Germany issued an "early warning" of possible natural gas shortages on Wednesday over a payments dispute with Russia that could lead to energy rationing in Europe's biggest economy.
Moscow said last week that it wanted to be paid in rubles, rather than US dollars or euros as per existing gas supply contracts, and threatened to cut off supplies if that didn't happen. The Kremlin's demand has been rejected by Germany and the G7 group of leading developed economies.
The German government said Wednesday that the country had enough gas for now, but it urged all consumers — from companies to hospitals and households — to reduce their use as far as possible with immediate effect.
"There are currently no supply shortages," Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in a statement. "Nevertheless, we must take further precautionary measures to be prepared for any escalation by Russia." German gas storage is currently filled to 25% capacity, he added.
The "early warning" is the first of three alert levels set out in Germany's plan to manage gas supplies in a crisis. If the situation deteriorates, the government would declare an "alarm," followed by an "emergency." At that highest state of alert, regulators can ration gas to maintain supplies to "protected customers" such as households and hospitals. Industrial users would be the first to face cuts.
"This means that industrial production gets lost, that supply chains get lost," Leonhard Birnbaum, chief executive of German energy group E.ON, told public broadcaster ARD, according to Reuters. "We are certainly talking about very heavy damages."
Klaus Mueller, head of Germany's energy market regulator, said in a tweet that Wednesday's alert was aimed at avoiding a deterioration in gas supplies but said consumers should be prepared for "all scenarios."
The European Union depends on Russia for about 40% of its natural gas, and Germany is Moscow's biggest energy customer on the continent. EU sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine include a ban on new investment in energy projects but do not target oil and gas exports.
Habeck said this week that payment in rubles is not acceptable to Berlin and he has described Russian President Vladimir Putin's demand as "blackmail."
Putin has given Russia's central bank and Gazprom, the state gas company, until Thursday to come up with proposals for accepting payments in rubles, rather than U.S. dollars or euros as agreed in supply contracts.
With the sanctioned Russian central bank banned from swapping euros and dollars for rubles, Moscow is trying to find a new stream of cash it can spend easily.
Putin could "directly finance the war, the army, the supply of the soldiers, the supply of gasoline for the tanks and the construction of weapons in his own country" with rubles, Habeck said Monday.
The European Union is planning to slash consumption of Russian natural gas this year by as much as 66% as it prepares for a complete break with its single biggest energy supplier. But Europe would struggle to survive for long without Russian gas, and finding alternative sources presents a huge logistical challenge. A recession would be all but assured if Putin cuts off supplies.
Habeck said a crisis team of experts from government, regulators, gas network operators and Germany's 16 federal states had been convened to monitor the situation closely and take measures "to increase supply security" if necessary.
— Charles Riley and Chris Stern contributed reporting.
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Three Indian nationals accused of murdering Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar are due to face court Tuesday over the killing that triggered a major diplomatic rift with India.
It's been one week since investigators began their search at the Saskatoon landfill, looking for answers in the MacKenzie Trottier case.
Tempers flared in B.C.'s legislature Monday, fanned by the issue of decriminalization in the province as BC United and the BC Conservatives took aim at the controversial policy.
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
A former Canadian navy sailor was handed a $3,000 fine and a suspended jail sentence Tuesday after pleading guilty to stealing thousands of dollars from his shipmates aboard a Pacific fleet frigate.
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Russia and Ukraine have accused each other at the global chemical weapons watchdog in The Hague of using banned toxins on the battlefield, the organization said on Tuesday.
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.
Ukrainian counterintelligence investigators have foiled a Russian plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top military and political figures, Ukraine’s state security service said Tuesday.
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
India's envoy to Canada is scheduled to speak publicly today for the first time since the RCMP made arrests related to a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
An increase in weather alerts across the country and the impacts of a changing climate are becoming an added barrier to getting children and youth active in Canada, according to a new report.
Heat waves and poor air quality from wildfires pose extra challenges to children and youth who need more exercise outside and less time staring at screens, a new report says.
TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance said on Tuesday they filed suit in U.S. federal court seeking to block a law signed by President Joe Biden that would force the divestiture of the short video app used by 170 million Americans or ban its use.
Apple is hoping its latest iPad lineup will breathe new life into its sluggish tablet market. In a pre-recorded live streamed event from its Cupertino, California headquarters, the company introduced the latest versions of its iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets, and an all-new Apple Pencil Pro.
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Sure, she was a royal princess and all. But there’s no way Sleeping Beauty — either before or after her nap — ever had quite the fabulous wardrobe that’s been assembled at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The CRTC has denied a request by Bell Canada and some independent internet providers for an expedited decision that would prevent large carriers from using rivals' fibre networks to offer their services to customers.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it has opened an investigation into Boeing after the beleaguered company reported that workers at a South Carolina plant falsified inspection records on certain 787 planes.
Experts say union workers are feeling increasingly emboldened to reject tentative agreements as they fight to join the ranks of those benefiting from the recent wave of wage gains.
Panera Bread is eliminating Charged Lemonade from its menu, the caffeinated beverage that has sparked multiple lawsuits and caused a public relations nightmare for the company.
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
In particular, messages that involve phishing — an attack where a scammer tries to trick the recipient into clicking a malicious link, downloading malware or sharing sensitive information — are on the rise.
Travis Green, 53, is the new head coach of the Ottawa Senators.
Spurs' star Victor Wembanyama has been announced as the unanimous winner of the NBA's Rookie of the Year award.
Capping off a weekend of photo finishes, Kyle Larson won NASCAR's AdventHealth 400 by a staggering 0.001 seconds in Kansas on Sunday.
Ford is set to recall some pickup trucks in Canada due to potential tail light failure.
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Drivers in Saskatchewan will now lose their licence for a week and their vehicle for a month if they are caught committing certain high-speed and dangerous offences on the road.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Whether passionate about Poirot or hungry for Holmes, Winnipeg mystery obsessives have had a local haunt for over 30 years in which to search out their latest page-turners.
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
At least 192 people died in B.C. from toxic drugs in March, the latest data from the provincial coroner shows.
A former Canadian navy sailor was handed a $3,000 fine and a suspended jail sentence Tuesday after pleading guilty to stealing thousands of dollars from his shipmates aboard a Pacific fleet frigate.
Beachgoers visiting Spanish Banks will have to pay for parking starting this summer, the Vancouver Park Board decided Monday night.
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
One person was found without vital signs after being trapped under a steamroller Tuesday morning in Whitby.
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
An intense low pressure system of just 986 mb situated south of Saskatchewan will be the main weather maker in central and southern Alberta Tuesday.
It was a long time ago, but Jan Novotny still remembers the tanks rumbling through his hometown of Prague in 1968 when the Soviet Union enforced its will on the people of what was then Czechoslovakia.
The Calgary Flames will learn where they are picking in the 2024 National Hockey League (NHL) Draft on Tuesday afternoon.
Travis Green, 53, is the new head coach of the Ottawa Senators.
The Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association warns a $12,000 increase in development charges on new homes will create an unexpected cost for homebuyers planning to buy a new home in Ottawa this year.
Ottawa police warn drivers pulled over for a traffic stop may be asked to provide a breath sample, as the service continues to see a rise in impaired drivers on the roads.
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
Montreal police and the Quebec prosecutor's office are launching a pilot project to help authorities better address domestic violence-related strangulations.
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid was named a finalist for this year's Hart Trophy on Tuesday as he seeks to win the NHL's most valuable player award for a second straight season.
Alberta's provincial ombudsman says a government body has unfairly denied a young man with autism the supports he needs.
It was a long time ago, but Jan Novotny still remembers the tanks rumbling through his hometown of Prague in 1968 when the Soviet Union enforced its will on the people of what was then Czechoslovakia.
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
A 20-year-old man has died following a collision between a pickup truck and motorcycle in Union Corner, N.S., on Sunday.
