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USA: Vucic lies about sanctions against Serbia’s oil industry

“There are no reports of the introduction of sanctions against “Petroleum Industry Serbia” (PIS). The final decision on this matter will not affect the Serbian economy.”
This was stated by US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill in an interview with RTS, reports BGNES.
“I can tell you that ever since the Russians bought NIS, there have been a lot of concerns about it because it’s the only refinery in Serbia and because it’s majority owned by the Russians, it’s worried a lot of people for years. This concern is even greater due to the fact that Russia continues to wage a barbaric war against Ukraine,” Hill said.
He added that there are concerns about whether the NIS in Russia’s hands could be helping fund the war and that these are legitimate questions that need to be carefully considered.
Russian gas monopoly Gazprom owns 56.15 percent of NIS, while 29.87 percent is owned by the Serbian state.
“We will see what the outcome will be. I want to assure you that the final decision will not affect the Serbian economy in any way. We are very interested in Serbia continuing to have a very successful economy, and to maintain the good growth rate that has been achieved,” Hill stated.
BGNES recalls that on 16 December, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he would start talks with Russians and Americans in connection with the alleged imposition of sanctions on the “Petroleum Industry Serbia” (NIS).
He announced this after a meeting with representatives of the Bulgarian Security and Information Agency (BIA), where the introduction of sanctions against the Serbian company was discussed.
The US ambassador appreciated that the relations between Belgrade and Washington are good and a good platform for further development has been created.
“I think it’s very important to understand how we can move forward in the field of energy, which is a key issue in Serbia because the energy needs of this country are going to grow. And I think we are increasing the capacity to discuss strategic issues , not just bilateral,” Hill said.
He added that there are many topics to discuss, one of which is peace in Europe and the fact that Serbia has links all over the world.
Hill noted that it is a fact that Serbia and the US have different views on Kosovo, but they should not let that fact get in the way on other issues.
“We have to agree to disagree on some things. I think one of the most important things we can do is to continue economic cooperation. You are already a leading country in terms of investment in technology. We employ a lot of young Serbs and Serbia is our leading partner in terms of trade in the region and that’s very important, but the relationship can’t just be based on economics, it also has to be based on political understanding and seeing what we can do together,” Hill said. | BGNES

Billings schools benefit from donations, tech aids student learning

Last year, $114,000 from those donations upgraded Billings schools’ tech.

BILLINGS, Mont. – Billings Public Schools received a significant boost last year through the Innovative Educational Tax Credit, which brought in $114,000. This funding was used to purchase updated electronic devices for students at local schools.The Washington Innovation Center– Billings Opportunity School and Billings Early College School acquired laptops, iPads, and desktop computers. This new technology is enhancing the way students learn and engage with their education.Bradley Brackney, a junior at Billings Opportunity School, shared how the school has positively impacted him. “Coming to the opportunity school has helped me, definitely made me see a lot more, be able to see that well there is still hope and graduating and that you can really just do anything if you have the help and you have the time,” he said.Brackney also manages the WIC Spotlight Team and explained how the new technology is used for producing weekly Monday morning announcements. “Windows computers that we can use notepad on so we can learn how to code on a different software compared to some other ones cause all softwares are different. We have like the iPad so you can learn um how to do like graphic design, edit photo editing and then we have like like a green screen that we use for our videos on Mondays,” he said.Logan Ekis, a member of the Washington Innovation Robotics Club, emphasized the impacts the technology has on their club, giving them a better idea on what their future could look like. Students can spend days, weeks and even months working on these projects. “I’m gonna be going to either the military or trade school for diesel mechanics or go to the army,” Ekis said.The Montana Department of Revenue will open their donation portal on January 15, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. The state capped the tax credits at $5 million last year, which was claimed within 48 hours. This year, the cap is set at $6 million, and the same urgency is anticipated.Community members interested in supporting local schools are encouraged to donate as soon as possible to take advantage of the tax credit.

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New Port Washington Police District headquarters set to begin construction in fall

The current Port Washington Police District headquarters, located on Port Washington Boulevard. Port Washington Police District
The Port Washington Police District announced they believe it is on pace to begin construction on its new headquarters by next fall.“We’re eager to start getting shovels in the ground, but there is still a tremendous amount of work to do before we can get to that point,” said Port Washington Police District Chairwoman Angela Lawlor-Mullins. “All of the design and back-end work is expected to take several more months, but we are on schedule to officially begin construction by the fall of 2025,”The construction process will be overseen by VRD Contracting, a firm that has provided construction services for Capital One, Northwell Health, KFC, Foot Locker and Rite Aid, among others according to their website.The Port Washington Police District’s bond request for its new headquarters was approved by the Town of North Hempstead board in July.The approved bond, amounting to $32 million, will fund the construction of a 25,000-square-foot facility.The 30-year bond is projected to cost homeowners an average of $150.71 annually, based on the average assessed home price in Port Washington of $852,000. However, the actual cost per household will vary depending on their home’s assessed value according to the district.

