MOSCOW: A blast ripped through a gas pipeline in central Russia, killing three people and disrupting some of the limited amount of Russian gas that is still reaching Europe, local officials said on Tuesday.
The flow of gas through a section of the Urengoi-Pomary-Uzhhorod pipeline that takes gas from Russia’s Arctic to Europe via Ukraine had been halted as of 1:50 p.m. (1050 GMT), the local officials said on the Telegram messaging app.
Oleg Nikolayev, governor of the Republic of Chuvashia, told state TV that three people, who were carrying out servicing work, have died in the accident, while another, a driver, “was in a state of shock.”
He said it was unclear when gas supplies via the pipeline could resume, and authorities were trying to work that out.
The Chuvashia regional Emergencies Ministry said an explosion had ripped through the pipeline during planned maintenance work near the village of Kalinino, about 150 km (90 miles) west of the Volga city of Kazan. It said the resulting gas flare had been extinguished.
The pipeline, built in the 1980s, enters Ukraine via the Sudzha metering point, currently the main route for Russian gas to reach Europe.
Europe’s gas prices have surged this year after Russia cut exports through its main gas pipeline route into Germany, leaving only pipelines via Ukraine to ship Russian gas to European consumers.
The head office of the state-owned gas producer Gazprom and its local branch did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Gazprom said earlier on Tuesday it expected to pump 43 million cubic meters of gas to Europe via Ukraine through Sudzha in the next 24 hours, a volume in line with recent days.
Forward prices on the Dutch TTF hub rose following the news. The benchmark TTF front-month contract was up 1.10 euros at 108.10 euro per megawatt hour by 1347 GMT. It had traded around 105 euros/MWh earlier in the day.
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Three dead as blast shuts part of Russia-Ukraine gas export pipeline
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Three dead as blast shuts part of Russia-Ukraine gas export pipeline
- The flow of gas through a section of the Urengoi-Pomary-Uzhhorod pipeline that takes gas from Russia's Arctic to Europe via Ukraine had been halted
- Governor of the Republic of Chuvashia told state TV that three people, who were carrying out servicing work, have died in the accident
Thai runner-up party seeks criminal case against election officials
- A Thai political party that came second in this month’s vote filed a criminal complaint Thursday against the nation’s election commissioner
BANGKOK: A Thai political party that came second in this month’s vote filed a criminal complaint Thursday against the nation’s election commissioners, accusing them of violating election laws, the party’s deputy told AFP.
The reformist People’s Party “submitted a case” to a criminal court against seven election commissioners, the Election Commission’s secretary-general and another election official, deputy party leader Wayo Assawarungruang said.
“Two charges involve wrongful exercise of duties, and the last charge we claimed was about marking ballots with QR codes and barcodes which allow the votes to be traced and not kept secret as it should be,” Wayo said.
The Election Commission confirmed the victory of caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s conservative Bhumjaithai party on Wednesday, ratifying most of the vote results.
Bhumjaithai won 170 constituencies, the most of any party, while People’s Party — which had been polling first ahead of the election — came in second, with 88 constituencies, the commission said.
Some citizens and experts raised concerns after election day that QR codes and barcodes found on ballots could be used to identify individual voters.
But the commission said the markings were to ensure electoral security and prevent the use of fake ballots.
The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases said it will decide whether to hear the case by March 24, according to Wayo.
If the court takes up the case, the nine face a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and the loss of their political rights for a decade.
The reformist People’s Party “submitted a case” to a criminal court against seven election commissioners, the Election Commission’s secretary-general and another election official, deputy party leader Wayo Assawarungruang said.
“Two charges involve wrongful exercise of duties, and the last charge we claimed was about marking ballots with QR codes and barcodes which allow the votes to be traced and not kept secret as it should be,” Wayo said.
The Election Commission confirmed the victory of caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s conservative Bhumjaithai party on Wednesday, ratifying most of the vote results.
Bhumjaithai won 170 constituencies, the most of any party, while People’s Party — which had been polling first ahead of the election — came in second, with 88 constituencies, the commission said.
Some citizens and experts raised concerns after election day that QR codes and barcodes found on ballots could be used to identify individual voters.
But the commission said the markings were to ensure electoral security and prevent the use of fake ballots.
The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases said it will decide whether to hear the case by March 24, according to Wayo.
If the court takes up the case, the nine face a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and the loss of their political rights for a decade.
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