Europe

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued a series warnings on Friday to airlines to be cautious when flying over Central America and parts of South America. It cited the risk of possible military activities and GPS interferance. The FAA has issued Notices to Airmen for Mexico, Central America, Ecuador, Colombia, and certain portions of the eastern Pacific Ocean. The agency said that the warnings will begin on Friday and last for 60 days. These warnings are coming amid increased tensions in the region between the United States, and other regional leaders, after the Trump administration?mounted a large-scale buildup of military...

After simmering tensions arose over the 'deadly crackdown' on Iranian protests, and U.S. threats of 'intervention', the European Union's aviation regulator recommended that airlines in its bloc'stay out' of Iran's 'airspace'. In a bulletin, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency stated that "the presence and potential use of a variety of weapons and air defence systems combined with unpredictable responses from states... creates high risks for civil flights at all levels and altitudes." The protests began in Iran on December 28 due to economic hardships. They grew into large demonstrations demanding the end of the clerical regime, which culminated in...

Elon Musk called Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary on Friday an "utter idiot", who should be fired. The spat began when?the airline chief refused to install Musk's Starlink?internet on Ryanair planes. O'Leary dismissed on Wednesday the idea of equipping Ryanair's 600+ jets with Musk's Starlink. Citing the fuel cost impact from the drag caused by the antenna, O'Leary estimated that the service could cost the airlines as much as $250 million per year. Musk replied on his social media platform X by claiming that O'Leary had been "misinformed", and arguing Ryanair didn't know how to measure?fuel consumption of Starlink equipment. During...

According to shipping ministry advisories, Greece warned its shipping fleet to take the most stringent security measures when sailing into Russian Black Sea ports following drone attacks this week on two Greek-operated oil tankers. Drones hit two oil tankers, including one chartered from U.S. oil giant Chevron as they approached the marine terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium on the Black Sea coast of Russia. Greek-operated tankers are among the largest in the world. They are crucial for trade along the Black Sea, where Bulgaria,?Georgia?, Romania?, Turkey?, and Russia?, who are at war with Ukraine?, which Moscow invaded?in February 2022?....

According to Spanish police and Turkish Airlines, a false bomb threat received via an onboard mobile connection forced a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul on Thursday to land at Barcelona's El Prat Airport after making an emergency landing. Turkish Airlines spokesperson stated earlier that crew had detected that a passenger created an in-flight hotspot that was named with a?bomb warning as the aircraft approached?Barcelona. The Guardia civil?police force in Spain said that after a thorough examination of the aircraft, following the disembarkation of its passengers, the alert was deactivated. No explosives were found. Spanish airport operator AENA confirmed that El...

According to flight tracking websites such as Flight Tracker, Wizz Air, Lufthansa and British Airways avoided the airspace of Iraq and Iran on Thursday in order to reduce the risks associated with geopolitical unrest in Iran and the Middle East. Iran closed its airspace for nearly five hours, and then reopened it after that, amid fears of a possible military conflict between the U.S. FlightRadar24 reports that despite the airspace reopening many airlines continued to use alternate routes. This included Singapore Airlines, TUI, and others. Many Western airlines changed their routes in the Middle East in the past two years....

According to flight tracking sites, European airlines such as Wizz Air, Lufthansa and British Airways avoided the airspace of Iraq and Iran on Thursday. Instead, they chose routes through Afghanistan and Central Asia to reduce the risks associated with ongoing geopolitical instability in the Middle East and?Iran. Iran closed its airspace for nearly five hours, and then reopened it after that, on Wednesday, amid fears of a possible military conflict between the U.S.A. and 'Iran, which forced airlines to cancel or reroute flights. FlightRadar24 reports that despite the airspace being reopened, many airlines continued to use alternate routes, including Singapore...

Air India has warned that possible disruptions to its A350 routes could occur due to engine damage sustained by one of their long-haul aircraft after it encountered "a foreign object" Thursday. Air India has six Airbus A350s that fly lucrative routes between India's New Delhi, London, New York, and Newark. This makes the airline susceptible to disruptions if an aircraft is suddenly grounded. The airline said that the damage occurred while the plane was taxiing through dense fog at New Delhi. The carrier did not provide any further information on the 'foreign object' or possible routes affected. Air India stated...

