Latest News
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Ariane, Europe's space rocket, wins Amazon Space Gathering boost
Arianespace, the operator of Europe's flagship rocket programme, announced on Wednesday that Amazon 'Leo' has ordered six more launches using Europe's 'Ariane 6' launcher. Amazon has now ordered 24 Ariane launches by 2031, following the announcement made at a space conference in Paris. ArianeGroup's commercial arm announced that new flights on the Ariane 64 high-capacity version will start in 2029. Emmanuel Macron, French President, praised the deal during the opening of a 2-day space summit that was boycotted by a number of?top U.S. companies, including Blue Origin, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. This followed what sources described last week as White House pressure regarding the summit's Europe led agenda. Amazon plans to offer broadband internet worldwide with its network of low-Earth orbit satellites. This will compete against SpaceX's Starlink which boasts millions of users around the world. Amazon relies on the Atlas V rocket, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, to launch its satellites into space. The deal on Wednesday shows that Europe is increasingly reliant on its prime launcher, as the U.S. faces a supply shortage. However, Elon Musk's SpaceX remains the dominant European launch company. Arianespace has launched 100 Amazon Leo satellites on three Ariane 6 missions this year. Amazon was previously required to launch half its initial 3,232 satellites before this summer. However, that requirement was waived in June when the company cited shortages in supply. Arianespace announced earlier on Wednesday that it would announce new business, bringing the total number of "extra launches" to 10. A spokesperson stated that it currently has about 30 orders, with slots in 2029 or 2030.
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Delta is urged to be neutral in the unionization effort by Democratic Senators
Two?Democratic Senators on Wednesday urged Delta Air Lines' CEO Ed Bastian to stay neutral in the ongoing attempts by some airline.flight attendants unionize. In a letter seen by the?Senators, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, they said that flight attendants at the Atlanta-based carrier have been trying for years to organize. They argued that management's attitude is "threatening future pay and benefits to flight attendants if they decide to organize", and called it inappropriate. Delta welcomed discussions with senators. Delta fully supports our employees' rights to decide if union representation is the right choice for them, and maintains a strict non-interference policty," it said. The airline added that they "respect every employee's decision and do not tolerate harassment, bullying or intimidation, regardless of whether their views about union representation." In June, more than 170 House members also wrote to Bastian to urge him to remain neutral regarding the efforts of flight attendants, fleet service workers and technicians to organize. They wrote: "We encourage Delta to respect these workers' rights by adopting a neutrality contract that commits the company to following the law, not interfering in union organizing activities, and refraining from intimidation, retaliation or any other illegal interference." Delta employees began a coordinated campaign to organize a trade union in November 2022. "Delta Flight Attendants have exercised their right to organise for 'years and leading coordinated union campaigns ever since the 1990s," Warren & Markey wrote. They cited reports that 'Delta said joining a Union would jeopardize benefits of its employees and published an official Delta anti union website. The senators pointed to emails sent by Delta last summer, in which the flight attendants were told that signing union authorization cards could cause "inner chaos" within the company. They said workers can now organize without fear or interference under the law. Once a majority has voted in favor of the union, it can request a representation election at the National Mediation Board. Delta's Pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association.
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Container ship arrives in UK from China via Arctic
The container ship arrived in Britain on Wednesday, after a 'historic voyage' from China via the Arctic. This is part of plans to encourage more ships to use this route as an alternative to the Suez Canal that could be shorter and safer. The Dubai Tower reached Teesport, off the northeast coast of England on August 15 after arriving from eastern China. The Arctic route, which is significantly faster than freighters that go through the Suez Canal or around the Cape Good Hope, is meant to be a start for a regular container service from Europe via the North Sea Route. South Korean container ships are also currently making a similar journey, joining China and Russia as shipping firms test?cargo service along the route. This is more feasible due to the faster melting of Arctic sea-ice. As the U.S. war with Iran continues, the route offers shorter journeys while avoiding?security risk in the Middle East. Weather and sailing conditions can be unpredictable, and the commercial feasibility of this route is not certain.
