Germany has pushed the European Union a step closer to an embargo on Russian oil by saying it would no longer block such a measure despite reservations over whether it would succeed in weakening the Kremlin.
Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck said Germany's moves to replace Russian oil since the invasion of Ukraine meant it could now withstand an embargo without the economic disaster it had feared when it initially opposed such a move.
Germany had been one of the main sceptics of an immediate oil embargo championed by countries such as Poland, who say Europe is effectively financing Russia's onslaught on Ukraine by paying for its fossil fuel shipments.
Any import ban would require unanimity from the EU's 27 members. Hungary has also spoken out against an embargo but has left the door open to allowing an oil ban to pass if there are sufficient alternatives to Russian imports.
Mr Habeck, who is responsible for energy policy, would normally represent Germany at a special EU energy summit on Monday, but a spokeswoman said his appointments had been cancelled after he tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday.
He told ZDF television late on Thursday that Germany “is not standing in the way of an embargo” and could live with the likely economic fallout if it is passed.
But he said he would have questions about “how cleverly it is imposed”, to prevent prices spiking so much that Russia actually collects more money for less oil.
He sketched out a scenario in which such an embargo backfires by throwing poorer nations into crisis because of high prices, pushing them into the arms of Russian President Vladimir Putin if he offers cheap fuel in exchange for political support.
“There are other possibilities” apart from an import ban, said Mr Habeck, without elaborating. Oil prices rose on his comments.
Russia's move this week to cut off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria highlighted the hold that the Kremlin has over the power grids of its neighbours and prompted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to say that the “era of Russian fossil fuels in Europe will come to an end".
Gas supplier Gazprom said it had cut off the two countries because they refused to pay in roubles, a demand rejected by Ukraine's allies as a breach of contract but which has put other countries on alert for potential interruptions.
There was confusion over whether Russia's request for money to be converted into roubles at a Gazprombank account constituted a violation of EU sanctions, a point expected to be discussed at Monday's energy meeting.
EU diplomats agreed to a ban on Russian coal in a fifth round of sanctions signed off this month. But a sixth package, potentially including oil, has yet to be formally proposed after three weeks of discussions.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff said last week that the country would examine whether any EU proposals offered an alternative to Russian oil and that there were more options to replace it than there were for gas.
Ukraine wants its allies to complete the set by banning Russian gas as well, but Germany says it will take until 2024 to be independent of it, Austria says it will need until 2027 and Hungary has described debate on the issue as pointless.
Germany's belief that it can live without Russian oil comes after a two-month scramble for alternatives which Mr Habeck said had reduced its dependence on Moscow from 35 per cent to 12 per cent.
The main remaining obstacle is a refinery in eastern Germany owned by Russian energy company Rosneft, which Mr Habeck said had no interest in co-operating on an oil embargo.
Replacing Russian gas will take longer because Germany currently has no import terminals to handle liquefied gas that is shipped from further afield. But Olaf Lies, a regional environment minister, said on Thursday that construction work on an LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven would begin next week.
In the meantime, Germany's grid regulator said in a daily update that gas stocks were in a relatively healthy position and that Russian gas was continuing to flow through the Nord Stream 1 and Megal pipelines.
Gas stores were about 33.6 per cent full, the agency said, better than at this time last year. The European Commission has proposed mandatory minimum storage levels to prevent the bloc running out of gas.
Try out the test yourself
Q1 Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 per cent per year. After five years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?
a) More than $102
b) Exactly $102
c) Less than $102
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q2 Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 per cent per year and inflation was 2 per cent per year. After one year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account?
a) More than today
b) Exactly the same as today
c) Less than today
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q4 Do you think that the following statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”
a) True
b) False
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
The “Big Three” financial literacy questions were created by Professors Annamaria Lusardi of the George Washington School of Business and Olivia Mitchell, of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Answers: Q1 More than $102 (compound interest). Q2 Less than today (inflation). Q3 False (diversification).
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
INVESTMENT PLEDGES
Cartlow: $13.4m
Rabbitmart: $14m
Smileneo: $5.8m
Soum: $4m
imVentures: $100m
Plug and Play: $25m
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The%20specs
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DUNE%3A%20PART%20TWO
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S24%20ULTRA
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The%20specs
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
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Top financial tips for graduates
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
Without Remorse
Directed by: Stefano Sollima
Starring: Michael B Jordan
4/5
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour