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French Railways boss warns heat-vulnerable travellers to avoid trains
On 'Sunday, the SNCF head warned 'vulnerable people not to take the train during France's heatwave. Jean Castex, a reporter at the time, said: "We advise the most vulnerable to postpone or avoid their trip during this heatwave." * Former French Prime Minister?Castex said that a number of incidents were possible due to the high temperatures. Meteo France's latest update stated that 49 departments would be under a "red heatwave" warning starting at noon on Monday. This is 14 more departments than Sunday. The heatwave will intensify, reaching peaks as high as 42 degrees Celsius. It was also stated that "it is likely the heatwave will continue, or even worsen in some areas" for much of the next week. Reporting by Dominique Vidalon Editing By Louise Heavens And David Goodman
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Authorities say that the no-fly zone created by the Iran talks has disrupted flights to and from Zurich Airport.
Aviation authorities confirmed that a technical problem in air 'traffic control', which was triggered by security precautions?for the peace talks between the U.S.A. and Iran?in Switzerland?, caused disruptions? at the Zurich airport?on Sunday. They added that the problem has been resolved. Skyguide, a Swiss air traffic control authority, said that the glitch was caused by the integration of the restricted zone above Buergenstock in radar display systems. This is the Swiss mountain resort, where the negotiations are taking place. According to a statement, the zone was decided only at the last minute as the decision to hold the most recent round of discussions was not finalised until the following Saturday. Skyguide reported that operations have returned to normal. "The systems run smoothly and security is ensured at every time." A spokesperson for the airport said that by midday 12 arrivals had been cancelled and 14 departures. She added that at least 60 departures had been delayed. As outlined in a tentative peace agreement, U.S. Vice-President JD Vance met with Iran on Sunday for peace 'talks' at Buergenstock. However, the diplomacy of the U.S. was overshadowed when Iran announced that it had reimposed a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The Swiss government has promised that the talks will be held in a "reliable and discreet setting". This resort is located just over 50 kilometres south of the Zurich airport. Reporting by Alexandra Schwarz Goerlich; Writing by Rachel More, Editing by Barbara Lewis
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Five people killed in Ukraine attack as Crimea suspends fuel sales
The?Russian-installed 'governor' said that four people had been?killed? and 28 others wounded?in a ukranian drone attack against the russian-controlled peninsula Crimea. Local authorities in Russia's Krasnodar Region said that a Ukrainian drone strike on an oil transportation facility confirmed by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy killed one person on a passenger ship and set a?oil storage terminal on fire. The Russian Defence Ministry reported that 239 Ukrainian drones were shot down over night. Crimean Governor Sergei Aksyonov stated that 'fuel stations across peninsula have suspended sales to the public and businesses. Supplies are restricted to government agencies in charge of essential services and security. Ukraine intensified its drone attacks against Crimea, the home of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The attack targeted the peninsula's fuel supply routes, which triggered a fuel shortage as the holiday season began. Local power grid operators reported "outages" in several areas due to damage to the electricity networks. Ferry traffic across the Kerch Strait, which separates Crimea from Krasnodar, was also temporarily suspended. The authorities also stopped traffic on the bridge connecting?Crimea and Russia's Krasnodar region for more than 9 hours, leaving 11 train running behind schedule. Louise Heavens (Reporting)
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Minister: Three Indian flagged oil tankers have cleared the Strait of Hormuz
Sarbananda Snowal, the shipping minister said that three Indian-flagged oil tankers with more than 860,000 metric tonnes of 'oil and 94 Indian crew have safely transited 'Strait of Hormuz. They are now en route to India. Sonowal announced on X the Desh Vaibhav?, Desh Vibhor?? and Sanmar Herald have all completed their transit. The United States and Iran have signed a ceasefire agreement, which has led to an increase in oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Gulf producers are preparing to boost?exports regardless of concerns about?conditions that Tehran set for the use of the waterway. Washington and Tehran have released the text for the interim agreement they signed on Wednesday. U.S. president Donald Trump has warned that if the commitments made are not kept, he will resume his attacks against Iranian officials. Thirteen cargoes with Indian flags were stranded at the Strait of Hormuz prior to the?transit of?three cargoes Sonowal said, "Our Ministry is actively working with all relevant agencies in order to ensure 'the safety of the?Bharat seafarers as well as energy lifelines.
