EU plans to cap Russian gas price as Putin issues warning
The European Union has proposed a price cap on Russian gas just as Russia’s President Vladimir Putin warned that such a move would cause Moscow to cut off all energy supplies, Aljazeera reported.
Europe is in the middle of an escalating standoff with Russia that could drive up already-soaring European gas prices further in advance of the cold months ahead. Brussels accuses Moscow of weaponising energy supplies in retaliation for Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Russia continues to insist that the sanctions are causing the supply problems, which it puts down to pipeline faults. On Friday, Russia’s Gazprom fully suspended gas supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany after it said it found an engine oil leak during maintenance work.Rising tensions
Putin has warned that contracts could be discarded in the event of price caps. “We will not supply anything at all if it contradicts our interests,” Putin said on Wednesday at an economic forum in Vladivostok. “We will not supply gas, oil, coal, heating oil – we will not supply anything,” Putin stated. Europe usually imports about 40 percent of its gas and 30 percent of its oil from Russia. Despite the warnings, the EU is planning to press ahead with a price cap on Russian gas and also a ceiling on the price paid for electricity from generators that do not run on gas, according to Aljazeera. “We will propose a price cap on Russian gas … We must cut Russia’s revenues which Putin uses to finance this atrocious war in Ukraine,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters.
Lewandowski hits Barca hat-trick before Bayern return
Robert Lewandowski warmed up for next week's meeting with former club Bayern Munich by scoring a magnificent hat-trick in Barcelona's crushing Champions League win over Viktoria Plzen, BBC reported.
The 34-year-old Poland forward demonstrated his value by making it eight goals in five games since leaving Bayern in July.
Lewandowski, who helped Bayern win the competition in 2019-20, marked his first Champions League appearance for Barca with a clinical finish which doubled the lead after Franck Kessie had headed the hosts ahead.
He then made it 3-1 on the stroke of half-time with a header after Ousmane Dembele did well to win back possession before producing a fine cross.
Viktoria Plzen had briefly given their travelling fans from the Czech Republic something to cheer when Jan Sykora headed past Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but Barca - and Lewandowski - proved far too strong.
Lewandowski completed his hat-trick after 67 minutes following an assist by former Manchester City forward Ferran Torres, who added the fifth.
"Lewandowski showed his class tonight. He is rightly considered one of the best forwards in the world," said Viktoria Plzen boss Michal Bilek, according to BBC.
Lewandowski is the first player to score a Champions League hat-trick for three different teams - Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
He has now scored 32 goals in his last 20 Champions League group stage matches.
This result was the perfect start to Group C for Barcelona, who face Bayern - 2-0 winners at Inter Milan - next Tuesday (20:00 BST).
Lewandowski joined Bayern on a free transfer in 2014 after his departure from Borussia Dortmund and scored 50 goals in 46 games last season as he helped Bayern win a 10th straight Bundesliga title.
He scored 344 times in 374 games for Bayern and is their second-highest scorer of all time behind Gerd Muller, BBC reported.
Saky airfield: Ukraine claims Crimea blasts responsibility after denial
Ukraine has claimed responsibility for a series of air strikes on Crimea after a month of uncertainty over who was behind them, BBC reported.
One of the attacks, which took place in early August, targeted Russia's Saky military base and killed one person.
Ukraine had refused to acknowledge its role and even blamed them on Russian soldiers' discarded cigarettes.
It confirms a significant expansion of the conflict by Ukraine into Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
In an article for national news agency Ukrinform, Kyiv's top commander Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said Ukrainian rockets had targeted a number of Crimean military sites, including the Saky airbase which was rocked by multiple explosions on 9 August.
He claimed the attack - against a base used by Moscow to launch attacks against Ukraine - took 10 Russian warplanes "out of action".
The strikes were part of a deliberate response to Russian efforts to try and distance its own civilians from the conflict, he said.
Saky airbase is near Novofedorivka on Crimea's western coast, a beach area popular with Russian tourists.
It is the first time Ukraine has attacked Crimea proper since the full-scale Russian invasion began in February, according to BBC.
The Russian-controlled peninsula has become subject to an increasing number of Ukrainian military threats in recent weeks.
