Latest News
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Security official: Ukraine drones hit two tankers in the Black Sea that are part of a shadow fleet
An official of the SBU said that Ukraine had used marine drones to hit two Russian tankers in the Black Sea which were exporting oil and avoiding Western sanctions. An anonymous official confirmed that the SBU, along with the Ukrainian navy, conducted a joint operation against the vessels of the so-called "shadow fleet". Turkish authorities said two shadow fleet tanks were damaged by explosions near Turkey's Bosphorus Strait, causing them to catch fire. Rescue operations for the crews aboard were also launched. SBU officials said that both tankers – identified as the Kairos & Virat – were empty, and they were on their way to Novorossiysk a major Russian oil port. The video (footage), which shows the damage done to both tanks, is shocking. They were taken out of service. The official stated that this will be a major blow to Russian oil transport. The strikers did not specify when they took place. Ukraine has repeatedly called for stronger international measures against Russia's "shadow fleet", which, it claims, is helping Moscow to export huge quantities of oil while funding its war in Ukraine. (Reporting and writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Toby Chopra and Kirovan).
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CPC: Drones have damaged equipment and stopped oil exports.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which manages more than 1% global oil production, announced on Saturday that it had halted its operations following an attack by Ukrainian drones to a mooring in the Black Sea terminal. In a statement, it stated that further operation of the mooring point 2, one of three important pieces of exporting machinery, was not possible. CPC exports from Kazakhstan mainly via Russia and Black Sea terminal. CPC is owned by Chevron, Exxon Mobil and other major U.S. companies. It's not looking too good. It was badly damaged. A trader said that they were going to launch a third mooring, which was under repair. The attack on the terminal did not result in any injuries among CPC employees or contractors, according to the consortium. The emergency protection system had shut down all pipelines at the time of the explosion. According to preliminary reports, no oil spilled in the Black Sea. CPC stated that "shipments will be made at the terminal in accordance with the established rules as soon as the threat of unmanned boats and drones has been eliminated."
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Airbus A320 major recall affects global airlines
Airbus, Europe's largest aircraft manufacturer, ordered the immediate repair of 6,000 A320 jets. The recall affected more than half of the world fleet and threatened disruption during the busiest weekend for travel in the U.S. According to a notice sent to airlines, the fix involves mostly reverting back to older software. However, it is necessary to do this before planes can be flown again. The repairs may cause flight cancellations or delays, according to several airlines. The following are the major disruptions reported by airlines at 0733 GMT, in alphabetical order. Aer Lingus Aer Lingus, the Irish airline, said that only a small number of aircraft had been affected. Air France The airline announced that it would cancel 35 flights. Air India Air India has finished the software fix for 42 of its 113 affected aircraft. It anticipates some delays, but no cancellations. Air India Express India's aviation regulator has said that 25 aircraft require software updates. Air New Zealand Air New Zealand expects some cancellations of its services. American Airlines, the world's largest A320 operator, said that it expected some operational delays. However, it reduced the number of aircraft in need of the software fix from 340 to 209 as it had predicted earlier. ANA Holdings The Japanese airline cancelled 65 flights Saturday. Avianca The Colombian airline said that the recall affected over 70% of its fleet and would cause "significant" disruptions in operations for the next 10 working days. Avianca has closed the sales of tickets for travel dates up to December 8. Delta Airlines Delta Airlines, the U.S. carrier, expects that any operational impact will be minimal. Flynas, the Saudi Arabian low-cost airline, expects some delays. IndiGo, India's biggest airline, has finished the software fixes on 143 of its 200 aircraft. IndiGo warned that there may be some delays. Korean Air According to the South Korean airline, work will be completed on 10 aircraft by Sunday. Latam Airlines According to the carrier, a small number of aircraft required software fixes. Lufthansa The German airline anticipates that there will be a few flight delays or cancellations over the weekend. Turkish Airlines Turkish Airlines said that eight A320 aircraft will return to service once it has completed the necessary actions. United Airlines United Airlines expects a minor disruption on a few flights, after stating that six aircraft are affected by the recall. A software update will affect the Mexican airline's fleet, but there is no set time for when the aircraft can fly again. Wizz Air The European budget carrier said that the software update was implemented overnight on its A320s. No further disruption is expected. Reporting by Jubybabu in Mexico City and Parth Chandna, in Bengaluru; Abhijithganapavaram in Bengaluru; Ben Blanchard, Tim Kelly, Arun Koyyur, editing.
