc.), it is the spiritual connection between us. To impose values alien to the people of Ukraine under the guise of everything "progressive." As they say, thank you for finally [stating it so clearly]. But Satanism always manifests itself, no matter how much it is hidden under the guise of beneficence. By the fruit, by the fruit. And the fruit of the American plant "Zelensky, Species Indeterminata" is poisonous.

Maria Zakharova (Мария Захарова)(Russian MFA) | The EU has expanded its ban on exports of luxury cars to Russia, as well as all electric and hybrid cars, including used ones. I wonder how this fits in with their own message of "strategic defeat of Russia and containment of China"? Other than the inevitable growth of the domestic auto industry, including the use of Chinese parts, it can not lead to anything. We liked the experiment with cheese. Now we need a good car industry.

■ Russian Economy Under Sanctions (Sputnik News)

Several studies have revealed the presence of metals ranging from copper and zinc to rare earths on the shelf, promising a lucrative business for the Norwegian government. However, critics say it runs contrary to the country's environmental commitment and may ruin its "green" image abroad. | Norway's Labor-led government has proposed opening the country's waters to deep-sea mining despite fierce opposition from environmental campaigners, political parties and even fellow European countries. ● The small country with 5.4 million inhabitants was propelled to immense wealth by its vast oil and gas reserves, which helped fill its Petroleum Fund which at more than $1 trillion ranks as the world's largest sovereign fund. Its position in Europe was cemented further after the EU's recent sanctions campaign against Russian energy, which effectively robbed the continent of a major provider, while clearing a lion's share of the market. Norway even came even under fire when it was suspected of profiteering from the energy crisis that gripped Europe. ● Now, Oslo seeks to shift from a reliance on hydrocarbons to new sources of economic activity, tapping into the high demand to transition from fossil fuels. According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, there are large mineral resources on the Norwegian continental shelf, including several million tonnes of copper, zinc and cobalt, which could potentially mean large revenues for Norway.

■ Norway Opens Door for Deep-Sea Mining of Copper and Other Critical Materials (Wall Street Journal)

The US and the UK strong-arm their own followers, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has claimed | London and Washington run the show in the “rules-based world order,” trying to dictate policy to their own allies as well as countries outside the West, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told RT on Friday. Russia fully understands that building relations with other countries needs to be based on mutual benefits and equal partnerships, Lavrov said in an interview with RT at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
💬 “This is not what we see in the West these days. The Anglo-Saxons are basically running the show, controlling the rest of the collective West. They are using the current situation, which they created through Ukraine – this war against Russia – to remove competition,” Lavrov elaborated. “They see us as a competitor, they see China as a competitor. Their doctrinal documents clearly state that. But they are also removing their competition in continental Europe. It’s obvious. The economic and social processes in Germany are grim. Other countries are not much better off,” the Russian foreign minister added. The only Western state benefiting from the current situation is the US, Lavrov claimed, “and the UK is always somewhere around, helping America reach its selfish goals.”

■ Germany has no more money for EU – finance minister (RT.com) | Lindner explained that the EU has maxed out its long-term budget through 2027, largely as a result of the bloc’s lavish aid packages to Ukraine. According to the latest figures from Brussels, the EU has given Kiev €72 billion ($79 billion) in economic, military, and humanitarian aid since Russia’s military operation in Ukraine began last February. Despite this unprecedented outflow draining its coffers, the European Commission is reportedly readying an additional €72 billion financial aid package to keep the Ukrainian economy limping along to 2027. According to Lindner, the commission will release a report next week asking member states for more money to cover the bill.

Elena Panina (Елена Панина) | The £2.3 billion from the sale of the Chelsea soccer club promised to "victims of the war in Ukraine" is in limbo because of the European Union's demands on how exactly the money should be spent, the British press complains. The EU insists that the money should go directly to Kiev and not to those "affected by the conflict." That was the wording, according to sources, in the agreement between Roman Abramovich and the British government. ■ The logic here is simple. Sufferers can be financed from within the government - by paying them from the budget for housing, medical insurance, employment advice, kickbacks, etc. Moreover, Britain historically does not like to give away what it has gained by robbery. Spending money in Ukraine would put the EU in an advantageous position. In this case, the money can go for the purchase of equipment, building materials, consultations, and kickbacks, which cannot be controlled in London. So a not inconsiderable sum is lying unused on a frozen account for the second year in a row. Which also benefits Britain - the interest is coming in. ■ And Russian business was warned: you'll be swallowing dust. Neither investing in British soccer nor demonstratively donating Apple to the Nazis will help in such matters. In short, Abramovich will never see this money again - and neither will Ukraine. British tradition is a strong thing. (Translation with: DeepL.com)

■ Abramovich's £2.3bn from Chelsea sale is still frozen in UK bank - because of the EU (The Express)

On September 27, 2022, Nord Stream AG reported "unprecedented damage" that took place on three lines of Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines | Western countries keep utterly resisting a transparent international investigation into the sabotage attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines, Minister-Counselor of the Russian Embassy in the US Andrey Ledenev said on Wednesday. 💬 "It is also useful to ponder the reasons why the collective West stubbornly refuses to launch a transparent and objective international investigation under the auspices of the UN Security Council into the terrorist attacks in the Baltic Sea. As well as to clarify the role of the United States in the incident with the pipelines, with Washington being the key beneficiary of the reshaping of the European energy market," he said, adding that high-ranking US officials have never even tried to hide their hostile posture towards Nord Stream and bluntly threatened Russia’s gas infrastructure.