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Sources say that a fuel storage tank caught on fire during a drone attack in Russia's Novorossiisk
Two industry sources reported on Wednesday that a fuel storage tank caught fire at the Novorossiysk Fuel Terminal during an overnight drone attack?on Russia's Black Sea port city?of Novorossiysk. Telegram Mayor Andrei Kravchenko said that drone debris had fallen on several business premises and near a residence in Novorossiysk. The Novorossiysk Fuel Oil Terminal?did not immediately respond to an inquiry for comment about the?fire? or its impact. Sources claim that a tank at the terminal containing 'oil products' with a volume of approximately '37,000 cubic meters? caught fire. Sources said that repeated Ukrainian drone strikes have caused increased disruptions to oil exports out of Novorossiysk in recent months, which has led to a shortage in tankers available and loading delays. The terminal is capable of handling up to 5,000,000 metric tons?of oil-based products per year or approximately 400,000 to 450,000 tons each month. According to its website, the terminal's storage facilities are able to store a variety of?oil products. The combined capacity is up to 119,000 cubic meters. The terminal can load tankers at two dedicated berths that can accommodate vessels up to 60,000 tonnes deadweight.
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Official: Kuwait Petroleum offers refined fuels and oil outside of Hormuz for buyers
A company official announced on Wednesday that Kuwait Petroleum Corp offers its customers the option to transfer their crude oil and petroleum product outside of the Strait of Hormuz for safe transportation to final destinations. Khaled Al-Sabah is the managing director for international marketing at KPC. He spoke at the APPEC conference. He said that buyers and shipping firms are avoiding cargoes lifted from?ports within the strait because of the risks associated with the U.S. - Iran war. The crude oil from other Middle Eastern producers, such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, is also available for sale at ports outside of the Strait. Emad A. M. Al-Kandari is the deputy managing director of KPC's international marketing. He said that when it was safe to do so, they would pass some ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Documents reviewed by revealed that the company offered to deliver naphtha from ships in a few?tenders held in August and September. Market sources said that some of its cargoes sold at a premium of up to $60 per metric tonne to Japan's quoted prices on a?delivered?basis. KPC offered free naphtha before the U.S./Iran War began. In June, it resumed its cargo?offers for the first since the war began in February. Data from the shiptracker Kpler revealed that Kuwait exported an average of 200,000 barrels of naphtha per day in the first two months of 2018. This dropped to zero by April. In the last two month, its exports have remained at half pre-war levels.
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Officials say that Russian drones killed two people at the Ukraine-Moldova border crossing
Officials from Ukraine and Moldova said that Russian drones killed two people when they hit a 'border crossing' between Ukraine and Moldova, in the southern region of Odesa. This was part of Moscow’s campaign to target a trade and logistics route and cause economic damage. Officials in Ukraine said that Russian forces also attacked Kyiv with jet-powered drones overnight and on Wednesday, causing fires, disrupting school and business operations, and causing other damage. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that nine people had been injured by the attacks in the capital. Oleh Kiper, regional governor of Odesa in southwest Ukraine, said that two civilians died and three were injured during the attack at the Starokozache Border Crossing. The attack on the checkpoint, which is about 1 km away from Moldovan territory and used by thousands of people every day, caused passenger and vehicle traffic to be halted. Moldovan officials confirmed that this was due to the attack. Andriy Demochenko, the spokesman of Ukrainian border guards on national TV, said: "Most probably, Russia wants disrupt logistics routes." The Ukrainian border guards reported that Russia had struck five border crossings over the past few weeks -- four along the border with Moldova and one near its border with Romania, which is a NATO member. This is a worrying trend for Kyiv. It has become more dependent on land routes to export its goods as Russian attacks against its Black Sea ports disrupted massively maritime exports. Ukraine, in turn, has used drones to attack Russian oil terminals, commercial warehouses, and refineries. This was often done deep within Russia. The Russian drone intrusions into the airspace of his country have increased dramatically, according to Prime Minister Vasile Tofan. Tofan wrote in a blog post on X that "17 drones have fallen since August, which is more than 2025." "Russia's war on Ukraine is putting the lives of our citizens in danger." Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, said that Ukrainian forces had 'hit a naval base in Russia, an oil terminal and military port facilities, as well as warships with missiles,' and reiterated his call for more international pressure to be applied on Moscow. Zelenskiy, a Telegram user, said that "a response is required - Moscow cannot?go into winter believing it can get by with missile terror and drone terror" without any consequences. "The aggression must be stopped now before it spreads further." After a short pause during the visit of U.S. Peace Negotiators to Moscow and Kyiv, Russia resumed their?near constant air attacks on Kyiv.
