https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/greece-rejects-eu-plan-to-cut-gas-consumption

Greece rejects EU plan to cut gas consumption

Today, Thursday, Greece opposed the EU's plan to cut gas consumption in face of a possible halt in supplies from Russia.

"The government does not agree in principle with the (EU) Commission's proposal for a 15-percent reduction in natural gas consumption," government spokesperson Yiannis Economou told a media briefing.

The European Union (EU) presented emergency plans, on Wednesday, for countries to cut their gas use by 15% from August to March, in comparison with their average consumption in the same period during 2016-2021.

The EU warned that without significant cuts, they could struggle during winter for fuel in the event that Russia cuts off supply.

A total shutdown in imports or a sharp limit in the flow from east to west could result in a catastrophic effect on the European economy, such as closing factories and pushing households to turn down the heat.

In this regard, Greece's energy minister Kostas Skrekas refused to agree with "the mandatory nature of the measure, but also with the level of the limit announced," noting that his country had already taken certain measures to limit gas use, such as obliging state-controlled power utility PPC to double lignite production.

Skrekas said that Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Cyprus, and Malta also opposed the EU's plan.

Russia resumes Nord Stream gas supply: Operator

The Nord Stream gas pipeline, which connects Russia and Germany, reopened on Thursday following a 10-day repair period, according to its operator.

"It's working," a Nord Stream spokesperson said, without specifying the amount of gas being delivered. The German government was concerned that Moscow might not reopen the pipeline after the scheduled work.

As highly reliant Germany accused the Kremlin of using energy as a "weapon", Europe anticipated the resumption of Russian gas supplies at the completion of scheduled work on a critical pipeline.

Germany feared that Russia might grab the chance to just shut down the taps completely or almost so, plunging Europe into an energy catastrophe. The confrontation comes at a time when Russia and the West are at odds over the war in Ukraine.

Gas deliveries via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline currently make up about 30% of capacity, operator Nord Stream AG said on Thursday, adding that reaching 2.66 million cubic meters per hour may take several hours.

The data provided by gas transmission operators OPAL and NEL earlier in the day showed that the deliveries resumed from 04:00 GMT after scheduled maintenance works. The physical flow during the first hour of operation amounted to almost 1.9 million cubic meters, according to the operator's data. This is about 30% of the nominal power of the line.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-media:-dissolving-jewish-agencys-work-political-puni

sraeli media: Dissolving Jewish Agency's work 'political punishment'

Israeli media reported "great tension between Russia and Israel", against the background of reports from Moscow about dissolving the Jewish Agency's operation in Russia, noting that this matter may be related to Prime Minister Yair Lapid's statement about the war in Ukraine.

Relations between "Israel" and Russia have witnessed tension in recent months, as the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador to Russia, Alexander Ben Zvi, against the background of a statement by Yair Lapid when he was foreign minister of the occupation last April, in which he condemned Russia's practices in Ukraine, describing them as "war crimes".

Israeli media reported today that "Israel" considers dissolving the Jewish Agency's operation in Russia a "political punishment" for "Israel's" stance on the Ukraine war.

Israeli Channel 13's political affairs correspondent, Moriah Wahlberg, said that "Russia wants to stop the operation of the Jewish Agency, ostensibly and there is talk of a technical bureaucratic matter, but in Israel, they say that it is a political punishment."

She added that "Israel" tried "not create a diplomatic crisis, but that did not work."

The Jewish Diaspora in Russia indicated that the decision to end the operation of the Jewish Agency in the country is "a setback in relations."

Channel 13 indicated that Israelis consider that such a step "can very quickly develop into a diplomatic crisis with Russia."

In turn, the KAN channel reported that "the issue of the Jewish Agency is a kind of a yellow card, not only because of the war in Ukraine, but also because of the Israeli operations in Syria."

Read more: Israeli occupation launches aggression on Damascus

In its turn, the Israeli occupation government announced that the Prime Minister will be sending a delegation to Moscow next week "to ensure the continuation of the Jewish Agency's activity in Russia."

Russian Justice Ministry asks for dissolving Jewish Agency

Russia's Ministry of Justice has requested the liquidation of the Russian branch of the Jewish Agency for "Israel", Russian media reported on Thursday.

The Jewish Agency for "Israel", based in occupied Al-Quds, is the world's largest Jewish non-profit organization, assisting Jews in emigrating to "Israel".

Russian new law may make Israeli organizations 'foreign agents'

The Moscow Times reported that Russia expanded its definition of "foreign agents" to include "those who take part in any activity that authorities determine goes against Russia’s national interests or who receive support of any kind, not just money, from abroad."

The Jerusalem Post indicated that "Jewish representatives from the Jewish Agency or representatives of international Jewish organizations may be categorized as 'foreign agents'."

According to the new Russian law, "Anyone who has worked with a 'foreign agent' or received funding from one will be included in a new Justice Ministry list of people and groups 'affiliated with foreign agents.'"

Last Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law on foreign agents that stipulates the creation of a unified register of individuals affiliated with them, according to the official legal information portal.

It is noteworthy that the international organization "The Jewish Agency of Israel" (Sokhnut) is an organization concerned with ensuring relations between Jews around the world, as well as issues of Jews immigrating to the occupied Palestinian lands. It was established in 1929, and representative offices of the Jewish Agency have been operating in Russia since 1989.

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Wasn't he supposed to do something important today?