Month: December 2021

Nord Stream 2 is a double-edged geopolitical tool

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

When Pavel Zavalny, the chairman of Russian parliamentary committee on energy, made the forecast last Friday that Nord Stream 2 pipeline could start shipping natural gas to Germany as early as next month, it was received with disbelief. But Zavalny was categorical, and was quoted by Reuters as saying, “I can say with a high degree of certainty that the first gas via Nord Stream 2 will go in January.”

Nord Stream 2 is a double-edged geopolitical tool

President Biden extends student loan payment freeze through May 1

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

President Biden extends student loan payment freeze through May 1

Whenever loan payments resume, many experts say the process will be quite messy, given so many back and forths with borrowers. Even a 2020 report from the Education Department noted the resumption of payments would be messy. Loan servicers and the federal government, the report says, will “face a heavy burden in ‘converting’ millions of borrowers to active repayment.” The transition could also be confusing to borrowers, with some “becoming delinquent, at least initially.”