Latest News
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EasyJet flight attendants will strike in France on August 15-16.
The SNPC and FO trade unions announced on Wednesday that EasyJet 'flight attendants in France' will go on strike August 15-16 to demand better conditions. The statement stated that talks between a group of unions and the company regarding working conditions failed to produce any results. EasyJet is solely responsible for any flight cancellations or disruptions that result from these days. The company has refused to respond seriously to repeated warnings by trade unions in the past few months. A request for comment from a spokesperson?for?easyJet was not immediately responded to. The London-listed carrier is being purchased by the investment fund Apollo. This deal values 'the airline at PS5,70 billion ($7.70billion).
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Canada - August 12
These are some of the most important stories in selected Canadian newspapers. These stories have not been?verified and we cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports. The Globe and Mail ** Canada's top negotiator Janice Charette warned that the White House could impose new tariffs on August 19 that would be a "cliff", which might stop negotiations with the U.S. ** Canada's H&R Real Estate Investment Trust announced a C$6.7billion ($4.81billion) breakup deal, whereby GO Residential REIT would acquire its U.S. Residential portfolio, and a group that included Blackstone, PSP Investments and Crestpoint, as well as entities linked to Chief Executive Officer Tom Hofstedter, would buy other assets. ** Air 'Canada' is selling a 25 percent stake in its Aeroplan loyalty program to Blackstone Inc., and a group?of?Canadian Pension Funds for C$2.5 billion (1.79?billion). This will help the airline to reduce debt.
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Tata's chairman resigns after tensions with charity
He said that the chairman of India's largest conglomerate Tata Sons would not seek re-appointment. He cited the lack of support from the board after tensions with the charitable arm which controls the 'group. N. Chandrasekaran’s decision to depart in February adds to 'the difficulties 'of the 158 year-old group. The 158-year old company faces mounting losses in airline Air India and a sharp drop in sales of its Jaguar Land Rover cars. It was also forced to overhaul processes after a leak at its electronics division that affected Apple and Tesla. Chandrasekaran's 63-year-old departure from Tata Sons in February has sparked a simmering dispute between him and Tata Trusts which owns 66%. Both sides have been at odds over a number of issues, including whether Tata Sons would be listed on the stock exchange, losses at Air India and how to deal with a minority shareholder's planned exit. Tata Sons, which controls over 30 Tata companies including TCS, Air India, and?Tata Motors, postponed its decision to reappoint Chandrasekaran chairman in February after Noel Tata of Tata Trusts opposed the move. Chandrasekaran stated in his statement that it has been six-months since the?board met, and to date no resolution has been achieved. He added that "Tata Sons, a large organization, has many strategic projects in critical stages of execution... Clarity on leadership is essential for employees, investors and partners, as well as other stakeholders." Tata Trusts has not responded to a request for comment. Sources with direct knowledge, but who refused to identify themselves, claimed that Chandrasekaran's resignation was solely due to disagreements with Tata Trusts. Tata Motors, the parent company of Jaguar Land Rover, fell 1.3%, while shares in TCS, which is where Chandrasekaran began his career, dropped 4%. Tata Steel lost over 1%. Under Chandrasekaran the group's profits have increased substantially. Some parts of the group are making significant losses, such as Air India and digital and ecommerce, said Deven Choksey. TATA HAS EXPERIENCED DISSENT BEFORE Tata has experienced discord before. Over the years Tata, India’s largest conglomerate based on market capitalisation acquired Jaguar Land Rover and British tea company Tetley. Last year, it announced that it had agreed to purchase European company Iveco’s trucks and buses in a $4.36 Billion deal. Tata is also a partner in Starbucks India and runs hundreds of Starbucks stores. Tata Trusts and Tata Sons have had turbulent relations in the past. In 2016, the board of Tata Sons sacked its then-chairman for a disagreement with Ratan Tata, head of group patriarch and charity arm. Tata products are available almost everywhere in India, from cars to hotels and tea, and everything between. Tata Group companies generated combined revenues of $185 billion in the last financial period. As of March 31, the 26 companies that are publicly listed had an aggregate market capitalisation totaling $277 billion. Chandrasekaran began his corporate career in 1987 at TCS as an intern. He spent the rest of his time at the 'IT giant', where he rose through the ranks, becoming a?CEO (in 2009) before becoming the Tata Sons Chair in?2017. The Tatas are descended from Persians, who arrived in India for the first time in the 8th century. Chandra (also known as Chandrasekaran) is not related to Tatas and was the first non Parsi Chairman of Tata Sons.