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Inside London's largest lost property office: From mobile phones to frogs cooked,
The 6,000 items that are delivered weekly to Transport for London’s lost property storage facility include mobile phones, wallets (including rucksacks), spectacles, keys, and rucksacks. There are also some surprises, such as a bag of frogs cooked and an urn containing ashes. Diana Quaye, manager of Transport for London said that the frogs were not kept. The frogs, flies, and other perishables are thrown away along with the sandwiches left on the Victoria Line of London Underground, or the chocolate bars on the top decks of buses. Everything else, however, is sorted, labeled, and logged in Transport for London’s east London warehouse. The biggest lost property office in Europe Transport for London reports that the warehouse is slightly smaller than a soccer pitch and packed with rows of sliding shelving. It has 45 staff. The umbrella handles are protruding from one shelf and books are overflowing from another. Meanwhile, hundreds of children's stuffed toys, such as a giant St Bernard dog toy, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and other stuffed animals, wait for collection. A section is dedicated to interesting finds over the years. The flea market has a variety of treasures, including a wedding gown, a fox taxidermy, and an artificial limb. Only a fifth of the items that are lost in London's underground, overground, black cabs, and buses, are ever recovered. Transport for London holds items for a typical three-month period before deciding whether they will be auctioned or donated to charity. At Christmas, they give new toys to a charity for children and sports equipment to the local school. Transport for London kept the urn of cremated remains, which was in a bag, for seven years, before returning it to its German owner. Quaye stated that the most common culprits of lost property are commuters on buses. She said, "I don’t know if they get a little relaxed on the bus but they tend leave things on there." (Reporting and writing by Vitalii Yalahuzian, Marissa Davison, Sarah Young. Editing by Conor Humphries.)
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Climate protests in Australia force ship to abandon arrival at coal port. 11 people charged
On Saturday, a climate-change demonstration off the coast of Australia forced a ship inbound to return from one of Australia's biggest terminals for coal imports. This led to 11 arrests. The police in New South Wales said that those arrested at the protest near Port of Newcastle, located 170 km from Sydney, the capital of the state, were accused of "alleged maritime-related offenses". According to the state, the port is Australia's largest bulk shipping facility on the east coast. Port of Newcastle spokesperson stated that one vessel had been prevented from entering, but "shipping will continue to be carried out as planned". Rising Tide, an activist group for climate change, said that a coal-burning ship was forced to abandon its arrival when kayakers, small boats and swimmers were seen entering the shipping channel. Rising Tide, who carried out a similar demonstration last year, released a statement. Climate change is an issue that divides Australians, as coal and iron ore are the top commodities exported.
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Japan's ANA cancels a total of 65 flights this Saturday following the Airbus A320 Recall
ANA Holdings says that it has cancelled 65 flights after the Airbus A320 was recalled, forcing it to ground aircraft. Airbus single-aisle aircraft such as the A320 are the most popular in Japan, and the carrier is one of the largest operators, with Peach Aviation and other affiliates. ANA's main rival, Japan Airlines, is a Boeing-only carrier and does not operate the A320. The recall of Airbus A320 jets affects over half of its global fleet, including the A320 family, which is the backbone of Asian aviation for short-haul flights, especially in China and India. About 11,300 single-aisle aircraft are in service worldwide, including 6,440 A320s. Fixing the problem involves going back to older software. Although relatively easy, this must be done before planes are able to fly again. Asiana Airlines, a South Korean airline, said that only 17 aircraft were affected by the recall. (Reporting and editing by Tom Hogue, Maki Shiraki and Tim Kelly)
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American Airlines reduces the number of Airbus jets that need software fixes to 209
American Airlines announced on Friday that it expected some operational delays as a result of a major software update on a large number of Airbus A320 aircraft. Initially, the airline said the problem affected about 340 aircraft. American Airlines has confirmed that only 209 A320 aircraft in the A320 family are affected. This is down from over 340 originally identified. American announced in a press release that as of 6 pm CT (0000 GMT), less than 150 aircraft remained to be updated. The airline anticipates that the majority of updates will be completed over night, leaving only a few for Saturday. Airbus, based in Europe, ordered a software update for a large number of its A320 jets. (Reporting from AnshumanTripathy and RajveerSinghPardesi in Bengaluru, and David Shepardson at Washington; editing by Vijay Kishore & Stephen Coates).
