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American Airlines reduces some management and support roles
American Airlines announced on Tuesday that it would be eliminating a small number of management and staff positions in order to adjust its workforce. The airline stated that the layoffs primarily occurred at the Fort Worth headquarters, which will allow it to become more efficient throughout the organization. The carrier had previously stated that it planned to save more than 750 million dollars in costs by the end this year. This is thanks to its efforts to reengineer the business. In North America, airlines have reduced corporate roles in order to control costs and protect margins after the post-pandemic travel surge. Air Canada, a Canadian carrier, cut 400 management jobs, or about 1% of their workforce, last month. Southwest Airlines announced earlier this year that it would be cutting 15% of corporate jobs. This is the first time in 54 years that Southwest Airlines has made such a cut. American Airlines has not specified the number of positions it is eliminating.
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Royal Air Maroc CEO: First aircraft to be delivered in 2028
Abdelhamid Addou, CEO of Royal Air Maroc, said that the Moroccan national carrier Royal Air Maroc expects to start receiving aircraft in 2028 from a major tender for fleet expansion. Addou stated that the tender, launched in April of 2024, is for 200 aircraft up to 2037. The company is currently evaluating Boeing, Airbus, and Embraer's offers. Addou, a reporter at the Arab Air Carriers' Organization General Assembly held in Rabat, said that the tender was currently being finalised. Addou did not disclose the exact value of the tender, but said that about 25% of the order would be wide-body aircraft. The remainder will be narrow-body jets. RAM is expecting to receive 15 new aircraft per year on average starting in 2028. Addou said that the airline would introduce up to thirteen aircraft each year in the interim. RAM has a strategy that includes expanding its fleet to become a regional hub carrier connecting Africa, Europe and North America via its Casablanca-based base. According to the ONDA, Morocco also launched a bid for a new terminal at its airport that will allow it to increase passenger capacity from 10.5 million to 35 millions by 2029. (Reporting and editing by David Goodman.)
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FAA stops traffic at Washington DC Airport after threat against plane reported
The Federal Aviation Administration halted Tuesday traffic at Reagan Washington National Airport following a report of a threat made against a United Airlines flight. The FAA reported that operations had been halted due to a reported issue with security. Passengers have already left the plane and the aircraft has moved away from the terminal for the investigation. According to a person who was briefed in the matter, a threat against the plane had been made and the plane is being checked out of an abundance caution. United directed questions to the FBI. The FBI did respond immediately to a comment request. Reagan Airport is only 5 miles away from the White House, and the FAA has imposed special security restrictions in the airspace. FlightRadar24 - a flight tracker - said that the issue was caused by an unconfirmed terrorist threat made against a United Flight arriving from Houston. The airport is preparing to open just before 1 pm. ET. FlightAware reports that more than 160 flights were delayed at Reagan. Reporting by David Shepardson, Washington; additional reporting from Rajesh Kumar Singh, Chicago Editing by Franklin Paul & Chizu Nomiyama
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A man accused of 'throwing things' at a federal agent after he threw a sandwich is on trial in Washington
A federal prosecutor told a jury on Tuesday that "You can't just go around throwing things." Sean Dunn faces a misdemeanor charge of assault in a case which has gained widespread attention since video of the incident went viral. Dunn was a Justice Department international case worker who became an unlikely symbol for resistance to Trump's law-enforcement surge in Washington, D.C., and was scorned Trump administration officials. Dunn has not pleaded guilty. John Parron, the prosecutor, said in his opening remarks that "you can't just throw things at people because you're angry." Dunn was captured on video on August 10 throwing a sub sandwich and shouting at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent who was on a crime prevention patrol in a Washington neighborhood. Trump had ordered an increase in federal law enforcement in Washington to combat what he described as an out of control crime problem, even though police statistics showed a decrease in violent crimes following an earlier rise. Julia Gatto was the lawyer representing Dunn. She told the jury that Dunn had done it. He threw it." Gatto, however, argued that it was impossible for the sandwich to harm or interfere with law enforcement. He called it a harmless gesture. "Mr. Gatto stated in her opening remarks that Dunn is very passionate about the policies which brought these officers to this place. He believes that recent immigration enforcement is racist. He believes that the militarization of federal law enforcement and the takeover by the government is fascism. Federal prosecutors initially sought a felony against Dunn but reduced the charge to a misdemeanor when a grand jury refused to approve the indictment. Gregory Lairmore testified, a 23 year veteran of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, that Dunn shouted at officers before throwing the sandwich. Lairmore testified to the jury that the sandwich exploded all over his uniform, smelling of "onions and mustard." He said he felt the impact from his ballistic vest.
