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A30 world news
Diamars 21 september 2021

UK gov’t says lights will stay on despite energy price surge

(AP) — Britain’s business
secretary said on Monday Prime Minister Boris John-
that there is no danger son put the problems at the
that people won’t be able door of an economic recov-
to heat their homes this ery that he likened to “the big
winter after a surge in nat- thaw” after a frost had frozen
ural gas prices forced him the pipes.
to hold emergency talks
with energy suppliers and “That’s when you have the
consumer groups. problems and the leaks and
all the difficulties, that’s re-
Kwasi Kwarteng also assured ally what’s happening to the
lawmakers that the govern- global economy,” he told re-
ment wouldn’t bail out fail- porters in New York at the
ing energy suppliers as a re- U.N. General Assembly. “It’s
sult of the growing crisis. He thawing very rapidly and you
earlier said that the govern- are seeing problems in the
ment is prepared to appoint supply chains, very strong
a special administrator for demand for gas around the
failed suppliers to ensure gas world is producing this phe-
and electricity keeps flowing nomenon. But we’re going to
until their customers can be fix it.”
moved to new suppliers.
U.K. consumers are already
“There is absolutely no ques- feeling the pinch, with price
tion of the lights going out or comparison websites report-
people being unable to heat ing heavy volume as people
their homes,” Kwarteng told search for increasingly rare
the House of Commons. opportunities to lock in pric-
“There will be no three-day es with long-term contracts.
working weeks or a throw- wide. Wholesale gas prices in gas supplies from domestic date, British media reported. Gas and electricity costs for
back to the 1970s. Such Britain have tripled this year production, 30% from Nor- This proposal would be simi- many people are set to jump
thinking is alarmist, unhelp- as the global economic re- way, and the rest from Euro- lar to the so-called bad banks next month after regulators
ful and completely misguid- covery from the COVID-19 pean pipelines and liquefied that were used to house the in August approved a 12%
ed.” pandemic increases demand natural gas delivered by ship. high-risk assets of some lend- price increase for customers
at the same time storms in ers during the global financial without such contracts.
Kwarteng said he would the U.S. and planned main- Still, supporting the energy crisis.
make a joint announcement tenance have crimped sup- industry through the current Peter Smith, director of pol-
with Britain’s energy regu- plies. troubles may ultimately cost Another option is for the icy and advocacy at fuel pov-
lator later in the day on the taxpayers billions of pounds. government to provide loan erty charity National Energy
government’s plans to ad- Kwarteng stressed that Brit- guarantees to large energy Action, said the spike in en-
dress the crisis. ain’s diverse gas supply means One option proposed by suppliers to absorb the cus- ergy prices couldn’t come at
it has more than enough to some large energy firms is to tomers of failed companies. a worse time for consumers
Four small energy compa- meet the nation’s energy move the customers of failed The costs of such a program who are already struggling
nies have failed in recent needs, unlike some European suppliers into a temporary would ultimately be recov- with the economic impact of
weeks because of the sudden countries that rely on a single government-owned compa- ered through higher energy the pandemic.
increase in gas prices world- source. The U.K. gets half its ny that could be sold at a later bills.

‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero sentenced to 25 years

on terror charges

on eight charges including denied targeting dissenting said he never supported vio-
membership in a terrorist voices with arrests and extra- lence — and sought to dis-
group, murder and abduc- judicial killings. tance himself from its deadly
tion. He was charged along attacks.
with 20 other people. Monday’s ruling comes more
than a year after Rusesabagi- Throughout, Rusesabagina
The circumstances sur- na disappeared during a visit has maintained that he is not
rounding Rusesabagina’s ar- to Dubai in the United Arab guilty of the charges against
rest last year, his limited ac- Emirates, and appeared days him but said he didn’t expect
cess to an independent legal later in Rwanda in handcuffs, to get justice.
team and his reported wors- accused of supporting the
(AP) — The man who ening health have drawn in- armed wing of his opposition A member of his legal team,
inspired the film “Hotel Paul Rusesabagina, credited ternational concern for the political platform, the Rwan- Kate Gibson, added that “the
Rwanda” for saving hun- with sheltering ethnic Tut- 67-year-old who left Rwanda dan Movement for Demo- only thing that has been sur-
dreds of his countrymen sis during Rwanda’s 1994 in 1996. cratic Change. prising in watching this hor-
from genocide was con- genocide and a recipient of ror show unfold over the last
victed of terrorism offens- the U.S. Presidential Medal Rusesabagina, who remains The armed group claimed year has been the brazenness
es Monday and sentenced of Freedom, boycotted the in custody, has asserted that some responsibility for at- and openness with which the
to 25 years at a trial that announcement of the ver- his arrest was in response tacks in 2018 and 2019 in Rwandan authorities have
human rights watchdogs dict after calling the trial a to his criticism of longtime southern Rwanda in which been willing to systemati-
and other critics of Rwan- “sham.” Rwandan President Paul nine Rwandans died. Rus- cally violate all of the fair trial
da’s repressive govern- Kagame over alleged hu- esabagina testified at trial that rights to which Paul was en-
ment have described as an The U.S. resident and Bel- man rights abuses. Kagame’s he helped to form the armed titled.”
act of retaliation. gian citizen was convicted government has repeatedly group to help refugees but