The European Union struck a deal on Tuesday to slash its energy consumption this winter as Russia holds back supplies in what Ukraine called an “overt gas war”.
EU members agreed a 15 per cent target to reduce their gas use between August and March, although the package was watered down to include opt-outs for some countries.
The aim of the cuts, which are initially voluntary, is to save energy so that storage tanks can be filled up, energy rationing is avoided, and Russia is prevented from blackmailing its neighbours during the stand-off over Ukraine.
Russian exporter Gazprom raised the stakes on Monday by saying it would cut supplies through its main pipeline to Germany, Nord Stream 1, to 20 per cent of capacity, and there are fears that Moscow will turn off the tap altogether.
“Today, the EU has taken a decisive step to face down the threat of a full gas disruption by Putin,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who had proposed the gas cuts last week and described Russia's policies as “energy blackmail”.
“The announcement by Gazprom that it is further cutting gas deliveries to Europe through Nord Stream 1, for no justifiable technical reason, further illustrates the unreliable nature of Russia as an energy supplier,” she said.
The compromise deal was struck between the EU's 27 energy ministers in Brussels, after what one official described euphemistically as “interesting discussions” among member states.
The initial proposal was amended so that Ms von der Leyen's Commission cannot declare a “union alert” unilaterally, but must be invited to do so by five countries and then put the idea to member states.
The alert would be the trigger for gas cuts to become mandatory, but some member states with limited links to Europe's power grid — which include islands such as Ireland and relatively remote nations such as Spain — would be exempt.
Those nations successfully argued that their position outside the gas grid meant there was no point forcing them to save energy if it would not really increase Europe's supplies.
“In each case, it’s based on a reality — in our case, a physical reality, we’re not connected to the European gas grid,” said Irish minister Eamon Ryan. “That doesn’t stop the basic desire of all of us to reduce our use.”
Another compromise is that countries can request an opt-out from the 15 per cent target in certain cases, for example if they overshoot their gas storage targets or they badly need gas for electricity.
The 15 per cent figure was calculated because the EU would be short by roughly that much if Russia switched off supplies from now until winter, according to modelling by officials.
Recommended savings include switching to cleaner fuels in industry, cutting back on heating and air conditioning, bringing in incentives for companies to save power, and raising awareness among citizens of the need to use less energy.
Hungary was the only country to vote against the package, which unlike some of the EU's sanctions policies did not need unanimity to pass.
The fact that wealthy Germany is among the most in need of solidarity has sparked ironic comparisons to the 2010s eurozone crisis, when Berlin was seen as showing little sympathy for indebted countries such as Greece and Ireland.
But those nations declined to stick the boot in now that Germany has been caught cold by its past reliance on Russian gas.
“We have to look forward, more than anything else [at] how we get through this winter. And that makes the case for solidarity no matter what happened in the past,” Mr Ryan said.
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, representing Germany, said any economic strife in Europe's biggest economy would also affect neighbours such as Poland and France.
He accepted that Berlin had miscalculated by becoming so reliant on Russian gas, but said: “It is not only a German problem, but it is a Central and Eastern European problem”.
Like the Commission, Mr Habeck's ministry said it saw no technical reason why Gazprom should cut supplies through Nord Stream, rejecting the state-owned company's explanation about problems with a compressor station.
The reduction calls into question whether EU countries such as Germany can hit the target of filling up their storage tanks to 80 per cent before winter.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was waging an “overt gas war” aimed at breaking European unity over the invasion.
“All this is done by Russia deliberately to make it as difficult as possible for Europeans to prepare for winter,” he said.
European countries are meanwhile trying to end their reliance on Russian gas by buying from alternative suppliers, increasing interconnections and increasing their renewable energy use.
There are gas agreements in place with the US, Canada, Norway, Egypt and Israel, and officials are looking into options to increase imports from Nigeria.
The bloc will overcome “this winter, and then, next winter,” said Luxembourg's delegate Claude Turmes. “And then anyway, it's bye, bye, Russian gas”.
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
CHINESE GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID
1st row
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)
4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
Sergio Perez (Force India)
5th row
Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)
6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
9th row
Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
Lance Stroll (Williams)
10th row
Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
arcus Ericsson (Sauber)
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
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The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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
Six things you need to know about UAE Women’s Special Olympics football team
Several girls started playing football at age four
They describe sport as their passion
The girls don’t dwell on their condition
They just say they may need to work a little harder than others
When not in training, they play football with their brothers and sisters
The girls want to inspire others to join the UAE Special Olympics teams
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
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Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
more from Janine di Giovanni
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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SPECS
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
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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
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The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
THE BIO
Ms Al Ameri likes the variety of her job, and the daily environmental challenges she is presented with.
Regular contact with wildlife is the most appealing part of her role at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
She loves to explore new destinations and lives by her motto of being a voice in the world, and not an echo.
She is the youngest of three children, and has a brother and sister.
Her favourite book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville helped inspire her towards a career exploring the natural world.
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