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After a brief stopover due to a bomb threat, flights to Philadelphia International are now able resume.
According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, and the police, flights to Philadelphia International Airport were temporarily grounded due to a threat of a bomb. The incident was resolved without incident. Soon after 7 pm local time (00:00 GMT), the FAA issued an advisory to ground staff at the airport, stating that there was a threat of a bomb. The FAA announced that the incident had been resolved and normal operations were resumed about 30 minutes after the initial announcement. A police spokesperson stated in an email that the ground stoppage occurred because of a "situation aboard the plane that required the assistance from the Philadelphia Police." The spokesperson confirmed that the plane is now cleared to take off and the ground blockage has been lifted. There were reports earlier in the month of bomb threats made at other U.S. Airports that were cleared without incident. Early November, the Reagan Washington National Airport was temporarily shut down due to a bomb scare against a United Airlines flight. At the time, the FBI reported that it had investigated the report and found no hazardous material. A Delta flight at LaGuardia International Airport, which was scheduled to take off that day, was evacuated prior to takeoff due reports of a possible bomb threat. Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Kanishka Singh; Editing and production by Diane Craft and Chris Reese
The death toll from Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka has risen to 153
Officials said that at least 153 people were killed and 191 missing in Sri Lanka due to landslides, flooding and Cyclone Ditwah. More than half a milllion people are affected across the country.
The Disaster Management Centre reported that more than 78,000 people were moved into nearly 800 centres of relief, most of which are located in schools.
Thousands of army, navy and police personnel are clearing roads, distributing food and moving families trapped in the mud to safety.
The worst floods in a decade
Mallika Kumari's home, which was submerged to the roof Friday morning, is among those who sought refuge in relief centers. She packed her three children and her husband into a rented truck, then spent the night on the roadside.
Kumari, her 554 neighbors, and the Kelani River are located in Malwana in Colombo's 20 km (12 mile) distance. They face the worst floods in the last decade.
Rescue boats transport stranded family members, including Kumari who wanted to retrieve her children's clothing and schoolbooks from her home.
"I heard the flood warnings on television, but we didn't expect the river to overflow that quickly. "We just ran out of the home without anything," Kumari said.
"We haven’t even eaten breakfast." My two sons are sick. I need to buy them medicine. I have brought some garbage bags to collect the clothes.
In her hurry, Kumari forgot to bring her cat with her. A navy boat later found it and brought it back on dry land.
Homes Under Water and Without Power
Authorities said that the flooding in Malwana, and other low-lying parts of Colombo left many homes underwater and without electricity.
Meteorological authorities forecast rain to continue over the weekend. This has sparked fears about further flooding in areas already affected by flooding.
Some residents chose to stay in the upper floors, protecting their possessions.
The flooding has caused local businesses such as pharmacies, fabric shops, and supermarkets to be overwhelmed, causing financial losses for shop owners who worry about the long-term recovery.
Volunteers prepared rice parcels containing chicken curry and dhal for flood victims at the Dalugala Thakiya Mosque. They hoped to increase their capacity by Sunday.
Risham Ahmad, an organizer of the meals, said that people working daily jobs are having difficulty finding work and have low savings.
They are concerned about how they will put their lives back together.
(source: Reuters)