The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stephane Dion, said in his statement that Canada found no evidence to support Russia’s recent accusations against Ukraine regarding the situation in the occupied Crimea.

“I’m concerned by the increase in tension between Russia and Ukraine, and by the actions and rhetoric that are contributing to this tension. We have seen no evidence to support recent Russian accusations. At this critical juncture, Canada calls on all parties to intensify diplomatic efforts and …

Oil trader Mercuria, the largest seller of Russian Urals oil in Poland, is closing down its oparations with Urals oil and emptying Russian oil out of its tanks in the port of Gdansk, Reuters reports.

It is noted that the oil trader will use a tanker to bring in Iranian oil. Mercuria will send more than 250,000 tons of unsold Urals oil to Asia using the super tanker Atlantas (VLCC). The same tanker will bring back two million barrels of Iranian oil to Gdansk.

According to the agency, Polish …

Gazprom, Shell, Uniper and Wintershall, which are all part of a consortium for the construction of Nord Stream 2 have withdrawn their application to create a joint venture. The group had already submitted the application to the Polish antimonopoly agency, as reported in the companies’ statement.

This decision will not affect the gas pipeline project, the report says. It also will not affect the Nord Stream 2 construction schedule.

The project will be implemented by a Swiss-registered Nord …