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Yemen Houthis claim ship attack that killed four in the Red Sea
The Houthis, a group of Yemeni armed forces that are allied with Iran, attacked a ship on Tuesday in the Bab el-Mandeb strait at the southern entry to the Red Sea. According to Houthi news agency Saba, three Pakistanis were killed in the attack. Yemen's Transport Ministry said that four?crew of a small cargo vessel were killed when it was attacked by the Houthis Tuesday. The deaths aboard the Egyptian-owned Tihamah were the first Houthi attacks on ships since the Iran War began on 28 February. The Houthis claimed the ship carried Saudi military equipment. Saudi authorities did not immediately comment. Houthis announced on July 20, they would impose a blockade in the Red Sea against Saudi Arabia as a response to what they called a Saudi siege? on Yemen. Riyadh, however, has denied this claim. Since then, they've launched attacks against Saudi Arabia, and?Yemen’s Mocha and Marib?which is controlled by the?internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government based in Aden. Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Nayera Abedallah; Editing by Chris Reese & Alex Richardson
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E.ON CEO: Full grid protection against drones is 'illusory.'
E.ON CEO?Says?On Wednesday that critical energy?grids can't be protected from outside threats like drones. This comes a week after an incident with drones at one of Germany’s airports raised the issue of increased risks for critical infrastructure. Leonhard Birnbaum, after presenting the first-half results, said: "At this time we cannot secure any airports in Germany. Not even the major ones." How could I tell you we have our distribution network, which is spread out across the country, in control? The CEO of E.ON - Europe's largest energy grid operator - made the comments after an explosive drone was discovered last week near the runway at the Leipzig/Halle Airport, exposing its vulnerability to external attacks. "I do not believe in complete protection. Birnbaum added that E.ON was working on several initiatives to 'raise the protection. "But when it's about drones, we must admit that the progress is so rapid and extensive that, at this time, we can't guarantee that we are completely protected against a?malicious?drone attack." Birnbaum stated that it was E.ON's responsibility to ensure that they can quickly restore the supply after any successful attacks. (Reporting and editing by Linda Pasquini.)
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GRAINS-Wheat increases by around 3% following Ukraine's attack on Russia's key export port
Chicago wheat futures rose around 3% Wednesday, after Ukraine attacked grain terminals at the main Russian wheat exporting port of Novorossiysk. This sparked fears that supplies would be disrupted to global markets. Soybeans, corn and other grains rose in advance of a U.S. Agriculture report on world supply/demand later Wednesday. Chicago Board of Trade?most active wheat increased 3.05% at $9.49-1/2 per bushel by 0929 GMT. Soybeans increased 0.3% to $11.73-1/4 bushels, while corn rose by 0.7% to $4.63-3/4 bushels. Industry sources said that two of Russia's largest grain terminals at the Black Sea port Novorossiysk have suspended operations as a result of the drone strikes overnight by Ukraine. Most of Russia's wheat exports are shipped via Black Sea ports, including Novorossiysk. During the war between Ukraine and Russia, Ukraine left the massive grain export terminals at Novorossiysk largely alone. However, both sides have intensified their attacks on ports and shipping in recent weeks, effectively stopping Ukraine’s high-volume shipborne grains exports. One European trader stated that "big grain export terminals can be easily hit and there is a fear that Ukrainian attacks on Novorossiysk will seriously reduce Russia's exports of wheat, which may cause demand to shift to other origins." The 'big question' is how long Ukrainian attacks will continue. Cargo vessel owners may stop sailing if they fear that their ships won't be safe in a conflict zone. Another trader said: "The market has become dependent on cheap wheat from Russia and Ukraine. High-volume shipments are moving out despite the war." Fears are now being raised that Russian wheat exports may be affected by the war. Grain markets have turned their attention to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s August'supply and demand' report. This report will include estimates of the U.S. soybean and corn harvests for this year. Michael Hogan reported from Hamburg; Naveen Thupkral contributed additional reporting in Singapore. Subhranshu Sahu and Harikrishnan Nair edited the article.