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Officials see'massive chaos' as a result of the shutdown, which may force US to shut down some airspace next week.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Tuesday that if federal government shutdown continued another week, it could cause "mass confusion" and force him to shut down some national airspace for air traffic. This drastic measure could disrupt American aviation. "If you take us back to a week's time, Democrats, there will be mass chaos and mass flight delays." Duffy told a Tuesday press conference that you'll likely see a lot of cancellations and we may even close some parts of the airspace because we can't manage it. U.S. Aviation has already experienced tens and thousands of delays in the last month. These comments were the most dire warnings from the Trump administration about impending effects of rising air traffic control absences. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) delayed flights again on Tuesday as the shutdown entered its third week. Airlines reported that 3.2 million passengers were affected by flight delays or cancellations this week due to an increase in air traffic controller absenteeism. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said on Fox Business' "Varney & Co." that in the 30 largest airports of the FAA, "anywhere between 20 and 40% of our controllers don't come to work." Democrats accuse Republicans of not negotiating to reopen government with them. The shutdown has worsened the staffing shortages. 13,000 air traffic control officers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents have been forced to work without pay. In 2019, disruptions to air travel forced lawmakers to end a 35-day shutdown of the government during Donald Trump's inaugural term. Duffy said he would shut down the U.S. Aviation System if the shutdown made it too dangerous to travel. The FAA reported that on Friday, nearly half of America's busiest airports were facing shortages of air traffic control in the worst single day since the shutdown started. The agency reported that 80% of the air traffic controllers in New York were absent on Friday. David Shepardson, David Gregorio and David Shepardson contributed to the report.
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Hertz soaring after swinging third-quarter profits
Hertz Global reported a profit for the third quarter after almost two years, thanks to used car sales and an updated fleet of rental vehicles. The company's shares rose by 42% on Tuesday. In order to combat a decline in rental activity, the company has tried to diversify its operations by overhauling its vehicle fleet. It also offers a marketplace for online car purchases. In recent years, a slump in demand led it to sell off a large portion of its electric vehicle fleet and replace them with gas-powered vehicles. Hertz sold off a majority its Teslas in the past year citing increased repair costs. Hertz earned an adjusted 12 cents per diluted share in the third quarter. This compares to analysts' estimates of 2 cents a share, according LSEG. Its quarterly revenue was down 4%, to $2.5 billion compared with a year earlier. However, it still exceeded estimates of $2.4billion. Nathan Gomes, Bengaluru. Edited by Shreya Biwas.
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Lula: CELAC summit will discuss Venezuela and US military presence
The Brazilian President Luiz inacio Lula da silva said on Tuesday he would discuss Venezuelan issues and the increased U.S. presence in Latin America during the CELAC Summit at the end of this month. He told reporters in Belem, ahead of the COP30 Climate Summit: "The CELAC Meeting only makes sense if we are going to talk about the U.S. Warships." In recent months the U.S. has increased its military presence in Caribbean, and U.S. president Donald Trump said his administration would carry out strikes on drug-related targets in Venezuela. Lula stated that Venezuela has a political issue that must be addressed in the political arena. He added that he told Trump during a recent encounter that Latin America was a region that is peaceful, not violent. (Reporting and writing by Isabel Teles, Lisandra Paraguassu, Katy Daigle)
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Lula says Brazil will seek independent probe into 'disastrous' Rio police raid
The Brazilian president Luiz inacio Lula da silva said on Tuesday that his government would push for an independent investigation into the raid by police last week, which killed 121 people including four police officers. He told reporters in Belem, ahead of the COP30 summit on climate change: "It is important to know under what circumstances it occurred." "The judge ordered arrest warrants, not mass killings - yet there was mass killing." The October 28 operation was the deadliest ever in Brazil's recent history. The operation on October 28 targeted the Comando Vermelho, a gang that controls drug trafficking in a number of favelas (poor, densely-populated neighborhoods) woven into the city's hills. Rio de Janeiro state officials described it as a success. Claudio Castro, the state governor, said that the "only true victims" were the officers who were killed and all others were criminals. The raids highlighted a complex scenario for Lula. A leftist, Lula has tried to reconcile growing public support and international concerns about human rights violations. "The truth is, some people may view the operation's death toll as a success. Lula stated that he believed the state's response was disastrous. (Reporting and writing by Katy Daigle, Lisandra Paraguassu, Paul Simao; editing by Gabriel Araujo)
Energy transition has become a matter of national security. Ask India: Maguire
India's public humiliation over its imports from Russia of oil that has been sanctioned is a painful reminder of the fact that energy policy involves national security and increases the attractiveness of local energy sources.
