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Berlin restored to power after longest blackout in history
On 'Wednesday,' electricity was restored in southwestern Berlin after a suspected arsonist attack on a power station. The leftist activists allegedly set it ablaze. This caused a blackout that affected tens and thousands of homes. It was the longest blackout to hit the German capital since World War Two. Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said: "Today's a great day for many people who have been without heat and electricity since January 3. The?operation for restoring power', which began at 11 am. He said that the process of achieving 1000 GMT was "complex and gradual". A fire broke out early Saturday morning, destroying a cable duct that crossed a canal. This cut off electricity to 45,000 homes and more than 2,00 businesses in the southwestern district of the city during a period of freezing temperatures. Volcano, a far-left activist group that claimed responsibility for the attack on a power pole near Tesla's factory in Berlin outside 2024, has now taken over. The German army was called to help residents who were struggling with this outage which also affected heating, mobile phone connections and trains. Some politicians have demanded more funding to protect the infrastructure of the capital, particularly after the intelligence agency warned about the growing threat from left-wing extremists. Madeline Chambers, Matthias Williams and Jan Harvey edited the report.
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After weeks of pursuit, the US seizes a Russian-flagged, Venezuela-linked oil tanker
Two U.S. officials said on Wednesday that the United States was attempting to seize an oil tanker flying the Russian flag with "links" to Venezuela, after a two-week pursuit across Atlantic. A Russian warship and submarine were also close by. The tanker, known originally as Bella-1, had slipped past a U.S. "blockade" maritime of sanctioned oil tankers, and refused to allow the U.S. Coast Guard to board it. Officials, speaking under condition of anonymity said that the Coast Guard was involved in the operation, as were the U.S. Military. It was the first time since recent memory that the U.S. Military attempted to seize an American-flagged ship. The Russians also said that there were?vessels of the Russian military in the general area, including a Russian sub. The vessels' proximity to the operation near Iceland was not clear. TANKER IS ONE OF THE VESSELS TARGETED by the U.S. Last month, the U.S. Coast Guard attempted to board the vessel but it refused. It has been registered under the Russian flag since then. The U.S. Coast Guard has targeted the Marinera tanker as part of its pressure campaign against Venezuela since Donald Trump began his campaign. U.S. officials have confirmed that the U.S. Coast Guard has intercepted a second Venezuela-linked oil tanker in Latin American water. The U.S. is continuing to enforce a maritime "blockade", of vessels sanctioned from Venezuela. These?moves are just days after U.S. Special Forces swooped in Caracas at dawn on Saturday to?capture President Nicolas Maduro, and bring him to the United States. The U.S. Military handed him over to the?federal authorities in order to prosecute him on charges of alleged drug trafficking. Venezuelan officials have called Maduro’s capture as a kidnapping, and accused the U.S. for trying to steal Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Trump and other top U.S. officials, in turn, have accused Venezuelans of stealing U.S. crude oil. This is an apparent reference to Venezuela's nationalization in waves of its energy industry over the last half century. (Reporting and editing by Andrew Heavens, Frances Kerry and Idrees Stewart)
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Parisians take to the ski slopes as snow clogs Europe's roads
Snow and ice brought misery for travellers in north-west Europe on Wednesday, but joy to others who set off to explore a snowy Paris on skis and sledges. Storm Goretti, which blew in from the Atlantic Coast, hit Paris at dawn, with heavy snowfall that caused further flight cancellations, traffic jams, and transport disruption. As shops prepared for the first New Year's sales, the city's buses were suspended. Tourists and locals alike enjoyed the rare sighting of snow-covered Paris. Some even took the opportunity to ski along the Champs de Mars gardens and down the slopes at Montmartre. "It's exceptional, it's incredible. We're having a great time. "We also saw a lot of tourists, and they looked so happy," said Pierre a Parisian admiring the snowy landscape. Some people used plastic bags or sledges to slide down any slope they could find. The French Weather Office has warned that snow will fall across northern France on Wednesday. AIRLINE KLM WARNS OF DE-ICING FLUIDS RUNNING OUT Dutch airline KLM has cancelled?600 flights at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport on Wednesday, the sixth day in a row of disruptions at one of Europe?s busiest hubs. KLM warned that it was running out of de-icing liquid for its jets. Delays in supplies made it difficult to replenish