The Swiss company that built the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, supposed to double the Russian gas supply to Germany, has filed for insolvency and left redundant all its staff, according to Swiss radio SRF. The US$ 11bn pipeline, which runs between Russia and Germany, was completed last September and waiting for final approval from German authorities, but was put on hold following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A passenger ferry that ran aground in heavy winds in a Baltic Sea archipelago between Finland and Sweden was dragged off the shore and towed early Sunday to a port, where some of its over 300 passengers disembarked.
The heat wave gripping large stretches of Europe has already been blamed for deadly forest fires and crop failures. Now, freshwater fish could be its next victims. Some regions in Germany sweltered as the mercury hit 39C, and the German Meteorological Office said the country’s all-time record of 40.3C could be topped this week.
A research expedition in the Baltic Sea has yielded spectacular photos of surprisingly colourful life below the calm surface. But the images also reveal a more sinister reality -- the alarming spread of dead zones threatening aquatic life.