The IWK Health Centre in Halifax is looking for a 17-year-old patient who has gone missing.
Fed up with the ever rising price of food, an online movement has sprung up to fight back in the form of a boycott.
A Canadian virologist says an avian flu outbreak decimating wildlife in the United States should give us pause on this side of the border.
Students at the University of Manitoba have started a protest encampment on a grassy open area on the campus in south Winnipeg.
Regina police say the officer who was accidentally shot by a fellow officer's gun last month suffered 'serious and life changing injuries,' adding he has a 'very' long road to recovery.
A new campaign to raise awareness of human trafficking and sexual exploitation was launched in Regina on Tuesday.
Rainfall warnings remain in effect for southwest Saskatchewan Tuesday morning with the highest amounts recorded in the province’s south-central and southwest.
Two Kitchener residents are facing charges in what police are calling one of the largest drug seizures in the Waterloo Regional Police Services’ (WRPS) history.
The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) is investigating after they say shots were fired into a residential building in Kitchener on Tuesday morning.
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
It's been one week since investigators began their search at the Saskatoon landfill, looking for answers in the MacKenzie Trottier case.
Aaron Fosseneuve says the official name of the road into his home community of Cumberland House is Highway 123, but locals joke it’s not as easy as 1-2-3 — “it’s more like a 4-5-6.”
Prince Albert police say a 29-year-old man charged in the murder of his mother had assaulted a staff member at Victoria Hospital the night before the killing.
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
People in Timmins are waking up to a heavy police presence and road closures in the area of Sixth Avenue and Pine Street on Tuesday morning.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Officers in Central Huron helped a local resident round up a sow and her piglets.
Two unrelated crashes caused slowdowns on Highway 401 Tuesday morning.
A 42-year-old man accused of breaking into a senior's home in the early morning hours on Tuesday faces charges.
The City of Barrie is looking to take a step forward with plans for a new multi-use sports field along the waterfront, which will be brought to the general committee this week.
Sentencing has been handed down to two men who pleaded guilty for their roles in a Barrie catwalk shooting last spring that left the victim fighting for his life.
A Windsor man on Canada’s list of most wanted fugitives has been arrested in Edmonton, according to Windsor police.
Windsor police say there is an active investigation near the Tecumseh Mall in east Windsor.
The Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (ROPE) Squad has apprehended a wanted offender who went unlawfully at large nine years ago.
A former Canadian navy sailor was handed a $3,000 fine and a suspended jail sentence Tuesday after pleading guilty to stealing thousands of dollars from his shipmates aboard a Pacific fleet frigate.
Under the province’s new housing targets, Victoria was tasked with creating 659 new units within the first year. It has hit 753 in six months.
Three Indian nationals accused of murdering Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar are due to face court Tuesday over the killing that triggered a major diplomatic rift with India.
Models in uniquely designed red dresses are taking to the runway in British Columbia this weekend to make a powerful fashion statement about missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
An emaciated dachshund is now recovering thanks to a Good Samaritan who found the pup near a biking trail in Kelowna, according to the BC SPCA.
A woman is being sought by Lethbridge police in connection with a robbery at a gas station that turned into an assault.
Lethbridge police are looking for two people they believe were involved in the 'street robbery' of a senior last week.
Animal shelters across the province are finding themselves frequently at capacity -- or more.
In an effort to increase awareness across the region, the Ontario Provincial Police North East is publicizing intimate partner violence statistics across its 12 detachments from April.
Citing growing interest among residents and community groups, the City of Sault Ste. Marie is allowing boulevard gardens for the first time this year.
A 26-year-old suspect has been arrested in Sault Ste. Marie for an incident that took place in early April.
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says an officer convicted in 2021 of raping a woman while on duty is no longer with the force.
A homeless man in Newfoundland says he refuses to sleep in a shelter after workers wearing balaclavas and haz-mat suits tore down a tent encampment in St. John's on Friday.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
