Posts Tagged ‘Europe’
Euro appears too strong a competition for dollar. Needs to be fragmented, nations and people impoverished.
German authorities are investigating reports that the blueprints for the future headquarters of its spy agency BND have gone missing, according to the BBC.
The plans reportedly include extremely detailed instructions into the workings of the security systems, cable routes, and sewers. They were thought to have been kept on a USB stick.
In a sharp turnaround, the European Union blasted Russia and Ukraine, saying the sudden cutoff to some of its member countries was “completely unacceptable.” Just a day ago, the EU was trying to downplay any problems from the gas dispute.
Russian gas shipments via Ukraine to Hungary halted, Hungarian government said it would ask some power plants to switch to alternative fuel by Wednesday 1-7-9.
Energy dispute sharply escalated Tuesday 1-6-9, when six countries on the other end of the pipeline network running from Russia through Ukraine reported a complete shutoff.
Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Croatia and Turkey all reported a halt in gas shipments.
Bulgaria said it had enough gas for only “for a few days.”
Bulgaria’s President Georgi Parvanov said the country could start immediate preparations to relaunch Unit 3 of its Kozlodui nuclear power plant. The aging two 440-megawatt reactors were shut down two years ago.
Two cities in eastern Bulgaria, Varna and Dobrich, were left with no natural gas supplies on Tuesday 1-6-9. In Varna, on the Black Sea coast, the shortage left 12,000 households without central heating amid freezing temperatures.
Austria lost 90 percent of its normal Russian gas supplies on Tuesday1-6-9, about half its total supply. It said it had three months’ gas reserves but called an emergency meeting at its Economy Ministry
The Czech Republic and Hungary also reported significant supply drops. The Czech gas company RWE Transgas said it expects only 25 percent of its normal supplies Tuesday from Russia, while Hungary predicted its cut would be greater than the 20 percent it saw on Monday
Poland was considering limits on deliveries to heavy industry.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,476565,00.html
Speaking in Berlin, Alexander Medvedev, deputy chief executive of Russian energy giant OAO Gazprom, blamed Ukrainian state gas company Naftogaz Ukrainy for the shut-off. He told reporters Naftogaz had suddenly shut down the last of four transit pipelines.
A prolonged shut-off in such cold weather risked serious damage to the pipeline network, he added.
Naftogaz said Gazprom had suddenly stopped pumping transit gas via Ukraine on Wednesday morning. “It was the Russian side’s decision to stop all gas deliveries to Europe” Naftogaz head Oleh Dubina told reporters. “I think it is inappropriate.”
1-7-9 Poland and Bulgaria ordered chemical and other gas-intensive factories to cut back their consumption or shut down operations.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123131200781860391.html
1-7-9 Hungarian unit of the Japanese automaker Suzuki said it was halting production because of restrictions on industrial users of gas.
WorldNewsRecord 