Latest News
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Five people killed in helicopter crash on Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Aviation authority reports
The civil aviation authority reported on Thursday that a helicopter crashed on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, killing five people. Local media said the aircraft was on an 'emergency medical rescue mission. The Tanzania National Parks issued a statement identifying the victims as a guide, a doctor (both Tanzanians), a pilot from Zimbabwe and two tourists from the Czech Republic. In a press release, the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that a helicopter had crashed on Wednesday near Barafu Camp in the mountains. According to the?Mwananchi and East Africa TV, which cited Kilimanjaro's regional chief of police, the helicopter was on a?medical rescue mission. Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, ?is nearly 6,000 metres (20,000 ?ft) above sea level. Mwananchi said that the crash occurred between?4,670 to 4,700 metres. Kilimanjaro is climbed by around 50,000 tourists each year. (Written by George Obulutsa, edited by Saad sayeed and Emelia Matarise Sithole)
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Serbia supports negotiations with Hungary's Mol regarding the sale of NIS sanctioned oil company
Serbia is in favor of the talks between the Russians and Hungary's MOL over the sale a majority share in the country's sanctioned NIS Oil Company, reported the Tanjug News Agency on Thursday. Tanjug reported Dubravka Djedovic handanovic saying, "The Hungarian Government supported those talks and we, the government,... will provide support for finding a?solution to remove sanctions." Gazprom, the Russian oil company, holds a stake of 11.3% in?NIS. Its sanctioned unit Gazprom neft has a 44.9% stake. The Serbian Government owns?29.9% of the company, while employees and small shareholders hold the rest. Aleksandar Vucic, the Serbian President, said on Tuesday that MOL is in discussions with Russian shareholders about a possible stake sale. The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control approved a license for NIS on Wednesday to allow them to sell their Russian stake but not to purchase and process crude oil. In October, the?OFAC sanctioned NIS as part of broader sanctions?against Russia’s energy sector after a series of waivers since January. The sanctions have stopped crude oil supplies via Croatia's JANAF pipe, closing down the NIS refinery located in Pancevo in Serbia, the only facility of its kind in the Balkans.
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Poland intercepts Russian aircraft over Baltic Sea
The 'NATO member country's army announced on Thursday that Polish jets intercepted an Russian reconnaissance plane flying near its airspace over the 'Baltic Sea. Since September, when three Russian military jets entered Estonian airspace for 12 minutes after over 20 'Russian drones' had violated Polish airspace just days earlier, countries on NATO's east flank have been alert to possible airspace incursions. The army said that, "This morning over the international waters of the Baltic Sea, Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft flying near the borders of Polish airspace, identified it visually, and then escorted them out from their zone. The army claimed responsibility for a Russian reconnaissance plane flying near the border of Polish airspace. The report also stated that objects from Belarus were seen entering Polish airspace at night. The?army stated that "after detailed analysis it was determined?that?these smuggling... balloons were moving according to the wind's?direction and?speed," The?army said that a part of the airspace 'over northeast Poland’s Podlaskie area, which borders Belarus was temporarily closed for civilian traffic in order to ensure security.
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Due to sanctions, Russia has delayed its LNG production target of 100 millions tons per annum.
