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Winter storm in the U.S. leads to 100,000 power outages and thousands of cancellations.
On Saturday, more than 4,000 flights in the U.S. were cancelled - ahead of a winter storm which has already affected over 100,000 utility customers as far as Texas and threatens to paralyze states to the east with heavy snowfall. Forecasters predicted that dangerously cold temperatures would accompany a combination of sleet, freezing rain and snow in the eastern two thirds of the country on Sunday. Donald Trump, who called the storms "historic", approved federal disaster declarations on Saturday in South Carolina (South Carolina), Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina (Maryland), Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana Mississippi, Indiana and West Virginia. "We will monitor and keep in touch with every state in the path this storm. Trump posted a message on Truth Social titled "Stay Safe and Stay Warm". The Department of Homeland Security has declared weather emergencies in 17 states and District of Columbia. Tens of thousands have lost electricity in the affected states of the South. Utility crews are working as quickly as possible to restore power, DHS Secretary KristiNoem stated late Saturday afternoon. Power outages continue to increase. According to PowerOutage.com, as of 6:30 PM ET, more than 130,000 U.S. consumers had lost power, with the majority of those in Texas and Louisiana. The U.S. National Weather Service has warned of a?unusually large and long-lasting winter storm which will cause widespread heavy ice to accumulate in the Southeast U.S., citing "crippling or locally catastrophic impacts." The weather service predicted that dangerously low wind chills and record-breaking cold temperatures would continue to descend on the Great Plains region in the U.S. as of Monday. FlightAware, a flight tracking website, reported that as of 6:42 pm EST on Saturday, over 4,000 U.S. scheduled flights had been cancelled. The website also indicated that more than 9,000 U.S. flight originally scheduled for Sunday have been cancelled. Major U.S. Airlines warned their passengers to be alert for sudden flight cancellations and changes. Delta Air posted an update to its website Saturday, stating that it was "continuing to make schedule changes due to Winter Storm?Fern." Additional cancellations were expected in the morning in Atlanta, along the East Coast and at Delta hubs located in Boston and New York City. The airline announced that it would be transferring experts from its cold weather hubs in order to assist the de-icing teams and baggage teams of several southern airports. JetBlue announced that as of Saturday morning, it had cancelled?about 1,200 flights until Monday. Additional cancellations are possible as JetBlue is "closely" monitoring the forecasts. On Saturday, U.S. grid operators increased precautions in order to prevent rotating blackouts. Dominion Energy's Virginia operations, which include the largest data center collection in the world said that if the ice forecast holds, it could be one of the biggest winter events ever to impact the utility's operation. Noem warned Americans about taking precautions at a press conference on the preparations of the U.S. Government for this storm. Noem warned, "It will be cold." We encourage everyone to stock up fuel and food. We will all get through this together.
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As tensions over Iran escalate, airlines reroute and cancel flights
As tensions between Iran and the United States escalate, airlines have been rerouting or cancelling flights in the Middle East. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the U.S. was sending an "armada", towards Iran. Senior Iranian officials Friday Iran will treat an attack as "an all-out battle against us" ahead of the arrival of the U.S. aircraft carrier strike group in the Middle East and other assets. On January 16, the European Union's aviation regulator advised its airlines to stay away from Iran's airspace, as tensions grew over Tehran's violent crackdown on anti-government protests and U.S. intervention threats. Air France KLM, the Dutch subsidiary of Air France KLM, said that Airline KLM would avoid flying over large parts of the Middle East 'until further notice' due to the rising tensions in the region. A KLM spokesperson stated that, as a precaution due to the geopolitical climate, KLM would not fly in the airspace of Iran and Israel, nor will it fly over several countries within the Gulf region. Air France Air France resumed its service from Paris to Dubai after it was suspended a day earlier. The airline said that they were monitoring the situation "in real-time" in the Middle East. Air France said that it "continually monitors" the geopolitical conditions of the countries served by its aircraft and those overflew. LUFTHANSA Lufthansa announced on January 14 that it will bypass Iranian and Iraqi Airspace until further notice and only operate day flights between January 14-19 to Tel Aviv or Amman. In a press release issued that same day, the company said some flights may be cancelled as a result. BRITISH AIRWAYS British Airways suspended its flights to Bahrain temporarily on 16 January as a precautionary step. The airline said it "continued to closely monitor the situation in the area". On January 24, flights to Bahrain were again available on the BA website. A spokesperson for the carrier said that all of its scheduled flights would be carried out. FINNAIR Finnair announced in a statement on 16 January that it has stopped flying over Iraqi airspace and is instead traveling to Doha or Dubai via Saudi Arabia. For security reasons, the carrier avoided Iranian, Syrian and Israeli skies. WIZZ AIR A spokesperson for Wizz Air said that in January, the company avoided Iraqi airspace and Iranian airspace. The representative explained that some flights departing from Dubai or Abu Dhabi will be required to stop in Larnaca (Cyprus) or Thessaloniki (Greece) for refueling and crew changes. (Compiled by Jan Harvey, with additional reporting from Leigh Thomas and Michael Holden at London and Paris; editing by Sharon Singleton).
