Europe

Authorities at Gatwick Airport said that water supplies were interrupted 'on Sunday due to a power 'outage in a local treatment -works. Passengers reported the issue on social media. They said that it had led to the failure of flushing toilets and closures?of bars and restaurants. Water supplies were affected in both terminals of the airport, Britain's second busiest airport after Heathrow. The statement said that "Bottled Water is available to passengers and staff at the airport, and contingency measures have been put in place for the passengers' welfare." Water utility SES Water reported that complications caused by an outage...

The Romanian defence ministry announced on Sunday that an F-16 fighter jet pilot had shot down a Russian drone over the Black Sea. This was the latest in a string of airspace violations by NATO members, which?President Nicusor Dan deemed "inadmissible" and "intolerable". Romania shares a land border of 650 km (400 miles) with Ukraine, and Russian drones repeatedly violated Romania's airspace throughout the four-year Ukraine conflict. Moscow has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian ports located across the Danube River. Romania hadn't destroyed any drones before Friday, when a Romanian was able to safely bring down one in an uninhabited...

After a poorly explained government reshuffle erupted into a political crisis, protesters in Kyiv announced a rally that would last until the end of time. They demanded that Volodymyr Zelenskiy reappoint Mykhailo Fedorov as defence minister. The protest reached its peak last week when thousands of angry Ukrainians marched to demand the reinstatement of Fedorov and the dismissal of Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in chief. Syrskyi was accused by some of disregarding soldiers' lives and delaying army modernisation. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the president's office Friday, even though Zelenskiy had replaced Syrskyi by respected commander Mykhailo Drapatyi. They chanted "We...

Euronext Wheat Futures dropped?more? than 6% after reports that Ukraine was looking at possible ways to keep vessels moving through its Big Odesa port. This raised hopes for Black Sea exports. The price of front-month milling wheat for September on Paris' Euronext fell?6% at 1320 GMT to EUR228.75 ($260.02), after falling as low as EUR226.25 per ton earlier. Chicago's most popular wheat contract was down 4% at the same time. ExpertGrain Media reported that under 'the proposal', shipowners would notify both Ukrainian authorities and Russian authorities prior to vessels calling at ports in either of the countries. Ships registered under...

Russia announced?on Friday? that its forces had'struck three Ukrainian ports overnight? in a?attack which targeted infrastructure, including loading and unloading areas and fuel reserves which supported Kyiv’s armed forces. The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that air-launched rockets and strike drones had?hit the ports of Odesa Izmail, and Mykolaiv as part of a campaign of heavy strikes against Ukraine. In a press release, it said that tanks of fuel and lubricants intended for the Ukrainian army had been damaged in Odesa and that storage and unloading facilities for military cargo had been destroyed in Izmail. The floating dry dock in Izmail...

Three industry sources reported on Thursday that drones had attacked two more oil tankers as they approached the terminal of 'the Caspian Pipeline Consortium,' on 'Russia's shores' of 'the Black Sea. This has further harmed prospects for exports to Kazakhstan, who uses this outlet. Authorities alleged that the closure of the terminal earlier this week, which accounts for more than 80 percent of Kazakhstan's oil exports, was due to safety concerns. This forced Kazakhstan to reduce its oil production. Sources said that the CPC should have provided oil to the HERA and ALATAU tanks. HERA, however, was set ablaze and...

Union Pacific announced a 'rise' in its second-quarter profits on Thursday as a result of?strong freight demand? and pricing gains? that overshadowed an increase in operating expenses? U.S. Railroads have benefited from their pricing power and operational discipline. They have also improved network reliability and performance on time to support freight volumes and attract more business. West Coast Railway's net income for the second quarter was up 6.6% to $2 billion or $3.36 a share from $1.9billion or $3.15 a share compared to a year ago. The company's revenue increased 12% from the previous year to $6.86 billion. The freight...

The country's Agriculture Minister said that shipowners temporarily halted vessel arrivals in?Ukraine?s Black Sea ports?for agricultural exports?after a recent surge?in russian attacks against ports and merchant ships? According to traders and analysts, the Russian drone and missile attacks have caused Ukraine to lose about a third its ability to export grain through Black Sea ports. "As from today, entry of ships is suspended. The shipowners made this decision. Ukraine as a country has not imposed restrictions," Interfax Ukraine quoted Taras Vysotskyi on Wednesday. Interfax-Ukraine reported that Vysotskyi also added that alternative routes as well as infrastructure are currently underutilised. Since...

On 'Wednesday, Russia announced that it had attacked the Ukrainian cities of Odesa and Chornomorsk. It said it had hit port infrastructure and vessels which it claimed were supporting the Ukrainian army. The Russian defence ministry stated that the latest strikes targeted a dry cargo ship at Chornomorsk Port, as well as military?cargo storage and fuel and oil storage tanks. The ministry said that a dry cargo ship and bulk carrier were also targeted by the drones. They were transporting military supplies to Odesa. In a separate statement, the ministry said that Russian drones had also 'hit three warehouses' storing...

The Argentina Football Association (AFA) said on Wednesday that it is "completely false" to claim that Claudio Tapia, the treasurer of AFA and Pablo Toviggino were ordered by U.S. court judges to provide 'evidence'. The AFA did acknowledge, however, a third-party was summoned before a U.S. Grand Jury and could potentially provide evidence regarding several people, including representatives from the organization. Local media reported that FBI agents had detained Tapia, Toviggino and the Argentina team at New York’s JFK Airport before they boarded the charter flight after the World Cup Final. They also requested Tapia’s devices. Infobae, a media outlet...

The price of European wheat soared on Wednesday due to renewed drone attacks and the closure of Novorossiysk, the major Russian grain export hub, overnight. Benchmark 'September' milling wheat traded on Paris-based Euronext was up 4.5% at 1530 GMT, to 245.25 Euros per metric ton. Chicago wheat increased by 4% at the same time. Three grain industry sources reported on Wednesday that Russia has temporarily banned vessel movements into and out of Novorossiysk port between midnight and 5 a.m. due to drone attacks by Ukraine. The port is operating as normal outside of the nighttime restrictions, and grain shipments are...

Russia has temporarily banned vessel movements into and out of the port of Novorossiysk between midnight and 5 am. Three grain industry sources told Reuters on Wednesday that the ban was imposed because of Ukrainian drone strikes. Sources said that the order was verbal, and no official document has been sent to shippers. The port continued to operate as usual outside of the nighttime restrictions, and grain shipments were not affected. The Transport Ministry or the Port's Administration did not reply to a comment request. Novorossiysk, Russia's largest port in terms of volume, handles up to a third of Russia’s...

Iran will cease its attacks as long the United States also does,?a senior Iranian official said on Sunday. The United States has paused its bombing campaign after President Donald Trump's advisors informed him that they had run out of targets. They also expressed concern about the depletion of the U.S. weapons arsenal. The Pentagon ended the airstrikes against Iran after 13 nights. No U.S. strikes were reported for Saturday or Sunday. Iran has held off its attacks on the neighbouring countries of U.S. bases for two days. It had followed each night's U.S. airstrikes with its own strikes. An anonymous...

Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned on Saturday an attack by Ukraine on a commercial Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea. It said that a resulting explosion killed one sailor and injured another. Throughout the Ukraine war, Kyiv had to combat drones designed by Iran that were deployed by Moscow. Kyiv offers its drone intercepting expertise to Middle East countries that have been hit by?Iran. Tehran called the attack on the Iranian vessel an act of aggression, and said it would defend national security and interests. It also accused Kyiv of trying to escalate the conflict in Ukraine. The Iranian denial coincided...

Yemen's Houthi militants, who are aligned with Iran, fired on Saudi oil facilities in two ports along the Red Sea Coast on Saturday. However, the U.S. did not launch air strikes against Iran for the first time in two weeks. Washington did not explain why it abruptly stopped a 13-night streak of escalating attacks in retaliation of Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz after an interim agreement to end hostilities failed. Hossein Kirmanpour, spokesperson for the Health Ministry, said on X: "It appears that our dear Iran enjoyed a peaceful sleep last night." No reports were made...

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, was quoted on Saturday as saying that the suspected Ukrainian attacks on facilities connected to 'Kazakhstan Caspian Pipeline Consortium' amounted "energy terrorism", aimed at Kazakhstan and Russia. Kazakhstan announced on Thursday that it had cut oil production after suspected Ukrainian drone strikes forced the CPC-operated Black Sea export terminal to close. Peskov was quoted by RIA as saying: "This is clear energy (terrorism), this is what they are doing in 'the Black Sea, in 'the Sea of Azov". These are terrorist acts, international terrorist acts, which could be extremely dangerous. RIA reported that he said the...

Greek security sources said that air defence systems in Saudi Arabia intercepted on Saturday two ballistic missiles fired from Yemen, which were aimed at oil refineries in Yanbu. This was as Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis traded fire in the new front of the Iran War. The coalition led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen announced late on Friday that it had hit Houthi military bases in the port of Hodeidah in connection with attacks against shipping by the group. This group has declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia. Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthi group, said...

The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz fired Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder on Friday, amid frustration with 'the state of the rail network and crumbling infrastructure in Germany,' according to Bild, as part of a wider cabinet reshuffle. The mass-circulation newspaper reported that Schnieder will be succeeded by Fritz Guentzler. He is a CDU legislator and auditor from Goettingen. Sources in conservative circles were cited. I was unable to reach the Chancellery or Transport Ministry for comment on Friday morning. The shake-up in the cabinet was triggered by Jens Spahn's sudden resignation over a controversy surrounding surrogacy. Bild reported that Merz had...

Brent oil prices hovered above $100 per barrel Friday, heading for a fourth week of gains. This was largely due to concerns over disrupted energy flow in the Red Sea as well as fears about escalation of the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. Brent futures rose 37 cents or 0.37% to $101.06 per barrel at 0330 GMT. The previous session, the price of a barrel had risen 7% over $100 for the first since May after Iran-aligned Houthis claimed they had struck two Saudi oil tanks in the Red Sea. The contract was on track for a 14.6% increase...

The oil market was set to see gains this week as Houthi attacks on tankers in Red Sea raised concerns about the closure of a second shipping snare. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan temporarily reduced its output after its main export route had been forced to close. Brent futures eased?72 Cents, or 0.72 %, to $99.97 per barrel at 0126 GMT but remain on track for a 13.5% gain this week. West Texas Intermediate futures (WTI) fell 70 cents or 0.76% to $91.49 per barrel. They are on course for a weekly gain of 10.9%. Brent and WTI both rose by 7% on...

Getlink, the operator of the Channel Tunnel, warned on Thursday that software problems could cause the biometric phase to be delayed past the original deadline of September 6, affecting car passengers who use the tunnel. The Chief Executive Yann Leriche stated that the biometric component for the new Entry/Exit System has yet to be implemented in passenger vehicles. He also warned that the software at the European level is not fully stable. Travel disruptions during holiday seasons are a concern for airline groups as well as British authorities. Leriche said to reporters: "I won't tell you that we're not experiencing...

Four sources claim that a $30 billion project, which would provide Germany with renewable energy from Morocco via the longest intercontinental undersea power link in the world, is currently being delayed by disagreements about structure and guarantees. Sila Atlantik is a project that aims to link Morocco and Germany through two subsea cables capable of delivering up to 5% the annual German electricity demand. According to project developers, the cables would be 4,800 km long (2,892 meters) and fed by solar and wind power installations up to 15 gigawatts in Morocco. The total infrastructure costs around $30 billion. European countries...

Enagas, the Spanish gas grid operator, announced on Wednesday that it had agreed to purchase a 20% stake from 'Osaka Gas in eastern Spain's 'Saggas' regasification plant. It also reported first-half earnings, which it claimed kept it on track to meet its 2026 forecasts. The company announced that it would pay EUR31,000,000 ($35,000,000) for a stake in the Sagunto plant, located in the Valencia region. This plant has a storage capacity of 600,000.000 cubic meters and a regasification capability of 1.1 million normal cubic metres an hour. This is equal to 18% of Spain's total and 15% of its total....

Andy Burnham, the new British Prime Minister, promised a price cut of up to a third on single bus tickets as part of a push to reduce a cost-of living crisis. After his government announced that it would reduce taxes on electricity bills, the decision to cap tickets at PS2 ($2.68) in January was made. Downing Street announced that the extra funding for the bus ticket cap would come from reprioritising the Department of Energy, Security and Net Zero budget. "As I said on my first day as president, I will build a nation for everyone everywhere. Burnham said in...