Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani speaks during a joint press conference with his French counterpart in Doha on March 28, 2022.
Mustafa Abumunes | Afp | Getty Images
Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Thani on Tuesday appeared to correct a controversial statement his fellow minister made over the weekend concerning Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, Qatar’s energy minister and head of the state gas company, said he was sure Russian gas would eventually flow back to Europe, as the Continent would “forgive and forget” Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.
“We’re all blessed to have to be able to forget and to forgive. And I think things get mended with time … they learn from that situation and probably have a much bigger diversity [of energy intake],” al-Kaabi said on Saturday, during an energy forum in Abu Dhabi.
The comment sparked anger and came just as a Russian missile strike killed at least 40 civilians in a residential neighborhood of Ukraine’s Dnipro.
Asked by CNBC’s Hadley Gamble if al-Kaabi’s comment was the official position of Qatar, al-Thani said:
“Well, it’s not actually. First of all, politically speaking, when we are talking about the situation and the war, Qatar has a very clear political stance on this: we don’t accept the invasion of another country. We don’t accept threatening by force or the use of force, we don’t accept civilians to be hurt. And we have been demonstrating this throughout our votes within the United Nations.”
He added, “Our message to the Russians, to the Ukrainian has been always … these kinds of differences and disagreements shouldn’t be resolved in a battlefield, they should be resolved through dialogue.”
Rescuers search for people trapped under the rubble of a high-rise residential building hit by a missile on Jan. 14, 2023, in Dnipro, Ukraine.
Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Europe has long been Russia’s largest customer for most energy commodities, particularly natural gas supplies. EU countries have dramatically reduced their imports of Russian energy supplies, slapping sanctions in response for Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The cut in imports has increased energy costs for Europe, sending leaders and oil and gas executives to seek out new sources of energy and alternative supplies.
Al-Thani maintained it was up to Europe to decide its energy future.
“Actually it is the European decision,” he said. “At the end of the day, from our perspective and our policy, as state of Qatar, we never politicize the energy. We see that food, medicine, energy, those are items that need to be protected, because they are for the people, they are not for the government or for political reasons.”
He added that Europe’s woes aren’t solely the result of the war, but said the conflict had accelerated the Continent’s energy challenges.
“It has been for a very long time, policies … were not realistic,” the minister said, pointing to an overzealous energy transition that discounted the importance of fossil fuels while relying too highly on renewables.
Qatar has emerged as an important alternative source of natural gas for Europe. In late November, QatarEnergy and ConocoPhillips signed agreements to export 2 million tons of liquified natural gas yearly to Germany for at least 15 years, starting in 2026.
Qatar maintains good relations with Russia. Its $300 billion sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, owns roughly 19% of Russian oil giant Rosneft and plans to continue investing in the country.
The new EV6 GT is the fastest Kia vehicle to date, packing nearly 650 horsepower. It’s quicker than a Ferrari and less than half the cost. Kia’s first electric sports car just got a big upgrade with added power, style, in-car tech, and more “GT” than ever before. And somehow, it’s even cheaper than the outgoing model in the UK.
Meet the new Kia EV6 GT, an affordable electric sports car
In 2021, Kia introduced the EV6 GT, its most powerful production vehicle ever made, boasting 576 hp. With a significant mid-life refresh, the new model takes it to the next level.
Powered by a dual-motor AWD powertrain, the new Kia EV6 GT is now capable of producing up to 650 hp (+11% from the outgoing model) and 770 Nm (+4%) max torque.
The added power is good for a 0 to 62 mph sprint in just 3.5 seconds. It’s also equipped with a new 84 kWh battery pack, 8.5% bigger than the previous EV6 GT, providing a WLTP range of up to 279 miles.
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With 800V ultra-rapid charging capabilities, the Kia EV6 refresh can recharge from 10% to 80% in as little as 18 minutes, even with the bigger battery.
The new Kia EV6 GT (Source: Kia UK)
Kia added a few fun features, including an enhanced GT Mode, which “unleashes the full, untapped potential of the EV6” with max power and torque at the push of a button. A dedicated neon button on the steering wheel activates the new dedicated drive mode.
The new model features the popular Virtual Gear Shift, a first for a Kia vehicle. Borrowed from the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N, the feature simulates the feeling and sounds of a six-speed paddle-operated transmission.
The new Kia EV6 GT interior (Source: Kia UK)
Kia refined the interior with “a significant overhaul,” including new materials and its next-gen infotainment system.
The new Kia connected car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) infotainment system features dual 12.3″ navigation and driver display screens in a curved panoramic setup.
