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Greek F-4 crashes during air show near Athens, two pilots dead, sources say
Two officials confirmed that a Greek two-seat F-4 Phantom fighter jet crashed on Saturday during an airshow at Tanagra Air base north of Athens killing both pilots. The two pilots were confirmed dead by an official, who added that the Phantom crashed two kilometers outside of the airport. There was no report of injuries amongst the residents or passersby. ERT, a public?broadcaster, broadcast footage of the F-4 making a right turn a couple meters above ground before it crashed into a fireball. Eleven helicopters and firefighting planes were working to contain the fire which spread into the nearby forest. "We were all stunned. An eyewitness reported to ERT that the plane hadn't been in flight?for a?more than?three minutes. Loudspeakers were installed at the air base to urge people to leave the area. The F-4 took part in the annual Athens Flying Week. This event attracts military and civilian aviation teams from around the world.
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Protesters in Dover, England disrupt cross-Channel travel
Police and port authorities reported that groups of masked men protesting on roads around Dover (the main hub for ferries to France) disrupted traffic on Saturday. Social media videos posted by users showed men wearing black and balaclavas, and wearing scarves and?scarves, blocking roads at the port. Kent Police confirmed that it was "aware" of a protest currently taking place in the Port Of Dover. In a short statement, the police said that officers were present and engaged with protesters. The police didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for more information and details about the protest. The Port of Dover said that there is a "continuing public order incident" around the town of Dover, affecting all routes into and out of the port. The statement read: "We are in touch with Kent Police to understand the situation." Ferry operator P&O Ferries confirmed that its sailings are proceeding as planned. If you miss your booked departure today, we'll get you on the next available," said X.
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US Judge again blocks Postal Service’s mail-in vote restrictions
Federal Judge extended the ban on President Donald Trump’s administration from implementing new U.S. Postal Service rule that would increase the number of mail-in votes required ahead of November's congressional elections. Boston-based ?U.S. District Judge Indira Telwani issued this injunction on behalf of Democratic-led state and voting rights organizations, after one State sent out mail ballots to the elections last Friday. Talwani wrote only Congress' laws can override state authority in elections. She added that "the executive does not have inherent authority" to change voting rules. Talwani wrote that Congress never delegated voting authority to the Postal Service. The new rule of the agency "is in conflict with Congress's statute scheme and is unconstitutional." Talwani wrote that the immediate deadlines required by the Postal Service rule would cause "chaos" among groups who provide information on how to vote. The League of Women Voters, for example, "does not know whether or not to advise its members to vote via mail, despite their legal entitlement," Talwani's ruling states. The administration filed an appeal notice quickly. USPS refused to comment on this ruling but U.S. postmaster general David Steiner defended their handling of the matter. Steiner stated on Friday that "we have always acted within our legal authority" to issue a regulation to achieve these policies. However, the courts will ultimately decide this question and we will follow their determination. The White House didn't immediately respond to our request for comment. RULE ON POSTAL SERVICES FOLLOWS TRUMP'S ORDER According to the rule, the USPS must receive lists of recipients for mail ballots from the states. All outgoing and return?ballot envelops must have unique barcodes. Under the rule, the USPS may refuse to deliver any ballots that are not compliant with the new standards, or those associated with voters not appearing on the list. Talwani is an Obama appointee who issued a temporary injunction last week to stop the USPS from enforcing its rule. She was deciding whether or not to issue a more permanent injunction. The administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to intervene and lift a temporary order, so that the rule can take effect. Last week, the court's conservative majority of 6-3 lifted an order Talwani had issued that prevented USPS from imposing restrictions. USPS released its rule in March to implement the executive order that Trump signed after years of calling for restrictions on voting by mail. All 50 states permit some form of mail in voting. 29 states allow voters to request to vote by mail, without providing any reason. Eight other states conduct their entire election by mail. North Carolina became the first state to mail ballots in the November elections on Friday. If the rule is allowed to go into effect, it could force state officials to make changes to their systems in just a few weeks, to conform to a system critics say USPS has not yet implemented. Talwani stated that it is "implausible", that states will be able comply with this rule in time for the upcoming elections of this year, since it would require 10,000 jurisdictions redesigning their ballots, printing them, and submitting voter information to an online portal run by USPS that doesn't yet exist. The court concluded that the disenfranchisement of Plaintiff Organizations members, regardless their residence, was inevitable. The administration asked a federal court of appeals to overturn Talwani’s original restraining orders. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston had not yet acted on this request. Circuit Court of Appeals hadn't acted on this request before the Judge issued her latest ruling.
