Briefly

EUROPEAN UNION

Gas spikes on delay to pipeline approval

Germany's energy regulator suspended the approval process for Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline on Tuesday, dealing another setback to the geopolitically sensitive project and causing Europe's sky-high gas prices to soar further. The regulator said the Swiss-based operating company first needed to become compliant with German law before it could be certified, potentially delaying the project's start date. Benchmark European gas prices jumped around 10 percent higher on the announcement, adding to jitters on a continent already facing soaring energy bills－with winter fast approaching. The Baltic Sea pipeline is set to double supplies of cheap natural gas from Russia to Germany, which the EU's top economy says is needed to help it transition away from coal and nuclear energy.

UNITED STATES

Yellen presses rowing Congress on debt limit

The US government may run out of money by Dec 15, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned on Tuesday in a letter encouraging lawmakers to raise the country's debt limit to avoid a default. Democrats and Republicans in Washington have squabbled in recent months over raising the legal limit on how much debt the United States can accumulate. In October, they came within days of hitting the ceiling before agreeing to a $480 billion stopgap hike, which Yellen said would keep the government running until Dec 3.

INDIA

Classes off indefinitely as smog chokes Delhi

Delhi shut down schools until further notice, urged people to work from home and banned nonessential trucks from entering the Indian capital due to dangerous levels of air pollution. One of the world's most polluted cities and home to some 20 million people, Delhi is cloaked every winter in a thick blanket of smog. On Saturday, the Delhi government had ordered schools to close for a week and banned construction work for four days. Lorries, except those carrying essential goods, are barred from entering the capital until Nov 21 and most construction activity was halted, the order said. "Antismog guns" and water sprinklers were ordered to operate at hot spots at least three times a day.

THE PHILIPPINES

Official thanks China for 'lifesaving vaccines'

A Philippine official thanked China for the "steady and timely delivery of the lifesaving vaccines" after the country received on Wednesday an additional batch of Sinovac Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine. Carlito Galvez, the chief implementer of the government's measures to combat the disease, told reporters at the airport in Manila that the fresh delivery completes the vaccine doses purchased from the Chinese vaccine maker. China has kept up steady deliveries since the first shipment of doses to the Philippines arrived on Feb 28.The country kicked off its vaccination drive on March 1.

Agencies - Xinhua