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Hong Kong court calls 18 witnesses in Baltic Sea cable damage case
The lawyer of the Chinese captain who is accused of damaging undersea cables on a?ship registered in Hong Kong in the Baltic Sea, said that 18 witnesses will be called in to testify. According to a Hong Kong charging document, Wan Wenguo is accused of causing "criminal damages" on the underwater natural gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia in October 2023. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in early 2022, the Baltic Sea region is on high alert for sabotage. This follows a series outages of gas pipelines, power cables and telecoms. Wan, 43 years old, appeared before the court on Tuesday, but his attorney, Jerry Chung said that more time was required to review documents and enter a plea. The case has been adjourned until February 11. Chung informed reporters that 10 witnesses, including Hong Kong officials and experts in maritime issues, would be called to testify on the charge of criminal damage. The maximum penalty is two years' imprisonment, Chung added. The charge sheet stated that Wan was "reckless", and had "without legal excuse" damaged property belonging to someone else. The Finnish authorities claim that the NewNew Polar Bear cut the Balticconnector subsea pipeline which connects Finland and Estonia below the Baltic Sea by dragging the anchor along the seabed. Estonian police suspect that the ship may have damaged the telecom cables connecting Estonia with Finland and Sweden, before it hit the pipeline. Wan's attorney did not provide any details about the damages that could be claimed and from whom. He also said that he had no knowledge of other parties who were being prosecuted in addition to Wan. Wan is also facing two charges of failing?to ensure that the ship met the safety requirements applicable to Hong Kong registered ships around the world, as per the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. Chung stated that these included the 'disappearance' of an anchor from the ship and Wan failing to report to the company every day. Eight other witnesses will be called for these two infractions. Wan has been in custody since his arrest last May, when he did not ask for bail during his first hearing. The ship's Hong Kong-flag means that it is under the city's global maritime regulatory jurisdiction, even though the crimes did not take place in Hong Kong waters. Hong Kong prosecutors worked with Finnish and Estonian authorities to solve the case. Some European governments have accused Russia hybrid attacks and of sabotage against critical infrastructure. Moscow, however, has denied these claims, claiming that the West seeks to undermine Russian interests by waging an information warfare. Reporting by James Pomfret, Editing by Anne Marie Roantree Jacqueline Wong Kate Mayberry
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Japan's airlines cancel flights after blizzards strike the northwest coast
The largest airline in Japan announced on Tuesday that strong winds and heavy snowfall caused the cancellation of dozens of flights to and from the northwestern coast. This includes popular ski regions. As of 1 p.m. local (0400 GMT), ANA Holdings cancelled 56 flights, affecting approximately 3,900 passengers. Meanwhile, as?of 11:00 a.m. (0200 GMT), Japan Airlines cancelled 37?flights affecting 2,213?passengers. ANA has said that there will be a delay at some airports because of the continued adverse weather conditions. The New?Chitose Airport in Japan's northernmost Prefecture, Hokkaido, was the most affected. 49 of ANA’s 56 flights were cancelled. Airport is gateway to Niseko, a?ski resort that has exploded in popularity with international visitors looking to enjoy some of the best powder skiing conditions and take advantage of the weak yen. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned on Monday that heavy snow would hit the north and western parts of the country, along the Sea of Japan between January 21-25 and advised against any non-essential travel. (Reporting and editing by Jamie Freed; Anton Bridge)
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WSJ reports that Elliott invests in Stratolaunch, a hypersonic flight company.
The Wall Street Journal reported that activist investor Elliott 'Investment Management' has acquired a stake in a company called Stratolaunch. This hypersonic flight company has successfully tested a reusable hypersonic aircraft for the U.S. Military. The Journal reported that Elliott would also gain board representation at privately-held Stratolaunch and its investment is worth several hundreds of millions of dollars. The WSJ reported that the 'exact size' was unknown. Could not 'immediately confirm the WSJ report. Elliott and Stratolaunch didn't immediately respond to our request for comments. In May of last year, the Pentagon announced that Stratolaunch had been part of a successful second test of an a Hypersonic test vehicle that can be reused Following an earlier test in December 2024 of its Talon-A car that was not publicly announced. The reusable 'Talon-A' rocket can be quickly re-launched at a lower cost than single-use rockets. This will accelerate the development of 'U.S. Hypersonic weapons are being developed that operate at speeds of up to six times the sound speed. During their development, the vehicle will be used for carrying hypersonic weapon systems.
