Since the outbreak of the war, Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán has paid Putin more than €15 billion for Russian gas and oil, becoming the biggest financier of the Russian war in the EU.
Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war on 24 February 2022, Hungary has purchased gas and oil from Russia for a total of EUR 15.6 billion. According to data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, an independent research institute in Finland, this makes the Orbán government the largest EU financier of Putin’s war. According to 444.hu, while many EU countries have drastically reduced their dependence on Russian energy sources, Hungary has taken a different path. Italy reduced its Russian gas imports from 43% in 2020 to 5% in 2024.
Austria announced it had found alternative routes, eliminating its dependence on Russian gas. Moreover, the Czech Republic and Poland had previously declared their independence from Russian gas. In contrast, Hungary has increased its gas imports from Russia to unprecedented levels.
#News #DailyNewsHungary
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Skull and Bones’ Into the Dragon’s Wake kicks off a new season on August 22
Just when you finally got your pirate vessel fully insured, along comes a new ship and cannons to blow up your deductible. Yet look on the bright side of your sinking boat: You get a new Skull and Bones content update on August 22nd.
Into the Dragon’s Wake is about to arrive in Ubisoft’s naval combat sim next week: “Hailing from the Middle Kingdom, Li Tian Ning and Commander Zhang of the Dragon’s Claw make their prowess known to the Indian Ocean. Their arrival stirs tension between the Rempah and DMC in the East Indies, amidst a new seasonal story, world events and challenges.”
The update includes the Battle Junk juggernaut that can taunt other ships, an epic long gun named Divine Thunder, two new types of cannons, and special “immortal” armor for your vessel. Ubisoft is also introducing Imperial Jade as a trading resource, better controls, a new merchant convoy event, and a new third-person camera view.
Next up on Skull and Bones’ calendar after the patch is the Mooncake Regatta event, which is running from August 27th through September 17th.
#game #massive #preview
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U.S. may import more eggs as prices soar. Canada says ‘happy to discuss’
As the U.S. grapples with soaring egg prices, that country’s agriculture secretary says “temporary import options” will be on the table.
In an op-ed written for the Wall Street Journal, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins outlined her plan to lower the price of eggs – a key issue for American voters in an election that saw Donald Trump return to the White House.
In the op-ed, Rollins noted that the average price of a dozen eggs had skyrocketed 237 per cent, from US$1.47 in January 2021 to US$4.95 last month. Rollins outlined several measures that the Trump administration would take, including combating avian flu, which she said has resulted in the culling of 166 million egg-laying hens since 2022.
Among the measures she proposed was importing more eggs.
“We will consider temporary import options to reduce egg costs in the short term. We will proceed with imports only if the eggs meet stringent U.S. safety standards and if we determine that doing so won’t jeopardize American farmers’ access to markets in the future,” she said in her opinion piece.
#Canada #US #egg
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NCSoft Just Announced Guild Wars 3
You know it’s a good day when you wake up and see news that one of the largest, most influencial, arguably most popular free to play MMOs get a confirmed sequel. That’s what just happened with Guild Wars 2.
When I first mentioned NCSoft were potentially developing a Guild Wars 3, people told me I was crazy, that there was no way that could be the case.
When I followed up several years later with confirmation that NCSoft were hiring programmers to create an MMO in an already pre-existing intellectual property, people said there was no way that could be Guild Wars 2. The game is too healthy, a staple of NCSoft’s roster of games, and by association, potential to make a quality game.
Yet according to multiple sources online – Inven – which documented NCSoft’s shareholders’ meeting on the 28th, and several websites that have since covered the reveal, Guild Wars 3 is already deep in development. Much further than any of us likely even thought possible after this announcement.
But what would a Guild Wars 3 look like? Will it differ from Guild Wars 2? Is it the same team working on it, and how will this ultimately affect Guild Wars 2? Especially given ArenaNet’s commitment to releasing more frequent expansions each year.
That’s what we’re going to try and find out.