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US Judge again blocks Postal Service’s mail-in vote restrictions
On Friday, a federal judge in Boston extended a ban that prevented President Donald Trump from implementing any new?U.S. Postal Service rule would increase the number of mail-in votes required ahead of November's congressional elections. The Boston-based U.S. district judge Indira Talwani issued an injunction on behalf of Democratic-led States and voting rights groups, after the country's first state sent out its mail ballots?for the elections?on Friday. Talwani is an Obama appointee who issued a temporary injunction last week to stop the USPS from enforcing its rule. She was deciding whether or not to issue a more permanent injunction. On Thursday, the administration had asked the U.S. Supreme Court for intervention and to lift the restraining orders so that the rule could go into effect. Last week, the court's conservative majority of 6-3 lifted an order Talwani had issued that prevented USPS from imposing restrictions. USPS released its?rule in order to implement the executive order Trump signed back in March. This was after the Republican President had called for years to restrict voting via mail, and pushed the?false claims that the defeat of his 2020 presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden resulted from widespread voter fraud. All outgoing and return ballot envelopes are required to have unique barcodes. USPS may refuse to deliver any ballots that are not compliant with the new standards or those associated with voters not listed on the list. Talwani was temporarily blocked by voting rights advocates, and several Democratic-led States, last week. They argued that the rule could disenfranchise voters, and violated the U.S. Constitution which grants states the power to administer elections. The lawyers of the U.S. Department of Justice countered by stating that USPS has the authority to implement "modest" requirements for envelope design. The state election officials said that if the rule was implemented, they would still have full control over who can vote by mail. All 50 states permit some form of mail in voting. In 29 of those states, voters can?ask for a mail-in ballot without providing any reason. Eight other states conduct their entire elections by mail. North Carolina became the first state on Friday to mail ballots in the November elections. If the rule is allowed to take effect, it could force state officials to restructure their systems in just a few weeks before elections to comply with a system that critics claim USPS isn't ready to implement. Many state election offices have already printed their envelopes and votes. In a court document filed on Thursday, September 3, a USPS official stated that the 'online portal states would use to upload voter lists is not yet active. The official said that states could use the portal at some point in the week of Sept. 7. The U.S. released a whistleblower's statement on Tuesday from an anonymous federal employee. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, a Democrat, alleged on Tuesday that USPS was rushing into implementing a 'new system created hastily that risks disrupting the delivery during the election of mail ballots. The administration asked a federal court of appeals to overturn Talwani’s first restraining orders. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston had not yet acted on this request. Circuit Court of Appeals hadn't acted on this request before the Judge issued her latest ruling.
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Panama Canal defers Neopanamax draft reduction
The Panama Canal Authority on Friday postponed further a planned reduction in the maximum draft allowed for its Neopanamax locks to '14.48 meters (47.5 feet), which was scheduled to go into effect on October 1. This decision was made due higher than expected water levels at Gatun Lake, and favorable weather forecasts. A ship's draft is the minimum depth of water it needs to be able to float. If the limit is lower, the vessel may need to carry less cargo to get through the canal. In the Neopanamax lock, a maximum draft of 48 ft (14.63 meters) will continue to be allowed. The authority didn't give a new deadline for the potential reduction, but said that it would make any future adjustments to draft?in due time. The authority delayed the move from 14.48 meters up to 14.63 meters for the Neopanamax locks until October 1. The move was accompanied by a reduction in daily transits to prepare for an El Nino-like season that is expected to lower water levels. This reverses a previous promise not limit vessel passage.
