Nord Stream leaks leave Danish residents feeling vulnerable and unsettled
In the Baltic Sea, we’re heading to a crime scene.
The site of suspected sabotage.
We’re sailing towards the place where an alleged attack was carried out on Nord Stream; the biggest underwater gas pipelines running from Russia to Europe.
We left from the Danish island of Bornholm, the closest place to four leaks detected off the coasts of Denmark and Sweden this week.
Suddenly a familiar symbol appears on the boat’s onboard map.
“A skull and crossbones, what does that mean?” I ask our captain, Kim Finne.
“That is the leak,” he replies.
Ahead of us is an exclusion zone of around five miles.
Only the military and official investigators are allowed to get any closer to the leaking pipes as they try to protect the evidence and prove what happened and who is responsible.
It doesn’t take long before we are warned off.
“You are heading towards a restricted area where navigation is prohibited,” the Danish Navy tells us over the radio.
The discovery of leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines has sparked an international crisis.
All the damage is in international waters.
A few kilometres closer to Bornholm and the reported explosions would have been in Danish waters which could have provoked a NATO response if proven to be deliberate acts.
It’s deeply unsettling for Kim who could smell the leaking gas from his home.
“Do you feel vulnerable living on Bornholm?” I ask him.
“Yes, because Bornholm used to be a really peaceful place and now we see warships, F16 [jets] and explosions so close to Denmark,” he replies.
Many in Europe believe the damage to Nord Stream was deliberate.
Ukraine has accused Russia of terrorism.
On Friday, President Vladimir Putin directly accused “Anglo-Saxon” powers of blowing up the pipelines.
“It was a deliberate act of sabotage, and now the Russians are pumping out disinformation and lies. And we’re at work with our allies to get to the bottom of exactly what, precisely what happened,” countered President Joe Biden.
“Who do you think is responsible?” I ask Kim.
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Nord Stream ‘sabotage sends powerful message’
“I will not say I know who has done this but I would definitely say the Russian guy will try to hold Europe in a tighter hand now because they know it’s going to be winter.”
Bornholm’s proximity to the leaks means chemical experts are monitoring the air to check it hasn’t been poisoned.
So far, no dangerous levels have been detected.
But the ruptures in the Nord Stream system have led to what is likely the biggest single release of climate-damaging methane ever recorded according to the United Nations Environment Programme.
Campaigners say what’s happened in the Baltic Sea is both a political crisis and an environmental disaster:
“Methane being such a potent and aggressive gas, this is something that really will be felt.
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What we know about the Nord Stream leaks and who was behind them
“Over a 20-year period this is something that is equivalent to the Danish emissions of C02 or what maybe 30 million cars in Europe would emit in one year,” explains Mads Flarup Christensen from Greenpeace Nordic.
“It will contribute to the climate crisis that we are in the middle of and that is of course very, very serious.”
The full implications of what has happened off Bornholm’s coast are still playing out.
Further investigation should be possible once gas stops flowing from the pipelines.
But experts warn that even if evidence can be gathered to prove what caused the leaks and if they are the result of a deliberate attack, it’s highly unlikely we will ever definitively know who ordered it.
On Saturday, the Danish energy agency said the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea appears to have stopped leaking.
Around 14 million people could die across the world over the next five years because of cuts to the US Agency for International Development (USAID), researchers have warned.
Children under five are expected to make up around a third (4.5 million) of the mortalities, according to a study published in The Lancet medical journal.
Estimates showed that “unless the abrupt funding cuts announced and implemented in the first half of 2025 are reversed, a staggering number of avoidable deaths could occur by 2030”.
“Beyond causing millions of avoidable deaths – particularly among the most vulnerable – these cuts risk reversing decades of progress in health and socioeconomic development in LMICs [low and middle-income countries],” the report said.
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USAID programmes have prevented the deaths of more than 91 million people, around a third of them among children, the study suggests.