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Italy protests and recalls its ambassador to Switzerland following the release of a New Year's barfire suspect
Italy protested formally on Saturday against the bail release of the owner a Swiss bar that was engulfed by a deadly fire New Year's Day and it recalled its ambassador in Switzerland. The court's ruling had been criticized in both countries. Jacques Moretti, his wife Jessica and the owners of Le Constellation in Crans-Montana are being investigated for negligent homicide, as well as other crimes, linked to a fire that claimed 40 lives and injured over 100 others, including many teenagers. Jacques Moretti, who was arrested on 9 January but released on bail last Friday, has been detained since then. PM MELONI?CALLS THE DECISION "AN INSULT" TO VICTIMS FAMILIES Giorgia Melons, the Italian prime minister, called Moretti’s release “an insult to the families of those victims and an insult to their memory”. Six of the six dead and 10 injured in the bar fire were Italian. In a statement released on Saturday, Meloni and Antonio Tajani, Italy's Foreign Minister, instructed the ambassador to contact Beatrice Pilloud in Switzerland's Valais Canton, Chief Prosecutor, to express Italy's "strong anger" at Moretti's freedom. The court added that it had made the decision despite seriousness of alleged crime and the possibility of evidence being compromised. The statement read: "The entire country of Italy is demanding truth and justice and respectful measures in the wake this disaster that take into account the suffering and the expectations of the families." Meloni & Tajani also ordered Ambassador Gian Lorenzo Cornado to return Rome to determine the next steps to be taken, it stated. Swiss prosecutor Pilloud confirmed that she was contacted by the Italian Ambassador but explained that another court had ordered Moretti’s release. "I don't want to be held responsible for any diplomatic incident that may occur between our countries." "I will not be influenced by any pressure from the Italian authorities. That is why I told the ambassador to speak to the Swiss political authorities," said she. The spokesperson for the Swiss Foreign Affairs Ministry was not available to comment immediately. "ANOTHER SLAP", SAYS THE FATHER OF A TEEN VICTIM AFTER RELEASE Moretti was released on bail, which included a payment of 200,000 Swiss Francs ($256.377) and an instruction to report to the police station daily. Lawyers representing the families of victims and lawyers for those who were injured in the fire said that they could not understand the court order. They also expressed concern about the disappearance of evidence. Andrea Costanzo's comments in Italian newspapers published on Saturday said, "It's another slap to a wound that will never heal." Both the Morettis and their children have expressed their sorrow over this tragedy, and they both said that they will cooperate with the prosecutors. Their lawyers stated that they will "continue to obey all requests" from the authorities following Jacques Moretti’s release.