stocks. In France, there were no shortages reported. The French civil aviation authority has asked airlines to reduce flights by 40% at Paris' main airport, Charles de Gaulle, and 25% at Orly. Eurostar, the train operator, also reported major delays and cancellations at Brussels' international airport. PEOPLE ARE TOLD TO WORK AT HOME Dutch authorities encouraged people to work at home. French officials, meanwhile, banned trucks and buses in a third all administrative departments in France. Carrefour CEO Alexandre Bompard stated that the truck ban will cause some disruption to supermarket supply chains in particular fresh produce. In Germany and further east, temperatures fell below minus 10° Celsius (14° Fahrenheit) on Wednesday. However, traffic disruptions have been minimal. Snow and unusually cold temperatures have also affected Spain, causing the suspension of a commuter train line near Madrid as well as the disruption of more than 40 roads throughout?the entire country. Passengers trapped on a train in Croatia Overnight, heavy snow and rain caused travel disruptions in the Western Balkans. After trees fell on the rails, passengers were trapped for over 12 hours in Knin, a town in northwest Croatia. Some towns in eastern Bosnia and western Serbia declared emergencies after experiencing power and water shortages. Snow closed schools in Poland. Some switched to remote learning. Heavy snowfall in Hungary on Wednesday morning caused delays for trains and buses. Reporting by Inti Landauro, Thomas Seythal, Louise Rasmussen, Alan Charlish, Daria Sito Sucic, and Jesus Calero, in Brussels; editing by Richard Lough.
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US seizing Venezuela-linked oil tanker after weeks-long pursuit
Two U.S. officials said on Wednesday that the United States was attempting to seize an oil tanker linked to Venezuela after a?more than two-week pursuit across Atlantic. The tanker, originally called Bella-1, slipped past a U.S. "blockade" on sanctioned oil tankers, and rebuffed U.S. Coast Guard attempts to board it. Officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the Coast Guard, along with the U.S. Military, is carrying out the operation. The statement added that Russian naval vessels, including a Russian submarine, were present in the area when the incident occurred. The U.S. Coast Guard has targeted the?tanker known as Marinera, registered under the Russian flag. This is the latest target of President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign on Venezuela. U.S. officials have confirmed that the U.S. coast guard has intercepted a second Venezuela-linked oil tanker in Latin American waters, as it continues to enforce a maritime "blockade". Reporting by Idrees Al and Phil Stewart, Editing by Andrew Heavens
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Greece offers cheaper fuel and damage coverage to farmers in a bid to end the blockade
Greece offered farmers full compensation for any future losses in production and cheaper fuel on Wednesday, as a desperate attempt to persuade them that the protests which have affected travel and some businesses should stop. Since late last year, farmers have been stationing thousands of tractors across Greece to protest high production and payment delays. The centre-right Prime Minister KyriakosMitsotakis has called on farmers to stop the "blockades" and enter into talks. Farmers have threatened to take further action if their demands are not met, including minimum prices for their products. The Greek Ministers have admitted that payments began a month after the scandal over farm aid, but in November they were delayed because EU approval was required. Farmers received 4.46 billion euros (3.8 billion dollars) as aid and other payments. This is a 13% increase compared to 2024. The Agriculture Minister,?Kostas?Tsiaras, announced that this year, he would offer cheaper agricultural 'diesel to producers of cotton and wheat and will also provide 160 million Euros in additional assistance for stockbreeders and cotton and grain producers. Tsiaras stated that the government was using all available methods to fix a decade's worth of problems and introduce transparency rules in order to restart the primary sector. Athens has also promised to amend the rules quickly to allow for?full compensation' in future cases of damage to livestock or crops. Bulgaria, Greece's neighbor, said Wednesday that it had filed a formal complaint regarding the blocking of border crossings. This has caused "serious difficulties" for Bulgarian exporters and citizens and has violated EU rules on free movement. EU agriculture ministers meanwhile are meeting in Brussels to discuss the possibility of a free-trade agreement with South American bloc Mercosur. The European Commission needs to have a majority of 15 members representing 65% or the EU's population in order to authorize the bloc to sign this deal. However, the European Parliament would need to approve it. Tsiaras stated that the agreement should include "clear, practical safeguard clauses", as well as fair play rules. Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou, Editing by Alexander Smith.
