Underwater footage shows huge hole in Nord Stream pipeline

The extent of the damage explosions caused to the Nord Stream 1 pipeline last month has been revealed by submersible drone footage.

The Baltic Sea blasts caused four leaks to the line, which carries gas from Russia to Europe. The video taken by Norwegian company Blueye Robotics showed the carnage, with both a huge tear and mangled metal clearly visible.

In total, 50 metres of pipe have been destroyed, some of it completely missing or the rest buried under the sea bed.

"It is only an extreme force that can bend metal that thick in the way we are seeing," Trond Larsen, a Blueye Robotics drone operator with the Norwegian company told Danish newspaper Expressen.

He said the explosions had made "a very large impact on the seabed around the pipe".

Although the decimated section of pipe is in international waters, two of the explosions fell in the Sweden economic zone and two in the Danish one.

Danish power and gas grid operator Energinet has expedited inspections of its own pipelines in light of the damage caused to Nord Stream 1 and 2, but on Tuesday said it has found no irregularities to date.

"Energinet has advanced routine inspections of Danish pipelines," head of gas transmission Peter Hodahl told Reuters.

The transmission system operator is also constantly monitoring pressure in the pipes to detect any errors, he added.

The review of all Danish pipelines, which is carried out by specialist vessels, is expected to be completed this week, with results known by the start of November.

"We have not observed anything abnormal at this stage," said a spokesperson.

Denmark is not alone in attempting to shore up its energy infrastructure. From Norwegian energy installations to German power lines, European states have raced to protect theirs after blaming the Nord Stream leaks on sabotage.

Dwindling flows of gas from Russia, which once supplied 40 per cent of Europe's needs, have left the EU struggling to unite over how to respond to surging prices that have deepened a cost-of-living crisis for families and businesses.

The European Commission was expected to propose on Tuesday that the EU design a "last resort measure" for a temporary "maximum dynamic price" on gas trades at the Title Transfer Facility Dutch gas hub, which serves as a benchmark price for European gas trading.

Other EU gas trading hubs would be linked to this price through a "dynamic price corridor", according to a draft document, which could change before publication. The measure would not launch immediately but would require a separate EU proposal and approval from EU countries to go ahead.

The EU package is unlikely to placate all 27 EU countries, whose leaders will discuss the proposals at a summit on October 20 to 21. Most EU countries have urged the Commission to propose a gas price cap, but disagree on its design.

Germany, the EU's economic powerhouse, and other wealthier states have opposed gas price caps, which they say could hamper gas purchases and discourage energy savings.

The draft document also said EU energy regulators would be charged with developing a new LNG price benchmark by the end of March, while Brussels would launch a "tool" for EU countries to start jointly buying gas.

LNG imports by ship to Europe have surged as governments have raced to find alternative gas supplies around the world, seeking to wean themselves off Russian deliveries.

Sheikh Zayed's poem

When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.

Your love is ruling over my heart

Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it

Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home

You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness

Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins

You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge

You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm

Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you

You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it

Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.

Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:

1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition

Expert input

If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?

“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett

“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche

“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox

“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite

“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy

“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra

On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

French Touch

Carla Bruni

(Verve)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

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The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make

When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.

“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.

This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).