Dmitry Medvedev (Дмитрий Медведев) | Two good morning considerations: 1. Yesterday, the President of Russia spoke of the need for a demilitarized (sanitary) zone for the security of our country. Given the enemy's decisions to supply the Kiev regime with increasingly long-range weapons, such a line should run along the borders of Lviv (Polish Lemberg) to play a real protective role. Then these would be the new secure borders of what used to be called "country 404." 2. If we proceed from the proven complicity of Western countries in the undermining of the Nord Streams, then we have no restrictions, even moral ones, to refrain from destroying our enemies' cable communications laid on the bottom of the ocean.

The first day of the 10th Arab-China Business Conference in Saudi Arabia ended with the signing of 30 investment agreements worth 37.5 billion Saudi riyals ($9.9 billion), the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Sunday. | The parties signed agreements in the field of technology, renewable energy, agriculture, real estate, minerals, logistics, tourism and healthcare, the report noted. ● In particular, Saudi and Chinese companies, Amar Al-Oula and Zhonghuan International Group (Hong Kong), respectively, have signed a $533 million deal to set up an iron ore processing plant and produce iron pellets for smelters in Saudi Arabia. ASK Group and the China National Geological and Mining Corporation also entered into a $500 million agreement to develop, build and operate a copper mining project in the Arabian Peninsula region, the report added.

La société indienne Gatik Ship Management, l’un des plus importants transporteurs de pétrole russe en Europe depuis le début de la guerre en Ukraine, est sur le point de perdre la certification pour 21 de ses navires auprès de Lloyd's Register, société britannique de classification qui fournit des documents essentiels pour entrer dans les ports. | L’annonce, relayée par Reuters, intervient quelques jours après l’avertissement du chef de la diplomatie européenne, Josep Borrell, contre les produits raffinés fabriqués par l’Inde à partir de pétrole russe. Il s’agit, a-t-il affirmé, d’un “contournement” des sanctions internationales. ● Basée à Mumbai, la Gatik ship Management, qualifiée de “société mystérieuse” par plusieurs médias, y compris indiens, s’est développée de manière fulgurante depuis l’invasion russe de l’Ukraine, devenant l'un des principaux transporteurs de pétrole de la Russie vers l'Inde en douze mois à peine. La société est passée de la possession de quelques navires à 58 pétroliers, s’invitant ainsi dans un club exclusif de seulement 20 entreprises sur 14 000 à être dotées d’une flotte de plus de 50 navires.

ABSTRACT | Early in the Covid pandemic concerns were raised that lockdown and other non-pharmaceutical interventions would cause significant multidimensional harm to society. This paper comprehensively evaluates the global state of knowledge on these adverse social impacts, with an emphasis on their type and magnitude during 2020 and 2021. A harm framework was developed spanning 10 categories: health, economy, income, food security, education, lifestyle, intimate relationships, community, environment and governance. The analysis synthesizes 600 publications with a focus on meta-analyses, systematic reviews, global reports and multi-country studies. This cumulative academic research shows that the collateral damage of the pandemic response was substantial, wide-ranging and will leave behind a legacy of harm for hundreds of millions of people in the years ahead. Many original predictions are broadly supported by the research data including: a rise in non-Covid excess mortality, mental health deterioration, child abuse and domestic violence, widening global inequality, food insecurity, lost educational opportunities, unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, social polarization, soaring debt, democratic backsliding and declining human rights. Young people, individuals and countries with lower socioeconomic status, women and those with pre-existing vulnerabilities were hit hardest. Societal harms should challenge the dominant mental model of the pandemic response: it is likely that many Covid policies caused more harm than benefit, although further research is needed to address knowledge gaps and explore policy trade-offs, especially at a country-level. Planning and response for future global health emergencies must integrate a wider range of expertise to account for and mitigate societal harms associated with government intervention. ( Open PDF in browser)

Pears grown in Argentina and then packed in plastic in Thailand and shipped all over the world.

Humans really are this stupid 🤡 pic.twitter.com/688kRXqWko

— Bernie's Tweets (@BernieSpofforth) April 12, 2023

🇳🇱Our farmers are fighting against the worst kind of injustice: a government that has turned on its own people.