Kia EV6 GT refresh interior (Source: Kia UK)
Kia opened orders for the EV6 GT refresh in the UK on Wednesday, June 18, starting at £59,985 ($80,500), a £2,690 ($3,500) price reduction from the previous model. Deliveries in the UK will begin over the next few days.
The new EV6 GT was first launched in Korea last November, starting at 72.2 million won ($50,000). According to a Kia official, the upgraded model “will become a new standard that will change the paradigm of high-performance electric vehicles.”
The 2025 EV6 GT starts at $63,800 in the US, with up to 641 hp. That’s nearly half the cost of the Porsche Taycan 4S, which starts at $119,400. It also has a built-in NACS port, allowing you to recharge at Tesla Superchargers.
Looking to test out Kia’s electric sports car for yourself? We’ve got you covered. You can use our link to find 2025 Kia EV6 GT models in your area (trusted affiliate link).
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Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Nobitex, was hacked for more than $90 million Wednesday, according to blockchain analytics firm Elliptic.
The funds were drained from platform wallets into addresses bearing anti-government messages explicitly referencing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, pointing to a politically motivated cyberattack, Elliptic said.
Pro-Israel hacking group Gonjeshke Darande, or “Predatory Sparrow,” claimed responsibility for the attack and said it would release the exchange’s source code. Elliptic said the exchange was offline at the time of its post.
Predatory Sparrow also claimed credit for a separate cyberattack on Iran’s state-owned Bank Sepah this week.
Fighting erupted between Israel and Iran on Friday and the countries have continued to trade missile fire. Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened the U.S. with “irreparable damage” Wednesday in response to President Donald Trump’s demand that the country surrender.
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Though the stolen assets have not been conclusively attributed to the group, Elliptic said the funds were sent to cryptographic addresses the hackers likely cannot control — suggesting the money was intentionally destroyed as a symbolic act rather than stolen for profit.
Elliptic’s research linked the exchange to the IRGC, a powerful branch of the military designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and Canada.
Past investigations have connected the platform to sanctioned IRGC-linked ransomware operatives and individuals close to Khamenei.
Blockchain data also shows activity between the Nobitex exchange and wallets associated with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Houthis.
Elliptic said it’s continuing to monitor virtual asset flows tied to Iranian entities and has updated its compliance tools to reflect emerging threats in the region’s crypto ecosystem.
Rolls of steel are seen before the US president speaks during a rally at US Steel – Irvin Works in the Pittsburgh suburb of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, on May 30, 2025.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
U.S. Steel shares stopped trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday after Japan’s Nippon Steel completed its acquisition of the iconic American industrial name.
President Donald Trump has insisted for weeks that the companies would form a “partnership” in which U.S. Steel would remain American owned.
But the New York Stock Exchange notified the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday that U.S. Steel’s shares would be removed from listing, after the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Steel North America.
U.S. Steel shares stopped trading at 8:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday after Nippon completed its acquisition, according to a notice from the NYSE. The delisting will be effective on June 30, NYSE said.
Trump opposed Nippon’s bid to acquire U.S. Steel in the runup to the 2024 presidential, but he changed his mind after he took office. Trump ordered a new review of the deal in April after former President Joe Biden had blocked Nippon’s acquisition in January, citing national security concerns.
Trump announced a “partnership” between U.S. and Nippon in a May 23 post on his social media platform Truth Social, causing confusion among investors and union members about whether the structure of the original deal had changed somehow.
U.S. Steel and Nippon started adopting the president’s “partnership” language, though they never backed off from the terms of the original December 2023 merger agreement in their filings with SEC. U.S. Steel will continue to operate under its name though it will be subsidiary of Nippon.
Golden share
Trump did compel U.S. Steel and Nippon to sign a national security agreement with the U.S. government as condition for him clearing the deal.
The U.S. president will wield a “golden share” under the terms of the agreement. U.S. Steel said Wednesday that the golden share gives the president veto power over the following decisions:
Changing U.S. Steel’s name or moving its headquarters from Pittsburgh
Moving U.S. Steel outside the U.S.
Moving production or jobs outside the U.S.
Some decisions regarding the closure or idling of U.S. Steel’s domestic manufacturing facilities, trade, labor, and sourcing outside the U.S.
Reductions in capital investments under the national security agreement.
Material acquisitions of competing businesses in the U.S.
A majority of U.S. Steel’s board members and its CEO will be U.S. citizens, according to the terms of the national security agreement. Nippon also agreed that U.S. Steel will remain incorporated in the U.S.
Nippon will invest $11 billion in U.S. Steel by 2028, including $1 billion in initial spending on a greenfield project that will be completed after 2028, according to the agreement.