EU countries agree to cut natural gas consumption

The German government is planning to expand the powers of its antitrust authorities. The move comes after recent measures to compensate for rising gasoline prices have turned into a profit windfall for oil companies.

An Italian energy firm says the Russian company is slashing its deliveries by 50%. France's gas operator says it has not received any natural gas from Russia via its pipeline from Germany for more than a month.

Without Russian natural gas, Germany will be facing an energy crisis. Coal, nuclear, fracking or renewable energy — what are the most realistic and climate-friendly options?

Germany has taken a step towards rationing natural gas by activating the second of three stages in an emergency plan. Officials say that since Russia reduced supplies, gas is now a "scarce commodity". Also in the show: the UK is hit by a second day of rail strikes over job security, pay and the rising cost of living, and high inflation in France prompts a boom in demand for camping holidays.

German energy official Klaus Müller has said the country's gas situation is stable but predicted higher prices for consumers. He also said that Germany can last another 2 1/2 months without Russian gas.

The proposal to label natural gas and nuclear energy as "green" as a guide for private investors has been met with resistance along the way. A tight vote is expected.

The Norwegian government has intervened to halt a strike by oil and gas workers. The move came amid concerns that the strike could have worsened Europe's energy crisis, which is already aggravated by the war in Ukraine.

As Russia cuts down gas deliveries to Europe, Germany's energy supplier Uniper reported "significant financial burdens" and asked the German government to help stabilize it.

Russia is supplying less and less gas to Germany. Now the Nord Stream pipeline is being shut for maintenance, and no one knows for sure if it will come back online. The Kremlin is using gas to exert leverage on Germany.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is responding to Western sanctions with his own. His blockade of gas and grain supplies has caused food and energy crises elsewhere. Guests: Vendeline von Bredow (The Economist), Prof. Kwesi Aning (security expert), Vladimir Esipov (DW)

Russian President Vladimir Putin is responding to Western sanctions with his own. His blockade of gas and grain supplies has caused food and energy crises elsewhere. Guests: Vendeline von Bredow (The Economist), Prof. Kwesi Aning (security expert), Vladimir Esipov (DW)

There are fears in Germany that Russia could try to destabilize Europe by not restarting gas supplies after Nord Stream's temporary halt. How is Germany preparing? How are households coping with this energy crisis?