The investor’s meeting began by acting chairman, Park Byeong-moo – who we’ll refer to as Park for the remainder of this video – stating that the global gaming market in 2023 is very unstable, and NCSoft has experienced difficulties both internally and externally, resulting in a decline in stock price.
With how poorly Throne & Liberty did in Korea, and NCSoft’s recent statement confirming it’s up to Amazon with the Global release to save the game, with Aion, Blade & Soul, and their mobile games all doing poorly – this was to be expected.
Park followed this up with a statement referring to the companies history over the last 20 years. “If you look back at NC’s history, there are a number of successful IPs that were developed independently in Korea.”
Which is true. Aion, Lineage, Blade & Soul. All exceptional MMORPGs that did fantastic, financially, until they were ruined by NCSoft’s mismanagement and greed.
“I am confident that NC will be able to develop its capacity for sustainable development again.” – With regards to new intellectual properties? Unlikely. Potentially, by expanding on already existing intellectual properties like Lineage, Aion or Blade & Soul because they already carry a fanbase.
He then goes on to confirm “Innovation for change has already begun,” further elaborating on NCSoft’s Global vision by stating “this year is NCSoft’s first step forward as a global game company.”
“I dare say it’s the first year,” explaining that they’re in the process currently of releasing numerous games that fill a variety of different genres – some of which haven’t been done before, like the new open-world Trailblazer game, among many others.
The CEO, Kim Taek-jin is in the process of traveling around the world at present, in an active effort to expand not only their brand, but also their scope and games by engaging in Global collaborations.
As noted, one of the most important routes for the companies’ success moving into the future, is “establishing a foundation for globalization,” along with “continuous investment to increase new IPs.”
2024 is going to be a very important year for NCSoft and its shareholders, with much of its potential success riding on how well received Throne & Liberty is Globally.
A question was asked of Park, “NC West has been running a deficit for 8 years, and I don’t understand why the person in charge remains the same.” NC West is the North American studio in charge of Lineage, Aion, Guild Wars, and Blade & Soul across America, Europe and Oceania.
Park goes on to respond to this by confirming that originally, NCSoft had six studios within the United States, and after extensive work, with likely quite substantial costs, every studio was integrated into one: ArenaNet. ArenaNet is the developer behind Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2, and it’s at this point that the revelation was made concerning Guild Wars 3.
“ArenaNet are currently working on Guild Wars 3, looking at this process, we have considerable competitiveness. Although it is not completely profitable” – referring to ArenaNet – “I believe that it has increased its competitiveness.”
ArenaNet and the Guild Wars intellectual property have proven to be the continued driving force behind NCSoft in recent years, looking at their sales breakdown by region from the 4th quarter of 2023, you’ll see that “NA/EU sales grew by 15% quarter over quarter due to strong sales of Guild Wars 2.”
Park further elaborates on NC West by reiterating this is their “first year Global leap forward,” but they are also “reorganizing the Global headquarters.”
Park talked a little about he, the COO and CEO’s claims of excessive financial compensation, even in light of their continued stock price decline, but navigating further down, we see a question asked concerning NCSoft’s reputation – and how brand value has fallen recently.
I just want to point out, this isn’t a recent occurence. This is a reputation that has been deteriorating for the better half of 2 decades.
Park states that NCSoft has a “negative image among streamers in the gaming industry,” and that these creators will likely change their opinion about them after seeing the quality games they plan on releasing in 2024.
I haven’t seen a single game announced by NCSoft that screams a significant alteration in terms of quality. Or a drastic departure from what they’ve become synonymous with.
The rest of the Investor’s meeting went over topics that were unrelated to Guild Wars, but it looks as though they’re anticipating Guild Wars 3 will be a large driving force behind the studio’s expansion into the Western gaming market.
Which could very well be true. Guild Wars 2 is keeping the studio afloat right now. Guild Wars 3 could bring an entirely new audience to their games. But let’s take a look at what people have to say.
