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Haiti: Senior defense official reported abducted in Port-au-Prince
According to reports in the media on Saturday, June 13, armed men have kidnapped in Haiti a senior government and police official in Port-au-Prince. This is 'the highest-ranking abduction in recent years in a nation gripped by gang-related violence. James Boyard was reportedly seized in the Bourdon area on Thursday, according to a source familiar with the case. Boyard, a security expert widely respected in Haiti and a leader in the field of security, was abducted on Tuesday. His kidnapping marks an important escalation in the targeting of senior officials there. Gangs in Haiti have tightened their grip over 'the capital. As criminal groups increase their influence in Haiti, they are 'undermining the government authority' and worsening an already deteriorating humanitarian crisis. Authorities have not commented publicly on Boyard's case. Reporting by Cassandra Garrison, Mexico City; editing by Kim Coghill
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Governor of Temryuk says that a drone strike in Ukraine has killed one and ignited a fire in the Russian port.
Veniamin Kondratiev, the governor of the Krasnodar Region, said that a 'Ukrainian drone attack' sparked an blaze at a sea port in Temryuk in southern Russia. Peace talks to end the Ukraine War have stagnated. Temryuk was previously attacked by Ukrainian drones in late May when Kyiv’s security service claimed it had hit a gas station there. Regional authorities cited Governor Andrei Bocharov as saying that a separate strike took place on Saturday and caused a fire to break out in an industrial area of the Kotovo District in the Volgograd Region. Bocharov did not disclose the details of the damages or the affected facilities. The?report on June 1?stated that Lukoil's Volgograd oil refining plant in Russia's south has been suspended since May 29 due to a Ukrainian drone strike.
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Brazil launches a subsidised motorcycle credit program for delivery drivers using apps
The Brazilian government launched on Friday a subsidised?credit program to help app-based drivers purchase motorcycles. This is a new initiative aimed at boosting demand and supporting a sector of the workforce which has grown rapidly in recent years. Bruno Moretti, Minister of Planning, said at an event held in Brasilia that the program would offer interest rates for male and female drivers of 11,5% and 12,5%, respectively. The benchmark rate of the central bank is currently 14.5%. Moretti stated that state-run lenders Caixa Econômica Federal and Banco do Brasil would provide?financing for eligible borrowers. He also noted that a government funded will mitigate credit risks by covering a part of potential losses. The Ministry of Industry, Development and Trade stated that the new loans are expected to be worth up to 2.5 billion reais (494,19 million dollars). This initiative is the latest of a series quasi-fiscal policies introduced at the beginning of the year. They do not affect the primary balance of the federal government, but they are meant to 'boost demand before the elections in October. Leftist Luiz inacio Lula da So is running for a fourth non-consecutive term. The new measures include a program to renegotiate consumer debts, initiatives to encourage truck purchase and vehicle financing support for ride-hailing driver. The app-based drivers program will offer discounts on motorcycles made in Brazil. This includes electric models. It will be open to drivers who have been registered for at least 6 months and completed 100 trips or delivery. This will cover all taxi drivers, cyclists and motorcycle couriers who have been formally employed for at least six consecutive months by the same company. A government statement states that borrowers have up to 48-months to repay their loans, and a grace period of two months. ABOVE TARGET INFLATION On?Friday earlier, Dario Durigan reiterated the government's plans to launch a program later this month to renegotiate consumer debts and personal loans for Brazilians that are up-to-date on their payments. Economists warn that the combination of demand-boosting measures and inflationary pressures resulting from the U.S. supported?war against Iran has clouded the outlook on monetary policy ease in Brazil. Previously, the central bank of this South American country was expected to make much larger rate cuts in 2018. The annual inflation rate is 4.72% and above the central banks' official 3% target. BTG Pactual expects only one more?25-basis point rate cut next Monday, followed by a pause for the remainder of the year. In a report released this week, the firm estimated that the Lula government's previous stimulus measures would inject 142 billion Reais into the Brazilian economy this year. This is equivalent to 1% of the GDP.