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Judge rules that the wife of Spanish PM must face corruption charges
A 'judge' ruled that the?wife of Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez must face corruption charges, and is banned from leaving Spain. Begona Gómez is being investigated over allegations that she abused her position as wife of the Prime Minister to obtain work contracts. She denies all wrongdoing. The far-right groups brought the case. The investigating judge,?Juan Carlos Peinado, ordered Gomez surrender her passport and barred her from leaving Spain. She was also required to appear in court twice per month. Sanchez, Europe's last leftist leader, is weighing down by several corruption cases that are nearing or have already been tried. He hasn't been named in any of these cases, and he has claimed that they are all part of an effort to remove him from his office. The Socialist Party reacted quickly to the ruling of the judge, posting on social media X that "(Begona has been subjected?)to judicial and politcal persecution for two year. The development of today is a step forward in this process." Investigations are underway against several close friends, including the number three of the Socialist Party and Sanchez's ex-transport minister. The cases involve alleged kickbacks in connection with public works contracts, oil and gas deals, and the purchase of masks for the pandemic. They deny any wrongdoing. Separately the Spanish High Court announced that it was investigating ex-prime minister?Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero for allegations he led a?network?that benefited from lobbying government authorities on behalf third parties including airline Plus Ultra. He denies these claims. Reporting by Graham Keeley. Mark Potter edited the story.
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Nine people are still in critical condition following fatal UK train accident
The 'driver' of one of the trains was killed in the crash that occurred on Friday near Bedford, approximately 60 miles (100km) north of London. Around 5.15 pm local time (16:15 GMT), two passenger trains headed for London collided on Friday. One of the drivers of the two trains died at the scene. British Transport Police Chief Constable, Lucy D'Orsi, provided an update of those injured in the crash that occurred on Saturday. She said more than eighty people were hospitalized on Friday evening. She said that as of "this morning", 28 people were still in the hospital and nine are in critical condition. D'Orsi said that investigators were trying to determine what caused the accident. One of the passengers posted a video on Facebook on Friday showing what appeared to be the damaged front of one railcar entangled with another's back, while the carriages remained upright. In a blog post on X, Prime Minister Keir starmer called it a "devastating event". Buckingham Palace, the official residence of King Charles I, also released a statement saying that "His Majesty is deeply saddened by yesterday's rail crash in Bedford and is regularly kept updated on developments." "His thoughts?and sympathies are with the family of the deceased as well as with those who were injured or affected in such a tragic event." (Reporting and editing by William James)
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Judge rules that the wife of Spanish PM must face corruption charges
A?judge's ruling?on Saturday said that the wife of Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will be tried on corruption charges, and is banned from leaving the country. Begona Gomez faces an investigation for allegedly using her position as wife of the Prime Minister to obtain work contracts. She denies all wrongdoing. The case was brought by?far-right groups. The investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado required Gomez to surrender her passport, bar her from leaving Spain, and require her to "report twice a monthly to court." This case is just one of many corruption?probes that are nearing or have already been tried and weighing down on?Sanchez. He's one of Europe’s last leftist leaders. He hasn't been named in the cases, but has claimed that they are all part of an effort to remove him from his office. Investigations are underway against several?close ally, including the number three of the Socialist Party and Sanchez's ex-transport minister. The cases involve alleged kickbacks in connection with public?works?,?oil contracts?, and the purchase of masks for the pandemic. They deny any wrongdoing. Separately the Spanish High Court announced that it was investigating Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero for allegations that he led a 'network' of lobbyists who profited by lobbying public authorities on behalf third parties including airline Plus Ultra. He denies these claims. Reporting by Graham Keeley. Mark Potter edited the story.