The agency’s work has been linked to a 65% fall in deaths from HIV/AIDS, or 25.5 million people.
Eight million deaths from malaria, more than half the total, around 11 million from diarrheal diseases and nearly five million from tuberculosis (TB), have also been prevented.
USAID has been vital in improving global health, “especially in LMICs, particularly African nations,” according to the report.
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Established in 1961, the agency was tasked with providing humanitarian assistance and helping economic growth in developing countries, especially those deemed strategic to Washington.
But the Trump administration has made little secret of its antipathy towards the agency, which became an early victim of cuts carried out by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – formerly led by Elon Musk – in what the US government said was part of a broader plan to remove wasteful spending.
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In March, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said more than 80% of USAID schemes had been closed following a six-week review, leaving around 1,000 active.
The US is the world’s largest humanitarian aid donor, providing around $61bn (£44bn) in foreign assistance last year, according to government data, or at least 38% of the total, and USAID is the world’s leading donor for humanitarian and development aid, the report said.
Between 2017 and 2020, the agency responded to more than 240 natural disasters and crises worldwide – and in 2016 it sent food assistance to more than 53 million people across 47 countries.
The study assessed all-age and all-cause mortality rates in 133 countries and territories, including all those classified as low and middle-income, supported by USAID from 2001 to 2021.
Thailand’s prime minister has been suspended after a leaked phone call with a senior Cambodian politician caused outrage.
An ethics investigation into Paetongtarn Shinawatra is under way and she could end up being dismissed.
The country’s constitutional court took up a petition from 36 senators, who claimed dishonesty and a breach of ethical standards, and voted 7 to 2 to suspend her.
Protesters gathered in Bangkok at the weekend. Pic: Reuters
The prime minister’s call with Cambodia’s former leader, Hun Sen, sparked public protests after she tried to appease him and criticised a Thai army commander – a taboo move in a country where the military is extremely influential.
Ms Shinawatra was trying to defuse mounting tensions at the border – which in May resulted in the death of one Cambodian soldier.
Thousands of conservative, nationalist protesters held a demo in Bangkok on Saturday to urge her to step down.
Her party is clinging on to power after another group withdrew from their alliance a few weeks ago over the phone call. Calls for a no-confidence vote are likely.
Deputy prime minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit will take over temporarily while the court looks into the case.
The 38-year-old prime minister – Thailand‘s youngest ever leader – has 15 days to respond to the probe. She has apologised and said her approach in the call was a negotiating tactic.
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The popularity of her government has slumped recently, with an opinion poll showing an approval rating of 9.2%, down from 30.9% in March.
Ms Shinawatra comes from a wealthy dynasty synonymous with Thai politics.
Her father Thaksin Shinawatra – a former Manchester City owner – and aunt Yingluck Shinawatra served as prime minister before her – in the early to mid 2000s – and their time in office also ended ignominiously amid corruption charges and military coups.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be meeting Donald Trump next Monday, according to US officials.
The visit on 7 July comes after Mr Trump suggested it was possible a ceasefire in Gaza could be reached within a week.
On Sunday, he wrote on social media: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”
At least 60 people killed across Gaza on Monday, in what turned out to be some of the heaviest attacks in weeks.
Benjamin Netanyahu, left, with Donald Trump during a previous meeting. Pic: Reuters
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, 56,500 people have been killed in the 20-month war.
The visit by Mr Netanyahu to Washington has not been formally announced and the officials who said it would be going ahead spoke on condition of anonymity.
An Israeli official in Washington also confirmed the meeting next Monday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration was in constant communication with the Israeli government.
She said Mr Trump viewed ending the war in Gaza and returning remaining hostages held by Hamas as a top priority.
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The war in Gaza broke out in retaliation for Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw a further 250 taken hostage.
An eight-week ceasefire was reached in the final days of Joe Biden’s US presidency, but Israel resumed the war in March after trying to get Hamas to accept new terms on next steps.
Talks between Israel and Hamas have stalled over whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire.
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