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US EPA sends California emission rules to Congress as a possible reversal
The US Environmental Protection Agency announced on Friday that it would be sending California's landmark vehicle emissions rules to Congress for possible repeal. This is the latest attempt to stop state tailpipe regulations becoming more strict. According to the EPA, waivers of California regulations that were approved by Democratic administrations in the past should have been sent directly to legislators under the Congressional Review Act. California's Advanced Clean Cars I, which allows California to set vehicle emission standards that are more stringent than federal standards, is included in the rules. California has not yet responded to the EPA proposal. The administration of President Donald Trump has launched a multifaceted effort to prevent California from requiring cleaner vehicles and more electric vehicles. The EPA also enacted regulations that make it easier for automakers sell more gasoline powered cars and?trucks while making EVs more expensive. California was granted authority to set its own emission standards for cars, trucks and lawn and garden equipment through the four waivers that were sent to Congress to be reviewed. These rules have prompted companies to "produce cleaner electric versions to reduce emissions." California?won approval for its current vehicle regulations known as Advanced Clean Cars I (ACC I) in 2022, under the then President Joe Biden’s EPA. These rules remain in place. The U.S. Transportation Department filed a lawsuit against the California Air Resources Board in March. It claimed that the rules of the state governing zero-emission vehicles and emissions from tailpipes are illegal. California's regulations require automakers sell an increasing number of electric cars and adhere to?increasingly strict limits on tailpipe emission. These rules are stricter than the ones imposed by Trump's administration, who plans to rollback federal fuel economy regulations. Trump signed legislation in 2017 to "overturn California's Advanced Clean Cars II regulations that aim to phase-out new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035." California claims that the fuel savings consumers will enjoy from the new rules will far outweigh the initial costs of electric vehicles. Congress revoked California's authority to ban traditional gasoline-powered cars after?2035, after Toyota GM and other automobile manufacturers lobbied Congress for relief from California’s emission regulations. This was after the EPA had sent Congress a waiver for this program to be reviewed. Many Democratic legislators claimed that waivers were not subject to review under the CRA. The White House has also weakened federal tailpipe regulations. Congress passed legislation to stop collecting penalties in 2025 for failing to meet vehicle tailpipe standards. This will save automakers hundreds and millions of dollars. In February, the EPA repealed a scientific conclusion that greenhouse gas emission endangers human health and removed federal tailpipe standards for cars and truck. David Shepardson, David Gregorio (Editing and Reporting)
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EU agrees to continue compensating passengers for delays in flights
Reporters were told that the European Union countries had agreed to maintain the three-hour delay compensation threshold in the EU's upcoming set of airline passenger rights. They also agreed to ask for greater transparency regarding fees for carry-on luggage. The diplomat stated that the 27 member states would now submit their proposals to the Parliament which would evaluate them from Monday. The European Commission and the EU members had been at odds over a package of measures that was first proposed by the EU executive more than a decade ago. The Commission proposed that the compensation threshold be raised to four hours, and the member states wanted to cap it at EUR 500. According to rules in effect since 2004, passengers who are delayed more than three hours on their flight can receive compensation ranging from EUR250 to EUR600 depending on the length of the flight. The member states have decided to maintain the status quo in the controversial issue of compensation for delay. This issue pitted airlines against consumer protection groups, who demanded greater flexibility in order to remain competitive. The member states propose that airlines include the cost of cabin baggage in the basic ticket price. Consumers who choose to opt out can receive discounts. The measure aims to increase price transparency and comparison. These fees were widely criticized by consumer rights associations across the EU. They sparked a battle in 2024 when the Spanish Consumer Rights Ministry fined low-cost airlines EUR179,000,000 for charging them. The airlines have appealed against the fine. The countries have also kept the rules unchanged that allow an adult accompanying a child to sit next to them without having to pay a fee and that require airlines to provide more services when a connection is missed. The law also prohibited airlines from forcing their passengers to download an app on their mobile phones to obtain a boarding card, a practice Ryanair began in November.
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Air India wants to delay hundreds of jet deliveries - sources
Air India wants to delay the delivery of hundreds?of jets ordered from 'Airbus and Boeing' in order to cut costs, according two people familiar with the situation, who confirmed a Bloomberg article. Air India and Boeing did not respond to a request for comment. Air India, under the new majority owners Tata Group, placed a record-breaking order in 2023 for a total 470 Jets. It also leased another 25 jets. Airline faces increasing losses and operational disruptions due to the conflict in Iran, which is compounded by Pakistan's ban on airspace and a crisis following a deadly Boeing 787 crash a year ago. Air India last week?cut?flights from several routes citing airspace restrictions as well as record jet fuel prices. Bloomberg News reported that Air India was looking to postpone plans for expansion, reduce flights and defer deliveries after Tata Group instructed it to concentrate on reducing record losses. Reporting by Tim Hepher. Mark Potter edited the article.
