Russia’s main gas pipeline to Germany went offline for planned maintenance on Monday, beginning an anxious 10-day wait to see whether Moscow will switch it back on.
Nord Stream 1’s operators said it needs routine servicing but there are fears that Russia will use the opportunity to shut down the pipeline for good because of its standoff with western powers over Ukraine.
A complete shutdown once maintenance ends on July 21 would add to Germany’s energy concerns after it declared a gas emergency last month and called on people to save power now so that their lights will stay on in winter.
It would also cause problems for other European countries after modelling by German regulators said the country would have to curb its onward exports, to countries such as Austria and the Czech Republic, if Nord Stream remains at a standstill.
“Let’s prepare ourselves for a total cut-off of Russian gas, today it’s the most likely scenario,” said French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, who insisted the government was doing everything possible to prevent energy shortages.
Although France’s many nuclear power stations partly protect its electricity grid against Russian actions, many of them are currently down for maintenance and the country is looking to import more gas from elsewhere.
Germany is hurriedly building liquid gas terminals on its northern coast so it can start importing from outside Russia this winter, but gas tanks are meant to be 80 per cent full by November under new European Union guidelines.
If Nord Stream stops and Germany does not limit exports, even a 20 per cent reduction in gas consumption for the rest of the year would leave the country short of energy, the modelling by regulators said.
Timon Grimmels, an MP from Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party, said Russia could increase gas supplies through another east-west pipeline, Yamal, if it wanted to make up for the Nord Stream stoppage.
“The fact this isn’t happening is further evidence for the fact that Putin is using gas as a weapon in an economic war,” he said.
State-owned Russian exporter Gazprom has already reduced delivery through Nord Stream 1, a 1,224-kilometre pipeline under the Baltic Sea, for what it claimed were technical reasons linked to compressor units.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck last month described this as a pretext to limit supplies and drive up already alarmingly high energy prices.
Nord Stream 2, a parallel pipeline which was completed last year, never went online after Mr Scholz suspended the project in February.
Some European countries have had their supplies cut off for refusing to pay in roubles, a demand made by the Kremlin in March. Western powers see this as a breach of contract and an attempt by Russia to circumvent sanctions.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs
UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv
Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Day 1 fixtures (Saturday)
Men 1.45pm, Malaysia v Australia (Court 1); Singapore v India (Court 2); UAE v New Zealand (Court 3); South Africa v Sri Lanka (Court 4)
Women Noon, New Zealand v South Africa (Court 3); England v UAE (Court 4); 5.15pm, Australia v UAE (Court 3); England v New Zealand (Court 4)
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