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Sources say that the Orsk refinery in Russia halted production after an August 11 drone attack.
Two industry sources confirmed on Wednesday that the mid-sized Orsknefteorgsintez refinery in Russia ceased operations on August '11 following a fire caused by a 'drone attack from Ukraine. Sources said that the drones struck the plant located about 1,900 km (1180 miles) east from the border with Ukraine on Tuesday. Ukraine's military has confirmed the strike. Industry sources claim that the drone damaged some of the refinery units at the plant. Forteinvest, a company that owns the refinery?did not respond to a request for comment. Ukraine has increased drone attacks this year on Russian energy infrastructure, including refineries and pipelines, leading to an?fuel shortage in Russia. The nameplate capacity of Orsk refinery is 5.76 million metric tons per annum, or around 115,200 barrels a day. According to industry sources, it will process 4.2 million tonne of crude oil in '2024, producing 1.8 millions tons of diesel, 600,000.00 tons of gasoline, 500,000.000 tonne of bitumen, and 200,000.000 tons of fuel oil. Jan Harvey, Jan Harvey (Reporting)
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Aena's Spanish Airports served 34.4 millions passengers in July
Aena, the airport operator, reported that 34.4 million passengers travelled through its Spanish airports in July. This is 5% more than what was recorded in 'the same month last year. The growing number of tourists in Spain is a testament to its resilience, even as the airline industry struggles with geopolitical instability and labour shortages. * Passenger numbers rose 4% in the first seven months 2026, a slightly slower rate than the 4,1% increase last year The busiest airports in Spain are Adolfo Suarez Barajas Airport, Madrid, Josep Taradellas Barcelona El Prat and Palma De?Mallorca * All airports operated by Aena, including 46 airports, two heliports, and 17 airports in Brazil as well as London's Luton, and Leeds Bradford, saw a 4% increase in passengers to a total of?41 millions in July. (Reporting and editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak in Gdansk)
Senior Iranian official: Iran and US are not discussing the extension of the ceasefire.
According to a senior Iranian official, there were no discussions between Iran and the United States about extending their ceasefire agreement because the deal, according to Tehran, had no start date and, therefore, nothing to extend.
Sources cited by Anadolu, Turkey's news agency, said that Washington and Tehran had agreed on a 60-day truce under their interim agreement signed in June.
The deal stated an "immediate & permanent termination of military operations across all fronts". However, it quickly unraveled. U.S. president Donald Trump declared it "over" by July 7, and Iran's Foreign Ministry declared it "suspended", a week later.
There is no discussion of an extension, because from the?Irani perspective, there was no period that started and so nothing to extend. Source: "The United States violated interim agreement 48-hours after it was made and withdrew a few days afterwards," said the source.
The 60-day period in the agreement?refers a timeframe that could be extended within which Iran, the U.S. and other countries were expected to come to a final agreement limiting Tehran's nuclear program and lifting U.S. sanction.
Before entering the 'next phase of negotiations,' a series of'requirements such as a ceasefire, a free navigation in Gulf, and waivers to allow Iran to sell its oil were considered necessary.
"The?U.S. is one of the topics that are being discussed by mediators. Returning to the interim agreement and setting a timeline for implementing commitments. The source said that there has been no progress in this matter. (Reporting and Writing by Parisa hafezi; Editing by Alex Richardson).
(source: Reuters)