The Russian government has delayed by "several" years its plan to achieve a 100 million-ton annual target for liquefied gas production, Alexander Novak, deputy prime minister, told state television on Thursday. He cited the impact of Western sanctions on Russia's energy industry. Sanctions imposed by the United States over the conflict with Ukraine have impacted Russia's plans to increase its share of the global LNG industry from 8% today to a fifth by 2030-2035. This includes the new Arctic LNG 2 facility. According to a recently updated government strategy, Russia will produce 90-105 millions tons of LNG in 2030 and 110-130 millions tons by 2036. "Our target was 100 million tons. Novak, without going into detail, told the Rossiya-24 television station that it was clear sanctions-related restrictions would push this back several years. Novak said that the Russian oil and gas condensate output this year will be roughly unchanged from 2024. It is expected to reach around 516 millions tons or about 10.32 million barrels a day. This is an improvement over the?previous forecast of 1% decline given by President Vladimir Putin last October. In 2024, Russia's LNG output will increase by 5.4% to 34.7 millions tons, which is below the 35.2 million tonnes expected. Qatar is already the dominant supplier of LNG to Asia, but there are also stiff competition from the United States who is expanding their sales into Europe. The delays in the implementation of the Arctic LNG 2 Project, which began production in December 2023, but only delivered a first cargo to Chinese end-users in August this year, highlight Russia's struggle in increasing LNG output. Murmansk LNG is also facing delays. It's slated to be Russia's biggest LNG plant with a production of up to 20.4 million tonnes per year. (Reporting and editing by Gleb Brianski, Kirsten Doovan; Oksana Kobieva and Vladimir Soldatkin)
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Vingroup, Vietnam's bidder for the $67 billion North-South high speed railway, withdraws its bid
Vingroup, Vietnam's largest conglomerate said it would withdraw its proposal to invest $67 billion in the North-South high speed railway project of Vietnam, and instead focus on other projects. Vingroup said that the decision to register, which was "submitted" in May, was made after a reassessment was done of the company's resources following the awarding of major national projects including a stadium with Olympic standards and rail lines linking key locations. Vingroup shares and those of its units (including?developers Vinhomes, Vincom Retail and Vinpearl) fell by 7%, while hospitality company Vinpearl dropped 3%. This announcement dragged the benchmark index to a decline of 2.24%. Vinspeed, founded by Vingroup Chairman Pham Nhat Vuong in May, submitted a bid to build the 1,540-km (958-mile) railway connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Vinspeed promised to fund 20% of the project, while seeking an 80% loan from the state at zero-interest over a 35-year period. The central bank was concerned about Vingroup's high level of leverage and its lack of expertise in rail infrastructure. It warned that the loan request, and the required guarantees, could be a risk to the banking stability. According to a?May 19, opinion, the proposal would require "special state guarantee." The Finance Ministry also cited the proposal's zero-interest rates and 30-year repayment schedule with servicing only at maturity as "equivalent" to a government subsidy which could affect Vietnam's credit rating. Investors such as THACO (auto industry company), Vietnam Railways, and Vietnam Investment and Development Group, in addition to Vingroup have expressed interest in the project. Vingroup stated that its withdrawal from the project would not impede its progress, and would enable the company to concentrate on other large-scale projects. The winner of the North-South Railway will be announced by the government in January.
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Heavy rains in Southern California cause flash flooding and mud slides
On Wednesday, torrential rains caused flash flooding and mud slides across Southern California. Authorities warned drivers to stay off the roads while urging those in flood zones either to evacuate or to shelter in place. Christopher Prater, spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Fire Department, said that emergency crews were busy answering rescue calls in the mountain resort of Wrightwood east of Los Angeles. They also pulled drivers from submerged cars. According to Prater, no casualties had been reported by Wednesday night. The fire department posted aerial video footage online showing rivers of mud flowing through flooded cabin neighborhoods. The latest atmospheric storm in the region, a huge airborne current of "dense" moisture that was swept from the Pacific and into the greater Los Angeles area, caused downpours of up to?inch (2.54cm) of rain per hour. According to the U.S. National Weather Service, the storm that began on Christmas Eve was expected to continue into Friday. This would create unsafe driving conditions in a period of travel which is normally busy during holidays. The weather service warned that "widespread flash flooding" was expected to occur in Southern California on Christmas Day. The flash flood warning was displayed across Los Angeles County up until 6 pm PST. It warned motorists to avoid the area if they were not fleeing it, or if there was an evacuation order. Los Angeles officials have urged residents in the area where wildfires last year ravaged?Pacific Palisades to obey evacuation orders for 130 homes deemed especially vulnerable to debris flows and mudslides. San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department had issued an evacuation order for Wrightwood in the morning, but the advisory was upgraded to a shelter in place order as the flood conditions worsened. Flooding forced the closure of two sections of the Angeles Crest Highway (a major traffic route in San Gabriel Mountains). The heavy rain on Wednesday was accompanied with strong winds, which officials claimed were responsible for the downing of trees and powerlines. The storm was predicted to bring heavy snowfall in the Sierra Mountains' upper elevations. NWS meteorologist Ariel Cohen said that 4 to 8 inches had fallen on some foothill areas as of 9 a.m. Los Angeles City News Service and PST reported many rockslides. Forecasts predicted that more than one foot (30.48cm) of rain would fall over certain lower-terrain mountain regions by the end of this week. A rare tornado warning was issued for a small area of the east-central Los Angeles County, due to thunderstorm activity in Alhambra. Forecasters say that the rain in the area has subsided as of Wednesday night. However, a second storm system is expected to arrive on Thursday.