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Italy protests and recalls its ambassador to Switzerland following the release of a New Year's barfire suspect
Italy protested formally on Saturday against the bail release of the owner of an?Italian?bar that was engulfed by a deadly fire on New Year's Day and it recalled its?ambassador?to Switzerland as the court's ruling had been criticized in both countries. Jacques Moretti, his wife Jessica and the owners of Le Constellation in Crans-Montana are being investigated for negligent homicide, as well as other crimes, linked to a fire that claimed 40 lives and injured over 100 others, including many teenagers. Jacques Moretti, who was arrested on 9 January, was released on bail this Friday. Release is a 'punishment' to the families of victims, says PM Meloni Giorgia?Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister, called Meloni's release overnight "an insult to the families of those who died in the New Year's Eve tragedy" and "a affront to their memory". Ten of the injured and six of the dead were Italian. In a statement released on Saturday, Meloni and Foreign Ministry Antonio Tajani instructed Italy’s?ambassador immediately to contact the chief prosecutor in Switzerland’s Valais Canton to express Italy's "strong anger" over Moretti’s release. The court added that it had made the decision despite seriousness of the crime, flight risk and possible compromise of evidence. The statement stated that "the whole of Italy is demanding truth and justice and calling for respect measures to be taken as a result of this tragedy, which fully account for the suffering and the expectations of the families." Meloni & Tajani also ordered ambassador Gian Lorenzo to Cornado to return to Rome and determine what action to take next, according to the statement. The spokesperson for the Swiss Foreign Affairs Ministry was not available to comment immediately. Moretti was released on bail, which included a payment of 200,000 Swiss Francs ($256.377) and an order to report to the police station daily. Lawyers representing the families of the victims and lawyers for those who were injured in the fire said that they had difficulty understanding the court order. They also expressed concern about the disappearance of evidence. Both the Morettis and their children have expressed their sorrow over this tragedy, and they both said that they will cooperate with prosecutors. Their lawyers stated that they both would "continue complying with all requests" from the authorities following Jacques Moretti’s release.
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Delta cancels more Atlanta-East Coast flights due to winter storm
Delta Air Lines announced on Saturday that it had made "additional cancellations" for Atlanta, along the U.S. East Coast, and at its "hubs" in Boston and New York as it continues to adjust schedules because of winter storm Fern. The airline stated that significant snowfall will begin in the Northeast on Sunday afternoon, as well as ice accumulation. A major winter storm that threatens to disrupt operations, as well as force widespread cancellations, is disrupting air travel in the United States. Airlines are cancelling flights, warning of delays and issuing 'travel waivers' as ice and snow sweeps across major hubs, regional airports, and the central, eastern, and southern parts of the U.S. Customers should expect cancellations in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys including Nashville and Raleigh-Durham as the storm threatens weekend travel. Delta cancelled flights at several airports across five states, citing the possibility of more cancellations and delays due to slow operations. The National Weather Service warned that a mixture of freezing rain and sleet could cause power outages, tree damage and make travel hazardous in the Southeast. As the storm moves north, heavier snowfall is expected. (Reporting and editing by Tomasz janowski in Bengaluru)
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Dutch airline KLM avoids Middle East because of rising tensions
Air France KLM, the Dutch airline arm of Air France Group, said that KLM would avoid flying over a large part of the Middle East until further notice because of the 'increasing tensions. KLM didn't specify what prompted?the decision. The fear of a war between the United States and Iran is growing after U.S. president Donald Trump ordered the deployment?of an aircraft carrier strike group?and other military assets to the Middle East. On Friday, a senior Iranian official stated that Iran would consider any attack as "an all-out war" against the United States. KLM's spokesperson stated that, as a precaution due to the geopolitical climate, the airline will not fly through the airspaces of Iran, Iraq, and Israel, nor will it fly over several countries in the Gulf region. The spokesperson said that "KLM will not fly to Dubai, Riyadh Dammam, Tel Aviv and Tel Aviv" until further notice. (Reporting and editing by Bart Meijer)
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US Judge rules that Trump administration illegally suspended EV charging infrastructure program