Honestly, I think Guild Wars 3 has the potential to be a phenomenal game so long as the people that made Guild Wars 2 stick to a formula that people love. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel, just optimize and improve on what worked.
But at the same time, I don’t forsee this game releasing for many years. Probably sometime after 2030. So they have plenty of time to craft the perfect formula.
Until then, there’s always Blue Protocol or Throne & Liberty, right? Right?
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Europe must show leadership against Trump’s ‘ruthlessness,’ Germany's foreign minister says
With U.S. support in doubt, German foreign minister warns that Europe must lead on Ukraine or risk losing its security.
BERLIN — As European leaders prepare to meet in London on Sunday for an emergency summit on Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called for Europe to show decisive leadership in the wake of the Oval Office clash between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In a starkly worded speech delivered Saturday in the Foreign Ministry, Baerbock warned of a “new era of ruthlessness” following Trump’s public humiliation of Zelenskyy and the U.S. administration’s shifting stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
“A ruthless time has begun, in which we must defend the rules-based international order and the strength of law more than ever against the power of the strongest,” Baerbock said.
#Berlim #News #Europe #Ukraine
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UK gives royal welcome to Zelenskyy after White House meltdown
King Charles will hold an official audience at Sandringham with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday as the UK and EU demonstrate their “unwavering” support after his humiliation at the hands of Donald Trump and JD Vance in the White House.
Keir Starmer will also host European heads of government and the leaders of Canada and Turkey at a special defence summit aimed at presenting a united front on the Ukraine crisis.
On arrival in Downing Street for a meeting with Starmer on Saturday night, just 24 hours after Trump and his vice-president Vance subjected him to a 10-minute tirade in the Oval Office, Zelenskyy said he was “very happy” that the king had agreed to the meeting.
The offer of a royal audience was seen at Westminster as a deliberate move to give the Ukrainian president equal treatment to Trump, who was presented during his meeting at the White House on Wednesday by Starmer with an invitation to a second state visit to the UK, including a meeting with King Charles.
#Zelenskyy #UK #News
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Largest Norwegian fuel supplier refuses U.S. warships over Ukraine
Norwegian fuel company Haltbakk Bunkers has announced it will cease supplying fuel to U.S. military forces in Norway and American ships docking in Norwegian ports, citing dissatisfaction with recent U.S. policy towards Ukraine.
In a strongly worded statement, the company criticised a televised event involving U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, referring to it as the “biggest shitshow ever presented live on TV.” Haltbakk Bunkers praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for his restraint, accusing the U.S. of “putting on a backstabbing TV show” and declaring that the spectacle “made us sick.”
As a result, the company stated: “We have decided to immediately STOP as fuel provider to American forces in Norway and their ships calling Norwegian ports. No Fuel to Americans!” Haltbakk Bunkers also urged Norwegians and Europeans to follow their lead, concluding their statement with the slogan “Slava Ukraina” in support of Ukraine.
#Norwegian #Ukraine #UKDefenceJournal
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The tallest mountain in the solar system, Olympus Mons on Mars. It has a height of 25 km, Mount Everest is 'only' 8.8 km tall.
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Russia is ‘recycling’ wounded troops, sending some to the frontline on crutches
Kyiv & London
CNN
—
The Russian military is sending wounded troops on crutches back to the frontlines to fight, and redeploying soldiers with significant injuries to combat roles, as it struggles with growing manpower issues, according to videos and testimony obtained by CNN.
Frontline footage posted by Ukrainian drone operators and Russian troops show men who have clearly suffered leg injuries, some still bandaged, using crutches in combat areas, in several instances targeted by Ukrainian drones as they use the walking aids to try to flee.
“The Russians are recycling the wounded back into the fight,” one Western official said, referring to videos of “troops on crutches being pushed back into the line.”
The use of wounded soldiers is a sign that Moscow is managing its growing manpower issues without a wider, general mobilisation, which would be unpopular among Russia’s urban middle classes, according to the official, who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity on a sensitive topic.
#Russia #CNN #News
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