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Peninsula reports that a seafarer from an oil tanker was killed in an incident near Dubai.
Peninsula, the charterer of the vessel Hercules Star, reported on Wednesday that a seafarer was killed during an incident with the Gibraltar flagged oil products tanker Hercules Star while it was anchored?off Dubai. Peninsula announced in a statement that it confirmed one death, but did not provide any details as to what the cause of death was. "In addition, one crew member is missing and a team of specialists is working to find them." The?other members of the crew are all present." Initial assessments from maritime security sources suggest that the ship may have been struck by a drone. UKMTO, an agency affiliated with the British Navy, said it received a separate report that a vessel was?listing while at anchor 24 nautical miles from Port Rashid in the United Arab Emirates. This "could indicate water intrusion following an attack?from a projectile unknown". According to their assessment, maritime security sources stated that the location was near the Hercules Star. Port officials reported that a tanker containing about 2,000,000 barrels of Iraqi fuel oil, was struck by a drone in Iraqi territorial water on Wednesday.
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Ukraine will survey farmers about winter sowing plans for 2027
The Ukrainian agriculture ministry announced on Wednesday that it would conduct a survey among?farmers to determine their plans for winter?crops sowing for the harvest of 2027 and their capacity for storing?crops?for 2026. The Russian attack on Ukrainian Black Sea port has effectively stopped maritime exports. This leaves farmers unable sell their grain or prepare for and carry out a sowing campaign, primarily for winter Wheat. The?ministry announced that the survey was designed to collect up-to date information about the areas that farmers plan to sow in the fall, the progress made on the final stages of the harvest campaign for 2026, and the crop storage capacity available at agricultural enterprises. Last month, Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi said that farmers would reduce the area they sowed for the winter wheat harvest of 2027 because they could not export the wheat harvested. According to the ministry, the risk is that the area that will be sown in 2027 could decrease between 5 and 7 million acres. Ukraine has sown around 20 million hectares (mostly wheat,?corn, and sunflower) of grains and oilseeds in preparation for harvest 2026. The?ministry said that the disruption of grain exports via Black Sea ports could result in a shortage of storage capacity for up to 11 millions tons. The'shortfall' was about?15 millions tons in 2022.
Bombardier wants to fill 500 US job openings despite Trump's threats
Bombardier continues to recruit American workers for 500 "open jobs" in the U.S.
Some of these jobs will be for a new Fort Wayne service center, Indiana. It is scheduled to open mid-November.
Sources in the industry said that despite Trump's threats to ban the Montreal-based company, Bombardier is still able deliver planes to U.S. clients despite the trade dispute between Canada and the U.S. escalating.
The latest round of U.S. retaliatory actions against Canada, which was introduced on Tuesday, did not affect the aerospace sector.
On Wednesday, a?White House official stated that the Trump administration was preparing options and actions regarding Bombardier. Trump agreed last year to reinstate the multi-decade agreement that grants tariff-free status for airplanes and component parts.
Some Republican legislators have reached out to the White House because they are concerned that Bombardier may lose access to one of its largest markets, which represents about half of their sales.
U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (a Republican candidate for reelection in November) said that he would fight for the jobs of Bombardier in his state where it employs?about 1,500 people.
He said, "I've taken this concern inside the Oval Office," on?X Tuesday.
Jerry Moran, a Republican senator from Kansas, said he reached out to President Trump on Monday to "ensure that he is aware of Bombardier's significant contributions to Kansas."
Trump's threats against Bombardier risk worsening a bitter trade dispute between Canada and the United States. The tariffs that the Trump administration has imposed have become a major issue for Democrats in their bid to regain control of Congress during the November midterm elections.
(source: Reuters)