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Business Post reports that Ryanair CEO O'Leary believes fares will remain 'flat' this summer.
Michael O'Leary, Chief Executive Officer of Ryanair Group, told Ireland's Business Post newspaper that: He said: "We believe that?bookings will get a little boost as we move into the summer peak. I would use 'inverted commas' to say 'the peace agreement between Iran and the US.' But spot oil prices have fallen significantly." * "We don't expect prices to rise this summer into the peak. "I'm not sure that prices will drop, volumes are high, but pricing appears to be similar to last year," said he. We're not under pressure to hedge into May, June or July of next year. If prices fell to the low $80s, or even below $80, we would certainly start hedging summer '27. Here is the source text for more company coverage.
What is the issue in US discussions with Ukraine and Russia
U.S. officials will meet with negotiators in Saudi Arabia from Ukraine and Russia to discuss details of the proposed 30-day ceasefire for strikes on energy infrastructure as well as an overall peace agreement. Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine will not be present in the same meeting room. On Sunday night, officials from Kyiv will meet with the U.S. delegation in Riyadh. Then, on Monday, the Russian and U.S. negotiators will meet. Last week, U.S. president Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in order to promote his efforts to end the three year war in Ukraine. Here are some issues that Russia and the U.S. are currently discussing:
ENDING ATTACKS ENERGY INFRASSTRUCTURE
According to the White House, Trump and Putin agreed last week that "the movement towards peace will begin", with a 30 day pause on attacks against Russian and Ukrainian energy installations.
The ceasefire, which was narrowly defined, has been cast into doubt. Moscow claims that Ukraine struck an oil depot in southern Russia, while Kyiv says Russia struck hospitals, homes and knocked power out to some railways.
Zelenskiy stated that Kyiv will draw up a listing of facilities which could be included in the partial ceasefire. He said that the list could not only include energy infrastructure but also rail or port infrastructure. A moratorium on energy-infrastructure strikes may favour Moscow over Kyiv. This is because it will prevent Ukraine from launching long-range attacks on Russian oil installations, which has been a major way to inflict pain on its adversary.
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
In a U.S. press release, Trump said that during his phone call with Zelenskiy, he had suggested the U.S. might help manage, and even own, Ukraine's energy infrastructure and nuclear power plants.
Zelenskiy stated that he and Trump had discussed the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine, Europe’s largest nuclear facility. Russia and Ukraine both accuse each other of putting the nuclear plant at risk by their actions.
Zelenskiy stated that Kyiv was ready to discuss U.S. participation in modernizing the facility if it returned to Ukraine.
Ukraine will benefit long-term from regaining the control of this facility that generated 20% of all its power production before the war.
Zelenskiy warned that it would take at least two and a quarter years to bring the plant up and running due to the numerous technical problems it faces. According to industry sources, it would take huge amounts of investment.
BLACK SEA SHIPPING The Kremlin stated that Putin had "responded in a constructive manner" to a Trump proposal on protecting Black Sea Shipping and they have agreed to start negotiations.
The United Nations and Turkey helped to mediate a deal in July 2022, the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative. This allowed for the safe exportation of 33 million metric tonnes of Ukrainian grain across Black Sea despite war.
After a year of protesting that the exports of its food and fertilizer were severely hindered, Russia resigned from the agreement.
According to the World Bank's Global Commodities Outlook for April 2024, despite Black Sea shipping risk, both Russia & Ukraine shipped grain to global markets with no major issues. The World Bank also stated that the Black Sea Grain Initiative collapse had minimal consequences.