The government created a lie to rob our farmers of their land. But we won’t let it happen. Our #DutchFarmers are an example to the world.

My speech with 🇬🇧 subtitles. pic.twitter.com/QYiFbkR2zM

— Eva Vlaardingerbroek (@EvaVlaar) March 11, 2023

■ The Netherlands provides 100 million euros IN SUPPORT TO UKRANIAN FARMERS and winter preparations
■ Netherlands Allocates $44Mln TO SUPPORT UKRANIAN FARMERS (Sputnik News)

■ Netherlands reportedly set to forcibly close 3,000 farms to comply with "EU mandate" (Fox News)
■ Dutch Farmer’s Are in Full Revolt Over WEF Control (Independent Sentinel)
■ Netherlands CRUMBLES into WEF run dictatorship, Dutch uprising spreads (Redacted)(VIDEO)

Copenhagen has rejected all contact regarding the investigation, the Russian ambassador has warned | Denmark is setting a dangerous precedent by refusing to cooperate with Russia on an investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, Moscow’s ambassador to Copenhagen, Vladimir Barbin, warned on Monday. ● “There is still no substantive information about investigative activities and any preliminary results,” Barbin told the Izvestia newspaper. The envoy added that Copenhagen has “rejected any contact with Russia regarding this criminal case, and doesn’t show any interest in organizing an independent international investigation.” ● The pipelines built to deliver gas from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea were attacked in September 2022. Although the damage was discovered in international waters, the area is within the economic zones of Denmark and Sweden. Denmark, Sweden, and Germany have launched separate probes into the sabotage, but no concrete findings have been revealed so far.

Prices for a barrel of oil jumped 7 to 8% last night in pre-market trading, after OPEC+ announced a reduction in oil production of about 1.1 Million barrels per day. | As this story is written, 10:04 AM EDT on April 3, 2023, The West Texas Intermediate contract jumped 5.74% to $80.01 a barrel, while Brent jumped 5.67% to $84.42. This will translate into higher prices at the gasoline pump for cars and the diesel pump for trucks, which then causes a rise in consumer prices for everything that has to move by truck. This type of demand inflation cannot be halted by central banks raising interest rates. NEW PRICING MECHANISM More shockingly, the top oil producers in Russia and in India agreed to change the market pricing mechanism they use to price oil transactions. The largest oil producer in Russia and India's top refiner have agreed to adopt the Asia-focused Dubai oil price benchmark. They have abandoned the Europe-dominated Brent benchmark. The signals are changing. This will make it much easier for countries to buy oil WITHOUT USING THE U.S. DOLLAR! That's huge. They just told the US / Eurotrash to FOAD. (F*ck-Off and Die) Basically, they're sizzling the West' bacon and there's nothing [the U.S.] can do about it short of war.

The Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) was formed in 2019 following widespread demonstrations | A new political party, the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB), is set to dominate the Netherlands’ upper house of parliament after it secured 15 senate seats in provincial elections, stunning the political establishment. ● BBB was established in 2019 as a riposte to Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s conservative VVD party, which sought to fall in line with European Union regulations on nitrogen emissions by significantly decreasing livestock numbers and buying out thousands of farms. 💬 “Nobody can ignore us any longer,” party leader Caroline van der Plas told Dutch broadcaster Radio 1 as the results of the election became clear. “Voters have spoken out very clearly against this government’s policies.” ● The BBB platform was primarily based on influencing the nitrogen issue, after environmental groups saw success in court cases petitioning the government to limit emissions to preserve nature before building permits can be granted. This, in turn, heavily impacted the construction sector.

The French police have detained over 200 people at protests against the controversial pension reform in central Paris, French media reported on Thursday, citing a police source. | Earlier in the day, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said that the government had adopted the law on raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 years by invoking Article 49.3 of the constitution, which allowed the government to pass the bill without parliamentary approval. ● The latest figures released by reports suggest some 217 people have been arrested, although the tally is expected to increase as protests continue. Police units are chasing several hundred protesters who scattered through the streets in central Paris after police dispersed the protest on the Place de la Concorde, reports have detailed. Protesters have overturned trash bins, which have piled up in large numbers on the streets as a result of the garbage collectors' strike. In the meantime, protests continue across France, local media report.