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US Senate Democrats ask Postal Service to stop work on new mail-in voting regulations
The?U.S. Postal Service was urged by lawmakers to halt the work on new mail-in voting rules. Postal Service ordered the halt to "work" on new rules for mail-in voting, Friday. In a letter to the USPS, Senator Gary Peters from Michigan and six other Democrats on the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee wrote: "The Postal Service’s continued illegal efforts to transform itself into an electoral administration agency under the direction of President Trump risk disenfranchising American voters and threatening the integrity of the upcoming elections." On Thursday night, the Trump administration requested that the Supreme Court allow it to enforce a new USPS rule restricting the use mail-in votes. USPS didn't immediately comment. The Democratic Senators -- Peters, Richard Blumenthal, Maggie Hassan, Andy Kim, Elissa, Slotkin, and John Fetterman, all of Pennsylvania, and Ruben, Gallego, of Arizona -- warned that the "verification" system planned by USPS "could collapse the absentee voting system, and disenfranchise millions of Americans." U.S. district judge Indira Talwani issued an order temporarily prohibiting the USPS to enforce the new rule. The USPS adopted the new rule following an executive directive by the Republican President restricting mail-in votes. USPS regulations would require new standards for voter data and ballot envelopes, and could refuse delivery of any ballots that did not meet these requirements. Critics say this could lead to thousands of votes being invalidated as the election date of November 3 draws near. Republicans are in a fierce battle to "retain" control of Congress during the elections. Critics claim that restricting mail in ballots would benefit Republicans more than Democrats, since Democratic voters are traditionally more likely to mail in ballots. The new USPS rule requires that states provide the postal service with lists of voters who will be receiving mail ballots. They must also use envelopes for outgoing and return mail ballots which are approved by the agency, and have barcodes. Postal?services could refuse to send ballots that don't comply with new standards, or are associated with voters not listed on the list. Trump has cast doubts on the security of mail-in votes for years, even though evidence of voter fraud in rare. Trump has falsely claimed that widespread fraud is occurring in U.S. election, including his loss to Joe Biden as former Democratic president in 2020.
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Norway will help Russians stuck in Arctic after ship seize, says government
Norway's foreign ministry said on Friday that it would provide the necessary assistance to Russians in the Arctic Svalbard Islands following the arrest of a ship carrying passengers and supplies to the archipelago. The Norwegian court ordered this week the seizure of the Professor Molchanov Cruise Ship in Svalbard on behalf of an Ukrainian company involved in legal disputes, leaving its passengers and crew stranded and leading Moscow accuse Norway "piracy". Norway's Foreign Ministry said that they were complying with their international obligations by protecting Russian citizens in Svalbard. Statistics Norway reports that the town of Barentsburg is where the ship is docked. It is one of two Russian settlements in Svalbard, with a total of 392 residents. The ministry said that Russian companies receive regular'sanctions relief' to allow them to import food and other essential goods to the islands. According to Cruisemapper's website, the 71-metre-long Professor Molchanov has 32 crew members and 52 passengers. It also features a bar, a sauna, a library and two restaurants. The vessel is used both for commercial cruises and scientific expeditions. The seizure of the assets was ordered by a court on behalf Naftogaz - a Ukrainian energy company - which is seeking to enforce a compensation award of $4.22 billion for 'assets Moscow took in 2014 when it annexed Crimea. Russia plans to appeal this ruling.
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What is Ukraine's SBU Security Agency?