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Trump Administration appeals to limit agents' tactics towards Minnesota protesters
The Trump administration announced on Saturday that it would appeal a ruling made by a federal judge who had placed limits on the tactics used by US immigration agents. Immigration agents are operating in Minneapolis. Lawyers for the Department of Justice filed a brief filing in court to appeal an order that was issued on Friday by a judge prohibiting federal officers from arresting and tear-gassing peaceful protesters and?observers. The order was issued in response to a suit filed on December 17 against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and other federal agencies. Three weeks later an immigration agent fatally stabbed Renee Good (37-year-old) in Minneapolis. Waves of protests followed the shooting. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has sent thousands of immigration agents to Minneapolis as part of an effort to increase deportations for people who are in the country illegally. Since an ICE agent allegedly shot Good, tensions have risen over the deployment. Six protesters and observers brought the case in court, claiming that ICE agents had violated their constitutional rights. The order prohibits federal officers detaining peaceful protesters or people who are observing officers unless they have a reasonable suspicion that the person is interfering with police or has committed a criminal offense. Federal agents are prohibited from using tear gas, pepper spray or any other crowd control munitions on peaceful protesters or innocent bystanders who observe and record immigration enforcement operations. (Reporting and editing by Caitlin Gregorio, David Gregorio and Jason Lange)
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Malaysia's Khazanah will direct more capital towards power grids and chip firms, says the chief of Malaysia's Khazanah in Davos
Malaysia's sovereign fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd plans to channel additional capital into strengthening the?power?system and supporting local semiconductor companies as AI drives next investment cycle. Khazanah's Managing Director Amirul Feisal Wan Zahir stated in an interview during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos that energy supply and grid reliability were central to competitiveness. "What is needed for it to work well, is computing power. And what does computing power mean? Energy. Amirul Feisal said at the Global Markets Forum that this is when we should think about how to capture some of this growth. Khazanah will instead concentrate on infrastructure, while global investors pour money into data centers. He said that the AI infrastructure would be able to scale up only if it had cheap, reliable, and renewable power. SEMICONDUCTORS, not DATA CENTRES Amirul Feisal, Amirul's partner in the firm, said that the company was "looking at how we can fund some of the capital needs of our semiconductor players so they can move up the value-chain to advanced packaging". Malaysia has developed industrial policies to strengthen its position in the global chip supply chains. Anwar Ibrahim, the Prime Minister, said that in May 2024, the government plans to attract at minimum 500 billion ringgit (123.40 billion dollars) in semiconductor investments, supported by at lease $5.3 billion in fiscal incentives. It also stated that it intends to develop local capabilities in chip designing and advanced packaging. Khazanah's portfolio includes Malaysia Aviation Group, the second largest lender in Malaysia, CIMB Group, and a number of other companies. In 2024, its net asset value rose 22% from 84.8 billion to 103.6 billion Ringgit ($25.57billion) from a year ago. Amirul Feisal stated that Khazanah expects its international portfolio share to gradually increase over time. He said that the ringgit could strengthen if the U.S. Dollar was uncertain. However, he did not specify the level.
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What happened in Spain's high speed train crash?