■ Elisabeth Borne déclenche l'article 49.3 pour faire adopter la réforme des retraites (France Soir)(Vidéo)

Maria Zakharova (Russian MFA) | What a strange position this is | Serbian Economy Minister Rade Basta: 💬 "Our country is already paying a high price for not imposing sanctions against Russia, and this is becoming unbearable. As Economy Minister, I cannot accept the pressure exerted on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, and we remain silent. For this reason, I [advocate] the imposition of sanctions against Russia, I support President Vucic in protecting state and national interests and I fully trust him. In this regard, I ask the Serbian Government and all ministers to speak on this issue." ■ What a strange position this is: America is putting pressure on Serbia, and the Serbian minister is calling for action against Russia. Maybe it would be better for the Serbian minister to speak out decisively against pressure on his country? Russia, unlike the United States, has always respected Serbia and its people. And it's not just the historical truth, but the obvious fact: with the introduction of sanctions against Russia, the pressure of the United States on Serbia will not end, but will only increase. ((T)

■ Serbian party demands dismissal of minister who called for sanctions against Russia (TASS)

The likelihood that the United States and China will engage in a direct confrontation is quite high, political scientist Vladimir Kireyev told Izvestia. 💬 "Now, the probability that the US and China will come to a direct conflict is quite high. It is the US that is provoking the situation as the window of opportunities to cause serious damage to China is closing. China is trying to postpone the conflict as much as possible and even avoid it altogether. The reason is that taking into consideration economic development, in 10 to 15 years, China will be much stronger than the US and the Chinese won’t need to engage in a conflict to protect their interests," the expert concluded. [link]

"To be transparent we will publish this whole correspondence quite soon and distribute it among the members of the Security Council," Dmitry Polyansky added | Russia will distribute the correspondence with Germany, Denmark and Sweden on the investigation of Nord Stream accidents among the members of the UN Security Council soon, First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said in an interview with The Dive YouTube channel on Thursday. 💬 "They are denying any access to information, they are denying any participation regardless of the fact that we are an affected party, so we should be part of this investigation, but they are just writing to us some letters saying that we’re doing what we’re doing and mind your own business. To be transparent we will publish this whole correspondence quite soon and distribute it among the members of the Security Council," Polyansky [said]. The recent information in Western media on Nord Stream accidents is an attempt to divert attention away from what really happened, the diplomat noted.

■ Moscow to expose Nord Stream stonewalling (RT.com) The diplomat claimed that, in a nutshell, the message from the three nations was: “We are doing what we are doing, mind your own business.” The Russian mission will distribute the exchanges among members of the UN Security Council in an effort to initiate an “independent, unbiased international investigation with all parties concerned,” Polyansky added. Moscow wants the UNSC to authorize Secretary General Antonio Guterres to launch a probe into the attack on the undersea energy links, which were built to pump Russian natural gas directly to Germany. Three of the four pipes were ruptured by explosions in September last year in the territorial waters of Denmark and Sweden. According to Polyansky, Russia intends to put its proposal to a vote by the end of March, although Western powers will inevitably object.

Shelves in a provincial Russian city are groaning under piles of fresh food | As British supermarkets ration eggs and an array of fruit and vegetables amid shortages provoked in large part by the Ukraine war, no such hardships afflict Vladimir Putin's citizens. The pictures were taken at a food hall, two superstores and a corner shop in Perm, a city with a population the size of Birmingham in the Ural mountains, a 24-hour drive from Moscow. The images suggest the West's much-vaunted sanctions on Russia, imposed to punish President Putin for his invasion, are not having a deep bite.

The exorbitant windfall revenues amid a surge in demand and sky-high energy prices have earned Norway bitter accusations of profiteering from its numerous customers, including Germany, Poland and the EU at large. | The Norwegian state coffers earned record oil and gas revenues last year after the hostilities in Ukraine and ensuing sanctions sent energy prices soaring, Statistics Norway (SSB) reported. ● Altogether, Norway earned NOK 1.5 trillion ($140 billion) in revenues from oil and gas, by far the highest ever recorded, according to statistics, and nearly three times the NOK 498 billion ($48 billion) earned in 2021, the number-cruncher said. ● Norway, one of the world's leaders in the export of energy resources, assumed the role of the EU's top supplier following the bloc's massive sanctions campaign against Russia over its special op in Ukraine. In 2022, Brussels decided to stop imports from Russia and the Nordic country ramped up own production. ● Oslo's additional income was boosted by a record surge in European gas prices over the summer, which have since subsided.

Editor's Comment: We've never heard them complain about oil producers like Bahrain or the United Arab Emirates. Germany, Poland and the EU at large probably would not have given in to envy and anger if Norway had been a much bigger country, or more important on the world scene, if you like. What they really are complaining about, is that these windfall revenues seem inappropriate for tiny Norway, out of place kind of...In the time-honoured order of things, big countries may be rich (or not so rich) in terms of revenues, medium-sized nations a bit less so, and small countries are supposed to...well, to know their place. Plus, and this is extremely important, oil is supposed to be in the Middle East, and not up in the godforsaken North somewhere (Where is that damn country anyways?) See? Too rich for its own good - gotta send some troops up there. In fact, the U.S. already has done so, and as things now stand, they already have four bases in tiny Norway. Norway's done for. Sure thing! Germany and Poland, are you happier now?