A federal judge ruled on Friday that President Donald Trump's administration illegally suspended funding to support the expansion?electric vehicle charger infrastructure. This was a win for the 20 Democratic-led state who sued the Trump administration over this action. U.S. District Court Judge Tana Lin ruled in Seattle in favor of the District of Columbia and 20 states that had filed their suit after the U.S. Department of Transportation suspended in February an EV charging infrastructure program enacted in 2021 by Congress under a Democrat President Joe Biden. Lin, a Biden-appointed official, stated that the DOT and Federal Highway Administration had "yanked out the NEVI Formula Program?cord from the outlet" without following the statutory requirements of administrative law. Environmental groups such as the Sierra Club praised the ruling. They said it allowed states to move forward in building infrastructure that is funded by law. Lin's order prevents the Transportation Department permanently from taking away funds from the states or cancelling their approved implementation plans. In a press release, Mike Faulk said that the order of Judge Lin was a "resounding victory for rule of law and smart investments in our future clean energy." The Transportation Department didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. The DOT suspended the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program in February, shortly after Sean Duffy became Transportation Secretary. This program was part of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs act?that Biden signed in law in 2021. The Trump administration has implemented a number policies that aim to increase the sale of gasoline-powered cars and reduce EV incentives, both for automakers as well as consumers. California, Colorado, and Washington, along with other states, sued the Trump administration in May alleging that it wrongfully withheld billions of dollars they were previously awarded. The administration claimed it was only a temporary pause. It ended later after the judge issued a preliminary order and the agency issued a new guideline. Lin, however, said that the 2021 law did not contemplate?even temporary breaks in funding for EV infrastructure. She wrote: "In summary, defendants defied Congress' will by withholding funds a way not contemplated in the IIJA." Next week, the U.S. Senate will consider legislation that was already approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would redirect $879 millions in funds that were approved under Biden to build an EV charging infrastructure to other priorities. Nate Raymond, reporting from Boston; David Shepardson, editing in Washington.
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US Safety Board opens investigation into Waymo robotaxis that pass stopped school buses
The?U.S. The National Transportation Safety Board announced on Friday that it will 'open an investigation' into the self-driving company Waymo after a robotaxi passed stopped school busses in Austin, Texas at least 19 different times since the beginning of the school term. Alphabet recalled over 3,000 vehicles in December to update software that caused the vehicles to 'drive past stopped school busses that were loading or removing students, increasing the risk of a collision. In October, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began an investigation into Waymo's vehicles when they were near school buses. Waymo stated that there were no accidents in the incidents. It said its self-driving technology, the Waymo driver, "safely navigates thousands of school bus encounters across the United States each week and is constantly improving." Waymo said it was "confident" that its safety performance around busses is superior to humans. The NHTSA posted a letter on November 20 from the Austin Independent Schools District stating that five incidents occurred in November following software updates by Waymo to fix the problem. The school district asked the company not to operate around schools at pick-up or drop-off hours until they could be sure the vehicles would not break the law. The school district reported to Waymo in December that the company refused 'to stop operations around schools. A lawyer for the district wrote, "We cannot let Waymo continue to endanger our students as it attempts to fix the problem." The lawyer said that a Waymo had been "recorded" driving past a school bus moments after the student had crossed in front and was still on the road. (Reporting and editing by Lisa Shumaker in Washington, David Shepardson from Washington)
INSIGHT-Airline pilots, crews voice issues about Middle East paths
In late September, an experienced pilot at lowcost European airline Wizz Air felt anxious after discovering his airplane would fly over Iraq in the evening amidst mounting tensions in between nearby Iran and Israel.
He decided to query the decision given that simply a week previously the airline company had deemed the route risky. In action, Wizz Air's. flight operations team told him the respiratory tract was now. thought about safe and secure and he had to fly it, without giving further. explanation, the pilot said.
I wasn't really delighted with it, the pilot, who requested. privacy from worry he might lose his job, told Reuters. Days. later on, Iraq closed its airspace when Iran fired missiles on Oct. 1 at Israel. It confirmed my suspicion that it wasn't safe.