Flightradar24 reported on Wednesday that Germany had issued a directive warning its airlines against entering Iranian airspace. This came shortly after Lufthansa revised?its flight operation across the Middle East due to escalating tensions in the area. Lufthansa announced on Wednesday it will bypass Iranian and Iraqi Airspace until further notice. It will only operate daytime flights from Tel Aviv and Amman between Wednesday and Monday next week. In a statement, it said that some flights may also be cancelled as a consequence of these actions. Protests against the government in Iran are taking place across the country started The unrest...

According to an industry group, the United States will see a drop of 6% in foreign visitors by 2025. However, global tourism is expected to surpass concerns about saturation in certain locations and generate a 6.7% increase in spending in comparison to last year. According to data from the World Travel and Tourism Council, more than 1.5 billion tourists spent over $11.7 trillion last year on hotels, cruises and flight. WTTC stated that the tourism industry contributed 10.3% to global GDP, and that spending on tourism grew twice as fast as global economic growth. WTTC interim president and CEO Gloria...

Ryanair will operate 10% fewer flights from Brussels Charleroi Airport, due to the new 3-euro ($3.50), passenger tax that takes effect in April. Michael O'Leary, the Group Chief Executive of Irish Airlines, told reporters that the airline would reduce its annual seat total from 10.5 million to 1.1 million. He said: "We will continue to cut until the Belgian government... abolishes all these stupid taxes." New aircraft are being sent to Sweden and Albania, while some aircraft will be moved to other locations. This year, we'll be adding four new aircraft at Stockholm. O'Leary stated that in Albania there are...

Four sources said that the U.S. government has filed court warrants for the seizure of dozens of more tankers connected to the Venezuelan trade. Washington is consolidating control over oil shipments into and out of this 'South American country. In recent weeks, the U.S. Coast Guard and military seized five vessels that either carried Venezuelan oil in international waters or had done so previously. The seizure was part of Washington’s campaign to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power, which culminated with U.S. troops capturing him on Jan. 3. The administration of Donald Trump has stated that it intends to...

Hellenic Train, an Italian-owned railway company, is required to invest 420 millions euros ($487.41) in new trains and maintenance nearly three years after Greece's worst rail disaster. The amendments to the '2017' state contract with Hellenic Train, approved late Thursday by the parliament, contain these requirements. "For the very first time the contract contains a clause that allows for a termination. The statement stated that if the trains aren't delivered and in service by 2027 the state may terminate the contract. On February 28, 2023 a passenger train from Athens collided with a freight train from Thessaloniki, near the town...

The German budget committee approved the purchase of a minority share in the German division?of the Dutch high-voltage transmission grid 'TenneT', according to a German parliamentary report on Friday. This is part of a longstanding plan by the German government to consolidate its control over key infrastructure. The source said that conservatives, centre-left SPD, and the Greens were all in favor of the decision, but the far-right AfD was against it, and the Left Party abstained. In a November letter, the economy ministry'said that it intended to sign a 'agreement to buy a 25% stake in TenneT Germany in early...

A London court heard on Wednesday that the captain of a container vessel which smashed into a U.S. oil tanker last year off Britain's East Coast tried to alter course in order to avoid a fatal collision. Vladimir Motin's lawyer stated that the Russian captain of the Solong, who hit the Stena Immaculate tanker anchored in March 2025 and tried to turn off the autopilot but failed, shortly before the crash. Motin is facing trial at the Old Bailey, accused of gross negligence manslaughter. Mark Pernia is a 38-year-old crew member whose body was never found, but is presumed to...

The U.S. Justice Department asked on Tuesday a federal appeals?court to dismiss its appeal against a lower court order that blocked President Donald Trump from requiring 20?Democratic?states?to cooperate with immigration enforcement in order to receive billions of dollar's worth of grant funding for transportation. A U.S. Judge in Rhode Island decided that the U.S. Department of Transportation did not have the authority to force the states to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for transportation funding and that the condition was against the U.S. Constitution. California Attorney General Rob Bonta led the legal challenge which included also the District...

