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Finland police investigate undersea gas pipeline leak as possible sabotage_我的网站

A |     HELSINKI -- Finnish police said Wednesday they have launched a criminal investigation into possible sabotage of an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia that was shut down over the weekend following a leak.Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, or NBI, says it has started gathering evidence at the location of the leak, which was detected in Finland's economic zone Sunday on the Balticconector pipeline connecting the two NATO allies. A telecommunications cable also was damaged.The purpose of the probe is to establish whether the Balticconector pipeline was damaged intentionally or by accident and by whom. Finnish authorities have already ruled out an operational mishap, saying the damage resulted from “external activity.”Noting that the analysis was still in an early stage, NBI said “traces have been detected in the seabed” near the leak but didn’t give details.Outside analysts have speculated on everything from a ship’s anchor hitting the pipeline to an explosion as possible causes. Investigators told reporters on Wednesday that an explosion appeared unlikely.“The damage appears to have been caused by mechanical force, not an explosion,” NBI chief inspector Risto Lohi was quoted as saying by Finnish public broadcaster YLE. “At the moment we are determining what happened and (who) may have been involved. Considering the situation, we will not speculate, but work to find facts, analyze them and then draw conclusions about what caused the damage.”The 77-kilometer-long (48-mile-long) Balticconnector pipeline runs across the Gulf of Finland from the Finnish city of Inkoo to the Estonian port of Paldiski. It is bi-directional, transferring natural gas between Finland and Estonia depending on demand and supply. The 300 million euro ($318 million) pipeline, largely financed by the European Union, started commercial operations at the beginning of 2020. It was shut down on Sunday after operators noticed a drop in pressure in the pipeline.The incident comes just over a year after the Nord Stream gas pipelines running between Germany and Russia in the Baltic Sea were damaged by explosions believed to be sabotage. The case remains unsolved.In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he had discussed the latest incident with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.“If it is proven to be a deliberate attack on NATO critical infrastructure, then this will be of course serious, but it will also be met by a united and determined response from NATO,” Stoltenberg said.On Tuesday, Finnish officials did not comment on whether they suspected Russian involvement.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the incident “alarming news.”“We know that there have been dangerous precedents of terror attacks against critical infrastructure in the Baltics, I mean the attacks against Nord Stream pipelines,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday. “We are looking forward to more detailed information.”Finnish gas transmission system operator Gasgrid Finland estimated that the repair work would take at least five months. The company said a liquified natural gas terminal in Inkoo has the capacity to deliver the gas Finland needs.Europe saw natural gas prices hit record highs last year after Russia’s cutoff of most gas supplies during the war in Ukraine. Many European countries have turned to other alternatives including LNG since then to meet their energy needs. Europe currently has filled 97% of its gas storage capacity for the winter, but security of supply depends on deliveries of pipeline gas and LNG.。

B |     PORTLAND, Ore. -- A former nurse convicted of sexually abusing women in custody at an Oregon prison has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. Tony Klein's sentence handed down Tuesday also includes five years of supervised release after prison, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office — District of Oregon. He had faced a possible life sentence.A federal jury in July convicted Klein on 17 counts related to sexual assault and four counts of lying under oath involving nine women. Jurors found he deprived the women of their constitutional right to not face cruel and unusual punishment while they served time at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility south of Portland in Wilsonville. He worked as a nurse at the facility from 2010 until 2018, interacting with women in custody who either sought medical treatment or worked in the prison's medical unit. Prosecutors said Klein sexually assaulted many women entrusted to his care, making it clear to them that he was in a position of power and that their reports about it wouldn't be believed.Klein resigned as Oregon State Police was investigating the assault allegations.Klein, 39, denies sexually assaulting anyone and his lawyers have said Klein plans to appeal the sentence. He didn't testify at trial. His attorneys, Amanda Alvarez Thibeault and Matthew McHenry, suggested during the trial that Klein was the victim of a plot by women in custody to get financial settlements from the state. The jury reached a unanimous verdict “after careful consideration,” jury foreman Patrick O’Halloran said in July.Prosecutors said Klein abused his position and abused women, violating the public's trust, while doing everything he could to avoid getting caught."Holding Tony Klein accountable for his crimes would not have been possible without the courage and resolve of the women he abused and the dedication of our partners at the FBI and Civil Rights Division,” Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, said in a statement.Numerous women since 2019 have sued the state Department of Corrections and Klein alleging sexual abuse. The state has settled at least 11 of them and paid out a total of $1.87 million while admitting no wrongdoing.。

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