In response to Reuters' questions, Wizz Air stated security of. team and guests was its utmost top priority and would not be. jeopardized in any situations, adding its choices on. where to fly are based upon rigid threat assessments in. partnership with third party intelligence experts.
Our aircraft and crews will only fly in airspace that. has been considered safe and we would never ever take any dangers in this. regard, Wizz Air likewise stated in a statement.
Reuters spoke with four pilots, 3 cabin team members,. 3 flight security specialists and 2 airline executives about. growing safety concerns in the European air market due to. intensifying tensions in the Middle East following Hamas' attack. on Israel in October 2023, that triggered the war in Gaza.
The Middle East is a key air corridor for airplanes heading to. India, South-East Asia and Australia and in 2015 was. criss-crossed day-to-day by 1,400 flights to and from Europe,. Eurocontrol data reveal.
The safety debate about flying over the region is playing. out in Europe mostly since pilots there are safeguarded by. unions, unlike other parts of the world.
Reuters evaluated 9 unpublished letters from four European. unions representing pilots and crews that revealed worries. about air safety over Middle Eastern countries. The letters were. sent out to Wizz Air, Ryanair, airBaltic, the European. Commission and the European Union Air Travel Safety Firm (EASA). in between June and August.
No one should be required to operate in such a harmful. environment and no business interests ought to surpass the. safety and well-being of those on board, checked out a letter,. resolved to EASA and the European Commission from Romanian. flight team union FPU Romania, dated Aug. 26.
In other letters, staff gotten in touch with airline companies to be more. transparent about their decisions on routes and demanded the. right to refuse to fly an unsafe route.
There have actually been no casualties or accidents impacting. industrial aviation connected to the escalation of stress in the. Middle East considering that the war in Gaza erupted last year.
Air France opened an internal examination after one of its. business aircrafts flew over Iraq on Oct. 1 during Tehran's. rocket attack on Israel. On that event, airline companies scrambled. to divert lots of aircrafts heading towards the affected locations in. the Middle East.
The ongoing stress between Israel and Iran and the abrupt. ousting of President Bashar al-Assad by Syrian rebels at the. weekend have actually raised issues of additional insecurity in the. region.
The use of missiles in the region has actually revived memories of. the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern. Ukraine in 2014 and of Ukraine International Airlines flight. PS752 en route from Tehran in 2020.
Being accidentally shot-down in the chaos of war is the top. worry, three pilots and two air travel security professionals informed. Reuters, together with the threat of an emergency landing.
While airline companies consisting of Lufthansa and KLM. no longer fly over Iran, carriers including Etihad,. flydubai, Aeroflot and Wizz Air were still crossing. the country's airspace as recently as Dec. 2, information from tracking. service FlightRadar24 show.
Some European airlines including Lufthansa and KLM permit. crew to opt-out of paths they do not feel are safe, but others. such as Wizz Air, Ryanair and airBaltic do not.
AirBaltic CEO Martin Gauss stated his airline meets an. worldwide safety standard that does not require to be changed.
If we begin a right of rejection, then where do we stop? the next person feels dissatisfied overflying Iraqi airspace. since there's stress there? he informed Reuters on Dec. 2 in. response to queries about airBaltic flight security talks with. unions.
Ryanair, which intermittently flew to Jordan and Israel. until September, stated it makes security choices based on EASA. guidance.
If EASA says it's safe, then, honestly, thank you, we're not. thinking about what the unions or some pilot think, Ryanair CEO. Michael O'Leary told Reuters in October, when asked about staff. security concerns.
EASA stated it has actually been involved in a number of exchanges with. pilots and airline companies on route security in current months worrying. the Middle East, including that disciplining staff for raising. security issues would run counter to a simply culture where. staff members can voice concerns.
INSUFFICIENT REASSURANCES
One Abu Dhabi-based Wizz Air pilot told Reuters he was. comfy flying over the conflict-torn area as he thinks. the market has a really high safety requirement.
However for some pilots and crew members operating at budget plan. airlines, the peace of minds of the companies are insufficient.