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China's top diplomatic official tours Africa to focus on strategic trade routes
China's top diplomatic official began his annual New Year tour in Africa on Wednesday. Beijing is seeking to secure important shipping routes and supply lines as it seeks to secure strategic trade access?across Eastern and Southern Africa. On his trip this year, Wang Yi will visit Ethiopia, Africa's largest economy with the fastest growth rate; Somalia, a Horn?of Africa?state that offers access to important global shipping lanes, Tanzania, a logistic hub connecting minerals-rich central Africa and the Indian Ocean, and Lesotho - a small economy in southern Africa squeezed by U.S. Trade Measures. Beijing wants to promote countries that it considers model partners in President Xi Jinping’s flagship 'Belt and Road" infrastructure programme and expand export markets. This is especially true for young, affluent nations like Ethiopia, where IMF predicts a 7.2% growth this year. China, the largest bilateral lender in the world, faces Growing competition The European Union will finance African infrastructure as the countries that have been hit by debt crises due to pandemics are now looking for investment rather than loans. A spokesperson for the ministry said that "Foreign minister Wang's trip aims to strengthen?political trust and mutual trust" and added that the trip will "increase exchanges and mutual understand between the two greatest civilisations in China and Africa". Wang opened 2025 ?by Visit our website to learn more about Namibia, the Republic of Congo and Nigeria. First Dilplomatic Mission to Somalia in Decades It is believed that his upcoming trip to Somalia will be the first visit by a Chinese foreign minister since the 1980s. This is also expected to give Mogadishu a diplomatic boost, after Israel was the first country to recognise the breakaway Republic of Somaliland - a region in the north which declared independence in 1991. Beijing, which reaffirmed its support for Somalia following the Israeli announcement made in December, wants to strengthen its influence around Gulf of Aden. This is the entrance to Red Sea, and the most important corridor for Chinese commerce transiting the Suez Canal into Europe. Tanzania, further south, is a key part of Beijing's plan for securing access to Africa's vast deposits of copper. Chinese firms are refurbishing Tazara Railway, which runs through the country and into Zambia. In November, Li?Qiang visited Zambia for the first time in 28 years. The railway is viewed as a counterweight against the U.S.-backed Lobito Corridor that connects Zambia with Atlantic ports via Angola, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. CHINA - FREE TRADE IN LESOTHO Wang's visit to Lesotho in southern Africa is intended to show Beijing's efforts to establish itself as the champion of free-trade. Last year, China granted tariff-free access to its $19 trillion market for the world's most impoverished nations. This was in fulfillment of a promise made by Chinese President Xi Jinping during the 2024 China Africa Cooperation Summit. Lesotho is one of the poorest countries in the world with a GNP of less than $2 billion. Last year, it was hit hard by the tariffs of Donald Trump, which imposed duties up to 50% on exports. (Reporting and editing by Himani Sarkar; Kate Mayberry, Louise Heavens, and Himani Sarkar)
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IndiGo's antitrust investigation includes India's request for fare data from airlines
A document shows that the Indian government asked IndiGo and Air India to provide data on average fares, while antitrust authorities investigated unprecedented travel disruptions last December. IndiGo, India's largest airline with a market share of 65%, was forced to cancel 4,500 flights in the last month due to a shortage of pilots. This left thousands stranded and caused disruptions across India. The government imposed temporary ceilings on certain airline fares after they surged during the crises. In December, India's competition regulator CCI announced that it would be pursuing a case against IndiGo in order to "assess" whether the airline had abused its position on the market. IndiGo hasn't commented on the matter. REQUEST IS for AVERAGE?FARES DECEMBER 1- 15 According to an email sent by the Indian government on January 1, to IndiGo Air India Express SpiceJet Akasa, they asked for average fares per route, in economy and premium