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Pope's prayers renew hope for justice for Beirut Port Blast victims
Nelly El Helou, who lost her daughter five years ago in a chemical explosion that devastated Beirut's Port, said Pope Leo’s silent prayer on the scene Tuesday was enough for her to renew hope that those responsible would be held accountable. Political interference has stymied an investigation into whether officials were aware of hundreds of tonnes explosive ammonium-nitrate in the port before the explosion on August 4, 2019. Leo said a silent prayer on the site, Tuesday. It was the last day of Leo's first overseas visit as pontiff. He lit a candle and laid a flower wreath at the memorial before greeting tearful survivors and relatives of those who died. Some kissed and bowed his hand while pointing at the photos of their loved ones who had died. Helou stated that Leo's arrival sent a message to "that we were not abandoned and we are not alone". "He told us to not drown in our grief, but to rise above it... But resurrection is impossible without accountability. She told her daughter Nicole that they must be held responsible for their crimes. All we ask for is justice Families and rights groups from Lebanon demanded that the judiciary in Lebanon issue a preliminary arrest warrant establishing full responsibility for the explosion, which was thought to be caused by a fire close to the chemicals. Tatiana Hasrouty's father Ghassan, who was killed in explosion, is a lawyer aged 25 whose father died. She said Leo's trip showed that he "sees our pain and he's there to give us hope", after five years of little government engagement on their cause. Leo handed out rosaries to many in pouches with his coat of arm. Melvine Khoury asked to hug Leo after being injured in the blast. Leo accepted, and the two hugged. Cecile Roukoz's brother Joseph, who also worked in the port, was killed. She said Leo’s "silent prayers is enough for us." The Pope's message was clear. Politicians in the country need to be near the people and do justice. "All we want in this case is for justice to be done for those who have fallen here," said the woman. Leo expressed his deep emotion in his farewell remarks, before departing Lebanon. He said: "I pray for the victims and I carry the pain, the thirst for justice and truth of so many families and an entire nation with me." (Reporting and writing by Emilie Madid; editing by Alex Richardson).
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Heirloom, a climate tech company, secures additional Japanese investment in advance of Japan's carbon markets launch
Heirloom, a company that specializes in climate technology, announced on Tuesday it had received additional funding from Japanese companies as Japan prepares to expand the carbon market by 2026. The Development Bank of Japan, engineering group Chiyoda Corp and the Californian company did not reveal the amount of investment or the valuation of the money raised. Heirloom raised $150 million in a Series B funding round from Japanese investors last year including Japan Airlines, Mitsubishi Corp, and Mitsui & Co. The GX-ETS Carbon Market in Japan, which was launched as a voluntary scheme in 2023, will be mandatory in 2026. It will allow companies to meet their compliance targets by allowing international credits for carbon removal, such as direct-air capture. Shashank Samala, Heirloom's Chief Executive Officer, said that "these investments from DBJ & Chiyoda strengthen the technical and financial basis for building large-scale direct air collection (DAC) systems. These systems will provide CO2 to clean fuels and enable permanent carbon removal." Heirloom will open the first commercial direct air capture facility in the United States in Tracy, California, by 2023. The facility is designed to capture about 1,000 metric tonnes annually. It's part of an expansion aimed at reducing costs from the current levels of $600-$1,000 a ton towards the $100 target set by the U.S. Government. (Reporting and editing by Vijay Kishore in Bengaluru, Yagnoseni das in Bengaluru)
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The death toll in Indonesia from floods and landslides has passed 700
The disaster agency reported that the number of deaths from floods and landslides in Indonesia's Sumatra Island rose to 708 people on Tuesday as authorities raced to repair infrastructure and provide aid to areas cut off. In a late-night press conference on Tuesday, the agency said that 708 people were killed since the last week. This is a lower number than the 753 listed on the website earlier in the morning. The agency did not explain the difference. Nearly 900 people were killed by floods and land slides that wreaked havoc on Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. This follows months of severe weather conditions in Southeast Asia including typhoons which struck Vietnam and the Philippines, and frequent and prolonged flooding in other parts. Local officials and environmental experts have stated that deforestation in Sumatra is responsible for a disproportionately high death toll. The Indonesian disaster agency stated that teams are prioritising the distribution of aid via land sea and air as well as clearing blocked roads and repairing damage infrastructure. Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the company, said: "We hope we can accelerate logistics distribution." (Reporting and editing by Ananda Terresia, Martin Petty).