They informed Reuters pilots should have more option in refusing. flights over potentially hazardous airspace and requested more. information about airline security evaluations.
The reality that Wizz Air sends out emails asserting that it's. safe is unimportant to commercial employees, checked out a letter from. FPU Romania to Chief Operating Officer Diarmuid O'Conghaile,. dated Aug. 12. Flights into these conflict locations, even if they. are rescue missions, ought to be performed by military workers. and airplane, not by industrial crews.
Mircea Constantin, a previous cabin team member who represents. FPU Romania, stated Wizz Air never provided a formal action to this. letter and similar ones sent out earlier this year, however did send out. security assistance and updates to staff.
A pilot and a cabin crew member, who decreased to be named. for worry of vindictive action, stated they got warnings from. their companies for declining to fly on Middle Eastern paths or. hiring ill.
CONGESTED SKIES
Last month, 165 rockets were launched in Middle Eastern. dispute zones versus just 33 in November 2023, according to the. latest readily available information from Osprey Flight Solutions.
However airspace can just be enforcably limited if a nation. picks to shut it down, as in the case of Ukraine after. Russia's major intrusion in 2022.
Several airline companies have decided to briefly suspend flights to. locations like Israel when stress increases. Lufthansa and British. Airways did so after Iran bombarded Israel on April 13.
But this limits the airspace in use in the currently crowded. Middle Eastern skies.
Selecting to fly over Central Asia or Egypt and Saudi Arabia. to prevent Middle Eastern locations is likewise more expensive as planes. burn more fuel and some nations charge greater overflight costs.
Flying an industrial aircraft from Singapore to London-Heathrow. through Afghanistan and Central Asia, for example, cost an. airline $4,760 in overflight charges, about 50% more than a route. through the Middle East, according to two Aug. 31 flight plans. examined .
Reuters might not call the airline company as the flight plans are. not public.
Some private jets are avoiding the most important areas.
At the minute, my no-go areas would be the hotspot points:. Libya, Israel, Iran, just because they're sort of captured up in. it all, stated Andy Spencer, a Singapore-based pilot who flies. personal jets and who previously worked as an airline pilot.
Spencer, who has two decades of experience and flies through. the Middle East routinely, stated that on a current flight from. Manila to Cuba, he flew from Dubai over Egypt and north through. Malta before refuelling in Morocco to circumvent Libyan and. Israeli airspace.
EASA, concerned by industry experts as the strictest local. security regulator, issues public bulletins on how to fly safely. over dispute zones.
However these aren't necessary and every airline chooses where. to take a trip based on a patchwork of government notifications,. third-party security consultants, in-house security groups and. info sharing in between carriers, leading to divergent. policies.
Such intelligence is not usually shared with staff.
The opacity has sown fear and skepticism amongst pilots, cabin. team and travelers as they question whether their airline company has. missed something providers in other countries understand, stated. Otjan de Bruijn, a former head of European pilots union the. European Cockpit Association and a pilot for KLM.
The more information you offer to pilots, the more. informed a decision they can make, said Spencer, who is likewise an. operations expert at flight advisory body OPSGROUP, which. deals independent functional guidance to the air travel industry.
When Gulf players like Etihad, Emirates or flydubai all of a sudden. stop flying over Iran or Iraq, the industry sees it as a. reliable indication of danger, pilots and security sources stated, as. these airlines can have access to detailed intelligence from. their federal governments.
Flydubai told Reuters it operates within airspace and. air passages in the area that are approved by Dubai's General Civil. Air travel Authority. Emirates stated it continuously monitors all. routings, changing as required and would never ever run a flight. unless it was safe to do so. Etihad stated it only operates. through approved airspace.
Passenger rights groups are also asking for tourists to. get more details.
If guests decrease to take flights over conflict zones,. airline companies would be disinclined to continue such flights, said. Paul Hudson, the head of U.S.-based passenger group Flyers. Rights. And guests who take such flights would do so. informed of the threats.
(source: Reuters)