Russia's biggest gas pipeline to Europe went back into service on Thursday after an anxious 10-day wait for repairs, calming at least for now the fear that Moscow will switch it off for good.
Gas started flowing again through the 1,224-kilometre Nord Stream 1 pipeline and was expected to return to about 40 per cent capacity, the same level as before the repairs.
But “the political uncertainty and the 60 per cent reduction from mid-June unfortunately remain in place", said Klaus Mueller, the head of Germany's power grid regulator.
The euro edged up as currency traders reacted to the restart with relief, following warnings by Germany and the EU that the pipeline might never come back online. European gas prices fell by 2.9 per cent.
The EU has accused Russia, its main energy provider, of blackmailing countries that have imposed sanctions on Moscow because of the war in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin added to Europe's concerns by saying on Wednesday that flows could be reduced further or stopped because the quality of serviced equipment could not be assured.
The mid-June reduction in Nord Stream deliveries was blamed by Russian exporter Gazprom on technical problems but considered by the German government to be a pretext to squeeze supplies.
Gazprom said on Wednesday that a gas turbine needed for the pipeline's “operational safety” was still missing amid a tug-of-war between Russia, Ukraine and Canada, where it was being serviced.
Canada irked Ukraine by saying it would grant an exemption from sanctions to permit the turbine's return, but Nord Stream said it had not received relevant documents from German manufacturer Siemens.
The German government said it viewed Gazprom's turbine story as an excuse because the component was not apparently needed until September. Gazprom is the majority owner of Nord Stream and in turn is majority-owned by the Russian state.
In the fallout from the war in Ukraine, Russia cut off gas supplies to some European countries, including Finland, Poland and Bulgaria, after they refused to pay in roubles.
Germany receives most of its Russian gas through Nord Stream and some of it is exported onward to other countries such as Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
Modelling by Mr Mueller's agency suggested that those exports may have to stop in the event that Nord Stream was switched off.
Germany's gas tanks are about 65 per cent full, with the EU setting a target of 80 per cent before winter. The country gets gas from Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium too, but the Nord Stream closure had knocked back its supplies.
A parallel pipeline, Nord Stream 2, was completed last year but never went online after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz suspended the project in February.
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
RESULTS
Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)
The years Ramadan fell in May
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
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NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
Can NRIs vote in the election?
Indians residing overseas cannot cast their ballot abroad
Non-resident Indians or NRIs can vote only by going to a polling booth in their home constituency
There are about 3.1 million NRIs living overseas
Indians have urged political parties to extend the right to vote to citizens residing overseas
A committee of the Election Commission of India approved of proxy voting for non-resident Indians
Proxy voting means that a person can authorise someone residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his behalf.
This option is currently available for the armed forces, police and government officials posted outside India
A bill was passed in the lower house of India’s parliament or the Lok Sabha to extend proxy voting to non-resident Indians
However, this did not come before the upper house or Rajya Sabha and has lapsed
The issue of NRI voting draws a huge amount of interest in India and overseas
Over the past few months, Indians have received messages on mobile phones and on social media claiming that NRIs can cast their votes online
The Election Commission of India then clarified that NRIs could not vote online
The Election Commission lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police asking it to clamp down on the people spreading misinformation
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.