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Havana is left without electricity after Cuba's electrical grid collapses partially
Local media and eyewitnesses report that Cuba's electrical system suffered a partial failure early on Wednesday morning, leaving Havana, the capital, and much of west Cuba in darkness. Lazaro Alonso, a reporter for the state-run media, confirmed that four provinces in the westernmost part of the country, from Pinar del Rio up to Mayabeque were without electricity. The cause of the grid failure was not immediately apparent. A witness reported that the skyline of Havana was mostly dark on Wednesday morning, with hospitals and a few tourist hotels being the only ones still lit. Cuba's oil fired power plants, which were already outdated and struggled to keep the lights lit, went into a crisis last year when oil imports from Venezuela and Russia, as well as Mexico, decreased. Cuba's grid collapsed partially or completely several times since. Blackouts of 20 hours or longer are common in many parts of the Caribbean island nation. Havana residents who were once spared the worst of the blackouts now face up to 10 hours without electricity every day. Cuba's government blames the worsening of power outages on fuel shortages and infrastructure that is in disrepair, as well as damage caused by Hurricane Melissa. Cuba has been unable to purchase enough fuel for many years due to U.S. economic sanctions and the deepening crisis. This has forced the government to depend more on its allies, and made it harder for Cuba to keep the lights lit. According to documents and shipping data, the island's crude and fuel imports in the first ten months of 2025 dropped by more than a quarter compared to the same period of 2024. This was due to the fact that key allies Mexico slashed their supplies. (Reporting and editing by Dave Sherwood; Louise Heavens, Ed Osmond).
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Tesla's German sales fell by a fifth during November
According to the German road traffic agency KBA, on Wednesday, the number of new registrations from Chinese electric car manufacturer BYD exceeded that from Tesla. KBA reported that Tesla sold 1,763 vehicles in Germany in November. This is 20.2% lower than the same month last year. Tesla sold 17,358 cars in the period January-November, which is 48.4% less than the same period the previous year. The volume of Chinese electric vehicles manufacturer BYD sales increased by more than nine times year-on-year in November, to 4,026 unit, reaching 19,197 units from the start of the year. KBA reported that the number of electric vehicles registered in November increased by 58.5% to 55,741 cars. Tesla registrations in key European markets fell in November compared to a year ago as the U.S. EV manufacturer struggled with market share losses despite launching new versions of their best-selling Model Y. (Reporting and editing by Madeline Chambers, Thomas Escritt and Amir Orusov)
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After Russian attacks on Turkish ships, Turkey talks about Black Sea security with NATO
Sources in the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed Black Sea Safety on Wednesday. This was after Ankara had expressed concern over attacks on Russian-linked tankers – some of which were claimed by Ukraine. Ankara has condemned the attacks against vessels linked to Moscow in Turkey's exclusive zone economic off its Black Sea coast. Besiktas Shipping in Turkey, a company that has been involved with Russia for many years, halted its operations due to security concerns after the attacks. Ukraine, which is attacking Russia's oil exports while Moscow bombards the power grid in its country, has claimed responsibility for a seaborne drone attack on two empty tanks heading towards a Russian harbor last week. Kyiv has denied any connection to another incident that occurred on Tuesday, in which a Russian flagged tanker carrying sunflower oil claimed it was attacked by drones off the Turkish coast. A tanker of Besiktas Shipping, which also conducted business with Russia, was damaged by external impacts near Senegal. No one has claimed responsibility. Fidan and Rutte discussed, at a NATO summit in Brussels, issues relating to the security of the Black Sea and negotiations to end a nearly four-year conflict, according to a Turkish Foreign Ministry official. The source did not provide any further details. The Turkish government has condemned the attacks against shipping and warned that "all parties" must stop them. An official from Turkey said that this includes the Ukrainian authorities. Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has responded to this by threatening to cut off Ukraine's sea access. He also said that Moscow would intensify its strikes against Ukrainian vessels and facilities as well as move against oil tankers from countries who help Ukraine. Ayhan Zytinoglu said that targeting merchant ships within Turkey's exclusive zone of economic activity is "a dangerous escalation in the war in Ukraine" at a conference in Istanbul, co-hosted with the Polish Embassy and Consulate, on Wednesday. According to a press release from his office, Tayyip Erdoan told French President Emmanuel Macron that Turkey is trying to revive ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in a phone call. (Reporting Tuvan Gumrukcu Additional Reporting Jonathan Spicer Editing Peter Graff.)