economy, during December 1-15. The CCI, and the Civil Aviation Authority did not respond to the questions sent via private email. Akasa refused to comment while other airlines didn't respond. One government source who asked to remain anonymous because they weren't authorised to speak in public, stated that the CCI had requested the details as it could be used to help assess the airfare patterns across airlines during disruptions. In the email, the government also asked airlines to provide "fare information on affected routes" when there were disruptions. No indication has been made that the case is being expanded to include other airlines. The CCI is currently reviewing a complaint that IndiGo has cancelled flights, then offered seats at higher prices. This amounts to an abuse of IndiGo's dominant position in the market, as previously reported. Aditya K. Kalra, Barbara Lewis and Aditya K. Kalra contributed to this report.
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Berlin restores power after record-breaking outage caused by arson
On Wednesday, electricity will be restored to thousands of Berlin households after a suspected arsonist attack on a power station. The incident was the longest blackout in Berlin since World War Two. In a?statement, Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said: "We will gradually restore the power grid to affected areas starting at 11 'am (1000 GMT)." Early Saturday morning, a fire destroyed a cable duct that crossed a canal. This cut off power to more than 2,000 homes and?45,000 businesses in the southwest part of the city during a period of freezing temperatures. Volcano, a far-left activist group that claimed responsibility for allegedly attacking a power pole near Tesla's factory in Berlin last year, has now taken the blame. The German Army was called to assist residents who were suffering from an outage that also affected mobile phones, heating and trains. Some politicians have demanded more funding to protect the infrastructure of the capital, particularly after the domestic intelligence agency warned about the growing threat from left-wing extremists. (Reporting and editing by Matthias Williams; Madeline Chambers)
US awards radar contract to RTX and Indra for air traffic overhaul
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced in a press release that the?United States awarded a contract on Monday to RTX Corporation and?Spain?s?Indra Systemas?to supply new radars for their aging air traffic system. This is a major step towards a multibillion-dollar revamp, he said.
These awards are part of the $12.5 billion plan Congress approved in 2013 to revamp the country's air traffic control system. This effort comes after decades of complaints about airport congestion and technological failures, and it has gained urgency following a recent spate of high-profile incidents.
Duffy's announcement did not specify the value of the contracts, but U.S. Federal Aviation Administration chief Bryan Bedford announced last month that the agency will spend $6 billion on air traffic control systems and telecom infrastructure by the end of the year.
According to the agency, a further $20 billion is needed to upgrade the entire air traffic system.
While our air travel system may be the safest anywhere in the world, the majority of our radars are from the 1980s. Duffy said, "It's unacceptable."
Air traffic control problems at the Federal Aviation Administration have been brewing for years. But a series of high-profile incidents, near-misses, and a fatal crash between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army chopper in January that left 67 dead has sparked public concern.
By June 2028, the contracts will allow for up to 612 radars to be replaced with modern surveillance radars that are?commercially-available'. The statement stated that replacements will begin in the first quarter of this year and will prioritise high-traffic zones.
The project will replace surface radars in 44 airports; acquire 27,625 radios; and add 110 weather stations to Alaska.
In a report from 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration's communications system was outdated and it could not get spare parts for some systems.
The FAA announced in November that it had selected Peraton, an American national security company owned and operated by Veritas, to be the project manager for the overhaul of the U.S. air-traffic control system. (Reporting and editing by Lisa Shumaker; David Ljunggren)
(source: Reuters)