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American Airlines will resume US flights to Haiti by November
American Airlines announced Friday that it would resume flights to Haiti on 1 November after major U.S. airlines ceased service in the Caribbean nation by late 2024. American will resume service in Haiti this fall. It is the first U.S. airline to announce that it would be resuming its service. Since November 2024, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has banned flights to Port-au-Prince in Haiti's capital due to a perceived threat from "armed groups" to civil aviation. Later, the FAA allowed flights to resume at'six other airports located in northern Haiti. But it kept its ban on Port-au-Prince. Haiti is the only Caribbean nation that does not have direct flights from U.S. carriers. American said it also plans to offer a second Venezuelan airport flight option. FAA restrictions in Port-au-Prince will continue until at least September 3rd. The FAA suspended flights to Haiti in November 2024 after three commercial U.S. jetliners were hit by gunfire. The FAA continues to restrict access to Haiti's capital, citing the inability of security forces in Port-au-Prince or surrounding areas to prevent aircraft attacks. U.S. planes are allowed to fly over Port-au-Prince at a height of 10,000 feet (3,048 meters). According to a U.N. Report earlier this year the death toll has risen each year as independent and powerful armed groups have clashed with security forces and local vigilantes. According to the FAA, since September 2025, Haitian groups used small arms fire to 'attack' at least three aircraft in the area where U.S. Civil Aviation is prohibited. The agency permits flights to six airports: Port-de-Paix (Cap-Haitien), Pignon (Jeremie), Antoine-Simon, and Jacmel. (Reporting and editing by Susan Fenton; David Shepardson)
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Pope's return from Spain delayed due to technical issues with the plane
After a technical problem on his plane Friday, Pope Leo had to delay his return to Rome after a seven-day tour of Spain. As the?plane taxiing to the runway with Pope Leo and Vatican staff,?journalists and other passengers was about to take off when the captain announced a problem. Leo was escorted by King Felipe back to the airport after he had already 'boarded' his flight operated by carrier Iberia, following a 'wave-off by King Felipe, and other dignitaries from Spain. A spokesperson for Iberia said that maintenance specialists were checking out a technical issue, but did not provide any further details. The captain announced in a second statement that the engine was probably unable to start due to?the?wind. He said that the plane would be towed so it was facing the wind and they'd try to start the engine again. (Reporting and writing by Joshua McElwee, editing by Sanjeev Mglani).
China's drivers stress as robotaxis pick up speed - and guests
Liu Yi is among China's 7 million ridehailing chauffeurs. A 36yearold Wuhan citizen, he started driving parttime this year when construction work slowed in the face of an across the country excess of unsold houses.
Now he forecasts another crisis as he stands beside his car seeing neighbours order driverless taxis.
Everybody will go starving, he said of Wuhan motorists competing versus robotaxis from Apollo Go, a subsidiary of innovation huge Baidu.
Baidu and the Ministry of Industry and Info Technology declined comment.
Ride-hailing and cab driver are among the first workers globally to face the threat of task loss from synthetic intelligence as thousands of robotaxis hit Chinese streets, financial experts and industry specialists said.
Self-driving innovation remains speculative however China has moved aggressively to green-light trials compared to the U.S. which fasts to introduce investigations and suspend approvals. after mishaps.
A minimum of 19 Chinese cities are running robotaxi and robobus. tests, disclosure revealed. 7 have approved tests without. human-driver displays by at least 5 market leaders: Apollo. Go, Pony.ai, WeRide, AutoX and SAIC Motor.
Apollo Go has stated it plans to release 1,000 in Wuhan by. year-end and operate in 100 cities by 2030.
Pony.ai, backed by Japan's Toyota Motor, runs. 300 robotaxis and prepares 1,000 more by 2026. Its vice president. has said robotaxis might take 5 years to end up being sustainably. lucrative, at which point they will expand exponentially.