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Sources say that Kazakhstan will increase oil supply to BTC pipeline in December by 30%.
Two industry sources have confirmed that Kazakhstan will increase the daily oil exports to Baku, Tbilisi, and Ceyhan (BTC), pipeline from the Aktau Port by 30% compared with the previous month. This would bring the total to 188,000 tons per day (about 47,000 barges) by December 2025. After drone attacks destroyed a mooring, Kazakhstan has been looking for alternative routes to export Caspian Oil from its large fields. This is due to the limited capacity of its main export route - The Caspian Pipeline Consortium. The BTC pipeline is a good option for exporting oil, but the volume can only be limited due to the capacity of the Aktau Port and the requirements of oil quality. Sources said that Kazakhstan will load 188,000 tons via BTC in December: 170,000 tonnes from Tengizchevroil and 18,000 from the Kashagan Field. Requests for comments were not answered by the press services of the Kazakhstan Ministry of Energy or the Kashagan operator NCOC. TCO refused to provide any details about its production. TCO resumed its exports to BTC after a pause in November. The company had suspended oil shipments in August due to excessive organic chlorides found in the Azeri BTC grades. Askhat Khasenov (KMG) stated in October that the company is in talks to increase the oil transport via BTC from 1.2 to 2.2 millions tons by 2026. The oil from Tengiz and Kashagan is transported to Baku via tankers, which are then transported to Ceyhan, Turkey, by the BTC pipeline. Louise Heavens, Louise Heavens (Reporting)
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Serbian Parliament adopts budget for 2026, with a deficit of 3%
The Serbian parliament adopted its budget for 2026 on Wednesday, setting the fiscal deficit at 337 billion dinars (3.35 billion dollars), or 3%. Budget sets revenues totaling 2,414.7 billion dinars, and expenditures at 2,751.7 milliards dinars. The bill also provides 164 billion dinars for Serbia to use in order to take over the U.S. sanctioned oil company NIS, from its Russian majority owner Gazprom and Gazprom, if these companies do not sell their shares by mid-January. Adoption of the 2026 budget plan was a formality as the ruling coalition, led by the populist Serbian Progressive Party, has a comfortable majority with 154 members in the 250 seat parliament. The total capital expenditure is 602 billion dinars with 47.5 billion dinars allocated to the Expo 2027 fair. Budget also includes the funds required for the reintroduction over the next 3 years of military service, as well as increased spending on wages and pensions in the public sector.
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Rome's bus, metro and tram company will refund customers for poor service
The Italian Competition Authority announced on Wednesday that Rome's Atac public transport company has agreed to refund customers for poor service. This concludes an investigation into the publicly-run organization. In February, the regulator began investigating Atac for "possible unfair commercial practices", for failing to meet quality standards in 2021-2023. Atac did not meet its targets in punctuality, lifts and escalators working properly, or security guards stationed at metro stations. The investigation is closed, after Atac committed to refund more than 3 millions euros ($3.5million) to holders of annual tickets. The Italian competition authority is also responsible for protecting consumer rights. The annual ticket holders in 2024 will get 5 euros, and holders of the annual travel pass between 2021-2023 will also receive an additional 5 euros, according to the statement. Annual passes are 250 euros excluding concessions. Atac is also introducing a mobile app that offers partial refunds in the case of delays exceeding 15 minutes on regular bus, metro or tram services. Atac, the public transport company in Rome, told regulators that it has improved its efficiency thanks to EU funds post-COVID and to government funding in preparation for this year's Catholic Holy Year. Atac has also committed to train and hire more staff in metro stations, as part of its commitments. The authority stated that the annual investment would be 2.6 million euro. Atac has not commented on the announcements made by regulators. Reporting by Cristina Carlevaro. Alvise Armellini edited the article. Mark Potter (Editing by Alvise Armellini)
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IndiGo, India's largest airline, reports delays and cancellations caused by technical issues, congestion, and congestion.