PRISONER EXCHANGES Russia & Ukraine each exchanged 175 prisoners-of-war on Wednesday. Russia also handed over 22 severely wounded Ukrainian prisoners as part of a gesture of goodwill, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
Zelenskiy said that the exchange was one of the biggest of its kind, and the 22 Ukrainians who were involved in it were "severely injured warriors" and people whom Russia had persecuted because of fabricated crimes.
NATO MEMBERSHIP
Putin wants Ukraine to drop its official ambitions to join NATO.
In its constitution, Ukraine states that joining NATO is a priority and that this would be the most effective and efficient form of security that it could receive as part a peace agreement. John Coale said last month that the United States has not ruled out a potential NATO membership for Ukraine, or a negotiated re-entry to Ukraine's pre-2014 border. This contradicted comments made by Pete Hegseth, the U.S. defense secretary, a day before.
Hegseth told Ukraine's allies in Brussels that a return to Ukraine’s borders prior to 2014 was unrealistic, and that the U.S. didn't see NATO membership as part of a resolution to the war. This sparked concerns that the U.S. made concessions before the talks began.
Trump said that he did not believe Russia "would allow" Ukraine to join NATO. Trump has blamed Joe Biden, his predecessor for pushing this idea. However, it was originally backed by Republican president George W. Bush back in 2008.
UKRAINE POST-WAR SECURITY
Ukraine wants guarantees about its security in the future, but this is at odds with what Kremlin demands.
Kyiv, and its European backers, agree that the key to Kyiv's security is an unfettered Ukrainian army. Moscow has said that a reduced military in Ukraine is one of the conditions for a peace agreement. Britain and France have a plan for a deterrent force made up of foreign ships, planes and troops that will be stationed in or around Ukraine following the signing of a peace agreement. The details of the force's operation and its members are still unclear.
Some Russian officials, however, have stated that they would not be able to accept such a force.
WESTERN SANCTIONES, ELECTIONS Putin said that he wanted the Western sanctions to be eased as well as a presidential vote in Ukraine.
Kyiv is yet to hold any elections in 2019 due to the martial law that governs wartime. Ukrainian officials say that it would be impossible to hold elections during the war.
Officials in Ukraine say that they are a sovereign country and it's not Moscow’s place to tell them when their elections will be held.
Biden led the United States in broad sanctions against Russia. These steps include measures to limit its oil and natural gas revenues. They also include a $60 cap per barrel for Russia's oil. Sources say that since Trump returned to power, he has studied ways to ease sanctions in exchange for Moscow ending the conflict. Trump also hinted at the possibility of large-scale tariffs and banking restrictions on Russia until peace was achieved.
RUSSIAN HOLDED TERRITORY
Russia wants control of all four eastern Ukrainian regions that it claims as its own. It also wants the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed and seized in 2014. Unnamed sources at a private business meeting with Putin in Moscow on Tuesday told Russia's Kommersant that Putin wants the U.S. formally to recognise Luhansk and Donetsk as part of Russia, along with Crimea.
Ukraine has already acknowledged that it is not possible to recapture some of the occupied Ukrainian territories by force, and that they will need to be returned diplomatically in due course. Kyiv, however, says that it will not recognise Russian sovereignty on Ukrainian territory.
On Sunday, Trump's National security adviser Mike Waltz answered a question about whether the U.S. was willing to accept a deal that allowed Russia to retain Ukrainian territory. He replied:
We must ask: Is it in our national interests? Is this realistic? "Are we going to force every Russian from every inch of Ukrainian territory?"
UKRAINIAN RESOURCES Kyiv has been in talks with Washington about a deal that would give the United States a financial reward for the development of Ukrainian resources, namely rare earths which are used to make electronics. The deal fell apart after the disastrous White House meeting that took place between Trump and Zelenskiy towards the end of the last month. Trump announced on March 21 that a rare earths deal would be signed in the near future. The White House may be interested in Ukraine's infrastructure for gas beyond that deal. Ukraine has the third largest underground storage capacity in the world. The country could import liquefied gas from the United States and store it before shipping it to Europe.
(source: Reuters)