On Friday, Russia launched a drone at the Security Service of Ukraine's (SBU) headquarters in central Kyiv. Ukrainian authorities called it the latest in a series of war escalations. The following are key facts about the organization. What is the?SBU? SBU is an enigmatic and powerful organisation which emerged from the Ukrainian branch KGB of Soviet times when Ukraine became independent in 1991. The SBU has broad powers over matters of domestic security. It has been involved in combat since the Russian invasion of 2022, and it is now investigating war crimes, countering a cyberattack, conducting counterintelligence, and catching Russian agents. Alpha special forces have also conducted drone attacks against Russian military hardware in the field as well as on oil refineries and other military installations deep within Russia. They've also used sea drones against tankers transporting Russian oil. Authors of 'Operation Spiderweb' It has claimed to have carried out some spectacular wartime operations against Russia. For example, it used a truck bomb to attack Russia's bridge into the occupied Ukrainian peninsula Crimea in 2022. Last year, the organization masterminded a sophisticated '2025 drone strike, codenamed Spiderweb. It targeted a number of Russian strategic air-bombers deep within Russia. It is widely regarded as being a key player in the covert campaign to assassinate senior Russian military figures and others who are blamed by Ukraine as having committed war crimes. Russia has called these killings terrorist attacks. Who is in charge of the?SBU? According to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the agency is headed by Oleksandr Pklad. His office was the target of the drone which hit the SBU headquarters in Kyiv last Friday. Poklad was not hurt, according to the agency. He was appointed in July. How big is the SBU? During the war, the SBU grew in size. The SBU's size is secret, but the maximum number of employees it can have in wartime is 41,000. The figure is probably in the same ballpark. Last year, the legislative cap was raised from its previous threshold of 31,000 personnel during wartime. BITTER RIVALRY WITH MILITARY INTELLIGENCE The 'SBU' has had a long-standing rivalry with Ukraine's military spy agency, the Main Intelligence Directorate. This week, a dispute between the two organisations escalated into a shooting in Kyiv that left several military intelligence officers injured. Zelenskiy ordered an investigation to determine what happened.
What has been attacked by Ukraine in its attacks on Russian energy sites?
Ukraine's forces have struck Russia's energy infrastructure, which Kyiv claims is an attempt to deny Russia resources for funding its military.
Here is a list of recent attacks and their impact.
TYUMEN On July 25, local Russian authorities reported that a?Ukrainian 'drone strike' sparked an fire at the Tyumen Refinery in western Siberia. The fire was later extinguished. The refinery's nominal capacity is around 8 million tons per annum. According to industry estimates, it processes approximately 6 million tons per year, producing 0.5 million tons gasoline and 2.5 millions tons diesel.
YAROSLAVL According to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukrainian forces attacked Russian oil installations in Yaroslavl on July 27. This is about 250 km (160 mi) northeast of Moscow. The refinery at Yaroslavl can process 15 million metric tonnes per year or about 300,000 barrels of oil per day.
SALAVAT
Industry sources reported that the Salavat Petrochemical Complex, located in Bashkortostan's Urals region, stopped operations on 14 July following an attack by a Ukrainian drone.
AFIPSKY A fire has broken out at the Afipsky refinery, located in southern Krasnodar Region of Russia. The cause was drone debris that fell from the sky. The refinery is capable of processing over 9 million tons of oil each year.
SYZRAN According to industry sources, the Russian oil refinery Syzran on the Volga River in the Samara Region halted its operations on July 12 after an attack by a Ukrainian drone damaged a primary unit. Ukrainian drones attacked the Rosneft owned refinery on May 21. After the attack, the refinery had to stop operations due to damage caused to a primary processing unit. The refinery had suspended oil refining following attacks on 18 April.
The refinery's processing capacity is 8.5 million tonnes per year. According to industry sources, in 2024 it will have processed 4.3 millions tons of crude oil into 800,000 tonnes of gasoline, 1,5 million tons diesel, and 700,000 tonnes of fuel oil.
SARATOV Two sources claim that the Saratov oil refinery in Russia stopped processing oil on 9 July after a drone attacked caused damage.
The plant will process 5.8 million tonnes of oil in 2024. This is 2.2% of Russia’s total refining production. It will produce 1.2 millions tons of gasoline, as well as 1.9 million tones of diesel, and?1.0million tons of fuel oil.