IndiGo, India’s largest airline, said on Wednesday that several of its flights had been delayed or cancelled in the last few days because of technology issues, airport congestion, and operational requirements. According to the data of the civil aviation ministry on Tuesday, IndiGo had the lowest on-time performance among Indian airlines. IndiGo has consistently performed better than 80% on-time at Indian airports, including Delhi and Mumbai. Last month, an air traffic control system failure at India's main airport caused hundreds of flights to be delayed. As of 0909 GMT, around 600 flights had been delayed across India's busiest three airports, Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. Data from Flightradar24 shows that Delhi accounted for over two-thirds the delays. IndiGo's spokesperson stated in a press release that "our teams are working hard to ensure that operations return as quickly as possible", without giving any details about the causes of the delays and cancellations. On Saturday, the airline had to work with other global carriers to fix a glitch in software on 200 Airbus A320 aircraft. IndiGo shares dropped 2% following the release of its statement, despite having gained 23% this year. IndiGo has a market share in India of over 60%. It operates more than 2,200 flights per day and is steadily expanding its international operations, challenging Air India's dominance. The strong U.S. Dollar and the negative impact of the June Air India crash on flyer confidence have put pressure on its results in the past two quarters. Air India was on time 67.2% of the time on Tuesday. On Tuesday, it said that a third party system disruption was affecting the check-in systems in various airports. This caused delays for several airlines. Delhi Airport posted on X Wednesday that certain domestic airlines are experiencing "operational difficulties" which may lead to schedule changes or delays. Reporting by Chandini monnappa, Abhijithganaparavam; Editing by Mrigank dhaniwala and Thomas Derpinghaus
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Pilots who hide their mental health issues to continue flying are more likely to be successful.
Annie Vargas saw her son slip away and begged him to get help. Her son Brian Wittke (a 41-year old Delta Air Lines Pilot and father of three) resisted, fearing that seeking treatment for depression could cost him his license. Vargas said that the drop in air travel caused by the pandemic affected Wittke's mental health. Vargas sent Wittke a text message on the morning of 14 June 2022. However, his location information was not available. When the text reappeared in 2022, Wittke was dead by suicide near his home in the Utah Mountains outside Salt Lake City. Interviews with over 30 commercial airline pilots, industry officials and medical experts, along with a review medical studies, revealed that many pilots hide mental health issues for fear of losing their license if they disclose therapy, medication or seek help. This puts themselves and their passengers in danger. In order to write this article, I spoke with at least 24 commercial airline pilots from the U.S. as well as foreign carriers. They said they were reluctant about disclosing mental health problems, even if minor or treatable, for fear of immediate grounding, and a costly, lengthy medical review which could lead to their career ending. Pilots cited a variety of reasons why they did not come forward about mental health issues, including airline policy, regulatory requirements, and social stigma. REAL PEOPLE REAL PROBLEMS Vargas stated that "real people have real problems." "They shouldn't be punished for dealing with their problems." Vargas told the reporter that she spoke to the media because she wanted the tragedy of the family to challenge the mental health culture in the aviation industry. Details of Vargas' account were confirmed by Wittke’s wife. Delta described Wittke as a valuable team member, and referred to his death as "tragic and heartbreaking". The pilot community is stigmatized against seeking mental healthcare, according to the report. Delta, like many other major U.S. carriers offers confidential peer-support programs and counseling for its staff. Delta recently launched an employee assistance program for its pilots. It offers access to coaching and therapy, and takes into consideration medical certification requirements. The airline stated that it would continue to strive to provide additional solutions. In many industries, employees or regulators such as the Federal Aviation Administration do not need to be involved in seeking medical or psychological care. Pilots are subject to stricter standards in aviation. They must maintain their FAA medical certificate by meeting rigorous physical and mental criteria. In some cases, they may be required to undergo medical examinations every six months. Pilots who have anxiety or depression could be grounded. Mild cases can be resolved quickly. Severe conditions, however, require an FAA review which can take up to one year. In a press release, the FAA stated that it was committed to prioritizing mental health for pilots. It is constantly updating its approach in line with the latest medical research. Interviews reveal that stigma and the fear of being grounded remain a major obstacle to addressing mental health in pilots. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has increased the oversight of medical examiners. It also requires that airlines offer pilots peer support programs. The FAA in the United States has expanded its list of antidepressants approved for mental health conditions. The FAA has created a path for pilots to disclose an ADHD diagnosis. Airlines and pilot unions expanded confidential peer-support programs. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia allows pilots who suffer from depression or anxiety to maintain their medical certification if they manage safety risks. This is done on a case by case basis, even while they are receiving treatment. Kate Manderson said that her team usually completes certification reviews within 20 days. The gap between perception and policy is still wide. A 2023 study of 5 170 U.S. pilots and Canadians found that more than half avoided healthcare due to concerns of losing their flying status. A morbid pilot saying captures the feeling: "If you're not lying, you're not flying." Pilot unions, industry groups and advocacy groups are calling on the FAA adopt the recommendations made by its Aviation Rulemaking Committee. These recommendations will protect pilots who report issues and expedite their return to duty. The U.S. House of Representatives voted in September to require that the FAA implement these changes within two year. WAITING TO be cleared to fly Elizabeth Carll is a 36-year-old commercial airline pilot in the United States. She believes that reforms are needed now. She was grounded in 2021 during her training as a pilot after she revealed she was taking a low dosage of anti-anxiety medicine. She waited for six months to get an appointment with a mental health specialist approved by the FAA after a six-month mandatory waiting period. After spending more than a full year reviewing the report, the regulator decided that it was outdated and ordered a new examination. Carll did not experience financial hardship while she was in training as a flight attendant, but any change to her medication could result in the same long and costly process. "The joke is that you ignore it and pretend that it doesn't occur because people are scared of losing their livelihood." A spokesperson for the FAA said that it is updating its mental-health policies and has approved more medication. When asked about Carll's situation, the spokesperson declined to comment and refused to disclose how long it usually takes for medical reports of pilots who are undergoing mental health treatment. The FAA spokesperson stated that "we encourage pilots to seek early help if they are suffering from a mental health condition, since the majority of these conditions, when treated, will not prevent a pilot's ability to fly." In June, the safety of pilots was brought to light when Air India Flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff and killed 260 people. In a preliminary report, it was found that both fuel shutoff switches were manually operated. This ruled out mechanical failure. The final report will be released in a few months. The Indian government reported that Air India had a slight rise in sick leave among all its fleets after the crash. The airline directed pilots to an app that promotes mental health. Air India did not provide a comment. Former Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph David Emerson, who was riding off-duty in the cockpit in 2023 when he tried to shut down a passenger aircraft's engines in November of that year, received a sentence for time served as well as three years probation. In court documents, Emerson admitted to police that he had a nervous break down and was on psychedelic mushroom therapy. He refused to be interviewed by this article. "A BETTER PIPET TODAY" The financial impact of a pilot being grounded due to a medical concern can be severe. After using their sick leave, pilots are often put on disability which can drastically reduce their income. Troy Merritt is a 33-year old U.S. commercial pilot who voluntarily grounded himself on December 20, 2022, and began taking medication when he realized that depression and anxiety were affecting his ability to safely fly. To get back into the cockpit, he had to take stable medication for six months and undergo a series psychological and cognitive testing -- some of which was not covered by his health insurance. The process, he said, cost him around $11,000. This figure could not be independently confirmed. Merritt had been grounded 18 months before he was able to return to flying. He lived off disability insurance. He said that pilots shouldn't have to wait for six months before reapplying for a medical certification if they responded well to treatment. The FAA should also review such applications in 30 days. Avoiding mental health care opens the door for pilots to avoid taking care of themselves. Merritt, speaking from his home near the Los Angeles International Airport, said that this is when cockpit problems can occur. Merritt said that he is living proof of the benefits that mental health treatment can have on pilots. He spoke under the condition that his employer not be identified. After his recovery, he began to train to fly in larger aircraft to destinations such as Shanghai and Hong Kong - long-haul flights that he had previously found intimidating. He said, "I am a better pilot than I used to be." Reporting by Rajesh K. Singh in Salt Lake City, Chicago, Dan Catchpole, Erica Stapleton, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Joe Brock, Los Angeles. Doyinsola Oladipo, Lisa Barrington, Aditya Kahra, Abhijith Ganapavaram, and Suzanne Goldenberg contributed additional reporting from New York City and Seoul.
Enbridge, the pipeline operator, expects a higher core profit in 2026
Enbridge, the Canadian pipeline operator, forecast higher core profits for 2026 as it expects to profit from strong demand and new project entering service.
The company predicted an adjusted core income of C$20.2billion ($14.49billion) to C$20.8billion, compared to expectations between C$19.4billion and C$20billion for this year.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, increasing demand for AI-fueled power centers and accelerating electrification will push U.S. electricity demand to record highs in 2025-2026.
In a press release, CEO Gregory Ebel stated that "we also expect strong growth by 2026 due to recent rate settlements and cases in Gas Distribution and Gas Transmission."
Last year, the Calgary-based company acquired three Dominion Energy utilities -- East Ohio Gas (formerly Questar Gas), Public Service Co. of North Carolina, and Public Service Co. of North Carolina – in a deal worth $14 billion, including debt.
Enbridge has also increased its quarterly dividend to 97 Canadian Cents per share, with effect from March 1.
(source: Reuters)