US keeps up diplomatic efforts to deal with N. Korea crisis

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis speaks during a press conference with Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after meeting in New Delhi on September 26, 2017. The United States want to resolve the escalating nuclear crisis with North Korea diplomatically, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said September 26. "We maintain the capability to deter North Korea's most dangerous threats but also to back up our diplomats in a manner that keeps this as long as possible in the diplomatic realm," he said in New Delhi after talks with India's defence minister. (AFP)
Updated 26 September 2017
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US keeps up diplomatic efforts to deal with N. Korea crisis

NEW DELHI: Diplomatic efforts to tackle the crisis caused by North Korea’s nuclear and missile buildup are continuing, U. S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday.
Mattis, who is on a two-day official visit to the Indian capital to strengthen military ties said pressure on North Korea had increased following a United Nations resolution.
“We continue to maintain the diplomatically led efforts in the United Nations,” he told reporters.
“You have seen unanimous UN security council resolutions passed that have increased the pressure...on the North and at the same time we maintain the capability to deter North Korea’s most dangerous threats,” he added.


Italy scouts gas supplies from US, Africa and Azerbaijan after Qatar force majeure, minister says

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Italy scouts gas supplies from US, Africa and Azerbaijan after Qatar force majeure, minister says

  • ⁠QatarEnergy declared force majeure this week
  • Rome is not alarmed about securing replacement volumes

ROME: Italy is looking at alternative sources of natural gas, including US liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline supplies from Africa and Azerbaijan, to make up for loss of deliveries from Qatar due to the conflict in the Middle East, Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin told a ⁠newspaper on Friday.
⁠QatarEnergy declared force majeure this week and informed Italian utility Edison on Thursday that it would not be able to fulfil its ⁠contractual obligations concerning five liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo deliveries scheduled to arrive in early April.
Rome is not alarmed about securing replacement volumes, since Qatar supplies only about 9 percent of Italy’s annual gas consumption, Pichetto Fratin told Il Messaggero pointing to several ⁠options, ⁠such as US LNG, “if it is available.”
Pipeline gas from Libya is another option, although “technical conditions must be created,” he said.
Additional flows could come from Mozambique or Algeria, and from Azerbaijan through the TAP pipeline, Pichetto Fratin added.