Gas prices have soared on concerns over energy supplies after Russia announced it would not reopen its main gas pipeline to Europe. The Dutch month ahead wholesale gas price, a benchmark for Europe, was up as much as 30% in early trading on Monday. The Nord Stream 1 pipeline had been due to reopen on Saturday after being shut for three days. But Russia’s state-owned energy firm Gazprom said it had found a leak. Europe has accused Russia of using gas supplies to blackmail European countries because of the Ukraine conflict, which Moscow denies. A Kremlin spokesman said on Monday: “Pumping problems arose because of sanctions imposed against our country and against a number of companies by Western states, including Germany and the UK.(BBC)…[+]