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Los Angeles is flooded by an atmospheric river
Residents living in the foothills and canyons of wildfire-scarred foothills were urged to evacuate. The latest atmospheric river storm in the Los Angeles region, which is a huge airborne current of moist moisture that has been swept from the Pacific to the greater Los Angeles region, caused downpours up to an inch (2.54cm) or more per hour. According to the U.S. National Weather Service, it was predicted that the storm on Christmas Eve would?persist into Friday and create unsafe driving conditions in what is normally a busy holiday travel period. The weather service warned that "life-threatening" conditions would continue through Christmas Day in Southern California "where widespread flooding is taking place". The flash flood warning was posted across Los Angeles County up until 6 pm PST. It urged motorists to avoid the area if they were fleeing flooding or an evacuation order. Los Angeles officials have urged residents in the Pacific Palisades community to obey evacuation orders for 130 homes that are considered particularly vulnerable to mudslides or debris flows. Forecasters warned that the gusty winds accompanying Wednesday's heavy rain could topple trees and damage power lines. The storm was predicted to bring heavy snowfall in the Sierra Mountains' upper elevations. Ariel Cohen, a NWS meteorologist, said that 4 to 8 inches had fallen by 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time in certain foothill areas. The Los Angeles City News Service reported numerous rockslides. Forecasts predicted that more than one foot (30.48cm) of rain would fall?over certain lower-terrain areas in the mountains by the end of this week. A rare tornado warning was issued for a small area of the east-central Los Angeles County, due to thunderstorm activity in Alhambra.
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Serbia's NIS receives US approval for sale of Russian stake
According to Serbia's RTS TV, the U.S. granted Serbian oil refiner NIS until March 24th to 'negotiate' the sale of their 'Russian owner's' stake. RTS stated that NIS did not have an operating license which would allow it to purchase and process crude oil. After a series waivers granted since January, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions against NIS as part of broader measures taken against?Russian energy sector. The sanctions have stopped crude oil supplies through Croatia's JANAF pipe, which has shut down production at?Pancevo. Gazprom, the sanctioned oil unit of Russia's Gazprom, holds 44.9% of NIS. The Serbian government owns 29.9% of NIS, while the rest is held by employees and small shareholders. Aleksandar Vucic, the Serbian President, said that Gazprom is 'in talks' with Hungary MOL about a potential sale of its NIS majority stake. Reporting by Ivana Skularac Editing Mark Potter
Don't break law and you have nothing to fear, China informs Taiwan staff of multinational companies
Taiwan personnel at international companies in China have absolutely nothing to fear as long as they don't break the law, the Chinese federal government said on Wednesday, following brand-new legal guidelines that mandate execution in extreme cases for diehard separatists.
China, which sees Taiwan as its own territory, issued the
brand-new guidelines
after President Lai Ching-te took workplace in May, who Beijing has actually made obvious of disliking and has called a. separatist.
Some foreign companies are
considering moving Taiwanese staff members out of China
, as a result, sources have formerly told .
Speaking at a regular news rundown, Zhu Fenglian,. spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Workplace, restated there. was no cause for alarm for many Taiwanese, and straight. dealt with the issue of those working for foreign firms.
The majority of Taiwan compatriots, including Taiwanese. staff members operating in international business, can be entirely. at ease in the mainland, as long as they do not take part in. criminal acts, she said, describing the brand-new standards.
Taiwan's government raised its
travel caution
for China after the guidelines were provided, saying individuals. ought to just go there if definitely required, sparking anger. from Beijing.
Taiwanese people who have actually gone to the mainland know. full well there us definitely no travel danger, Zhu said.
The Democratic Progressive Celebration authorities' techniques. of frightening the public can not bluff or stop them, and will. just increase the general public's animosity or, and opposition to, the. green terror, she added, describing the colours of Taiwan's. ruling party.
China has actually pledged to go after individuals it deems Taiwan. separatists wherever they may be, although Chinese courts have. no jurisdiction in Taiwan or ability to implement judgements. there.
Lai turns down China's sovereignty claims, stating only. Taiwan's people can decide their future. He has repeatedly. provided talks with Beijing however been rebuffed.
(source: Reuters)