The Sunday train derailment and collision in southern Spain left at least 122 people injured and 39 dead. Officials cited the "strangeness" of the accident, which occurred on a straight section of rail, and one theory suggested that the cause was a broken rail joint. What we know about the situation so far is: The accident occurred at 7:45 pm (1845 GMT), near the town Adamuz, in the province of Cordoba. This is about 360 km (225 miles) south of Madrid. Two high-speed trains were involved, one operated by the private consortium Iryo and the other by Alvia which is run by Spain's national railway company Renfe. The Alvia train was hit by the last two of eight carriages from the red Iryo, which had been travelling between Malaga and Madrid. This caused the first two carriages on the Alvia to fall and derail up to a five-metre (16.4-foot) embankment. What Officials Are Saying According to Renfe Chief Alvaro Fernandez Heredia who said that human error is virtually eliminated, there was only a 20 second interval between the derailment of the train and the impact. He said that it would take some time to determine whether the failure was in the rolling stock or infrastructure. Officials stated that the Alvia appeared to have hit the Iryo's derailed carriages, or debris under the Iryo's chassis. Renfe reported that the 27-year old driver of the Alvia train was killed in the accident. Iryo was a train that carried around 300 passengers and just left Cordoba, a historic city. The train was travelling at 110 kph when the accident occurred, which is well below the 250 kph maximum speed limit on this stretch. Renfe reported that the oncoming train was traveling at a speed 205 km/h. In the first Alvia carriage, there were 37 people and in the second, 16 people. The majority of the injured and dead came from the first Alvia carriages. Oscar Puente, the Transport Minister, said the Iryo is less than four-years-old and the railway track was completely renovated in May last year with an investment of 800 million euros. Iryo stated that the train's last inspection was on January 15th. Puente described the accident as "tremendously bizarre" and stated that the derailment may not have caused any deaths if it wasn't for the approaching train. Faulty Joint a Possible Cause? Sources briefed on the initial investigations said experts found a broken join, which may have created a gap in the rail sections. They believed this was key to determining the exact cause of the accident. Transport Ministry would only confirm that the joint broke as a result the accident and not earlier. They refused to provide any further comments. The ADIF, the state-owned administrator of rail infrastructure, did not immediately respond to a question about this claim. Jose Trigueros said that his preliminary analysis indicated "failure of undercarriage of back units" of Iryo train. He did not exclude a track problem, but said that nightly inspections using tamping machines were intended to detect rail fatigue. In this case, the control center automatically reduces circulation speed. Previous problems The train drivers' union SEMAF warned ADIF last August that the track at the collision site was severely damaged by potholes, bumps and imbalances of overhead power lines. ADIF didn't?respond immediately to a comment request. A review of ADIF's X alerts shows that it previously reported infrastructure problems at Adamuz - from signal failures and overhead power lines to other issues - which caused high speed trains to be delayed between Madrid, Andalusia, 10 times, since 2022. Iryo is a joint-venture between the Italian state railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato and Spanish infrastructure investment funds Globalvia. The service began in November 2022 with the Madrid to Barcelona route, and expanded to other major cities. Iryo's ETR1000 trains are manufactured in Europe by Hitachi Rail and Bombardier for Ferrovie unit Trenitalia. Renfe's Alvia train is manufactured by local manufacturers CAF and Talgo. Everest Insurance, the leading insurer for Renfe provides compensation to passengers and their beneficiaries. Everest declined to provide details on the policy period and deductible when The Insurer contacted them. (Reporting and writing by Victoria Waldersee; editing by Sharon Singleton, Ros Russell, Aislinn Laing; David Latona; Emma Pinedo; Andrei Khalip)
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Chile fires kill 19 people in extreme heat
Authorities in Chile said that at least 19 people have died as a result of wildfires. The government has carried out mass evacuations, and is battling nearly 20 fires, which are exacerbated by high winds and intense heat. At a Monday morning news conference, Luis Cordero, Minister of Security, said that while the?weather conditions over night helped to control some fires but the largest ones were still active and adverse conditions are expected all day. Cordero stated that the forecast for today was high temperatures, and the primary concern was the possibility of new fires igniting in the entire region. Extreme heat warnings were issued for parts of central and south Chile, with temperatures expected to reach as high as 37 Celsius (99 Fahrenheit). HUNDREDS of Homes Destroyed The majority of those who died were from Penco, which is a small coastal city located just north of Concepcion, the regional capital. On Monday, residents of the area began to sift through the rubble from their homes while firefighters continued to put out nearby fires. Ana Caamano (51), one of these residents, was rummaging in the ashes of her home in Lirquen, which she had inherited later from her parents. The wreckage included the corpses of two of her four dogs, a few charred rings, and a metal ladle. Ana Caamano, staring at the rings she held in her hands, said: "They're just not important." "But they're memories." Caamano, her husband Luis and their children were visiting relatives on Saturday, when the fires started. They had been cleaning up the wreckage in their garage so that they could build a temporary home. Franco, their son, was at home. He was attempting to hose the house down when he saw the fire getting closer. A sudden, strong wind brought in a cloud of black smoke, forcing him to leave everything behind. It was lightning fast, said Franco, echoing the memories of many residents who were caught up in a fire that moved so quickly they had little time to escape. Authorities report that 325 homes were destroyed, and another 1,100 are currently being assessed. STATE OF EMERGENCY IS DECLARED IN BIO BIO, NUBLE Chile's CONAF forest agency reported that as of Monday afternoon firefighters were fighting 26 fires throughout the country. The largest were in the regions of Nuble, Bio Bio and Nuble, where President Gabriel Boric had declared a?state of catastrophe. The largest fire, which engulfed 14,000 hectares, was on the outskirts of Concepcion, a coastal city. The authorities are battling a fire that threatens the Manzano Prison on the edge Concepcion, and the town Tome in the north. Heat waves have continued in both Chile and Argentina into the month of January. Wildfires erupted in Argentina's Patagonia earlier this month and burned around 15,000 acres. (Reporting and editing by Bernadettebaum and Andrea Ricci; Alexander Villegas)
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Church leader claims more than 160 people have been seized in Nigerian church attacks
Police said that armed bandits kidnapped dozens of worshippers in Kaduna State, Nigeria, on Monday. A senior church leader estimated the missing number at over 160. Kaduna police reported that gunmen with "sophisticated" weapons attacked two churches in Kurmin Wali - a forest village in Afogo Ward - at 11:25 am. On Sunday. The officers said they were still trying to determine how many people were taken. The police spokesperson stated that the area is remote and difficult to access?due?to bad roads making it difficult to get reliable information immediately after a?such an attack. Reverend John Hayab of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the northern part of the country told reporters by phone that 163 worshippers had been kidnapped. Nine of them escaped and the remaining 172 were still being held. Hayab stated, "I received information from the elders in the churches that 172 worshippers had been abducted and?nine had escaped." After mass kidnappings, initial figures in Nigeria can vary greatly. Early numbers are usually conservative, but local groups and religious organizations sometimes give higher figures. The pattern was similar during the previous abduction of a Catholic School in Kaduna. The police said that troops and other security agencies were deployed in the area. They also stated that they were working to find the kidnappers and free the hostages. Northwest Nigeria has seen an increase in mass kidnappings. Armed gangs are operating out of forest enclaves and attacking villages, schools, and places for worship. (Additional reporting and writing by Garba Mohammed; Editing, Alex Richardson; Tomasz Januaryowski, William Maclean).
CMA CGM reduces Suez sailings due to geopolitical risk
CMA CGM, a shipping?group, announced on Tuesday that it will redirect vessels on 'three of its services' away from the Suez Canal because of global uncertainty. This follows two years of disruptions linked to attacks against vessels.
Shipping companies are considering a return to Asia-Europe trade corridor after vessels were rerouted in 2023 around southern Africa following attacks on the Red Sea by Yemeni Houthi Rebels who claimed that they were motivated because of the war in Gaza and the plight for Palestinians.
The hope for normalized traffic was raised by the ceasefire in Gaza, and the subsequent lull of Houthi attacks.
The Marseille-based company was?prepared to increase its use of this route by sending two ships.
Large container ships
The canal was reopened last month, and regular transits between India and the United States will begin in January.
CMA CGM DOESN’T EXPLAIN 'COMPLEX INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT.'
CMA CGM, however, stated in a customer advisor posted on its website that it will, for?now reroute ships deployed on its French Asia Line 1(FAL1), French Asia Line 3(FAL3), and Mediterranean Club Express services (MEX), via?the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) citing the "complex and uncertain international environment."
CMA CGM - the world's largest container shipping company - did not elaborate about global uncertainty.
Since December, the unrest in Iran and warnings from U.S. president Donald Trump about possible intervention by Washington have revived concerns about instability in this region. Trump has said in recent days that?violence seems to be subsiding.
Maersk, second largest container line in the world, announced last week that a service would be launched this month to cross the Red Sea. (Reporting and writing by Gus Trompiz, Dominique Vidalon, Inti Landauro, Bernadettebaum)
(source: Reuters)