WeRide is understood for autonomous taxis, vans, buses and street. sweepers. AutoX, backed by e-commerce leader Alibaba Group. , runs in cities including Beijing and Shanghai. SAIC has actually been operating robotaxis considering that the end of 2021.
We have actually seen a velocity in China. There's certainly now. a quick speed of licenses being issued, stated Boston Consulting. Group managing director Augustin Wegscheider. The U.S. has actually been. a lot more steady.
Alphabet's Waymo is the only U.S. firm operating. uncrewed robotaxis that gather fares. It has more than 1,000 cars and trucks in. San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix however could grow to. thousands, stated an individual with understanding of its operations.
Cruise, backed by General Motors, rebooted screening. in April after one of its automobiles struck a pedestrian in 2015.
Cruise stated it operates in three cities with safety its core. objective. Waymo did not react to an ask for comment.
There's a clear contrast between U.S. and China with. robotaxi developers dealing with even more scrutiny and greater obstacles. in the U.S., said previous Waymo CEO John Krafcik.
Robotaxis trigger safety concerns in China, too, however fleets. multiply as authorities approve screening to support economic. goals. Last year, President Xi Jinping required brand-new. productive forces, triggering local competitors.
Beijing announced testing in minimal locations in June and. Guangzhou said this month it would open roads citywide to. self-driving trials.
Some Chinese companies have actually sought to test self-governing cars in. the U.S. however the White House is set to prohibit vehicles with. China-developed systems, said individuals briefed on the matter.
Boston Consulting's Wegscheider compared China's push to. develop self-governing lorries to its assistance of electrical automobiles.
As soon as they commit, he said, they move quite fast.
' DUMB RADISHES'
China has 7 million signed up ride-hailing motorists versus. 4.4 million 2 years back, main data revealed. With. ride-hailing providing last-resort jobs throughout financial. downturn, the side effects of robotaxis might prompt the. government to tap the brakes, financial experts stated.
In July, conversation of job loss from robotaxis soared to the. top of social networks searches with hashtags consisting of, Are. driverless cars and trucks taking taxi drivers' incomes?
In Wuhan, Liu and other ride-hailing chauffeurs call Apollo Go. vehicles silly radishes - a pun on the brand's name in regional. dialect - stating they cause traffic congestion.
Liu concerns, too, about the upcoming introduction of. Tesla's Full Self-Driving system - which still. requires human drivers - and the automaker's robotaxi aspirations.
I hesitate that after the radishes come, he said, Tesla. will come.
Wuhan motorist Wang Guoqiang, 63, sees a hazard to employees who. can least manage disruption.
Ride-hailing is work for the most affordable class, he stated, as he. viewed an Apollo Go lorry park in front of his taxi. If you. exterminate this market, what is left for them to do?
Baidu declined to talk about the chauffeurs' issues and. referred Reuters to comments in May by Chen Zhuo, Apollo Go's. general manager. Chen stated the company would end up being the world's. initially commercially rewarding autonomous-driving platform.
Apollo Go loses practically $11,000 a cars and truck each year in Wuhan,. Haitong International Securities approximated. A lower-cost design. could make it possible for per-vehicle annual revenue of almost $16,000, the. securities firm stated. By contrast, a ride-hailing cars and truck makes. about $15,000 overall for the driver and platform.
' CURRENTLY AT THE FOREFRONT'
Automating jobs could benefit China in the long run provided a. shrinking population, economic experts stated.
In the brief run, there should be a balance in speed in between. the development of new tasks and the damage of old jobs, said. Tang Yao, associate teacher of applied economics at Peking. University. We do not necessarily need to press at the fastest. speed, as we are currently at the forefront.
Eastern Leader Driving School has more than. halved its instructor number because 2019 to about 900. Instead,. it has teachers at a Beijing control centre from another location monitoring. students in 610 automobiles equipped with computer direction tools.
Computer systems score trainees on every wheel turn and brake tap,. and virtual truth simulators coach them on browsing winding. roads. Enormous screens offer real-time analysis of motorist. jobs, such as one student's 82% parallel-parking pass rate.
Zhang Yang, the school's intelligent-training director, stated. the machines have succeeded.
The efficiency, pass rate and security awareness have considerably. improved..
(source: Reuters)