ILSKY On July 10, local officials reported that a drone had attacked the Ilsky oil refinery, located in southern Krasnodar.
The design capacity of the refinery is more than 6 million metric tonnes of oil per annum.
OMSK On July 6, Ukrainian drones attacked the Omsk refinery, causing a large fire. Governor Vitaly Khodsenko stated that Russian air defences destroyed the majority of drones used in the attack. The extent of the damage to the refinery was not immediately known.
The design capacity of Omsk's oil refinery is about 22 million metric tonnes of oil per annum.
NORSI According to sources, Ukrainian drones struck NORSI, Russia’s fourth largest oil refinery owned by Lukoil for the second time on July 2. Crude processing was then suspended.
The attack damaged CDU-6 which can process 25700 metric tonnes per day. This is 53% of refinery capacity.
NORSI is the second largest producer of gasoline in Russia. It can process up to 16 million metric tonnes of oil each year or about 320,000 barrels a day.
Local authorities reported that on June 28, Ukrainian drones attacked Russian targets, including the Slavyansk Oil Refinery in southern Krasnodar Region.
Slavyansk Refinery is a privately owned plant with a capacity of around 100,000 barrels / day.
UFA Ukraine forces attacked an oil refinery a second-time on 1 July in Ufa near the southern Ural Mountains. The refinery is capable of processing more than 7,000,000 tons of oil annually.
ORENBURG On June 24, the Ukrainian military announced that it had hit Orenburg's gas processing plant. The plant has a production capacity of 45 billion cubic metres?of gas per annum.
MOSCOW According to sources, the operations of an oil refinery in Moscow were halted after a drone attack by Ukraine on June 16. On June 18, a second attack caused damage to processing units and multiple fires.
The Kapotnya district in the south-east of the capital has a capacity of 11 million tons per year.
TANECO Tatneft Russian's TANECO refinery halted its operations on June 12 after a drone strike.
The refinery is equipped with hydrocracking units, catalytic and delayed coking.
According to data from the industry, TANECO will process 17 million tons crude oil by 2024. It will produce 2.7 millions tons of gasoline, 8.5 millions tons of diesel fuel, and 1.3?million tonnes of petroleum coke.
KUIBYSHEV Rosneft’s oil refinery in Kuibyshev halted production on June 10, following a drone strike.
According to industry sources, the refinery will process 4.7 million tonnes of crude oil in 2024.
TUAPSE Ukraine attacked a refinery at the Black Sea port Tuapse, Ukraine's military reported on May 27. Officials said that a drone attack on April 28 caused a major fire to break out at the refinery, which forced the facility to cease operations.
The plant has an annual capacity of 12 million tonnes and produces fuel oil, naphtha and vacuum gasoil.
Ports/Oil Facilities The Caspian Pipeline Consortium ceased receiving oil on July 20 due to the attacks on oil tanks at its Black Sea Terminal. However, it is expected to resume loading oil later on Monday. Kyiv’s security service reported on July 25, that Ukrainian drones had struck the Filanovsky platform of Russian Lukoil LKOH.MM, located in the Caspian Sea. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the President of Ukraine, said that Ukraine had struck two "Russian oil depots" in the Tver region and Stavropol, which are both located about 500 km away from the frontline. On July 8, Ukrainian drones struck the 'Krasnodarskaya Pumping Station, which is part of the natural-gas supply chain from Turkey to Ukraine via the Blue Stream Pipeline. However, gas supplies did not suffer. Kyiv reported on July 8 that Ukrainian drones had struck an oil pumping facility in Russia's Bashkortostan Region, which is more than 1,500km from the border. Authorities said that Ukrainian drone attacks in Sevastopol (home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet) and Vysotsk, both Baltic Sea ports, caused damage on July 6. Authorities said that a drone strike caused a fire to break out in a loading complex at the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk. (Reporting and Editing by Toby Chopra).
(source: Reuters)