Oleksandr vilkul, the head of the military administration, said that Russian drones had struck Kryvyi rih in central Ukraine on Wednesday, forcing power outages for over?45,000 people and disrupting heat supply. If you can, please charge your mobile devices and fill up with water. Vilkul told Telegram users that it was going to be a difficult day. The water pumping stations in the system could have pressure problems. It was not possible to determine the exact scale of 'the attack immediately. Russia has not commented on the?strike. Russia repeatedly attacked Ukraine's power plants, substations, and transmission lines with drones and...

British prosecutors have said that the captain of a container vessel that collided with a U.S. oil tanker last year off Britain's East Coast did "absolutely nothing" to avoid an avoidable, fatal collision. His trial for the death of a crewmember began on Tuesday. Vladimir Motin was the captain of the Portuguese flagged Solong, heading for Rotterdam, Netherlands, when the tanker Stena Immaculate, which was anchored was hit on 10 March 2025. Tom Little, prosecutor, said that the Solong was mostly carrying alcohol, and some dangerous goods. These included empty but unclean containers of sodium cyanide. The Stena Immaculate, on...

British prosecutors stated on Tuesday that the captain of the container ship which collided with a U.S. oil tanker off Britain's east cost last year, did "absolutely" nothing to prevent an avoidable fatal collision. Vladimir Motin (59) was the Russian captain of the Portuguese flagged Solong, which hit the Stena Immaculate tanker that was anchored on March 10, 2025. Motin, who was arrested four days earlier, was charged with the murder of Mark Pernia (38), a Filipino national, and member of the Solong crew. His body has not been located and is presumed to be dead. Tom Little, the prosecutor...

Four sources claim that January exports are already 70% behind schedule after the weather-related suspension of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal. The interruption to CPC oil exports limits supply for the vast Tengiz oil fields and Kashagan oil field operated by U.S. oil majors and European oil companies. The CPC Blend oil loadings may be further complicated by a drone attack that took place on Tuesday near the CPC terminal. The CPC pipeline, which handles more than 80% of Kazakhstan's oil exports, transports oil to the Black Sea terminal at Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka, near Novorossiysk. Two sources claim that the 'CPC'...

The oil prices continued to rise on Tuesday as heightened concerns about the major Iranian producer and possible supply disruptions overshadowed the?prospects of an increased crude supply coming from Venezuela. Brent futures rose $1.20 or 1.9% to $65.07 per barrel at 1150 GMT. This is the highest Brent has been since mid-November. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude climbed $1.23 or 2.1% to $60.73. John Evans of PVM Oil Associates said, "The oil markets are building some price protection to counter geopolitical factors." Evans highlighted the possible exclusion of Iran’s?exports as well as the problems in Venezuela, the talks about the...

Six sources confirmed that two Greek-managed oil tanks were struck by drones near the Caspian Pipeline consortium terminal on Tuesday, which is responsible for?around 80%?of Kazakhstan's crude oil exports. LSEG data revealed that Delta Tankers in Greece manages one of the tankers. According to sources, this tanker was expected to be loaded with oil from Tengizchevroil. The sources said that the other ship, Matilda is managed by Greece's Thenamaris, and would be expected to load oil from Karachaganak. Thenamaris confirmed that Matilda was hit by two drones as she waited in "ballast conditions" 30 miles off CPC. According to a...

According to the Swedish Foreign Minister, sanctions should be introduced against Russian fertilisers, and companies should not provide any support for Moscow's oil-and-gas-shipping fleet. The bloc of 27 nations is currently preparing their 20th package of sanctions to punish Russia for its conflict in Ukraine. Prior sanctions focused on crippling the oil and gas sector, which is the Kremlin’s main source of revenue. At a yearly security conference held in Salen in western Sweden, Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard stated that "the pressure on Russia?has to increase". Stenergard stated that the EU's "next package of sanctions" should include a ban...

Kyiv’s heating and water systems were restored after they had been briefly turned off on Saturday due to a particularly cold day. Engineers scrambled for stabilisation of a power grid that was pushed to its limits by a series of Russian airstrikes, including the one from two nights ago. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has been bombarding Ukraine's power system with intense force. This has caused blackouts that last for several hours each day in many major cities. The heat and water infrastructure has also been severely affected over the past few weeks. This is a...