Nearly 90% of the crude oil used to fuel the world's largest economy is imported.
India is more independent in terms of electricity.
Around 90% of India's coal is mined locally, and the rest comes from a surge in clean, domestic power.
The power industry, as a result of this, is better protected from geopolitical and supply shocks than refiners. The power industry is also more easily influenced by policy changes and is a reliable source of long-term tax revenue and employment.
This makes India's energy sector, rather than the oil refining industry, a more attractive base for its future national strategy.
FLATTERING TO DECEIVE?
India's oil dependency is unlikely to be reduced anytime soon with approximately 50 million cars, and almost 300 million motorbikes and scooters.
India's apparent addiction to oil may not be as bad as it appears.
Data from the Energy Institute show that India's oil consumption will grow at an average annual rate of 4.4% per year between 2021 and 2024.
This was the fastest rate of growth in the top 10 oil-consuming countries during this time period, and it was well above the average global annual growth rate of 3.0%.
Due to two factors, India's ability to increase global oil demand may seem greater than it actually is. These are China's slowdown in the economy and Russia's cheap exports of oil.
In recent years, China's debt crisis in the property sector and a slowdown of international trade has reduced oil demand growth. This has upset expectations on energy markets.
China's oil consumption increased by 6% per year between 2000 and 2019. Beijing is now the largest driver of oil demand worldwide.
Since 2021, this rate has dropped to just 3% per year.
India has emerged as the frontrunner to pick up the baton, thanks to its robust demand metrics.
India's rapid growth in consumption has been artificially inflated, it is argued, by its massive increases in imports of Russian oil at discounted prices.
Too Good to Refuse
The actual price that India paid for Russian oil from 2022 is not known, but given the rapid change in India's import mix it seems that Russian oil was sold at a price that could not be refused.
Up until 2021, Russia's share of India's annual imports of oil was only around 3%. The majority of India’s oil requirements were met by suppliers such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Since 2023 however, Russian oil accounts for nearly 40% India's imports of oil, making Russia the country's largest oil supplier.
According to Kpler, India's oil imports from Russia increased 16-fold in the period 2021-2024, going from 100,000 barrels per a day to 1.8 millions barrels. It has led to the perception that India's demand for oil is increasing at an incredible rate.
India's total oil imports increased by a modest 14% between 2021-2024. This is likely to be a better indication of India’s real oil consumption potential.
This jump is still impressive, as it represents record imports to India for each of the last two years.
This growth, however, was probably only possible because a large portion of imported oil was bought at prices that were well below the benchmarks for global oil. This discount allowed Indian refiners and their consumers to buy fuel at a lower price, which in turn boosted demand. India would likely have purchased less oil if it had been forced to buy the oil at full price. Fuels and refined products would have been much more expensive.
POWERING UP
It seems unlikely that the Indian government will base its future energy strategy on increased import dependency and aggressive oil consumption, given the international hostility towards India over its dependence on Russian oil.
The Indian government, on the other hand, has supported the rapid electrification and automation of industrial processes, transport fleets, and appliances. They are likely to continue to support the expansion of electricity supply to drive future economic growth.
Gleichzeitig, the country also expands the use of renewables within its energy basket.
India has taken aggressive steps to boost the local manufacturing of energy-related products and is on course to double its manufacturing capacity by 2030. This was revealed in a report published by SolarPower Europe.
Local and federal authorities will likely continue to support the energy transition effort of the country and the businesses that are behind it if these efforts create jobs and boost the national economy.
The Indian refining industry will be weakened by further criticism of Russian oil purchases, and any price increases triggered by switching suppliers.
If energy independence is necessary to ensure national security, geopolitical tensions could be an important catalyst in speeding up energy transition.
These are the opinions of a columnist who writes for.
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(source: Reuters)