Page 7 - Europe

Europe ramps up energy security after suspected pipelines sabotage

European companies are ramping up security around pipelines and energy prices are climbing again as the suspected sabotage of two pipelines that deliver natural gas from Russia underscored the vulnerability of Europe's energy infrastructure and prompted the EU to warn of possible retaliation. Some European officials and energy experts have said Russia is likely to blame for any sabotage it directly benefits from higher energy prices and economic anxiety across Europe although others cautioned against pointing fingers until investigators are able to determine what happened. Russia has sharply curtailed natural gas shipments to Europe in retaliation for sanctions that the West put in place after its invasion of Ukraine. On Wednesday, Russian energy giant Gazprom increased the pressure, threatening on Twitter to cease dealing with a Ukrainian company that controls one of the two remaining pipelines that ship Russian gas to Europe. Coming on top of the apparent sabotage to the Nord ..

EU vows retaliation if energy network attacked after gas pipeline damage

The European Union suspects that damage to two underwater natural gas pipelines was sabotage and is warning of retaliation for any attack on Europe's energy networks, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday. All available information indicates those leaks are the result of a deliberate act, Borrell said in a statement on behalf of the 27 EU member countries. Any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response. Seismologists reported on Tuesday that explosions rattled the Baltic Sea before unusual leaks were discovered on two underwater natural gas pipelines running from Russia to Germany. Some European leaders and experts pointed to possible sabotage given the energy standoff with Russia provoked by the war in Ukraine. The three leaks were reported on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which are filled with natural gas but are not delivering the fuel to Europe. The damage means that

Europe considers making 'Big Tech' pay for building the internet

Matt Brittin, Google's President of EMEA, said at an event in Brussels that it'll be customers who pay "either with price or pay in worse services," if Europe adds a streaming fee.

Gas leaks from Russian pipelines to Europe raise sabotage fears: Report

But it remained far from clear who might be behind any foul play, if proven, on the Nord Stream pipelines that Russia with European partners spent billions of dollars building.

Meta disables sprawling Russian propaganda network targeting Europe

A sprawling disinformation network originating in Russia sought to use hundreds of fake social media accounts and dozens of sham news websites to spread Kremlin talking points about the invasion of Ukraine, Meta revealed Tuesday. The company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said it identified and disabled the operation before it was able to gain a large audience. Nonetheless, Facebook said it was the largest and most complex Russian propaganda effort that it has found since the invasion began. The operation involved more than 60 websites created to mimic legitimate news sites including The Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom and Germany's Der Spiegel. Instead of the actual news reported by those outlets, however, the fake sites contained links to Russian propaganda and disinformation about Ukraine. More than 1,600 fake Facebook accounts were used to spread the propaganda to audiences in Germany, Italy, France, the U.K. and Ukraine. The findings highlighted both the promis

Europe suspects sabotage as mystery gas leaks hit Russian pipelines

Poland's PM said the leaks were caused by sabotage, while Denmark's prime minister and Russia, which slashed its gas deliveries to Europe after Western sanctions, said it could not be ruled out

EU buys additional vaccine doses against monkeypox despite declining cases

The European Commission said it had secured over 10,000 tecovirimat vaccines against monkeypox, despite the declining number of cases in the European Union (EU)

ECB expects slow economic activity as interest rates continue to rise

ECB expects economic activity in Europe to slow down substantially in coming months, due to skyrocketing prices, decreased spending power and overall uncertainty, ECB President Christine Lagarde said.

UK: TikTok may face $29 million fine over children's data protection

TikTok could face a 27 million-pound (USD 29 million) fine in the UK over a possible breach of UK data protection law by failing to protect children's privacy when they are using the video-sharing platform. The UK Information Commissioner's Office said Monday that it has issued the social media company a legal document that precedes a potential fine. It said TikTok may have processed the data of children under 13 without appropriate parental consent, and processed special category data without legal grounds to do so. The commissioner said special category data included ethnic and racial origin, political opinions, religious beliefs and sexual orientation. It also said TikTok may have failed to provide transparent, easily understood information to its users. The legal document covered the period from May 2018 to July 2020. Information Commissioner John Edwards said the body's provisional view was that TikTok fell short of providing proper data privacy protections. The body said its

Europe's energy crisis: The looming winter of discontent that awaits India

Europe's bid to reduce its dependence on Russian gas ahead of the cold season will put pressure on prices and impact India's growing gas economy

EU candidate Serbia and Russia sign agreement on foreign policy matters

Serbia has signed an agreement with Russia for mutual consultations on foreign policy matters, the Balkan country's media reported on Saturday. Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Selakovic signed the agreement on Friday along with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, where most Western delegations shunned Russia's top diplomat over the country's invasion of Ukraine. The consultation plan covered by the agreement is expected to last for two years, Serbia's foreign ministry said in a Friday statement. Serbia officially is a candidate for European Union membership, but the government maintains relations with Russia. Although Serbia said it supports Ukraine's territorial integrity, the government has repeatedly refused to join Western sanctions against its Slavic allies in Moscow. Aligning foreign policies with the EU is one of the main pre-conditions for joining the 27-nation bloc, but Serbia has increasingly defie

Europe energy crisis to last more than a winter amid tight supply: Analyst

Russia's invasion of Ukraine upended energy flows and rippled through global markets, driving up natural gas prices and forcing drastic measures such as Germany nationalizing its biggest importer

Swiss National Bank ends Europe's sub-zero rate era with 75 bps hike

The Swiss National Bank raised interest rates by 75 basis points to bring borrowing costs above zero for the first time in almost eight years, following recent moves in the euro region

UK unveils $45-billion energy bill bailout for businesses in Europe

"We'll ensure the most vulnerable businesses continue to be supported after that," said British PM Liz Truss

Germany takes over Uniper for $8 billion amid Europe's energy crisis

Germany also took control of a Russian-owned oil refinery, which supplies 90% of capital's fuel, putting a Rosneft unit under the trusteeship of industry regulator and taking over Schwedt plant

Medical agency urges Europe to prepare for new Covid wave ahead of autumn

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said that despite a fall in the number of Covid-19 cases across the continent, the pandemic is not over yet and countries should prepare for a new wave

Russia to flood Asia with fuels as Europe ramps up sanctions: Report

Moscow plans to raise taxes on energy sector to the tune of $50 bn in 2023-25

European Union seeks emergency powers to prevent supply-chain crisis

The proposal is expected to face strong pushback from businesses and some EU countries

Bitcoin touches 3-month low; Ether extends fall since 'Merge' update

Investors are bracing for volatility from the jumbo Federal Reserve interest-rate hike expected Wednesday to fight price pressures.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz betting billions of euros on securing energy

Scholz's strategy adds pressure on the country's finances at a time when Germany already risks tipping into recession