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Serbia will permit payments and transactions for Russian oil company NIS this Week
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Tuesday that the government will allow payments and transactions to the U.S. sanctioned Russian oil company NIS, until the end the week. This is despite the threat of secondary sanctions. The temporary measure is intended to assist NIS with paying workers and making other transactions, after the U.S. Treasury Department placed sanctions on NIS back in October. These sanctions were part of broader sanctions against Russia's oil and gas industry following its invasion of Ukraine. They followed a series waivers that began in January. Gazprom and Gazprom of Russia, who own the majority of NIS, are required to sell their shares in the company. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on NIS because it is owned by Russians. Vucic, the Serbian president, said that payments made by Serbia's banks, including its central bank, will continue through Monday. After meeting with energy officials, he stated, "We have agreed to, at the risk to Serbia, ensure payment transactions to NIS until the weekend... in order to allow NIS workers to be paid and make payments due." Vucic stated that the only NIS-owned oil refinery in the country, which has a capacity of 4.8 millions tons, would have to close this week, unless it receives a reprieve from sanctions. The potential closure of the refinery could have a negative impact on the economy of Serbia, as NIS employs 14,000 people and contributes 5% to the GDP of Serbia, along with 10% of the budget revenues. Serbia currently imports the majority of its requirements from Hungary. Vucic warned of the logistical strains, such as the distribution of fuel at fuel stations throughout the country due to the limited storage and offloading capacity. Vucic announced last week that Belgrade would give Gazprom and Gazprom a 50-day deadline to sell their shares in NIS, or else the government would buy out NIS and take over its operations. Reporting by Ivana Sito-Sucic, Aleksandar Vaovic and Daria Sekularac; Editing and production by Jan Harvey and Bernadettebaum
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Ivory Coast cocoa regulator restricts transport permits to ease congestion in ports and boost cocoa sales
The Ivory Coast Cocoa Regulator has limited the issuances of transport permits of cocoa beans only to the ports of Abidjan or San Pedro in order to reduce congestion and to ensure that farmers receive their guaranteed farmgate prices, said its managing director on Tuesday. Kone, the director of the Coffee and Cocoa Council, explained that the congestion in exporter's factories at the beginning of the season led to a false impression of excess production. This caused bean purchases to slow down and pushed farmgate prices well below the guaranteed levels. He said that in October and November, the backlog of trucks at factories reduced incomes for producers as prices dropped from the guaranteed farmgate rate of 2,800 CFA Francs ($4.95) per kilo to 2,500 CFA Francs. "We will only approve (beans') transport in accordance with each factory's capacity to unload. Kone explained that, for example, if the factory is only able to unload 16 trucks a day, only 16 trucks would be allowed to transport cocoa in its name. He also added that this measure has reduced port congestion and increased market efficiency. These restrictions have reduced the long-term sales delays that previously forced farmers to either sell at a discount or wait for weeks before receiving payment. Kone said that December is the peak production period, and prompt action has improved conditions from the last week in November. Kone is concerned about a decline in cocoa production. The CCC estimates that production for the main harvest of this year will be only 1.3 millions tons, down from 1.7million tons three years earlier. He said that the situation is unlikely to change for several years, due to the large investments needed to get back to prior levels. Kone, despite lower production, said that the regulator was pleased with sales. However, he described the situation for the long-term prospects of the sector as difficult.
