BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO: The Hague is seeking a temporary exemption from EU sanctions against Russia, saying it is struggling to find a new gas supplier to replace its existing agreement with Russian energy giant Gazprom. Current EU sanctions oblige governments and public bodies to end all existing contracts with Russian companies by October 10. But the Hague said several EU-wide tenders to seek an alternative supplier yielded no results and the city asked for an exemption until January 1. It's unlikely to be the only one to ask for more time: A number of Dutch municipalities also have energy contracts with Gazprom.