Day: August 4, 2022

Russian energy giant Gazprom says it is impossible to take back a turbine that is vital for gas supplies to Europe due to Western sanctions. The 12m (40ft) turbine is stranded in Germany after returning from Canada where it was repaired. Berlin insists the equipment is not affected by sanctions and accuses Russia of not honouring its contracts for political reasons. Recently, Gazprom has drastically reduced gas deliveries to Europe. The key Nord Stream 1 pipeline from Russia to Germany is running at 20% capacity. Moscow supplied the EU with 40% of its natural gas last year, and the cuts have caused wholesale prices to increase dramatically. Some countries are struggling to buy enough gas to put into storage for the win...

His comments come as surging energy prices sparked by the war in Ukraine push industry profits to new highs. Mr Guterres said it was "immoral" for firms to be profiting from the crisis. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February has worsened a global shortage of oil and gas, disrupting access to oil and gas from Russia - a major supplier - and driving prices higher. While households are grappling with higher energy bills, companies are reaping the benefits. BP recently reported its largest profit in 14 years, while Shell's profits in the April-to-June period hit a record. Together, four of the biggest energy firms - Exxon, Chevron, Shell and TotalEnergies -  Oofos Canada earned nearly $51bn in the most recent quarter - almost doubl...

According to human rights advocates, nearly 50 migrants have had religious headgear taken away. Sikhism requires that men wear turbans and do not cut their hair. Record numbers of migrants from India have been detained at the US-Mexico border in recent months. Many hail from India's Punjab, where more than half of residents are Sikh. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has said the turban confiscations "blatantly violate federal law" and are inconsistent with the CBP's own non-discrimination policies. In a letter sent to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Chris Magnus on 1 August, it called the seizures "ongoing, serious religious-freedom violations". Lawyer Vanessa Pineda, of the ACLU of Arizona...

Arkady and Boris Rotenberg - judo partners of the Russian president - used a type of company that was not required to identify its real owners. Ministers have acknowledged concerns that these companies, known as English Limited Partnerships (ELPs), have also been abused by criminals. A joint investigation by the BBC and Finance Uncovered has discovered evidence linking a number of ELPs to fraud, terrorism and money laundering. In 2016 and 2017, the government introduced measures that forced almost all UK companies to identify their real owners. ELPs were not covered by these new transparency laws. Since then, more than 4,500 of them have been set up. The BBC has worked with Finance Uncovered to analyse leaked documents and thousa...