A new natural gas discovery off Cyprus’ southern coast that is estimated to contain around 2.5 trillion cubic feet of the hydrocarbon bolsters Europe’s efforts to secure alternative energy sources, the Cypriot energy ministry said Monday, as a supply crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to trouble the continent.

The ministry said in a statement that the discovery by partners Eni of Italy and France’s Total was made at the Cronos-1 well 160 kilometers (100 miles) off the coast in 2,287 meters (7,500 feet) of water inside Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone and is the second deposit that the Eni-Total consortium has discovered there.

The consortium hasn’t provided any estimates regarding how much natural gas is contained in the initial “Calypso” field found in 2018. But Eni said in a statement Monday that the Cronos-1 discovery “can unlock additional potential in the area” and is part of the company’s “successful effort to provide further gas supply to Europe.”

The Cronos discovery brings the number of deposits found off Cyprus to four — two by Eni-Total, one by ExxonMobil and partners Qatar Petroleum estimated to hold 5-8 trillion cubic feet of gas and another by Chevron and partners Shell and Israeli NewMed Energy that contains up to 4.4 trillion cubic feet.

The Energy Ministry said the Eni-Total consortium’s drill ship Tungsten Explorer has now relocated to a new well target to “assess the quantities of gas with greater precision.”

The Cypriot government has said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine provided an additional impetus to the search for alternative fuel sources, especially after the European Union confirmed that natural gas could act as a bridge fuel until 2050 as part of the bloc’s transition to cleaner energy.

Energy Minister Natasa Pilides said the EU’s drive to wean itself off Russian gas further entrenches Cyprus’ inclusion into the 27-member bloc’s energy planning.

Dutch lawmakers broke into their summer vacations Tuesday to debate the government’s contentious plans to slash nitrogen emissions that have sparked angry protests by farmers.

The debate was called after Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said in a newspaper interview that the goal of reducing emissions by 50% by 2030 was not set in stone. Hoekstra’s Christian Democrats party, which traditionally wins votes among farmers and in rural communities, has been losing support in polls since the government published its nitrogen targets.

Hoekstra’s comments caused friction in Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s four-party ruling Cabinet and led to lawmakers backing a call for a debate that will be the first major test of unity since the coalition took office in January after the country’s longest ever government formation negotiations.

Lawmaker Geert Wilders, whose Party for Freedom is the largest opposition group in parliament and who called for the debate, also used it to criticize the government for not doing enough to tackle a cost-of-living crisis that is hitting the Netherlands and many other European nations amid soaring energy costs and inflation.

“This Cabinet is totally detached from reality,” Wilders said as the debate began. He said he would file a motion of no confidence in the government later in the debate.

The leader of the centrist D66 party, Sigrid Kaag, did not attend the debate because she was ill. Her party has pushed hard for the emission reduction targets.

The government says emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia, which livestock produce, must be drastically reduced close to nature areas that are part of a network of protected habitats for endangered plants and wildlife stretching across the 27-nation European Union.

Rutte’s administration has given local authorities a year to draw up plans for how to achieve the reductions.

Farmers argue that will force many of them out of business and destroy rural communities reliant on agriculture. To protest the measures, they have dumped manure and garbage, including asbestos, on highways over the summer and blockaded supermarket distribution centers to halt the flow of food to stores.

About 3,000 workers at Ford Motor Company will lose their jobs as the company cuts costs to help make the long transition from internal combustion vehicles to those powered by batteries.

Leaders of the Dearborn, Michigan, automaker made the announcement Monday in a companywide email, saying that 2,000 full-time salaried workers would be let go along with another 1,000 contract workers.

The cuts represent about 6% of the 31,000 full-time salaried work force in the U.S. and Canada. Ford’s 56,000 union factory workers are not affected. Some workers also will lose jobs in India.

The job losses come at a time of unprecedented change in the auto industry that for more than 100 years has made a living by selling petroleum-powered vehicles. Governments across the globe are pushing to eliminate combustion automobiles to mitigate the impact of climate change. Companies like Ford are orchestrating the wind-down of their combustion businesses over multiple years, even though they are still generating the cash to fund electric vehicle development.

The National Ginger Association of Nigeria (NGAN) has decried rejection of the product in the international market, despite the country’s ginger being one of the best in the world.

Specifically, Gagarin Madaki, disclosed this at his inauguration ceremony as new president of the association in Kaduna. Madaki said the situation was partly due to poor post-harvest handling of the commodity by Nigerian farmers.

Also, the association president observed that ginger should be sold per kilogram and not per bag to generate more income for farmers and the country. “The farmer is cheated; the buyer is cheated. The sharp practice has to stop,” he added.

Madaki pointed out the need to adopt a new strategy to ensure Nigeria’s comparative advantage in ginger production receives a boost by way of producing and exporting quality produce, leveraging on the international best practices.

Furthermore, the NGAN president stressed the issues of poor post-harvesting handling, use of inorganic chemicals, among others as limiting the revenue generating potential of ginger in the international market, adding that it was also imperative to improve farmers’ productivity.

Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has said relevant authorities are working towards addressing issues concerning revenue of foreign airlines that have been trapped in Nigeria, put at over $600 million.

Speaking during a facility tour at the new international terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, yesterday, the minister said: “On the trapped funds, I can tell you that the relevant authorities are working hard on that issue.”

Emirates Airlines last week announced that it would stop all scheduled operations to Nigeria from September 1, 2022, if no action was taken by government to address airline’s revenues which it had been unable to repatriate, that have risen to about $95 million.

There are also indications that other foreign airlines might review their operations to Nigeria over their inability to repatriate their earnings from the country.

On delayed commencement of flight operations at the new Lagos terminal, the minister said there was need to first test-run the facility and be extremely certain that the equipment was working optimally before the terminal would be put to use.

The minister said the Chinese loan used to facilitate the building of the new terminal would be paid back, adding that the major challenge in Nigeria was that its tax to GDP ratio was so low because most Nigerians don’t pay tax.

He, however, appealed to Nigerians to help government by paying their taxes, so that there would be reduction in the deficit the country was experiencing.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Parliament Committees on Agriculture, environment and natural resources, Infrastructure, Energy and Mines Industry and private sector will on Tuesday converge in Guinea Bissau to discuss the issue of climate change, especially as it affects food security.

In a statement by the Communication Division of the Parliament, the delocalised meeting will hold from 23 to 27 August 2022 in Bissau, the capital of the Guinea Bissau.

The statement also states that the delocalised meeting with the theme: “A Critical look at the ECOWAS Environment Policy and Climate Strategy; together with the Biennial Review of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Security by Member Countries,” will scrutinize impact of ECOWAS Environmental Policy on agricultural production.

According to the statement, “Four of Parliament’s fourteen standing Committees, comprising the following: Committees on Agriculture, environment and natural resources, Infrastructure, Energy and Mines Industry and private sector were constituted as a Joint Committee and charged with executing this very important oversight activity on the outlined community policy.

The statement added that West Africa is faced with varied environmental challenges which hamper its social and economic development.

These environmental issues, the Parliament noted are exacerbated by the climate change phenomenon, the effects and impacts of which are considerable on agricultural production.

In addition, the statement concluded that the organized civil society with focus on the subject matter and environmental and agricultural experts, specialists or consultants will also make presentations to the Joint Committee so that it is equipped with all-round perspectives on the subject.