"The weather forecast says it is going to be very hot in Crimea," the Ukrainian army warned on Twitter on Wednesday, before suggesting Moscow's occupying forces may be forced to swim back to Russia across the Black Sea.
Canada stabbings suspect dies after car chase
The suspect in a stabbing that left 10 dead and 18 others injured has died of self-inflicted wounds as he was captured by police, officials say, BBC reported.
Police said earlier that Myles Sanderson, 32, was taken into custody in the province of Saskatchewan on Wednesday afternoon.
Footage from the scene showed a white SUV run off the road and surrounded by police cruisers near Rosthern town.
Ten victims remain in hospital, three of them in a critical condition.
Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore told a news conference on Wednesday night that police had received a report earlier in the day of Sanderson stealing a vehicle from outside a property. The householder was not injured during the theft.
Police gave pursuit as Sanderson fled at speeds of 150km/h (93mph). They rammed his vehicle into a ditch and police found a knife in the SUV as they arrested him, said the police chief.Shortly after his arrest, Sanderson went into "medical distress" and was taken to a hospital in Saskatoon, where he died, she added.
News of his capture came soon after an alert was sent to Canadian mobile phone users warning people near the town of Wakaw to "seek immediate shelter/shelter in place" because a man armed with a knife had been seen driving in the area. Rosthern is 44km (27 miles) west of Wakaw.
Police had been facing charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and breaking and entering.
Unverified videos on social media showed a suspect being arrested by police on the side of a rural highway. The vehicle in the footage bears a resemblance to a white Chevrolet Avalanche, the same model that police described in their since-cancelled alert.
The main suspect's brother, Damien Sanderson, was also accused of playing a role in the attacks on Sunday in the remote area. On Monday, police found his body and are now investigating whether his brother killed him during the manhunt, according to BBC.
Earlier on Wednesday, the parents of the brothers had appealed for their surviving son to turn himself in.
"We don't know the whole story, but I want to apologise to everybody that was hurt and affected by this terrible situation."
Police have not yet revealed any suspected motive for the knife rampage, which encompassed 13 separate crime scenes.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe thanked police "who have worked day and night to track down and arrest this dangerous criminal", adding: "We owe you all a great debt of gratitude."
Canada's parole board said on Tuesday that it would review why Myles Sanderson was released early from prison while serving a four-year sentence for several violent crimes, BBC reported.
Nepal reports 230 new Covid-19 cases, two deaths on Wednesday
Nepal reported 230 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths on Wednesday. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 1, 956 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 128 returned positive. Likewise, 2, 880 people underwent antigen tests, of which 102 were tested positive. The Ministry said that 78 infected people recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours. As of today, there are 2, 505 active cases in the country.
DoTM to open Dashain ticket pre-booking from September 17
The Department of Transport Management (DoTM) has decided to open advance online booking of tickets of public vehicles for the upcoming Dashain festival from September 17. A meeting of the transport entrepreneurs and the DoTM held recently decided to open advance ticket bookings for long-route and short-route public vehicles targeting the Dashain festival from Saturday. Transport entrepreneurs should make arrangements for online booking as much as possible while booking tickets in advance. DoTM Director Ishwori Dutta Paneru said that the meeting has decided to conduct effective monitoring of commuter buses leaving and entering the Kathmandu Valley in cooperation with the DoTM, traffic police, consumers' forum and entrepreneurs.
Nepal expresses condolences over loss of lives, property caused by recent earthquake in China
The Nepal government on Wednesday expressed deep condolences over the loss of lives and property due to recent earthquakes in Sichuan, China. “Our heartfelt condolences at the tragic loss of lives and property due to the quakes,” read a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those families who lost their dear ones and are affected by this natural calamity,” the statement further read. At least 65 people died and dozens were injured after an earthquake hit China's southwestern Sichuan province on Monday.
Nepse plunges by 11. 97 points on Wednesday
The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 11. 97 points to close at 1,939.88 points on Wednesday. Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 1. 70 points to close at 377. 38 points. A total of 2,943,769 unit shares of 224 companies were traded for Rs 82 billion. Meanwhile, Sunrise First Mutual Fund was the top gainer today with its price surging by 7. 72 percent. Likewise, Prime Debenture was the top loser with its price dropped by 5. 88 percent. At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 2. 78 trillion.