The Port Washington Police District hosted two community forums and a separate forum to discuss the bond details, providing residents with a platform to voice their concerns and questions.
The current Port Washington Police District headquarters, originally built in 1958 to accommodate 35 officers and staff, has undergtone several renovations and expansions over the years. A third-party study completed in the 1990s determined that a new facility was needed.The district argued that its workforce of 80, including uniformed officers and support staff, are crammed into spaces designed for less than half as many individuals.It also said that the original headquarters was not designed to anticipate the technology and electrical needs of a modem facility nor was it designed to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In 2023, the Port Washington Police District announced it had purchased the former Knowles Funeral Home, at 128 Main Street, to build its new headquarters. The district said that aside from providing adequate spaces for officers and staff, the new facility will also feature a much-needed multi-purpose room; it said it plan to use it to host meetings, training, and community meetings for small­ to mid-sized gatherings.Parking and vehicle storage has been a perennial issue with the existing facility, according to the Port Washington Police District; it said the new facility will boast ample space for headquarters parking as well as the storage of district vehicles and equipment.

China has banned US exports of key minerals for computer chips – leaving Washington with limited options

China recently banned the export of the minerals gallium and germanium to the US amid growing tensions between the two countries on trade.

The minerals are of critical economic value because they are used in computer chips, in military technology such as night vision goggles, and in the renewable energy industry, where they are important for manufacturing electric vehicles and solar cells. All of these areas are very sensitive sectors for the US and EU.

China has overwhelming market power over supply, because it is the source of 98% of primary gallium and 91% of primary germanium. Primary refers to “raw” sources such as mineral ore. In several sectors where the minerals are used, there are no substitutes for them.

Gallium and germanium are present in very low concentration as byproducts of major minerals – they’re known as trace minerals. Germanium’s primary source is the residue from zinc refineries and coal fly ash (a powdered residue produced when coal is burnt in power plants).

Gallium is mainly produced as a byproduct of bauxite ore (which is the main source for aluminium) as well as the processing stage to extract aluminium from bauxite.

The Chinese ban on exports of these minerals to the US closely followed Washington’s third crackdown in three years on China’s semiconductor (computer chip) industry. The US wants to curb exports of advanced chips to China that could be used in applications that threaten America’s security.

Gallium melts at slightly above room temperature.
E-Rik / Shutterstock

For example, advanced chips could be used in electronic warfare applications that make use of artificial intelligence (AI), or in advanced weapons systems such as hypersonic missiles. China said its ban on gallium and germanium was because of the minerals’ “dual military and civilian uses”.

According to a report in Reuters in 2023, the US Department of Defense holds a strategic stockpile of germanium, but no reserves of gallium. In October 2024, the US Geological Survey (USGS) estimated that a total ban on the export of gallium and germanium could result in a US$3.4 billion loss to US GDP.

The minerals’ uses extend far beyond national security applications. Gallium is used in solid-state lighting devices, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Germanium is used in optical fibres and as a catalyst to speed up the reactions used in manufacturing polyster and PLA (a bioplastic). The minerals are vital for making the electronic devices we depend on every day, such as smartphones, displays and laptops.

Germanium is used in optical fibres, among many other applications.
Asharkyu / Shutterstock

So what can the US do to circumvent the effects of the ban, given China’s near monopoly on the primary production of these critical minerals?

One route is for the US to re-start and expand domestic mining of these minerals. Indeed, the Pentagon has already indicated that this is being explored.

As previously mentioned, gallium is mainly recovered as a byproduct of processing aluminium or zinc ores. The USGS says that some US zinc deposits contain up to 50 parts per million of gallium, but the mineral is not currently recovered from these deposits.

Washington is concerned about the export of advanced computer chips to China, which could be used in weapons such as hypersonic missiles.
US Army

Historically, reported production of germanium in the US has been limited to one site, the Apex mine in Washington County, Utah. The Apex mine produced both gallium and germanium as primary products during the mid-1980s, but it has since closed.

Another option for the US is to diversify the primary production of these minerals by investing in zinc, coal, and bauxite refineries in other, friendly countries since, for instance, only 3-5% of germanium is recovered from the refining process of zinc and coal. Canada’s Teck Resources is the biggest supplier of germanium in North America, extracting the mineral from its Trail smelter in British Columbia.

An alternative would be to step up extraction from so-called secondary sources, which primarily means recycling old electronic devices and other hardware that has reached the end of its useful life. There are no official statistics on secondary supply, but some reports estimate that no more than 10% of the total gallium supply comes from secondary sources. This share reaches 30% in the case of germanium.

However, there are important barriers to increasing the secondary production of these minerals. The process for recovery through recycling is very complex since, in hardware such as computer chips, the minerals are usually combined with other materials. This makes isolating the minerals difficult.

Consequently, the Chinese ban represents a major supply chain disruption for these minerals. The lower primary supply cannot be offset by secondary supply (recycling) in the short term, since the recovery yield is still low and its cost is not competitive.

In the long term, technological advances in this recovery process for both minerals could reduce its cost and increase the supply, thus reducing the dependence on Chinese mineral ores.