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Airbus CEO studies impact of December latest problem following 'weak November'
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said on Tuesday that the company is evaluating its impact on year-end delivery of a newly found fuselage issue on some A320 jets. This led to "weakness" in November handovers. In his first public comments on the matter, he stated that the problem had brought "another obstacle" to the already-backlogged year-end deliveries. The planemaker will assess the situation in the coming hours and days for deliveries to December. Faury stated in an interview at the ASD conference, which is an association of the aerospace industry, that Airbus will hold calls on Tuesday evening to assess the impact the problem has had on its operations. The first report was made by the ASD on Monday. Airbus is aiming to meet its year-end goal of 820 aircraft handovers. He confirmed the delivery problem in November, but did not confirm if it would continue into December. Faury stated, "We had an extremely weak November due to the fact that we had to stop aircraft in the middle of the production process to deliver them: aircraft that were finished but had a question on their panels." "We must assess the status of these aircraft, and those that will be delivered and produced before the end the year. This creates a new challenge for December which is already very behindloaded. Faury responded to the question of whether Airbus would still be able to carry out their plans for this month: "We'll take the next few hours and days to assess the situation fully and decide what the best course of action is." Reports on Monday stated that Airbus delivered 72 aircraft less than expected in November. Airbus refused to comment before a report on monthly orders and delivery due out Friday. (Reporting and editing by Jan Harvey, Alexander Smith, and Tim Hepher)
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Gasgrid Finland wants to expand its transmission network
Gasgrid, the operator of Finland's natural gas distribution system, said Tuesday that it was considering expanding its pipeline network in Western Finland to accommodate plans for building synthetic methane plants. The production of synthetic methane from electricity is part of Finland’s larger decarbonisation campaign to accelerate the use of renewable and low carbon gases in industry. In a press release, Gasgrid's Janne Gronlund stated that the expansion of the system would not only support reliable energy supplies but also Finland's supply security. Grid operator estimates that planned renewable gas production could increase supply in the region by 3-4 Terawatt Hours (TWh), which is equivalent to 25% of Finland’s current gas consumption. Gasgrid stated that the network expansion section being investigated would be between 250 and 350 kilometers long. The expansion of the transmission network in western Finland could be completed in five to ten years if implemented. (Reporting and editing by Terje Solsvik, Jagoda Darlandak)
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India investigates Air India for multiple flights without safety certificates
India's aviation regulator announced on Tuesday that it is investigating Air India for operating an Airbus A320 aircraft without a valid certificate of airworthiness, which ensures compliance with safety regulations. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said that it also had grounded the aircraft, and de-rostered 'concerned staff. The DGCA didn't specify the type and manufacturer of the aircraft, but a source with direct knowledge said it was a single-aisle Airbus jet. The regulator had previously warned the airline about various issues, including fatigue management and crew training. Air India's spokesperson issued a statement saying that the incident in which one of their aircraft operated without an airworthiness certificate was regrettable. The airline has suspended the personnel involved with the decision pending further investigation. Airbus didn't immediately respond to our request for comment. (Reporting and editing by Abinaya VIjayaraghavan and Abhijith GANAPAVARAM; Janane VENKATRAMAN, Bernadette BAUCH)
Michael and Susan Dell will invest $250 in the accounts of 25,000,000 U.S. Children
Michael Dell and Susan Dell, as part of Invest America's $6.25 billion philanthropic initiative, will each deposit $250 into the accounts of 25,000,000 American children.
This initiative was launched this year as part of President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The U.S. Treasury Department will deposit $1,000 in investment accounts for every child born between 2025-2028.
At age 18, the funds, which must be invested in a fund that reflects the performance of the stock market, are available for education, training, buying a home, or starting a small business.
The Dells released a statement saying that they believed this initiative would expand opportunities, strengthen communities and help more kids take control of their own future.
(source: Reuters)